The Scourge of Facebook

[AndyM]

They put 'The Bewlay Brothers' on the B-side of something, I think, which must have put the wind up a few pub jukeboxes.

[Adam Blake]

'The Bewlay Brothers'

always makes me think of Lou Reed and Lester Bangs having a drunken argument over the lyrics that got much more personal and abusive than anything seen on SOTW for a very long time!

[garth cartwright]

Sorry for late contribution - been buried in freelance assignments - but an interesting topic. I was told by Serpents Tail to join FB when More Miles came out re publicising it. I was initially reluctant but quickly learnt to love it - found my best friend from high school (not been in contact for over 20 yrs - he lives now in the New South Wales rainforest!), caught up with lots of Kiwi contacts, get messages from people who have read my books, link with fans of all kinds of music I like, lots of Gypsy organisations etc. So, yes, I spend more time on FB than SOTW.

But I love SOTW - it's more like a village pub where a small number of people gather to chat/argue about music and politics and TV. Much more indepth and less rushed than FB. I wish everyone who has left would come back - Gordon, your droll reviews are missed! Your comments on The King's Speech remain the best film review I've read all year! - and I think the older and wiser rule applies and there's a lot less vitriol than there used to be.

We certainly do need new blood - and it's good to see youngsters like Whitebeard making a contribution again - and we all need to post more: so few book and film reviews when we all surely have a book on the go and watch a film (or DVD) most months? There is a lot of good writing going on here - posts by Adam and Judith are as good (better) than much professional journalism. Andy is brilliantly waspish. Etc.

It's also worth keeping SOTW alive as a tribute to Charlie's inspirational spirit - it was an interesting post where someone wrote they imagined Charlie would be more interested in film than music if alive today. That could well be true as the world music recording industry is in severe decline: the downturn in CD sales means there are fewer and fewer new releases and labels like Crammed and World Connection are signing English language indie/singer-songwriters in an attempt to find artists that might sell to a broad audience. Charlie had a great enthusiasm for so many things that even if there wasn't much new music to champion he would of gone on about books or films or politics or travel.

Also, as far as I'm aware, Charlie's autobiography has not found a publisher - Serpents Tail, who would seem the natural publisher, have just issued Kershaw's autobiog' and I imagine they are waiting to see how that does. Ace will issue Charlie's final compilation of Honky Tonk era music later this year - that will definitely be worth celebrating.

I listen to both back catalogue and new but find less and less new releases of interest - the Lil' Band O' Gold album is lovely and Tom T Hall's new one is superb and Black Joe Lewis is great and Adele sings so well (yes, I bought her album - a couple of great tunes, lots of filler). But rock and rap and reggae do appear largely exhausted and, as noted, there are fewer and fewer new world releases: even the Balkan oriented labels are very reluctant to put out new material and are focused on touring big events like Brass Band Battle and Band Of Gypsies. Then again, has recorded music ever really been better than Potato Head Blues?

So, come on, post more - I'm yet to find another forum quite like SOTW. Let's keep it alive.

[Adam Blake]

So, come on, post more - I'm yet to find another forum quite like SOTW. Let's keep it alive.

Yes, yes, yes. Nice one, Garth. And thank you for your kind remarks. I gave up professional journalism (as you know) a long time ago. Writing here is so much more fun.

[AndyM]

I have now been called waspish by two different people. I may need to buy a black and yellow striped jumper.

Good stuff Garth!

[Des]

I have now been called waspish by two different people. I may need to buy a black and yellow striped jumper.

I'm a big Vespula fan.

BTW I called your comments waspish because I thought it meant 'witty' but having looked it up, apparently not. So you are both waspish AND witty.

[AndyM]

I quite like it, and heaven knows I've been called worse. It conjures up a bitter gin-irrigated old queen in a 1950s Fitzrovia bar, and there are few finer callings.

[Des]

One way in which the forum has improved is that now the 'professionals' are in retreat numerically, and forumistas with real jobs actually outnumber the hacks!

[Jamie Renton]

One way in which the forum has improved is that now the 'professionals' are in retreat numerically, and forumistas with real jobs actually outnumber the hacks!

I'm a hack with a real job (or rather someone with a real job who does a bit of hackery on the side) Am I part of the problem or part of the solution?

[Des]

Part of the solution, Jamie.

If this forum is like a pub, with which it has often been compared, it's nice to not have the conversation dominated by the equivalent of brewers and landlords if you get my drift.

Anyway, been there, done that etc.

[AndyM]

Can I be the annoying person who keeps putting inappropriate records on the jukebox ?

[Jamie Renton]

Can I be the annoying person who keeps putting inappropriate records on the jukebox ?

Only if I can be the overenthusiastic person who volunteers his time to organise the live nights.

[Des]

Can I be the bloke at the bar with breath that smells of sick who insists on talking to you about immigrants?

[garth cartwright]

Oh Des, just when I was stating how the forum had matured and you have to go and do one of your juvenile spouts of vitriol about music biz "professionals" - this on a forum set up by one of the greatest multi-tasking music biz professionals ever. Like "doh!"

And your "real job" - sorry, are you a miner having a go at us soft Southerners who don't get our hands dirty? Nah, you're a civil servant with such a cushy job that you can spend all your working day posting on the internet.

SOTW doesn't need more music biz or non music biz people - it simply needs more people who love music and want to post about it in all its myriad forms. Bring 'em on - background, job, ethnicity, religion etc all unimportant.

[gary booth]

Can I be the postman who is supposed to nip in and put the letters on the bar but stays for 3 Light & Bitters, a bag of plain crisps, a game of pool, and puts his thumb up when Andy selects D1 - 'My Brother Jake' on the jukebox.?