unpopular

Let your arms rotate like helicopter blades

So one of the hardest half terms has drawn to a close. Do I say that after every damn half term? Probably. Regardless, this time I really do mean it even more than usual. But still, here’s to a week of leisure. Well, kind of.

First off, we have the Blogging in Education conference to attend on Friday. Well, any excuse to pop up to London has to be grasped, right? Right. Plus it should be really exciting and interesting, seeing what other people are doing at the cutting edge of putting the technology into practice in schools. Fingers crossed there are lots of ideas and practical experiences to draw upon as well as share. On a related note I had a nice email today from a teacher in Singapore who had stumbled upon my digital arts podcasts. It remains to be seen if he might actually make use of them in practical ways, but fingers crossed.

All of which leads onto other duties I need to address over the next week; preparing some more on-line resources, and playing with our newly established Moodle installation. I predict a steep learning curve ahead.

Aside from that, I finally figured out and fixed (I hope) the problems with the Tangents Loudblog powered podcasts. The Flash player should now function properly, and downloads should also work fine (I think they always did though). I hope you enjoy them. Next step is to actually run music together in a radio show stylee with spoken bits by yours truly. Should be a gas. And actually I think it would be really cool for school too. We should do a school radio show as a podcast. How cool would that be?

Hmm, so yes, recent listening: I’m still listening to a lot of Scritti Politti, both old and new. The new album is so delicious, it almost hurts. Nice piece by Simon Reynolds (who else?) on Green’s triumphant return in today’s Guardian on-line, incidentally. Otherwise, it’s been the remastered Swagger by Blue Aeroplanes, a record I knee-jerked against so strongly on its initial release but which now sounds rather fine. And call me an old sucker, but it’s lovely to hear Rodney Allen on the rather fine ‘Careful Boy’ and of course the classic ‘Different Now’. It’s now strangely sweet to find oneself in a record, though I did not always feel the same of course. Such are the joys of growing up, growing old.

Elsewhere, the new Sambassadeur EP is charming and lush and all the things you would expect by now from classy Swedish Pop, whilst the You And The Atom Bomb album on Sink And Stove is glorious edgy angular Pop that should have all the Big Flame and Wolfhounds fans dribbling in delight. Or maybe that’s one of the not so great joys of growing old… the dribbling I mean, not loving You And The Atom Bomb.

you left your love letters incomplete

I have been spending too much time and money recently on eBay, buying up old records to either replace things once owned and since ‘lost’, or picking up things I once wished I had but for some reason passed by. Notable amongst these have been a brace of old Scritti Politti singles. No, not the early Rough Trade releases, nor even the ‘Songs To Remember’ era singles, but rather the singles off of Cupid & Psyche ’85. And it’s stupid, because I still have my original vinyl copy of the album, and the CD reissue with the extended versions on, but still… something in me needed to own again the vinyl records that for a time lit up my youth. Stupid, I admit, but there it is.

So is it heretical to say now that the singles from Cupid & Psyche 85 were immeasurably finer than those ‘Early’ Rough Trade offerings? To some, most likely, yes. But there it is, that’s my truth. And as ever, context is everything.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think the Early Scritti stuff is great, and praise be to Rough Trade for finally making it available on CD, but it’s not the stuff of my memories. No, those were built later, initially on the seductive smoothness of ‘The Sweetest Girl’, ‘Lions After Slumber’ et al. Indeed, I recall that I had the lyrics to ‘Lions After Slumber’ penned on the cover of my English exercise book that summer of 1982. I thought it made me look both ineffably cool and intellectually mysterious. I was right of course, but I don’t think anyone else knew it. Such has always been my plight.

But it was Cupid & Psyche 85 and its attendant singles, like the fabulous ‘Wood Beez’ and ‘Absolute’ that had graced my turntable through the spectacular and special summer of 1984, that really cut me deep. They burned up the skies with sensational Pop flames and I loved them dearly, as much for the beautiful presence of the artefacts as for the sounds that emanated from them. And the sounds were sparkling, scintillating and almost unbearably sexy. And of course they helped to soundtrack days and nights of moments at once so fabulously important and eerily empty that it’s almost impossible to recall them now. They sit in the dark recesses of my mind, sulky, petulant and still seething from missed opportunities and overlooked clues in the search for warm hearts.

Which is, after all, what Pop should be all about.

