(no subject)
I've spent the past few days in Derby. That's what I've been doing of late, before term starts: I've been working from Thursday to Sunday and then visiting Liverpool/Bolton/Derby from the Sunday evening (I now do nine 'til five!) to the Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Why not? Once an academic routine kicks in, I won't have much time at all to visit these people. The most must be made of these quiet weeks, when my only pressing obligation is a piece of coursework with which I'm furloughing along very nicely. Also, I'm doing Contemporary Fiction this year which means that a book a week must be read and digested, so I'm getting a head start.
Derby was wonderful. As usually happens when I'm over there, I got very excited about music. I don't know what it is about Derby. There's just something about the place which seems to recharge my nerdy batteries and I start to get passionate again. I made it a New Year's Resolution this year to go to Glastonbury. It must happen! I declared. This resolution has now been updated. That is to say, it's evolved. It's not necessarily the case that I MUST go to Glastonbury (I absolutely desperately want to, but, who knows? It might be too expensive!) but it is positively imperative that I go SOMEWHERE this year. That means a festival. Any festival at all. Green Man, Latitude, The Big Chill, End of the Road, ANYTHING. It's become apparent that the mixture of camping, the outdoors, the fresh air, the loud and plentiful music, the friends, the friends, the friends, the friends, the discoveries and the hedonism - it's heaven. It might well be the case that I come to remember years depending upon exactly which festival I attended that year. "2008? Oh yes. That was Werchter." So it has to happen and it will. You see if it doesn't!
Also, I resolved to listen to NEW music - DEBUT albums! Well, yes, I will, provided that there's stuff worth hearing (when has there ever not been?) But I realised that what I really need to do is to change the NATURE of my music listening habits. I just deleted about 10gb worth of music on this computer. Stuff I own on CD or stuff I know I'll never need. There's no point in having a vast digital library anymore, I've started listening to CDs again and I prefer it, massively. Albums are, I reckon, more enjoyable, ultimately, than songs. I'm not going to use my MP3 player on the way to and from work anymore. With horror it struck me that such is the horrifying bleak drabness of that journey - EVERY SINGLE DAY - that I've ruined HOURS of music by exposing myself to it whilst in transit. These days when I hear it I get images of dull Northenden and deadly Wythenshaw. This must end. No more. I'll be out of there soon anyway.
I always make a "best of the year" CD for myself. I think I'd love it if I were to go back in time and present myself, in the December of the closing year, with the mix-CD for the imminent year. "Here you go, sir, this is what you'll be listening to this year". Yes, that would be amazing. So as to ensure that the thrill of discovery isn't removed, I'd only be allowed to listen to it once (it would melt afterwards) and there'd be no track information. That would be wonderful. "Whose this? Could this be new Flaming Lips? Fucking awesome." Then, when it came to pass that I hear said song in the coming year (and I WOULD - that's how time travel works) there'd be a rush of the orgasmic joy of recognition. I'd love that. I love music.
Derby was wonderful. As usually happens when I'm over there, I got very excited about music. I don't know what it is about Derby. There's just something about the place which seems to recharge my nerdy batteries and I start to get passionate again. I made it a New Year's Resolution this year to go to Glastonbury. It must happen! I declared. This resolution has now been updated. That is to say, it's evolved. It's not necessarily the case that I MUST go to Glastonbury (I absolutely desperately want to, but, who knows? It might be too expensive!) but it is positively imperative that I go SOMEWHERE this year. That means a festival. Any festival at all. Green Man, Latitude, The Big Chill, End of the Road, ANYTHING. It's become apparent that the mixture of camping, the outdoors, the fresh air, the loud and plentiful music, the friends, the friends, the friends, the friends, the discoveries and the hedonism - it's heaven. It might well be the case that I come to remember years depending upon exactly which festival I attended that year. "2008? Oh yes. That was Werchter." So it has to happen and it will. You see if it doesn't!
Also, I resolved to listen to NEW music - DEBUT albums! Well, yes, I will, provided that there's stuff worth hearing (when has there ever not been?) But I realised that what I really need to do is to change the NATURE of my music listening habits. I just deleted about 10gb worth of music on this computer. Stuff I own on CD or stuff I know I'll never need. There's no point in having a vast digital library anymore, I've started listening to CDs again and I prefer it, massively. Albums are, I reckon, more enjoyable, ultimately, than songs. I'm not going to use my MP3 player on the way to and from work anymore. With horror it struck me that such is the horrifying bleak drabness of that journey - EVERY SINGLE DAY - that I've ruined HOURS of music by exposing myself to it whilst in transit. These days when I hear it I get images of dull Northenden and deadly Wythenshaw. This must end. No more. I'll be out of there soon anyway.
I always make a "best of the year" CD for myself. I think I'd love it if I were to go back in time and present myself, in the December of the closing year, with the mix-CD for the imminent year. "Here you go, sir, this is what you'll be listening to this year". Yes, that would be amazing. So as to ensure that the thrill of discovery isn't removed, I'd only be allowed to listen to it once (it would melt afterwards) and there'd be no track information. That would be wonderful. "Whose this? Could this be new Flaming Lips? Fucking awesome." Then, when it came to pass that I hear said song in the coming year (and I WOULD - that's how time travel works) there'd be a rush of the orgasmic joy of recognition. I'd love that. I love music.