Saturday, February 01, 2003

A brilliant interview with Kurt Vonnegut

Heartbreaking photographs by Sebastio Salgado

Chuck some snowballs at a building and get sworn at.

Lou Reed hobnobs with ex Arsenal goalie.

Talking of goalies: interview with the daughter of Camus.
We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives, that it is inside ourselves

I ordered a couple of books from The Bookplace the other day, the first time I had used them. The one book I was warned, would take a couple of weeks to obtain and I opted to have the complete order sent at that time to save on postage. Well bugger me if they didn't find the hard to obtain book somewhere else and the whole package arrived this morning less than 24 hours after ordering at about half the cost I would have paid at Amazon. Not only that I had cause to e mail them and I got a very speedy, courteous and personal reply as opposed to some corporate bollocks. Very impressive all round and I will definitely use them again.

Having tired of hearing how "Don't Stand Me Down" by Dexys Midnight Runners is a lost masterpiece I went and got hold of it. It is a found masterpiece. I know I have a tendency to get carried away with these things, especially after a bottle or so of wine, but reminisce is just about the best song I have ever heard.
Despite my new found fondness for Dexys I always thought Rowlands was a berk. I used to see him in a caff in the early hours of the morning on Broad Street, just up from the Rum Runner. People would stop off on their way to Barbarellas or the Opposite Lock or somewhere the chuff else just to take the piss out of him as he held court. He would get very irritated very quickly. This interview is good though. He goes on about an Arts Centre which was actually a decent place despite being once called an arts lab. He resents that his type never even knew such places existed, which reminds me of the the other arts lab on the other side of the city, in Cannon Hill park. When I was about 16 my next door neighbour started going out with very well scrubbed guys. Where do these jokers come from I asked a mate, I have never seen anyone who looks like them. The arts lab he replied.
We paid a visit one Sunday night, I have never felt so unwelcome. So big up to Rowlands on this one.

Terry Jones is running out of patience.

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