It’s not a question of gravity, it’s a question of independence

Black coffee, white Maltesers, Go-Betweens on the stereo, tears in my eyes for all kinds of reasons. That’s my Tuesday evening, right there. How’s yours?

C pointed me in the direction of this the other day. Now I understand all the issues about student Internet access whilst under the care of school, and yes, I’m not entirely sure that students need to be able to access their MySpace network during the school day, but nevertheless, it strikes me as the kind of law that punishes enormous numbers of perfectly decent, reasonable children because there is a miniscule possibility of them being potential victims of a small number of perpetrators. I say it over and over again; our job as educators is to educate (young) people about decent, safe and sensible ways in which to navigate their way through the virtual world. We take it as read that we should be teaching them social and moral issues with regard to the ‘real’ world, after all. And as ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ blend and distort themselves together (and as children grow up never having known a world that wasn’t wired), it seems only sensible that we start to address that issue and educate accordingly, instead of shying away from it and being draconian and knee-jerk reactionary.

Oh and yeah, I’ve been busy recently with too many things, mostly school related. Well actually nearly entirely school related, such that my head currently feels close to implosion.

Think I will put on the new Sambassadeur EP and let its sweetness seep into my weary bones…

If you happen to be in Glasgow this Friday, I can think of few better places to be that the Sounds Of Sweden night at the RAFA club in Ashley Street. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this the venue for the Postcard nights back in the early '90s, in their comeback era? And maybe I'm immeasurably sad, but these connections thrill me enormously. Sadly I shan't be able to be in attendance, but will be there in spirit for sure. I'll spin some SwedePop in my geek lair in tribute. Oh yes I will...

further, higher, wider...

I just found out that Grant McLennan died yesterday. I can’t quite believe it, it’s still sinking in. I don’t think there are words that can even begin to tell you just how important that man’s songs have been to me down the years, not just with the Go-Betweens, but in his solo material as well. It’s such a shocking loss. Man, is THIS how people felt when they realised there was no physical possibility of a Beatles reunion after Lennon passed on? If so, then I start to understand…

Go play ‘Cattle and Cane’ again and remember him well.

For Comics Fans Only

Well, I dunno, maybe for anyone who digs challenging cultural artefacts, this from the fine people at Top Shelf Comics. I got my copy of the galley proofs today and from a first cursory glance it looks great.I'm looking forward to exploring in more detail over the weekend. So over to Top Shelf:

Hey Comics Fans,

Big news in Top Shelf land. After 16 years in development, the complete
LOST GIRLS by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie has finally shipped to the
printer, and will be hitting stores in August!

This will be the most expensive book Top Shelf has ever published, with the
first printing costing us almost $200K. Why so expensive? Because Lost
Girls will be published as three, 112-page, super-deluxe, oversized (9" x
12") clothbound hardcover volumes, each wrapped in a beautiful dust jacket,
with all three volumes sealed and shrink-wrapped in a gorgeous slipcase.
The entire epic published -- all at once -- as an art object for the ages.

And to help raise the money to pay for this print run, we've decided to
offer a Signed & Numbered edition, limited to 500 copies, that will be
autographed by both Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie. This is a Top Shelf
website exclusive, and the money raised through this advance sale will
allow us to finance the project.

Advance orders of this special edition will ship out as soon as they arrive
from the printer. But please note that this special edition will likely
sell out before the summer release date, and quite possibly within days of
this announcement, so pre-ordering is highly recommended.

To see what the slipcase and volumes will look like, click on either
edition below and then click on PREVIEW.

LOST GIRLS (Signed & Numbered Edition, limited to 500 copies)
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog.php?type=12&title=479
-- $150.00 (US) + Shipping, FOR ADULTS ONLY, A Web Exclusive

LOST GIRLS (Regular Edition)
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog.php?type=12&title=219
-- $75.00 (US) + Shipping, ISBN 1-891830-74-0, FOR ADULTS ONLY

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT MATERIAL AND IS FOR ADULTS
ONLY. AT THE WEBSITE YOU MUST CERTIFY THAT YOU ARE OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE TO
PURCHASE A COPY.

