"...hope everything is alright..."

Amongst the many half formed ideas for books rolling around in my head is one called 1989. You can guess the year in which it's set, but that's as much as I'll say about it as it is just a collection of half formed ideas at the moment... the thing is, 1989... that's now 25 years ago. 25 years since I first heard The Pixies, and that's scary. 

I remember seeing them, first of all, on The Chart Show which (for those of you reading this that are too young) was a TV show comprised entirely of music videos; a mixture of new releases, specialist charts, and the main chart. These days anything you want is on YouTube. Back then this was a weekly treat, as exciting as - heck, I'll be frickin' sacrilegious here - more exciting than Top of the Pops. You'd get things on here that would never get near TOTP. I mean, when did you ever see Eardrum Buzz by Wire, or Take It Easy on Me by A House, or Hypocrite by Lush on TOTP?

The Chart Show was a show that introduced me to so many new bands, and new songs, that I'd not heard before. I do sometimes think that in this day and age where you can get everything at your fingertips people just end up going for the same old thing time and time again.

Don't get me wrong; The Chart Show itself wasn't some kind of perfect show in which every edition was chock full of stuff I loved. They played a heck of a lot of crap that I couldn't stand. But there was always the excitement, that after this dull ol' song there'd be something just wonderful next. 

As I said, anything you want is on YouTube, is this Indie Chart from March 1989 possibly the very first time I experience The Pixies...? Shivers down the spine...

And I guess this post is an ideal illustration of why this blog's called "digression", as when I started it I intended to just write about Doolittle, and it ended up being more about The Chart Show. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes...

"...a number on a list..."

So, I was having a play with the site stats, and apparently the all time most viewed post of all time is this one;

http://fatsosblog.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/does-somebody-come-around-in-truck.html

And it's not the most viewed by a small amount, it's got just over triple the views of the second placed post. It's also the post which has the least waffling by me in it... but I must remember what Mr Eko said... :)

Oh, and to follow up on the last post; still waiting, Pixies, for something even half as good as Bam Thwok... 

"...I've been dreaming of a time..."

Now my memory's not exactly perfect, but I was thinking the other day about the gigs I went to in 2013, and I'm reasonably sure I didn't go to a single one. it's the first time since, ooh, 1997 I've not been to at least one gig in a year. Oh, some years I went to loads. Others less so. Quite a few down to single figures. Heck, even in 2012 I managed to make it to the festival. 

So that means the last band I saw live was The Cure, and the last song I've seen live is Boys Don't Cry. Which is a lie. We do. 

I don't know what the reason is for this lack of gig attendance; maybe it links in with how little new music I listen to these days. Pretty much always retreating back to the old favourites. There was a time when I'd listen to the Evening Session, and Mark & Lard's Graveyard Shift, and there'd be so many new brilliant songs. I can't remember the last time I listened to a radio show regularly. I can't even remember if Chris Evans does breakfast or drive time these days. I bet Ken Bruce still does the mornings and PopMaster, though. Ah, the shift from Radio 1 to Radio 2...

Can't recall the last time I listened to Radio 1, but then really I shouldn't; not at my advanced age. Radio 1's meant to say nothing to me about my life, it's for the young. I see so many people comment that Radio 1's rubbish these days as the music's just noise. But then that's what us oldies should be saying. Each generation has its own music. Those listening to the likes of Grime and Drum 'n' Bass will probably say the same about Radio 1 in 20 years time. That's how it should be.

So, no listening to the radio means that there's very little buying of new music. I look at the stuff I have bought lately, and it all seems to be collections and greatest hits, and so on. I can't recall the last time, for sure, I bought a CD (yeah, I know; so last century) of a new artist. I have a feeling it might have been The Brilliant Things, but that was a while ago. 

And this means no new radio, no new CDs, and thus no new bands to see gigs by... but there's still those old faithful bands around, but I've seen pretty much every band I want to see, some many times over. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen the Pixies... do I need to hear Monkey Gone to Heaven live again (and would it even be the same without Kim Deal)? I didn't even bother with the Reading festival last year as the line up consisted of bands I'd either seen before and wasn't fussed about seeing again, bands I'd not seen and wasn't fussed about, and bands I'd not heard of. Heck, I only went in 2012 (and just the Friday) because the Cure were there and they were one of those few notable bands I'd not seen before that I really did want to see. 

What, then, for 2014? I guess the only way to change this is to make the change myself (a maxim that I very much need to apply to a number of other areas in my life). Seek out new things. Try them. It's the only way...

Anyhow, I'll sign off now. I just remembered I downloaded the Pixies EP2 today, and I've not listened to it yet...