Notes for a future Manifesto/Theory/Philosophy

Some Quotes:

"Just because you are doing something in inverted commas doesn't mean you're not doing it"
Quote from Tim Space Debris at Cardrossmaniac2, 23/11/12.

"What is there in uselessness to cause you distress"
The title of an AMM song from AMMMusic 1966.

I had more but I've forgotten where I read them. Anyway some food for thought that may one day be put into some kind of coherent passage of words.

Other Stuff

*I saw a bunch of musicians in the states are doing a tribute to The Band's Last Waltz concert/movie. Fuck me wasn't the first one tedious enough. Imagine what it'll be like with 2nd and 3rd rate indie musicians doing it. I feel sick. Are they gonna get Marty to film it as well, now that would be weird. No hang on they should get some 2nd rate Scorsese wannabe to film it. Hang on that starts to make the concept almost interesting. When is this shit gonna end? Didn't Nels Cline used to be some kind of avant musician?

**Here's a collaboration I'd really like to see Skrillex V Umberto. Doncha reckon that'd be good? Or would it end up sounding like some kind of witch-house? Either way I'd like to see that happen.

***What ever happened to Salem?

Books: I should read some.

Currently reading two books, Greil Marcus's Mystery Train and Pauline Kael's I Lost it at the Movies. Greil's is what I expected and a  little bit more. I always liked The Band's Up On Cripple Creek and King Harvest but I was still not convinced I would enjoy the whole of the 2nd LP. Marcus convinced me to reluctantly make the purchase and yeah OK it's pretty, pretty good. Whispering Pines lovely, I even like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down now. Had to edit Rag Mama Rag off the I-pod though. I watched The Last Waltz several times in the last 10 years and went What?? This is supposed to be enjoyable?! Funnily enough at one stage he writes "Their music gave us a sure sense that the country was richer than we had guessed" Which I was gonna' write about The Band's music- that it was richer than I had guessed. Or had Marcus convinced me that it was. Anyway I'm not up to the Randy Newman Chapter yet. Elvis, Robert Johnson, Sly Stone and old R&B I've been big on for a long time so Marcus doesn't have to convince me of anything there but I can't see him converting me to Randy Newman. Newman to me at this moment is the type of guy I'd like to punch in the face. Can Marcus change my mind? Stay tuned.

A Zero that I read was Awkwardness by Adam Kotsko an American phd Knob. This was the most anticipated out of the 3, I guess because the subject matter is quite dear to me. It is an essay discussing obviously 'awkward' but in the context of  TV and film comedy of recent times, The Office (British and US versions), Judd Apatow films (including 40 Year Old Virgin & Knocked Up) and my all time favourite US comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm. Underwhelming doesn't fully describe it. Kotsko tried some theories and arguments about awkwardness that me and the Mrs thought were so flimsy it didn't warrant publication. Words like lame and unnecessary, I think, are being kind. How the fuck did this non-entity get a phd. If this was an essay dished up to me I don't think I would have been able to pass it as it was was totally unconvincing. I should have known better, analysis of comedy has never been interesting or done well. Who needs it analysed. You either think something is funny or not. End of fuckin' story.

33 & a 3rds Greatest Hits Vol One edited by David Barker is another waiting in the wings. It's a collection of chapters from the 1st 20 books in the 33 & a 3rd series. I've always baulked at buying any of these individual books in this series. I thought if I read this it might recommend one of them to me. Entire books full of words about 1 LP is kinda the antithesis of my blog. I like one or two sentences to describe the sounds of a record and that's it. Anyway I read the chapter on Abba Gold by Elisabeth Vincentelli and fuck me it was like a sports statistician was given the job to do the Abba record or maybe a Librarian or some other kind of obsessive compulsive ie.tedieous. This does not bode well for the rest of the collection or books in the series.