Luke Haines's Memoir: Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part In Its Downfall

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Yeah, but she did have the chart run, right? Admittedly with the downward curve at the end, but still...

Mark G, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 12:27 (fifteen years ago) link

So did Robson & Jerome.

Ben E Gesserit (Marcello Carlin), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 12:29 (fifteen years ago) link

true, but you wouldn't call them undeerachievers either.

Mark G, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 12:30 (fifteen years ago) link

I'm anxious to find out who the 70's Cult Legend mentioned in the book is, anyone know?

I could only think of Kevin Ayers but I know that must be wrong.

MaresNest, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 12:55 (fifteen years ago) link

I like how he just refers to Banbury as "The Cellist" throughout

The whole Cellist thing is weird... Haines just hates him for no obvious reason, and then at the end (spoiler) he seems to reconsider and start liking him. That was nice.

The Real Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 13:22 (fifteen years ago) link

has anyone ever read any of Louise Wener's books?

I wonder has she learned a new facial expression.

The Real Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 13:24 (fifteen years ago) link

My gf read her first. She said it was shit.

I remember a particularly bad article she wrote for the Guardian which pretty much said that she was the first woman ever to give birth.

Glansel & Gretel (Raw Patrick), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 13:27 (fifteen years ago) link

The very definition of tl;dr

Glansel & Gretel (Raw Patrick), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 13:30 (fifteen years ago) link

I wonder has she learned a new facial expression.

Gormless hamster has got her this far...

Beloved lightbulb (Neil S), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 13:31 (fifteen years ago) link

when i saw Sleeper she performed without wearing shoes, which led to me hating her forever until the end of time

akm, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 14:30 (fifteen years ago) link

Hating someone for not wearing shoes is rather bootless.

moley, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 14:36 (fifteen years ago) link

It shows a distinct lack of sole.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 14:46 (fifteen years ago) link

Hell regret claiming that.

Beloved lightbulb (Neil S), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 14:47 (fifteen years ago) link

doh HEEL!!! oh forget it...

Beloved lightbulb (Neil S), Wednesday, 21 January 2009 14:48 (fifteen years ago) link

the cellist bites back : http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/jan/20/luke-haines-britpop

mark e, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 23:22 (fifteen years ago) link

sorry meant to point to the comments section.

mark e, Wednesday, 21 January 2009 23:46 (fifteen years ago) link

Good article. About time someone other than me stood up and said it.

Ben E Gesserit (Marcello Carlin), Thursday, 22 January 2009 11:09 (fifteen years ago) link

Also reminds me that I need to sift through my two years of shitty unsellable promo singles to see if any of those pre-Hype Bands bands are in there on the offchance that some mong fancies paying me to let them own them

Pescetarian Reich (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 22 January 2009 11:22 (fifteen years ago) link

Well, the TingTings used to a portisheady type band called Eskimo buttox, or something. Their one and only single is going on ebay thesedays for, ooh, a fiver?

Mark G, Thursday, 22 January 2009 11:51 (fifteen years ago) link

Dear Eskimo. I got a tenner for my copy.
Happy days.

mark e, Thursday, 22 January 2009 12:30 (fifteen years ago) link

Does he mention what band he's talking about in American Guitars?

kornrulez6969, Thursday, 22 January 2009 16:29 (fifteen years ago) link

Does he mention how fat he's got?

ledge, Thursday, 22 January 2009 16:30 (fifteen years ago) link

Does he mention what band he's talking about in American Guitars?

It's not about a band in particular, and I think he thinks everyone misinterpreted it. I'll elaborate later if no-one else has. Disappointing lack of explanation of Idiot Brother, which is about Clive Solomon I think?

Which is the band from this line-up http://www.last.fm/event/456266#lineup that travelled with the Auteurs, Oasis and (the) Verve?

An interesting thing I've noticed is bitter unsuccessful musicians (Haines, Paul Draper) using Bittersweet Symphony as some sort of pivotal 'what we were up against' thing, but either the Verve spent about 4 years working on it or people have poor memories.

chord simple (j.o.n.a), Thursday, 22 January 2009 16:42 (fifteen years ago) link

Early 90s London is full of derivative charmless bands clogging up the live circuit. Everybody seems to be in thrall to the American bands on the ultra hip Sub Pop label, Tad and Mudhoney. Dinosaur Junior (sic)are lauded on a weekly basis. Nirvana's instant classic Nevermind is everywhere. I am working on a new song called 'American Guitars': part sarcastic riposte to British bands who cannot find their own voice, forever worshipping at the altar of US rock, part self-mythologising history of my fledgling band. Soon the British press will pick up on 'American Guitars', proclaiming it some sort of battle cry against the marauding Yanks. It won't be long before Britpop rears its ugly head, bobbing about on the perimeters, then brazenly cavorting around on centre stage like an attention-seeking moron.

chord simple (j.o.n.a), Thursday, 22 January 2009 21:19 (fifteen years ago) link

Haines should have been in Singles.

Andy K, Thursday, 22 January 2009 21:40 (fifteen years ago) link

ledge, capital lol

Wax Cat, Thursday, 22 January 2009 21:43 (fifteen years ago) link

Which is the band from this line-up http://www.last.fm/event/456266#lineup that travelled with the Auteurs, Oasis and (the) Verve?

terrorvision.

mark e, Thursday, 22 January 2009 21:56 (fifteen years ago) link

Yeah, when I saw the line-up they jumped out immediately.

Another bit on American Guitars:
The other group was called the Auteurs. They were not as popular as the Suede group, although they had better songs. One of these songs was called 'American Guitars'. Some of the lance corporals of the kingdom of Britannia thought they heard a story in the song about an ancient mythical war between Britannia and the old kingdom of America. In their excitement the lance corporals hadn't listened to the words of the song properly. Nevertheless, it gave them an idea about a new kind of music for the children of Britannia. They announced their idea in Select magazine in April 193.

chord simple (j.o.n.a), Thursday, 22 January 2009 22:10 (fifteen years ago) link

They announced their idea in Select magazine in April 193.

