The Rambler

This is too much fun.

I wasn’t expecting it until next week, but my Warsaw Autumn box set has just arrived in the post. What’s more, I’ve also figured out why my new turntable was sounding so terrible, so that’s a double whammy of listening pleasure. Hurrah!

OK, I know I kinda promised not to bring up the Election a second time, but this is too odd to let go.

I received this morning a (form) letter from one of our local candidates. Needless to say, it contained almost nothing about his policies or those of his party (in fact, his opening paragraph praised one of those standing against him). But what was remarkable about it was that half the letter was spent trying to raise my anger against another standing candidate, who is, apparently, quite wealthy due to a large inheritance. North London, well off? Who’d have thought it? Having money like this is bad, we’re told. What’s more, she’s using some of that money (ie, her own money) to fund her campaign. She’s also accused of spending proportionally little from her, apparently, small party coffers, paid for by party members, preferring instead to dig into her own pocket. And this letter writer, this friend of party subscriptions, foe of private means and self-determination and the competition of the market place, why, he’s none other than my local Conservative candidate. Extraordinary. Is anyone thinking what they’re thinking?

A depressingly endless series.

Here’s an abomination I’ve never seen before: I’m looking for obituaries on the Catalan composer Joaquim Homs, who died in September 2003, and I find one at HispaVista, a Spanish news site. So, I print it out. And it comes to a total of 194 pages, 193 of which are blank, save for page headers and footers. Almost 200 pages turned to scrap because of some crappy code. Hope they’re planting plenty of fresh trees in return.

There’s someone practising clarinet in one of the offices downstairs. They’re good too – which means that we’re spared the Ring Wraith-like howl most beginner wind players are capable of. In fact, it’s a really nice sound. Makes the whole place sound like a music department, which in one of those sense-memory ways – like childhood smells – is a very comforting thing. More people should bring their instruments to work.

So, I’ve started the week feeling pretty chuffed having won 8LP BOX RAR”>this Warsaw Autumn box set on eBay over weekend. Woo-hoo! Sonorist joy is mine!

Pssssssssfffffttttt!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex Ross just made me spray tea all over my desk with the funniest Papacy/Frankfurt School music theory joke you’re ever likely to see.

Two nice things: my Tempo Warsaw Autumn review (edited ‘highlights’ of what you can read via the sidebar) arrived. Couple of typos that got missed, shucks, but I’m pretty pleased with it.

And, having seen it recommended by Robert Gable, a copy of the complete 10-inch series from Cold Blue also squeezed onto the mat. Three discs of early 80s Californian (post-)minimalism from Peter Garland, Nick Cox, Barney Childs, Daniel Lentz, Read Miller Michael Jon Fink and Chas Smith. Sweeeet. Should take the edge off this afternoon’s work.

X. They ask us what
the purpose of art is. Is that how
things are? Say there were a thousand
artists and one purpose, would one
artist be having it and all the nine
hundred and ninety-nine others be
missing the point? Areata Bottom sign
said: Experiment endlessly and keep
humble “Write to Center for the Study
of Democratic Institutions; they’ll
know about the global services.” I
did. They answered they knew nothing,
suggested writing to State Department.
Books one formerly needed were hard to
locate. Now they’re all out in
paperback. Society’s changing.
Relevant information’s hard to come
by. Soon it’ll be everywhere, unnoticed.

John Cage: ‘Diary: How to Improve the World (You will only make matters worse) 1965′ A Year from Monday, p.8

Possibly. Hopefully.

Just wanted to put in a plug for Richard Kimber’s Election 2005 resource, which for all UK voters should be the only hubsite you’ll ever need. Very highly recommended.

Oh, and and could someone remind Billy Bragg that these aren’t the late ’80s any more, the Tories are hardly a threat to government, and that the smart tactical voting is actually to vote for Tory in marginal Labour/Tory seats in order to win a hung parliament.

Thank you. That is all.