alex lee thomson #2
By: Alex Lee Thomson
Hello all...
This time I speak to you not as a teenager as I have had something of a celebration of my birth since my last blog and address you now as a fully mature, consenting adult male at the ripe ol' age of 20... urgh, sounds old doesn't it?... if it does, then well done to you as you're still a whippersnapper, and if it doesn't then my condolences as you're advancing far quicker than you thought you ever would... right?
Although I went out into London the weekend before to catch some bands, my actual birthday was still a fine night and thanks to all those who left Myspace messages, texts etc... all greatly appreciated. You really can't go wrong with booze, SpongeBob SquarePants cake, pin the tail on the donkey and the dodgiest air guitar contest in history using only the Young knives album... myself doing Rumor Mill which I'm sure will come back to haunt me.
With the pleasantries out of the way, time to talk about what I've been up to over the past month or so... Firstly, in a rather dazed and confused manner I started a new job in pharmaceuticals and if you know why please send your answer on a postcard to the usual address as I seriously don't know. Aside from earning money to pay for my vinyl habit (to which I'd like to thank the stores of Camden and Kingston), I've been heading back out there into the land of mosh and mayhem and have found myself in the middle of a few muddles recently, namely Rifles, Arcade Fire, Klaxons, +44 and most excitingly of all The Tommys... a band from my old neck of the woods that's doing pretty fecking well across Europe. Arcade Fire are still the greatest live band on the face of the planet by some NASA defined immeasurable proportion, but The Tommys have given me something really cool to look forward to at a time when all the bands I love are being hijacked by Radio 1 and turned into 'the norm'. Why'd they have to steal Klaxons though? Why?
Soundtrack wise; Bloc Party, Maccabees (it's just what all young lovers do!), Jamie T and the new Rakes album have been going through my head along with one of the best pieces of music I've heard in years in the form of Love by Beatles. Remixed versions of their best (not necessarily best selling though) tracks combined into a non-stop attack of amazingly produced sound that I'm certain will not only become one of the best loves albums to come since their ending but will definitely make its way onto my Pick Of The Stereo this month.
The atmosphere surrounding myself lately has been somewhat of a stale one I'm told as I appear to be settling down into a mundane state of 9 to 5dom, something I never thought I'd do, and although there's plenty ahead I seem to be staying rather fragilely still in an undaring and cowardly way. Still looking to move into London and start working for anything resembling the industry (oh, boo hiss... the industry, I know) yet feeling rather comfy in pharmaceuticals... it's just plain wrong I tell ya. This is quite easily the most exciting time for independent music since the late 70s circa The Factory Records era and I'm holding back like Mary Poppins at a barn dance... so if you see me out 'n' about over the coming months, be sure to kick me up the fat ginger arse and tell me to get focused...
Well... with all that said I'm off to watch Harry Hill on the telly box. Until next time my young believing friends, as the Fonze would say, stay cool... and love to your mums.
I'll leave you with the 3 main things I've learned this month:
1. Preston McOrdinary Boy is an even bigger loser than I thought... not only is he a mammoth sized whore, but he's incapable of taking a joke as he proved walking off the set of Buzzcocks.
2. The Brit Awards are only fun when you're drunk and have somebody from the audience texting you the winners minutes before they're announced... especially when the other people watching with you have no idea and fall under the impression you're either a musical god or outstanding psychic.
3. Dressing bricks up to look like celebrities, based on a passing comment in an email, is hilarious.
Oh, PS... If anybody finds a left, red canvas shoe, size 11, could you please keep it to one side as something happened to mine... but I'm not saying what.