Why go home after work anyway?

First i went to see Show Me Love, Lukas Moodyson’s first film (Fucking Amal to us sophisticated European / pottymouthed types). I’d heard good things about it but I wasn’t prepared for exactly how life-perfect and damned sweet the thing is. It might be set in Sweden and the two characters falling in love might both be female but apart from that it felt like me and every person i know / knew. It’s joined my list of films I wish I’d seen as a teenager. It’s on again on sunday and i might well be back at the cca for the double bill of this and Together / Tilsamanns. I defy anyone to see it and not go “awwwwwwwwww”.

After that there was the gig by Glasgow’s premiere pianopunk outfit Lapsus Linguae over at Stereo. They were definitely On Form tonight. No technical hitches or heckles, just room enough to marvel at the – what ? The Lapsus-ness of it. I haven’t heard a band like them and they are damn good. Go See Them if you haven’t already, though this was the end of their tour I think. News!: they have arranged an album release for the spring, even if the songs haven’t been written yet. Support band Sea Change are also worth a listen. More conventional song-style (obviously) but with a violin / shoegazey sound.

While I was there I got a flyer for a new Glasgow club, DeathKill4000. At the Woodside Social Club every Thursday from the 26th. I like the playlist’s silly-but-sensible-to-me mix: Aphex Twin, Alec Empire, Big Black, Bobby Conn, Chicks on Speed, Dead Kennedys, DJ Assault / Shadow, Horrorist, Iron Maiden, The Locust, Megadeth, Motley Crue, Peaches, Public Enemy, Slayer, Spinal Tap, 10Benson, Trans Am and Turbonegro. Multiplies playing live. Plenty variety in type of tune but no let up in quality it sounds like. Well worth yr £2 from 10-2 on Thursday the 26th June I’d suggest. I may even be there myself, competing for the “best dancer” bottle of vodka.

Nice one Dave, remind everyone that I have a huge stack of zines sitting on my computer waiting to be reviewed… [insert crappy excuse here].

I’ve just realised this is the first time ever that I’ve not bought the new Mogwai album the first day it was released. Or at least tried to (see legendary ‘One Up in Aberdeen only ordering in 3 copies of Young Team’ tale). I would like to personally blame Glasgow City Council for leaving me destitute and incapable of record buying while owing me hundreds of pounds. Bah.

Here’s a rarity for you, howabout mentioning a ‘zine? It’s not a review of sorts, as the latest issue of Punk Planet is probably beyond any of that, as it’s huge. You just don’t see it in the UK all that often. However, despite difficulties in tracking it down, I encourage anyone with even the remotest interest in printed words to find a copy of the latest issue wherever you can. #55 (May-June) is a special, dedicated to all kinds of printed matter this time around. What you get is a plethora of interviews with all sorts of people from different disciplines and backgrounds, each feature being accompanied by a sample of the interviewee’s writing. Of most notable interest to the general indie-rock afficionado is Everett True waxing lyrical about Careless Talk Costs Lives, but there’s a fantastic amount of many more interesting things.

I cannot stress enough how incredibly inspiring ths issue was.Go read it, go do something positive.

New job designing websites for quality meat product suppliers and towbar sellers means I am s-k-i-n-t until payday and thus completely missing out on Glasgow’s best gig week in months. No Erase Errata, American Analog Set, 90 Day Men, El Hombre, Hex, Cat Power or Nina Nastasia for me. Waaah.

Still, at least the weather’s nice, eh? I got up really early today and went to see Watership Down with a small child which was rather nostalgic. I didn’t blub though, possibly because they kept messing up the sound so I never really got into it. And then I did some gardening and planted some herbs and once I’ve finished here I’m going to take my computer to bits. mmm.

So, Things I Like (in the absence of cash)

– Mario Party 3! Without my Mario Party Gang I would die of boredom and miss out on the opportunity to throw giant snowballs at my flatmates. But my button pushing fingers might hurt less. Not as good as Mario Party 2 though due to far too many memory games.

– Friendster! Yes, I am sad and pathetic. But I have twelve friends!

– Papa M Rediscovery possibly prompted by finding David Pajo on Friendster

– The re-design of diskant! Oooooooh, bet you can’t wait, etc.

Alternatively, I could not see Erase Errata and stay in doing fascinating technical stuff instead. If I unplug the phone, rearrange my furniture and perch on the end of my bed, I now have internet access.

Wow.

My hotmail account has disappeared and wiped all my messages because I didn’t use it for a whole month. How needy and insecure is that? Tossers. There were photos of friends from the other side of the world in there, cheers Bill.

I’m off to see Erase Errata, and American Analog Set or The Dirtbombs over the next few days. I might blog about them.

Move out the way Mr Goalkeeper, it’s a weblog hatrick!

Despite believing digital television to be the most doomed venture since the Pyramint bar, I found myself actually enjoying some its mostly terrible output lastnight. Curb Your Enthusiasm is yet another’US comedy sensation’ to hit our TV screens. But rest assured, this is no ‘Dharma and Greg’. If you haven’t already seen it, it’s a pretend glimpse into the life of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David and is a great mix of bizarre Seinfeld-style scenarios and Woody Allen-esque dialogue. Choice moments included his thoughts on acting associate and bowling partner, Ted Danson (‘I can take him or leave him’) and his criticisms of starchy trousers that give off the impression of constant arousal (‘it’s just an innocent bunch-up’). It’s funny because it’s true!

It seems that yesterday was officially ‘National Mirth Day’. Other that the aforementioned televisual gem, I was treated to a good half hour of violent guffawing while working hard in the local library. Some flustered customer was desperate to get hold of some music by “the rock singer, Joy Davison”, after hearing one of her songs on Top of The Pops 2. It was only after 10 minutes of fruitless catalogue searching that I realised the man’s error.

“Can you remember any of the song’s lyrics?”, I asked, half-preparing for belly laughs.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It went something like ‘Dance, dance, I’m listening to the radio'”.

“Yes. I think you’ve misread ‘Joy Davison’.”

I now actually feel bad about how much I laughed, because I think he was a bit embarrassed, and I suspect, slightly insane.

The last few weeks have also been great for listening to good, inexpensive music. Other than a fantastic compilation tape I received from diskant disciple Ollie Simpson, for absolutely no charge, I snaffled the new Dirty Three album ‘She Has No Strings, Apollo’ – it’s no bad, reader) for only THREE POUNDS. Big hand for The Music Zone. And on top of this, I attended a free gig in which Italian band Zu gave a mind-bending performance. Their particular brand of twang is best described as avant-jazz-free-core-punk-improvisation directly from the source of Chaos. Wacky!

since the zine’s on holiday somewhere in eastern europe right now, i thought i’d take a second to talk about some films. we saw the matrix reloaded which had a rediculously complicated plotline, so complicated in fact that i gave up trying to understand what was happening within the first half hour. like everyone else keeps saying, you need to watch the first one again before going to see this. there was a lot of crap, some horrible cheese from everyone involved, and some shameful ibiza uncovered-esque ‘club’ scene with nipples and things. still, it was worth it for the fight scene with all the agent smiths, that were right good.

we also overestimated the charms of eugene levy and saw bringing down the house which was fucking terrible, one of the most unpleasant hour-and-a-halfs i have ever spent in a cinema. old school was marginally better, with low brow crap galore. what a week!

haven’t been listening to much music, but when i have been it’s been the same old crap. i’m looking forward to the new sightings lp which is out on riot season in a couple of weeks. there’s also a bride of no no song from a mixtape i’ve been listening to which has been going round in my head for days, it’s good stuff.

i’m also currently shitting myself hourly in anticipation of my BIG SCARY VISA INTERVIEW in london next week. if anyone has any tips on how to appear to be a decent upstanding member of society, please let me know.

Icy German electro-pop, especially Ellen Allien‘s new album Berlinette and Lali Puna‘s album from a bit back that I’ve only just managed to find, Scary World Theory.

My New Groin-Height Speakers, especially listening to Venetian Snares through them.

Secretary, with some reservations I can’t be bothered detailing here. “Less twisted than most romantic comedies because it’s the man who ends up losing his independence” (discuss).