***************************************

DESCRIPTION:

LOST GIRLS
by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie

For more than a century, Alice, Wendy and Dorothy have been our guides
through the Wonderland, Neverland and Land of Oz of our childhoods. Now,
like us, these three lost girls have grown up and are ready to guide us
again, this time through the realms of our sexual awakening and
fulfillment. Through their familiar fairytales they share with us their
most intimate revelations of desire in its many forms, revelations that
shine out radiantly through the dark clouds of war gathering around a
luxurious Austrian hotel. Drawing on the rich heritage of erotica, Lost
Girls is the rediscovery of the power of ecstatic writing and art in a
sublime union that only the medium of comics can achieve. Exquisite,
thoughtful, and human, Lost Girls is a work of breathtaking scope that
challenges the very notion of art fettered by convention. This is erotic
fiction at its finest.

-- $75.00 (US), ISBN 1-891830-74-0, FOR ADULTS ONLY

***************************************

Brett Warnock and I would personally like to thank everyone for helping us
get this project off the ground, as this is, without a doubt, the single
most important graphic novel we've ever published. And with a decade of
publishing and 150 literary graphic novels & comix to our credit --
including From Hell and Blankets -- that's saying something.

Why is this release so important? Because it does something that's never
been done before: reinvent pornography as something literary, thoughtful,
exquisite, and human. A singularly unique and layered story, Lost Girls is
a commentary on the intimate wonder of human sexuality, the undeniable
value of free speech, and the vulgarities of war. In an era and political
climate when most would shy away from taking such a stand, this graphic
novel champions freedom of expression and puts that ideal to the test. As a
tightly knit community of fans, creators, retailers, publishers,
distributors, and press we all believe that the pen truly is mightier than
the sword, but we also know that the power of the pen lies not in the
author so much as the audience. As such, Lost Girls need the support of all
of us.

It has often been said, "If it's worth reacting to, it's worth overreacting
to," and you can be sure that this fully-painted epic will get a reaction
from everyone who reads it -- and more than its share of over-reactors as
well. The literary, political, social, and sexual aspects of Lost Girls are
going to challenge our system to live up to itself. Get ready. Lost Girls
is coming in August!

And to hear what Alan Moore has to say about the project, just click here
to read the amazing 2-part interview Kurt Amacker of Cinescape did with
him, where Alan addresses every issue one could have with this work.


Your friend thru comics,

Chris Staros
Top Shelf Productions
PO Box 1282
Marietta, GA 30061-1282
USA

Advance warning

If you are in New York on June 6th, why not check out the show by Nick Hamilton at Tonic. Now you might know Nick by the surname Garrie, as he was the purveyor of the very wonderful The Nightmare of J B Stanislas set that was reissued by Rev-Ola at the end of last year. You might also want to check out his other albums, details of which are on his site here. Me? I'll be en-route to Bradford for an education conference on that day. Think of me, won't you?

London tomorrow

And if you are in London tomorrow night, The Ghosts (their 3" on i Wish is still available) share the stage with Go Kart Mozart! How cool is that?! Wish I could be there.

New York Tonight

It's a long shot I know, but if you're in New York tonight and at a loose end, you could do worse than check out this show, details courtesy of Sean Spada. And incidentally, both Sean and Sarianna will have 3" EPs out on i Wish i Was Unpopular very, very soon. In fact there is a whole brace of releases just aching to get out just as soon as I have my house back. Soon... soon...

On somewhat last minute notice, Sarianna (& Band) are playing at Lit
Lounge tonight.  Tonight the band will be Sarianna (vocals,
percussion), myself (keys, vocals) and Ilya Malinsky (guitar, vocals).
We'll be  playing the songs in a bit of a stripped down format; we're
in the process of putting together a full band with a couple of other
people that will premiere sometime in the summer, but for now:

Thurs, May 4: Sarianna & Band @ Lit Lounge
93 2nd Ave., New York City
10pm, $6
(Be sure to tell the door person you're there to see Sarianna).
SUBWAY: F: Get off at the 2nd Ave. stop. Walk north on 2nd Ave. past
the 5th St. corner. Lit is on your left, half way up the block. 6: Get
off at Astor Place stop. Walk east to St. Mark's Place, continue east.
Make a right turn at 2nd Ave. Lit is on your right, between 5th and
6th St.

The next scheduled show is myself solo at the Pussycat Lounge; I'll be
playing with one or two special guests.

Mon, May 22: Sean Spada @ Pussycat Lounge
96 Greenwich St. at Rector, NYC
8pm, $6.00
SUBWAY: 1 to Rector; 4/5 to Wall St.; N/R to Downtown Rector.