...[things that make you go AAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHtwat]...

alright. i was wrong. i was very very very very wrong. that rant about not having anything to write about. but this isn't an apologetic rant. this is a wow-isn't-music-brilliant-and-don't-music-lovers-all-rock-like-mofos rant.


let me explain. yesterday i went to see clearlake at borders. [no this isn't a wow-how-fantastic-are-clearlake rant either] they were quite good. i wasn't sure if i was gonna review them or not. while i was hanging around after the set to get my clearlake single signed, there was a lad enthusiastically selling copies of the famed cheery wave from stranded youngsters zine. it looked a pretty well-packed affair; i would have bought a copy myself had i had more than 20p in my possession. and i thought "wow. cool. he really loves doing that fanzine doesn't he? guess he's into music in a big way." and then i got talking to suzie from org. she was handing out copies of the legendary [and free] organ zine. number 68. 68!!! think how long it must have been going!! i mean.. 68 man!!! that's dedication!


and it just struck me how great that is. i mean let's look at org. everyone's heard of it - everyone at some point has bought an org single or compilation, or been into a band that earned their stripes on the org label, or nosed through one of org's fanzines, or wandered around their website. maybe you've been to one of org's gig nights - there was a good one not so long ago at the garage. they do everything!!! there's even org tv!!! they run things on a shoestring budget, and charge beautifully silly prices - �2 for a cd single [and now some of those singles change hands for �30!], �5 for a compilation, free fanzine.. it's bloody ridiculous isn't it!!! they laugh in the face of �4.99 virgin/hmv singles and �15.99 albums and �2.95 monthly issues of rocksound. and they throw some utterly brilliant stuff at us.


i mean just look what they've put out. cay. my vitriol. twist. earthtone9. dna doll. disco pistol. one minute silence. miocene. admittedly there's been some tripe as well... just sift through those compilations, chances are you'll find 2 great bands on most of them in among 15 not-so-great ones. but that's not the point, is it?!?!?!!??! the point is, these people fucking love music! so much s that they spend their lives trying to make the rest of us love music! they'll hurl it at us any which way they can!


now this may seem like one long org advertisement. i suppose it is, but i'm just using org as a case in point because they're the best example of what i'm talking about that i'm actually familiar with. they're also perhaps one of the most successful examples. but there are sooo many people out there doing it. people writing fanzines, people CONTINUING fanzines [that's very important - what's the point in raving about the music you love and demanding that people hear it if you give up trying after two and a half issues? i'm guilty of that myself and i'm not proud.], people putting together bands, people setting up labels, putting on gigs, getting out there and doing it.


this all occurred to me last night. i knew it all already, i'd read a thousand columns like it in enthusiasic zines and casually thought "good on ya, next" and not really considered the idea that everyone can do something. and now i'm writing one of those columns myself. and i'm thinking about my [writers block] column. and i'm thinking what BOLLOCKS. so i'd like to heartily apologise for the disgusting display of lazy-assed cynicism; from now on i shall review everything that is remotely worth a review, and i shall be the epitome of seemingly-na�ve musical hopefulness. ok i probably won't, but i've realised that i don't want to be one of those cynical nme-suckled writers who damn things to preserve their "heard-it-all-before" shroud of cool, and only praise things when it looks suitably nonconformist [or conformist, as the case may be] and hip to do so. i don't want to be one of those fuckers, i want to love music and shout about it. a lot of people don't seem to like my opinions [as demonstrated kindly on the messageboard *adopts JENNNNNYYYY POWWWWWELL?!?!?! pose*] but i'm sick of caring about that; i want to argue heatedly and passionately about music, i want the world to see how beautiful that great band from bury st-edmonds are, i want people to understand that it's nothing personal but i WILL argue about the bands i love and hate until i'm blue in the face, because THAT'S WHAT I DO.

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