Aw what a waste of a good typo, 1913 would have been funny.

anatol_merklich, Friday, 23 January 2009 06:40 (fifteen years ago) link

Aw, that was mine and all, rather than the sloppy editing in the book.

chord simple (j.o.n.a), Friday, 23 January 2009 08:21 (fifteen years ago) link

http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2009/01/luke-haines-vibes-britpop

essentially a Mod Revival Revival

essentially a reynolds stan stan, quoting leading morrissey apologist k-punk on how not making jungle music is racist, a meme almost as boring as "omfg the bbc reported on two singles being released on the same day!11!1!!" -- which needless to say also gets a look-in.

top marks for using 'provincial' as pejorative and bigging up that fascist fuck wyndham lewis.

special guest stars mark bronson, Thursday, 29 January 2009 18:42 (fifteen years ago) link

o/t but is it a tendency that the people who most front with the "techno is FUTURE MUSIC, how could you possibly listen to SONGS by people holding GUITARS" babble actually tend to be people who got into the dance music late and still keep a flame for the indie rock of their youth?

this guy's last blog entry is something about those fearless revolutionaries pulp; and the cases of reynolds and k-punk are too obvious to labour.

i suppose one problem with life, and people, is that they are complicated and sometimes like different sorts of music at the same time, or like different aspects of different musics for different reasons.

but no, maybe not, maybe liking denim and saint etienne is just racist.

special guest stars mark bronson, Thursday, 29 January 2009 18:59 (fifteen years ago) link

1995/96 was also a pretty lame time to be cheerleading for techno as musical revolution, as much as plenty of good stuff came from that period

Peter Andre Test Tube Babies (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2009 20:51 (fifteen years ago) link

lol at john harris "ennobling" anything.

joe, Thursday, 29 January 2009 21:07 (fifteen years ago) link

one year passes...

http://www.culturedeluxe.com/music/interview/interview-luke-haines/

Confirms a follow up book, "Yep".

Born too beguiled (DavidM), Tuesday, 10 August 2010 21:47 (thirteen years ago) link

two years pass...

Read Bad Vibes in about 4 or 5 hours. Amazing book. I guess it might not make a whole lot of sense to people who aren't intimately familiar with Haines' oeuvre up to the beginning of Black Box Recorder. Regardless, I think the writing is funny and vivid enough to draw anyone in. Have his follow-up coming in in a few days. Can't wait. Seems like that book didn't attract much attention considering his career post-BBR/Auteurs isn't as interesting to the public.

Loved the bit about Liam sucking on an ice lolly as he waves at Luke from across the street.

afriendlypioneer, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:27 (eleven years ago) link

three months pass...

Man, I loved Bad Vibes, but Post Everything is pathetic. Just felt like a rambling mess with no real sense of purpose.

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 8 May 2013 14:41 (ten years ago) link

eleven months pass...

I got the audiobook, read by the man himself. Loads of fun, and it's only $7.99

https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Luke_Haines_Bad_Vibes?id=Bolkdu73r5ndfs7vxcvfjvozchm&hl=en

kornrulez6969, Saturday, 3 May 2014 16:47 (nine years ago) link

His last two albums are pretty great. I'm not too sure about the new one. "Lou Reed Lou Reed" is terrible and "Alan Vega Says" didn't seem too great either.

I like the sound of this, though:

BV: What do you do when you're not making music?

LH: I've actually got a thing in the Berlin Festival in July with a guy called Scott King. It's a "micro-opera" thing with visuals. It's about Mark E. Smith of The Fall going on a caravan holiday. Do you have caravans in the States, what old people go off in when they retire?

BV: We call them RVs here. Winnebagos.

LH: Right. RVs. So anyway the opera is about that. It's a short thing, with actors and everything. It's very "art." The opera's called Adventures in Dementia.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/04/luke_haines_tal.html

I like him when he just sounds like a guy who's into his own thing. The acerbic antichrist of Britpop persona he's got isn't a winner.

afriendlypioneer, Saturday, 3 May 2014 20:56 (nine years ago) link

It isnt a winner but he's spent half of career basing himself on what he isnt, he isnt necessarily tiresome but all that shit is

Master of Treacle, Saturday, 3 May 2014 21:30 (nine years ago) link

I like Alan Vega says. He's got a shtick just like Lou Reed did. He is still making interesting music which is more than can be said of the rest of his 90s contemporaries.

My favorite song he ever wrote could be Fighting In The City Tonight, which is an unheralded masterpiece from a sol record. I even like his voice.

kornrulez6969, Sunday, 4 May 2014 01:59 (nine years ago) link

http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/luke-haines-new-york-in-the-70s?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The new one is surprisingly getting great reviews.

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 14 May 2014 14:43 (nine years ago) link

Luke Haines is such a country singer name.

how's life, Wednesday, 14 May 2014 14:59 (nine years ago) link

now i'm a cowboy

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 14 May 2014 15:03 (nine years ago) link

always wers

Mark G, Wednesday, 14 May 2014 16:10 (nine years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FasitDgQfCk

can't get excited about it

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 14 May 2014 17:45 (nine years ago) link

three years pass...

god now i'm a cowboy is phenomenal. it has this sinister undercurrent--i think it's just the cello--that makes me feel all kinds of things. it's also a very nostalgic album for me. on the other hand, this new song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEqRi5AFimI

why do all his new songs sound the same? i can't put my finger on it.

afriendlypioneer, Friday, 13 April 2018 19:40 (six years ago) link


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