Friday, July 24, 2009

The Name's Gazer, Shoe Gazer.



I Turn My Camera On
Monitor
Vision Thing
Observatory Crest
Spy In the House of Memories
Spystick
Spy Song
You Are In My Vision
They Won't Let Me Run
Worldwide Watchdog Peepshow
Hell Is Empty
Definitive Gaze
School Mam

84 comments:

gremlinfc said...

Glad you included Gaz with his quality track - nice one Mr. Gazer. Maybe you could "hear hear" my RR nom...

ejaydee said...

Gremlin, you've been at this RR thin for a while, yet you still seem to think this is a points game. It doesn't matter whether you get a second, and the least you could do is pay attention, as Shoegazer did support your nomination of You Are In My Vision. I mean in the best possible way, because I know tone doesn't always show in text, but please, chill out and give it a rest.

gremlinfc said...

God ejaydee where IS your sense of humour / perspective? If I make a comment re. seconds / noms etc you always have a go- for feck's sake i do like the slightly competitive angle and you always manage to ignore me and chat with your mates so why don't YOU just give it a fecking rest. If i missed a post PLEASE FORGIVE ME ,I like Mr. Schuh's posts and have listened to all of them , and you may have noticed that i do sometimes engage in discussion and banter - usually if it is soemthing i know about / am interested in. The fact that i haven't had a choon on either A or B list for 3 weeks has not / will not stop me engaging so it's fair to say i'm NOT hung up on the issue - I rarely mean anything in anything other than good humour - unfortunately i don't know how to attach Emoticons / smileys so Herr Schuh and you and the rest of the Universe realises.
I'm not going to get more enraged , in fact i'll stop there....

gremlinfc said...

God ejaydee where IS your sense of humour / perspective? If I make a comment re. seconds / noms etc you always have a go- for feck's sake i do like the slightly competitive angle and you always manage to ignore me and chat with your mates so why don't YOU just give it a fecking rest. If i missed a post PLEASE FORGIVE ME ,I like Mr. Schuh's posts and have listened to all of them , and you may have noticed that i do sometimes engage in discussion and banter - usually if it is soemthing i know about / am interested in. The fact that i haven't had a choon on either A or B list for 3 weeks has not / will not stop me engaging so it's fair to say i'm NOT hung up on the issue - I rarely mean anything in anything other than good humour - unfortunately i don't know how to attach Emoticons / smileys so Herr Schuh and you and the rest of the Universe realises.
I'm not going to get more enraged , in fact i'll stop there....

gremlinfc said...

Just to confirm Herr Schuh - I LIKE YOUR LIST but not all the choices - vielen Dank , top banana!

gremlinfc said...

Just to confirm Herr Schuh - I LIKE YOUR LIST but not all the choices - vielen Dank , top banana!

Mnemonic said...

Ejaydee's sense of humour is in the same place as mine. I find many of your postings aggressive and unpleasant rather than amusing. Emoticons would not remove the sense of bullying that too often comes across from you.

ejaydee said...

re Your sense of humour, if a tree falls in a forest... I guess we're a tough crowd.
I would like to get a rest Gremlin, but it bothers me (not just me), if I have an itch I'll scratch it. This isn't about reading every single comment or seconding the right person.I know you engage in discussion and banter, and that's fine, the problem is (mostly) your tone. No need to get enraged.

Chris said...

I have to support mnemonic's comment, as it is perfectly true. How you can get 'enraged' by ejaydee's consummately reasonable post, gremlin, is beyond comprehension. Emoticons would not improve your posts on RR; try removing the vicious, ignorant, attention-seeking jibes and inserting some understanding of others' opinions and tastes instead.

Chris said...

Now I've opened my mouth, gremlin, I'll just give this one example of how you pollute what is normally a very welcoming, friendly blog with your attitude. From just this afternoon:

woodyaki on 24 Jul 09 at 3:19pm:
"I seem to be a bit late for this, but has anyone mentioned 'Spy In The Cab' by Bauhaus?"

gremlinfc on 24 Jul 09 at 3:22pm:
"@woodyaki - just the odd couple of thousand people..."
By my count three people had mentioned it.

gremlinfc on 24 Jul 09 at 3:27pm:
"@brewofsconer - let's confuse them some more with a first BUKE for the next person to nominate one of the songs with "Spy" in the title for a gazillionth time..."
I reckon about a dozen songs with "Spy" in the title had been nominated up to that time which, out of 330 comments about surveillance songs, doesn’t seem out of proportion.

You were once new to the RR blog, gremlin. Would you have appreciated being treated like that?

And please don't repeat your "humour hopefully contained in the following phrase / word" bollocks. Your jibes are not funny and, I suspect, are not intended as such.

gremlinfc said...

