Five Things
» 03/01/2007, 15:01:04 / / / Subscribe
It's only the third but already I've been tagged with a meme damn it! Neil has talked about five things he's not really ever talked about, I think it's secretly the voyeurism of Siobhan to get people to tell secrets, but hey, why not eh?
Hawkwind
Yes I love my techno (and not the bad boy racer type shit), I love my old school Jungle (and no not the bad boy d&b stuff, JUNGLE; you'd have to be around my age to appreciate what I am talking about). I love allsorts of other music. However, I also love Hawkwind. I have all the albums, more than 40 of them - well they have been going since 1969 people. Rather unknown amongst the commercial circles, they opted to stay true to there beliefs and remain as little for profit as possible raising awareness for all sorts of things and donating a lot of the royalties to charities. They have an extremely strong underground following and from the start influenced quite a few bands that are household names to your parents. I could talk for ages about all the things they have done in there 30+ years of being around but lets just leave it as: they really rock, especially when you're out your face! ;)
Piercings
I've got lots of them, all over. I don't really ever talk about them on here because they are insignificant to everyone but me. For a long time I was a "freak" or so the chavs said. However, over time (I've had mine for more than 10 years!) it would appear I am now fashionable; funny that. The fact is that I never got them for vanity or whatever, each one of them means something or was a test of inner strength to get done. It's not about the pain and I'm a hero factor, it's more about a cleansing type thing. Hard to put in to words. Unlike a lot of the folks that have them these days I know where each one originates from, why it's done, what ritual usually is performed in association with/for it.
Family Names
I am the last male to carry my surname. If I don't have kids it will die along with me. My sister doesn't have the same surname as me and so even if she does have kids, say out of marriage, and names them with her surname; it will not be the same name as mine (though close). Also, a surname within my family is used in the Lord of the Rings books and films, beat that bitches heh!
ARTLAB
I have only ever posted about it once (twice now I suppose) on my blog (Link to ARTLAB entry). It's been nearly 10 whole years since we took the choice to stop doing it. I know that it was something unique because I helped drive it forward with a lot of hard work and sacrifices. We're not talking about those moments on a dance floor everyone has, nor the thrill of hearing your favourite anthem blasting out of a 20K rig with the bass ripping your guts out, the mid range making your chest feel like it could explode, nor the high end taking your head off with that fucking huge grin on your face. That's a small fraction of what the ARTLAB was. We really were the last (post Blackburn parties) of that particular counter-culture in the North West of England and certainly to my knowledge nobody in this country had ever outright faced off "the system" like we had from a static space (field parties are easy because you set-up, play, pack it away and vanish in to the night). ARTLAB for those that don't read the link was a building that we used to have parties in that was constantly worked on as an artistic space. For nearly three and haof years, every two weeks, we would put on a party for 240 friends (people were not allowed in off the street, you had to have an invitation) after making additions to the inside. We used to take what people threw away and make it in to art with a "recycle or die" policy. It's hard to describe what the interior was like, suffice to say it was heavy industry meets futuristic something. I only have two pictures from inside and both of those were of the upstairs when nobody was in it. Photo 1 | Photo 2. We fought with the system both at the ARTLAB and in court and we didn't loose but in the end the system can apply enough pressure that you have no choice but to stop, retreat and lick your wounds. It's very possible that if you were in Lancashire in or around 1995/8 you will have heard people talk about us in hushed voices. People still do. Interestingly, I bet right now that because of ARTLAB Neil will actually know DJ's from where he lives that played for us as we had a big connection with his town and lots of our DJ's played in "The Alex" (small world eh Neil?) ;)
History
I love history, especially WWI and WWII. Enough said.
So there you have it, five things about me that I do not talk about, well on here anyway.
Technorati: meme artlab surname history piercings hawkwind blog
Comments:
#1. Neil
03/01/2007, 20:22:26
#1. Neil03/01/2007, 20:22:26
Such a small world... The Alex was one of the only venues in Lancaster that had any kind of open mind, that would let anything go, music wise that is... The only other venue like it really was the Warehouse....but that got closed down due to a rather large (and ugly) drugs bust.
Im desperately looking for the lads who would have played.. I cant for the life of me recall what they went by. These days People like Big G, Gaz Fisher, Jinx (Spoona) and the rest of the out door lot are all but gone.
The Alex is now a very over trendy Revolution Bar. Which is ok, but it has long lost its edge.
#2. david
03/01/2007, 21:04:05
Why are the 5 things, erm things.... always things that make me feel a bit sad?
#3. tek
03/01/2007, 21:39:18
Neil, it's been a long time since I've been up your way so I'm not surprised to hear it's turned all trendy! As for the people, Jesus there was a few and it's some time ago. Adrian Todd, Chris, Morph, Bug, Pablo they were all people that used to go to Lancaster to play at The Alex' for Josh; and later on for the outdoor parties that some of our friends (Brains, Marin & Co) started to put on once we stopped doing the ARTLAB (we sold them some P.A. equipment), but I can't for the life of me remember what they called the sound system. It was also some of us that used to put on the Morcambe parties in the Midland hotel and Morph was the guy that did No Frills in Liverpool. Adrian and Chris were the guys behind Top Bananna (vera duckworth productions) if you ever heard of that?
Enough anyway, this is gonna get me all teary eyed mate ;) heh
David, why what's sad about them?
#4. Bumble
05/01/2007, 12:50:27
Bloody Hippy! ;)
#5. david
05/01/2007, 19:00:28
well if it disny make u sad i wont let me get sad. Just like the last name thing an stuff. But I guess why would it be sad
#6. Neil
05/01/2007, 19:55:32
I love looking back - even some things i dont like remembering - i enjoy looking back at them, if that makes sense.
Everything has to change one day. I have gone from DJ'ing 4 nights a week for six years to gigging every now and then, its just progress.
I love my life then, I love my life now. My ears are all the more greatfull!
