In da pub

You can find me in da pub with a pint of Bud
Look, Love, I've got a fiver if I can see your jugs
I'm in to playing darts, I ain't in to growing
shrubs
So come fill up my mug before my fag gets stubbed

In da Olde Cheshire Cheese
I cough and weeze
Cos' thanks to the haze my lungs are squeezed
I head to the basement, head right down
To the bottom of the cheapest pub in town

It's smoke-dark and I can't see straight
And I can't keep up as I'm a lightweight
So I berate my mate Moz cos' he's late
Phil's late too so I ought to slag him
But I lay off as he's come all the way from fracking
Eggham

Talk about gigs and hunting tw*t
Bullshit about life and this and that
Undemanding but satisfying pub chat
Look around and see only people having fun
Just like on the common back in Wimbledon

You can find me on the floor with a busted jaw
I really meant it when I said "I don't want no more"
And now I'm p*ssed, as well as p*ss poor
And I know I've p*ssed in my suit for sure

Not so obscure

You made me forget myself

Screaming these words, screaming these words

I sing in the darkness
Originally uploaded by Dark Hunter.

Several conflicting feelings created by last night:

1) More nasty, full-on gigs - great!
2) No more nasty gigs - pain!
3) Loss of hearing
4) Just wow

But definitely one of the best gigs I've been to in years.

Phil asked me who was left on my wishlist of bands to see:

Pantera
Fear Factory
Slayer
System of a Down
Laibach
Faithless
Rage Against the Machine

Seen
Metallica, Machinehead,,Sepultura, Offspring, Nine Inch Nails, Sisters of Mercy, Evanescence, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Pitchshifter, Black Sabbath, Napalm Death, Cult of Luna, Anthrax, Above All, Placebo, Radiohead, Afro-Celt Sound System, Leftfield, Massive Attack, Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, Runrig, Royksopp, Delerium, One Minute Silence, Soulfly,

I'll have to stop there - I'm sure that I've missed some things out.

Only the shame remains

Went to Life of Agony at the Mean Fiddler last night with Phil.

Awesome.

Their new stuff is much more stoner rock than hardcore metal - it didn't really mix that well with the old songs they played, but at least it did give everyone a chance to recover between savage slammings.

They played a whole load of songs from 'River Runs Red' and 'Ugly', which are two brilliant albums. 'This Time', 'Through and Through', 'Bad Seed' and 'River Runs Red' all came out, and they finished with an awesome and memorable 'Underground'.

'I can see it in the air I breathe
I can see we all agree
Unwilling to change for society
We'll be who we wanna be

We are the Underground
We are the Underground'

During which I danced foward in a blind spin, slipped, was pushed and flew face first into the pit at about knee-level. Smashed my knee on the raised stage, went belly-down on the floor, grabbed someone's ankles and pulled myself out. The pain still remains. Actually I think I probably would have done some serious damage but for my trusty glasses case which took some of the impact. Yowser.

Actually I'd already been knocked down in the pit halfway through the fourth song, which spelt the end of my reign in the prime three-back in the middle position. Still bruised on the belly and both my arms are knackered from pushing sweaty skinheads aside. I almost lost my vest in the mosh!

Brilliant gig - just like the old days. Sadly finished early but I reckon I'd had enough by the end.

'Keep on screaming these words, screaming these words
'til every voice is heard, voice is heard
Keep on screaming these words, screaming these words
'til every voice is heard
Calling from the Underground...'

Only the pain remains

Was it me? Honestly
Torn away from my purity
Never look back and don't look ahead
At those lies that might be empty promises
It's the blood in your tears
The pain in your veins
The lies, the cries, only the
Only the stain remains

Love Drugs

lovedrugs
Originally uploaded by Dark Hunter.

I love this shop. In fact, I want to own it.

I always wonder with these kind of photos how easy it would be to fake them. On the other hand, why would anyone bother?

I suppose if I can be bothered to blog the picture, someone else could probably be bothered to fake it.

Curse the cheap technology that makes faking accessibly to all!

Dark Hunter visits the psychedelic sixties

GigM1
Originally uploaded by Dark Hunter.

This is one of my favourite pictures of the gig. It's really odd. But good.

The Cyberdog logo on my vest has come out particularly well, I like to think.