Yes I am very prone to sarcasm and have been rather tetchy at times (i think that's true for several people...). If that's offensive to people then not sure what to do apart from either stop or flag it up- as Ejaydee says it's a tough crowd. It certainly is a very pleasant thing which exists here and I probably get the same out of it as most others, but we're all different.
I'm not really "enraged" by Ejaydee but really do think he over-reacted to a gentle quip : i can see how some comments can be taken badly but not that one.
Chris / Mnemonic-i'm speechless, doesn't often happen to me , but i am.

gremlinfc said...

PS: my post on the RR was done BEFORE i read these 3 comments. There are 2 sides even to a gremlin.
@Chris - sorry you don't find my 'jibes' funny. You're right they're not always inteded to be. The one about Bauhaus was though. Looks like it was my poor sense of humour.

Shoey said...

Wha....Ok, who turned over all the chairs & tables in the Shoe lounge?

ejaydee said...

"as Ejaydee says it's a tough crowd." So was that a joke in response to my joke?
The behaviour I alluded to and that Mnemonic so succinctly and precisely pinpointed is offensive to a lot of people Gremlin, so if it helps you, I will flag it up from now on.

Chris said...

Sorry, Shoey. Didn't mean to mess the place up. Call it an 'intervention'.

DarceysDad said...

TWO CLICKS FOR ONE EXTENDED COMMENT WARNING:

Sorry for continuing the thread-jack, Shoey. I would make it up to you by listening to your playlist as I type, but has Boxstr disappeared?

Anyway, for what it's worth ...

Gremlin, one of the most important lessons I've learned in my life is that what someone is really like means nothing in these situations. Instead, the thing that makes all the difference in how people are treated, is the perception of that person. If you can accept that premise, I'll ask you to look at some examples and try to be dispassionate.

Whether you like it or not, your contributions can look overtly and unnecessarily aggressive. You were first in last week on our ever-more-popular EOTWQ's. Did you offer your experiences? No. Instead, your exact opening words were:
"Before I embark on me answers I have a question: Who is that TWAT with Havers?"
Whilst I'll admit my first thought was also about the dopey-looking sod in the picture May used, I didn't say so. Why not? Because it wasn't necessary, wouldn't have achieved anything, and would've been borderline abusive. What - and I'd like you to be precise, please - were you trying to achieve by the use of a capitalised "TWAT"?

And did it never occur to you that someone like that (who chooses to wear a suit, and has studied and worked for several years on an artform with permanent effects on his clientele) might take one look at your website pic, and wonder what kind of "TWAT" thinks wearing tracksuits and kicking a ball around pointlessly is a suitable job for a middle-aged bloke?

Second example is from up the page: if you're not going to get "enraged", don't use the word. Simple. If you are enraged, why? Ed's comment couldn't have been any more conciliatory and still made his point, and pretty damned well put for a second language. You've got the same skill in your locker with German, so shouldn't it occur to you, of all people, to cut him some slack?

But no, you went on, with BOTH "If I make a comment re. seconds / noms etc you always have a go" AND " you always manage to ignore me and chat with your mates" , in the same sentence! Well which do you want? Take it from someone with a long history of being a real-life Bungabine, at best it makes you look like the kid who ate all the blue Smarties, at worst it again looks like you're picking fights. And no, constant recourse to the "I was only joking" line doesn't work either. If you're having to use that AT ALL, you should think twice about the words you post. If you need it often, and with different people, doesn't that set an alarm bell ringing somewhere?

DarceysDad said...

SECOND HALF OF ONE COMMENT:

I'm not here to fall out with you. I like the extra dimension you bring to here and RR with a foot either side of the Channel. Your musical tastes are so far removed from mine that almost everything you nominate outside of the mainstream is new to me: bonus! There's a worryingly violent streak to the film clips/quizzes you post, but the enthusiasm behind them is on a par with any of us? And yes, I do realise that the man who last week championed The Bellrays' song Stupid Fuckin' People is in something of a glass house, with a handful of [heavy] rock, on the subject of both virtual violence and competitiveness, but life is indeed full of contradictions.

For example, I'd love to sit down with someone with that much obvious passion and inside knowledge of the sport I love; I could listen for hours. But I'm not volunteering for it, because so far online, it's outweighed by an over-bearing "me, Me, ME!" countenance I'd find too wearing.

I appreciate that the community on RR is derided elsewhere - even within GU - as being "the musical Stepford Wives", insular blogging Eloi in denial of the ASBO realities of C21st life. Those who meet us know we're not. We are hugely welcoming, varied, passionate and inclusive, but there's the thing ... I'll get out of your face with my final example:

Several invites, comments, offers of email addresses, and blog threads all issued a hearty "Come On Down" to the Social last week.

Only one person, who asked "PS - Are all welcome on the 18th?" was met with a total wall of silence. That is absolutely unique in the history of RR. Now why should that be?

Please, gremlin, if you're going to stick around, find a version of yourself with a little more humility and a lot less aggression. As ejaydee originally, and genuinely said: chill out. Do that, and I'll buy your first - and, what the hell, second too - pint at the next Northern Social.

gremlinfc said...

