Bemusing to come across boats in Little Venice yesterday with the same name as a ‘real ale’ pub that I grew up with in Nottingham. As ever, the history explains everything and the ‘real’ thing that I thought I knew turns out be the past as well as the present.
Music used to be so important to me. I pursued it obsessively, like the hunter seeks prey. That killer appetite left me some time ago, once I grew tired of the thrill of the chase. The taste turned sour in my mouth; the desire for capture and dismemberment bewildering.
Spared from this destructive urge, music now provides a sparser kind of sustenance: irregular, in moderation, yet still fulfilling. I find myself returning constantly to The Mountain Goats. This one’s new to me today and moves me as much as music ever did.
The second in an occasional series of ‘zombie resurrections’ from this site’s mostly offline 2002-12 archives. It’s Early May bank holiday weekend, which means it’s time once more for the Sweeps Festival in Medway. This 2008 post marks the first time I encountered it.
Got busy, haven’t been keeping up with WP nightly betas. Just switched over to beta 2. Lots of welcome little tweaks. Particularly: ‘aside’ posts get their title field back; ‘link’ posts get automatic link to target in body of post; ‘aside’ post date/permalink positioning easier on the eye.
Art is an act of structuring raw materials and is not dependent on external validation. Originality is an occasional consequence of the process, rather than its upfront intention.
If I frame and capture something without conscious plagiarism, it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s been done before. The uniqueness is in the moment and the relationship.
I’d argue that distinctiveness and consistency are more desirable. Cumulative weight adds gravity, complexity and resonance. All leaves are singular, but a tree gives them purpose.