Mat (who took this) said he was trying to take normal pictures but the Fighting Cocks decor and lighting was so weird that they all got distorted.

A more than maladic May

Wow - I feel truly awful today.

It's almost quite impressive.

I'm dreading going out this evening already.

Damn.

Bound wound

Feeling rough. Maybe it's the chemicals from the beer working their way through.

I think the likeliest explanation is that I'm worn out.

Went to Porterhouse and Ravi Shankar with Ian and Dom last night. 'Twas cool.

But not feeling like doing much this evening, I tell thee.

"My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied
Christ...?"

I sail far West to fields and mountains ever blessed

An excellent weekend.

Gods of the Universe and a last minute dash back from St. Reatham
Bussing it down to Bristol with Jamie
Wig tastic afternoon in town and then uphill football
Superb party and wander up to Clifton
Best Hot chocolate ever ever and then back to London
Yet another glorious FP victory!

Brilliant - Nick's last birthday in Bristol - met loads of really cool people. Lots of the Kings' Men around as well which is always good. Will try to get hold of some photos.

Absolutely knackered especially as I'd stayed up late on Thursday as well - to see HHGTTG in the best ever cinema - http://www.electriccinema.co.uk/ in the world. Film was good - not as good as the books but pretty funny nonetheless.

Behold the sun gleaming on a thousand swords unsheathed beneath a Hyperborean Twilight

Or something like that.

The Sun does indeed gleam off the metal today. The Thames is virtually crying out for a thousand swords to be unsheathed along its banks, as opposed to a thousand automobiles.

I have a new idea for a band. It will combine the enthusiasm, insanity and epic features of 70s prog rock, the intensity and fierceness of mid-90s thrash metal, and the energy, landscapes and textures of 00s psy-trance.

This new genre will be called psy-core. Not 'Psi-Corps'. Who are inherently implausible even within the context of the inherently implausible background. http://www2.warnerbros.com/babylon5/home.html, although I guess that we'd get a reasonable turnout just being a Babylon 5 band.

As long as there aren't any fracking 'Rangers'!

Then we go gathering nuts in May

Weekend:

Drinks with the team in the City
Went home
Went to Dead and Buried at the Lord Nelson on Holloway Road with Phil (dead goth, it was)
Lots of people in fishnets walking backwards and forwards, not really dancing
http://www.dancefloorpoison.com/

Got up about 5pm
Went to Ana's sister Mary's leaving do up in Archway. Lots of fun.

Felt dead
Dunc got home
told me all about China
Shopping
War of the Ring - the dwarves killed the Witch King in the Iron Hills! Will finish tonight.

So although I failed to go to Chestnut or drumming, had a good time. Especially the dancing.

Thymos

I was reading about Fukuyama's 'The End of History', which I really ought to get around to reading at some point, when I came across 'thymotic'. It took me a while to track down the meaning, and in the process I found this interesting comment.

http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article1034.html

Note the gradual progression from interesting comment to nutterdom, which I admit snuck up on me.

The 'article' raises several interesing issues:
1) The 'hubris' of Islam in attacking the WTC. Is the author comparing the US and its financial institutions to God? Can we see Osama bin Laden as a new kind of hero, standing up to struggle in vain against the inevitable tide of liberal capitalism like other failed, tragic heroes? If 11/9 is a Sophoclean tragedy, where is the anagnoresis, where is the catharsis?
2) How easily 'liberal' political thought such as that of Fukuyama and Plato can be used to justify xenophobia and militarism
3) The striking absence of Nietzsche from this comment, when you might have expected it to rear its head
4) The failure of the article to deal with responses to Hegel, including some bloke called Marx
5) Is this the kind of s*it the New Right / Neo Conservatives in the US are using to justify intellectually their opposition to 'multiculturalism' (which is pretty foolish given the immigrant and multicultural make up of their country), or is this a particularly bad example?
6) Isn't the author, in his championing of 'Judeo-Christianity' at the end of the piece, aware of the fundamental contradiction of a prospective defender of Christian culture using pride, one of the mortal sins of Christianity, as a focus for cultural conservatism?

Reporting Template

aaaaaargh

I hate reports!

