Welcome to the Freakshow

I've got an interview scheduled for tonight with Austin from Hinder. I like Hinder a lot - they fulfil the needs that I have for what the lazy people call 'stadium rock' (amongst other things). Alongside of Nickelback, these two bands more than cover the bases required by my soul. What's odd about the situation is that both of these bands are easy to knock by critics and regularly are, but I like what I like and that's pretty much the end of the story. Or is it?

Let me see, it's Wednesday. This week I've listened to this new Hinder album (called Welcome to the Freakshow if you hadn't made the connection) but I've also listened to the first three albums from Kate Bush, spent a few hours on some jazz station trying to understand the damn thing, reverted to type with Soundgarden's King Animal, revelled in the nostalgia of Japan's Adolescent Sex, tried on the revamp of War of the Worlds (which is pretty hot) and nodded my head at James Arthur's victory on X-Factor this year - because despite what you may think of the show, that guy is gonna make something of the shot he's got. That's an off the cuff list too - I use rdio as my main fix these days, so for good or bad, this shit gets data-logged. Realising this means that I need full disclosure that out of curiosity, I tried to listen to the Little Mix album but only got about three tracks in before it had to go -  you can't win 'em all.

There's a big difference between being a critic and just some dude who loves music and happens to write. There seems to be a 'point' to being a critic, like you're trying to build yourself up into something - and while that might have been valid back in the seventies and eighties when there were only a fistful of magazines worth a damn, as we approach 2013, it's not and that's because I can find you over 100 review sites at the flick of a wrist. Each has an opinion, some are better written than others but my point is that if you disagree with a review - be that music, movies or even a watch you bought yourself -  you're just going to head off to find a review site that you do have something in common with to prove your point. Worst still, there is no differentiation between the two. People will take what they need and ignore the rest.

These days, being a critic means very little - so much so that I have backed out of doing them anymore. It's a pointless exercise, I think I would rather say my piece here where it's a part of something else. Part of a bigger story to be had because to do the other thing, is to not love music. It's to love yourself and think your opinion matters.

Anyway, over on rdio, there was a 'critic's review' of Freakshow that seemed to serve nobody but the writer himself. I hope he felt good about himself afterwards. I can picture the scenario because I've been there. Lots of things to do, give the album a listen on radio because it's free and requires no effort. Dip your hand into the pit of dirty adjectives that are in your head and presto! A review that makes you feel as though you pointed out something valuable. I know, I know - everybody is entitled to their opinion.

But I just couldn't keep my mouth shut (click it to make it bigger if you need to):

The original is not even that objective. It reads as though it was on the hate pile before the first track had even finished. Sometimes, I suspect I take this stuff too personally for my own good. It's only rock n roll.

Just keep telling yourself, it's only rock n roll...

INTERLUDE:

Being as that's what we're talking about (no video releases yet from the new album):

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I bought a new book yesterday - Everyone Loves You When You're Dead by Neil Strauss. I finished it yesterday too. I lost a lot of the evening, all of the night and closed the book when the temperature hit -3 and it was very, very dark. Sometimes, you need to read a book like this. Sleep can be had any day of the week but when you're into the drag of a good read, it shouldn't be pushed off the road by something that will come around again tomorrow. If you're in the market for a neat Christmas present for the music lover in your life, it's really good and a no-brainer. It's also part of the two for a tenner deal in HMV at the moment, so you could double it up with a copy of Mick Wall's Lep Zep book maybe, which is what I did.

•••

More later. Promise. Things to do right now...

CARNAGE

Sometime yesterday while I was trying to get some of my fiction finished up, I came to the realisation that I could do much better than I had been. This led to me making a 'sweeping statement' as my friend Rowan likes to put it and I collected all reference to them and filed them away in the trash. So if you're maybe wondering what happened to those items, they have gone to a much better place. The stories however remain, they're getting revamped that's all - better characters, better stories but all wrapped up in one single direction with a far superior premise. Does it take everybody a really long time to get their thoughts in order? I don't know when it will be ready to roll again but the same rules will apply - a complete novel delivered as a serial. Right now, that's about all I know but behind the scenes, the work continues - and you know what? I'm much happier with the whole affair like this. It kind of makes a lot more sense and has taken a ton of pressure off.

Meantime, my new vinyl habit has spiralled right out of control in a very short space of time. I haven't bought this much music in what must be twenty years. In the short few days since I've had this Amstrad deck (or Ugly Betty as she has come to be known), I've made good start on a decent collection (or at least what I would term a decent collection anyway). Right now, it looks like this:

The Waterboys first three albums: The Waterboys: A Pagan Place and This Is The Sea, Mick Ronson's Slaughter on 10th Avenue, and Ian Hunter's debut along with his Short Back And Sides, Overnight Angels and All The Good Ones Are Taken. Sometime in the mail today, a cool copy of the Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction e.p. High Priest of Love should arrive. I'm going to stop there and kick back for a few weeks and actually enjoy the spoils of war. I will say this though - listening to vinyl is a massively different experience to both CD and any digital format.

Mr Smith has been vaccinated with a phonograph needle for the second time in his life - and all this vinyl has had a massive impact on me.

I have come to realise that I don't much like digital books either. I don't hate them but I adore reading and I love books. The e-reading experience is not doing it for me. I have tried and it is - frankly - an empty experience. This isn't my last word on the subject because it's quite complex. I think there is much value in e-books. At the moment, my main thoughts are that e-books are great for trying out a new author at low to no cost (if that sort of thing bothers you), firing out samples, when you want to take a huge stack of books on holiday or even to load up on textbooks that would otherwise soak up ... the list is endless really.

But it's not a book is it. Statement not question.

It's a novelty and it wears off.

Over the last few days and notably before this decision hit me, I have bought at least half a dozen books. A copy of Stephen Davis' LZ-'75 (The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour), Denise Mina's The Dead Hour, The Book of English Magic and some others that I forget now and can't remember where I've put them either, but the point is these were all chance pick-ups, not from regular bookstores either. Of the three named, I've finished two and am about to start on The Dead Hour. These are not the reading habits of somebody with a kindle.

These are the reading habits of somebody that loves to read books. But like I said, it's complicated because comics are turning out to be tailor made for the ipad. Apart from work, I have also moved all of my magazine reading to the ipad as well.

Who knows how this will all pan out. Maybe it's all too hard-wired into my psyche. It's all pretty inconsequential really but on the record right here, right now. I love listening to great old vinyl albums and I love well put together books.

Recently reviewed at The Void: The Woman In Black and Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth