Monday, November 05, 2007

Five things some might consider lame

Another meme, passed like internet chlamydia from Helen to Lucy to me. This one requires people to list five things about themselves that others may consider lame, but the writer of which is secretly proud. Here they are for me, in no particular order. I'm addicted to the music of Scritti Politti, a band trapped in a 1985 bubble for most people who were alive at the time. If all you know of Scritti Politti is Perfect Way or The Word Girl, I recommend listening to the group's previous album Songs To Remember - more musical styles than you can shake a stick at.

I'm a Doctor Who fan. Nothing wrong in that you say, Doctor Who is one of the most successful shows on British TV right now. But I've been a Doctor Who fan since I was seven [that's a while ago now], and I kept the faith during the long, long, long period when the show wasn't even being made. And during the 1980s, when it mostly sucked like a black hole. I've even been to a couple of Doctor Who conventions, although I quickly found I'm not a convention kind of guy, unless I'm there for business reasons.

The first record I ever bought was Rock Me, a single by Abba. It's an oddity because the boys in the band take the vocal lead. I don't think it was even released as a single in the UK.

The first concert I ever saw in a licensed venue was Siouxsie and the Banshees, featuring Robert Smith from the Cure on guitar. It was the Mainstreet bar in Auckland, New Zealand - a Monday night during January in the early 1980s. Probably 1984, maybe 1983. Siouxsie, the Banshees and the Cure have been in and out of fashion ever since, but it was a great gig.

I've only read two novels published before the 20th Century [Pride and Prejudice, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, since you ask]. My education in English was avowedly devoted to 20th Century writers like George Orwell, Graham Greene and James K Baxter at school. We did do Shakespeare, but only his plays, not his novels.

5 comments:

Lucy V said...

If as you say Dr Who sucked during the 1980s, this may explain my aversion to it - I recall turning on the telly as a kid and groaning whenever I saw it. I was one of those weird kids who watched The Bill and Dallas instead.

Scritti Politti tho!! You are not just lame my friend, but insane... And as for not reading 20th Century novels, that's mad too. They were the best - maybe not the Victorians cos they didn't have enough sex in, but 16th Century lit rocks and so do The Greek Dramatists. Read Antigone my friend, you will blown away... And it only takes a couple of hours cos it's so thin. Although now I think on, that's a play and not a novel. Homer or Ovid then. Poems. Shiiiit...

Lucy V said...

p.s. there's a new tag to answer btw, details on my blog.

Anonymous said...

Hi David,

My name is John-Paul Kamath. Do you have an email address I can get in touch with you at?

Mine is:

editor [at] londonhorrorcomic [dot] com

In regards to:

http://viciousimagery.blogspot.com/2006/08/creepy-london-horror-comic.html

Very best,

John-Paul

missread said...

David, I feel I am going to have to push some books at you next Thursday. Really. I'll get all worked up about this.

Anonymous said...

"Huckleberry Finn" is better. Trust me.

-Erik Engman