Hate em hate em hate em

Must finish

Must stop blogging

aaaaaargh

The Sky Turns Red

The new day will dawn to a new British Government (or a hung parliament, I suppose)

Sadly it looks as though Labour will retain a comfortable majority with no credible opposition. I suppose to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with Labour (Iraq, tuition fees, privatisation of health and transport, failing to put up tax to pay for education) by voting Tory to make sure the opposition has some clout - but I can't bring myself to vote for the blue b&stards.

And it was all Yellow...

Actually there are some positive reasons for voting Lib Dem:
http://www.libdems.org.uk/education/
http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/
http://www.sarahteather.libdems.org.uk/

Kid's TV or Real life? Which is better?

You decide:

http://members.lycos.co.uk/themtoons/themes/page3.htm

The Big Day

It approaches. The day of truth.

I've got two votes as my cousin gave me his by proxy. So I could be the key to the seat.

Lib Dem propaganda far outweighs anyone else, although Labour are still far ahead of the others. I count 10 Lib Dem pamphlets, 6 Labour, 4 Conservative, 3 Green (on plain recycled paper, of course). They must really want this one.

I wonder how much all the campaigning and printing really costs, and who pays for it. I'd be very very surprised if it's all donations.

Despite my disapproval of paper bombardment, I'll probably vote Lib Dem on Thursday http://www.bridgetfox.org.uk/

But I don't want a Tory government, and I think this fear will be what will keep B*Liar in office. I'm willing to take the chance - even if the Tories do manage somehow to win a majority it will be so tiny that they can't get anything done.

Labour will win with a reduced majority - and big Lib Dem gains in middle-class urban areas.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR

Da weekend end of Aprille

Birthday party in the Doggett on friday but went out to get some matches and remembered I'd agreed to go to the theatre with my parents. Ran there. Was actually quite good if not what I was expecting (it's always like that at the Playhouse http://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/) I think Dad was definitely not enjoying Bells.

Isn't that the name of an episode in Blackadder?

Slept for hours and hours and then went to Camden to Belgo Noord for Eme's birthday. I'll try and put some pictures up sometime. I had:

Morte Subite
Witkap Trippel
Verboten Vrucht
Lucifer
Some horrific schnapps

the 'Lucifer' was probably the best. But my palate was probably substantially affected by this point.

Oh, and some food, too.

Then back to the old pad for some more drinking and shooting each other with foam guns.

Slept on the floor and woke up feeling like hell. Went home - listened to the football (we beat Villa 5-1 to go seventh!) Failed to do anything except stagger to Camden and then Regent's Park, only to find that they were all on Primrose Hill. Lay in the damp, long grass in RP for a while (nice and cool) before finding the others.

Went home and failed to leave again. Lame.

Monday wandered around and did some more shopping. Sat in the sun. Not a lot going on. Watched a lot of s*it TV. I think I will have to impose some sort of restriction on how much I can watch. I wasted at least 4 hours this weekend watching stuff I didn't get anything out of at all. It's a curse, I tell you.

Having said that, must buy video and X-Box.

Though Dancing in Darkness

I'm still finding it a little frustrating not being able to sing.

and I'm sure my fellow commuters and work colleagues are starting to feel the same way.

I think some action is required - but I'm not sure what. Maybe there is a male voice choir somewhere in Archway. Scary but possible.

RoS

Had a bit of a Robin of Sherwood night on Sunday as I failed to go to Herbal.

The 'Arianrhod' music from 'Herne's Son Part 2' is really starting to bug me. I've got a Clannad song that sounds almost exactly like it on the Karma Lounge CD, but the chorus is completely different. It's Caislen Oir, which I can't find any lyrics to.

It sounds like:
'Herne, Herne,
Arvum Devum Surshenn,
Arvum Devum Sursheen...'

But it's not. Although the words sound Latin the language is definitely Irish Gaelic. Or some kind of strange hybrid. I might have to ask Clannad...

Anyway the episode is particularly good because Richard O'Brien is Owen of Clun's druid. I think he's probably the best-cast actor in the whole show. Which I admit isn't saying much.

Mayday Mayday

Am still a bit wary of large blogs after I lost my end April update and I haven't yet bothered to re-do it.

So I might be doing them briefer.

If that's possible.