Breaking news!!!!

Five time Coventry’s Angriest Man winner, Ashley (currently Prague’s Most Poisonous Ex-Pat, a title he holds for life, apparently) informs me that The Impostume is now in the hands of Shudder to Think’s ex-bassist Stuart Hill (friend of a friend, apparently) and may perhaps eventually find itself to the Wedren himself (in whatever dark cave/ steamy jungle enclosure the great fleecy, multi-octaved beast is currently slumbering), thus through the magic of the internet the sins of ten year’s past may be expiated!

Ashley also informs me that an essential addition to the proto-Wyatting tape was “Partially Submerged” by Cabaret Voltaire. I can hardly remember it but apparently, “About 2 thirds of the way through the several minute epic an 808 hi hat comes in and goes tk-a-tss, tk-a-tss for about 5 seconds for no reason at all (maybe to torture us with some hope of listenability), and then disappears again, leaving the relentlessly ugly blob of sound that preceded it.”

Ahh, the Cabs!

The Impostume’s most devoted correspondee the lovely Sam (how do you know he’s lovely, smirking…err.. hang on, hang on...I’ve seen him, alright!!!) at blogglebumcage wonders (and possibly worries) about my Etienne attack, (it was a slow Sunday afternoon round Impostume Heights, frankly, Sam) and poses a few questions/ rebuttals. Which I shall address below...

Why are Saint Etienne evil but Jonathon Richman isn’t?

One word: Smugness!

Another word: Poetry: “ Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste.” (A heartbreaking plea) Versus “ Hug my soul” ( can you see the fluffy, heart- shaped teddies cuddling???)

Can Saint Etienne be politically correct if they’re not multi-ethnic?

Another (several) word (s). Yeah, I reckon so. Plus I don’t know how “white” their sound is, it’s certainly dance-orientated, non-riffy, un-hairy, Disco-derived. If you mean “white” in the sense that it’s down the line from Kraftwerk then I guess Afrika Bambaattaa could be making “white” music too. I guess the Riot Girl/ Bikini Kill stuff was also P.C and pointedly rock, so I don’t think the boundaries are all that fixed.

Isn’t childishness good?

I’m not sure it’s childishness per se that I object too. In fact, it’s not, but rather,… well… “Twin Infinitives” by Royal Trux is a fantastically childish record for example, the sound of a couple of very smart, talented and presumably somewhat wasted junkies really just playing around with no regard whatsoever for the rules/values etc. ( The Residents have that whole sense of joyful play and experiment too.) When they (the Trux) got more “adult” (and less “self-indulgent”) they got a lot less interesting in some ways. It’s the version/ notion of childishness I guess. A liberated, childishness-as-praxis, Mess-thetics , versus prettiest little-prince/princess in the school play cuteness.

Actually, I probably have a lot more to say on this, ( a veiled w ay of suggesting that I may not actually have thought about it enough at this stage, speak first, think later has always been my approach, I’m afraid ) but should save it for an entire other post. First I have to try and finish one entitled, “ The Associates Versus The Blue Orchids” which may actually have become too complicated to complete.


A transatlantic challenge!!!!!!

It seems that Geeta over at the Original Soundtrack is claiming victory (by default, I note) after what was merely, to me, the opening skirmish in the Transatlantic Quidditch Challenge, due to the strength of the pound ( I like a woman who can turn the very weakness of her currency into an advantage!) and the resultant impossibility of my finding anything so cheap it could absorb the two-dollars to a quid advantage she has over me. Ha, ha! You may have your cool, sun-kissed, Californian, ultra-hip record stores but I have Woolwich, Deptford and Ramsgate, the charity shop capital of the UK, I have the cassette section of Blackheath Oxfam, I have Thamesmead’s weekly car boot sale (god help me!) and if all that fails, Geeta, I have SHOPLIFTING!!