Blimey - good thing I'm off on me hols and having a 2 week break. Sincere aplogies Herr Schuh for ruining your great spill...
There are certainly points made by the contributors here that are worth taking on board , which I will do. I'll try and keep my response as succinct as i can , so as not to prolong the distraction, but i fear it may be a long one.
1. I've clearly upset several people so sincere aplogies to those concerned.
2. Some / many / whatever percentage have the wrong impression (thanks to the collective blurtings of GFC).
What's to do?
i can accept comments about humour / lack thereof and not being remotely funny. Good point well made Jimbo. The old phrase "Post in haste , repent at leisure" springs to mind. I'll just have to be more careful , whilst trying not to dilute my actual sense of humour, which does exist.
I think many newcomers to RR probably are a bit taken aback by the lack of more cutting discussion and Chris was one of the first RR-ers i upset over Grateful Dead (i think...) with rather caustic comments. If i didn't aplogise for that then here it is. It takes a while to atune.
However , "pollute" is your subjective view and i don't accept that and the use of the "B" word is rather over-the-top too. I'll accept that i can be extremely abrasive and dismissive of some tastes.
I've been on here since October (sure it seems longer not just to me) and it was a welcoming , supportive atmosphere , which i have dented at times. I don't want to suggest we all start being rude to each other , but i do think a certain amount of "challenging discussion" should be alright. Now if i've been rude then it's a fair cop and i'll study the tapes.
I can accept my attitude is at times a little too "aggressive / sarcastic / rude" - after some of the aggro encountered on other GUblogs this is a love-in. It IS very CLIQUEY and that stands out a mile - as a newcomer (that's how i still see mesen) you watch the rather insular closed shop banter and choose to either stick around or do what most people do , make a few posts and sod off.
I made a positive choice to get involved and at half -time it's time for a tactical re-think.

gremlinfc said...

I'm sure the people who have posted here don't give 2 f**** whether i continue and are probably hoping i disappear. Who knows.
However, i can assure you that your points / criticisms WILL BE TAKEN ON BOARD. That's the very least i can do.
RR is derided by many , correct , it's an odd thing , but quite sweet and i wouldn't want to upset the apple-cart / turn over Shoey's tables & chairs or whatever metaphor you choose.
I'll give my continued participation some thought on that basis too.
DsD- humility? Presume you mean i come over as a big-head? I can think of more arrogant self-publicists on here and RR, but i don't care, they can say what they want. Some people have done everything...
Ejaydee - full apologies to you - i have the feeling this was brewing for some time , but in the future do what you mentioned and show me the yellow card but hopefully it won't come to that.(sorry about the numerous football analogies). It's a shame because i always read your posts / nominations and think what an interesting geezer you must be - an example of someone DsD says is full of passion (as well as knowledge) - maybe i should have read the signs...?
DsD
You are absolutely right with the examples you highlight ("Who' s that twat...?") - i hope he's not read it - it certainly made me look a twat #:-(.

One point made by DsD which i MUST take issue with as it really is incorrect is your comment re the "worryingly violent streak" on my posts : these are (nearly - the only ones that weren't were travel place ones)) always related directly to the Theme of RR. Check them out if you don't believe me. If I am going to accept the combined criticisms of the people on here then i insist you do the same and check your info. I'll happily post a list of all the "quizzes" i have done. Fair's fair. That's an unfounded slur DsD.
DsD's other remarks i can absorb and will spend the next 2 weeks pondering whilst getting some rays.
One final thing i must say is that percentage-wise looking at my posts / spills etc the VAST majority are un-controversial. So , i shall take these points on board but let's keep the whole thing in perspective.
PS - i don't wear a tracksuit
PPS- thanks DsD but i don't drink.
PPPS - good job really

DarceysDad said...

OK, gremlin, I'll review your fillum quizzes and my worries about them.

Nice response.

Have a good holiday.

tincanman said...

I've no appetite for a war of words on this, but I don't duck issues either.

gremlin, for what it is worth, what these people are expressing is the way you come across to me as well. I'm hear for the music so I've learned to just skip your posts but listen to any noms that get donded.

The clique issue is an interesting one because a year ago I was a newcomer, and they didn't all leap up to hug me when I first started posting, but they didn't shun me and as I earned their respect(ish) they interacted with me more and more. I can only speak for myself, but it has been both my epxerience and my observation that people earn how they are treated here - for good and for bad.

Respond or not; this is my only post on the issue as I have music to listen to.

ejaydee said...

Thanks for the response Gremlin, have a nice holiday.

Shoey said...

No apologies necessary, haven't had this many comments on a thread in ages ....Now will someone fix the stereo?

gremlinfc said...

Tincanman -amazing how unperceptive (don't know if that's a word) you can be...- same apologies to you too then. Must do better (although i do believe we have interacted at times...?

TatankaYotanka said...

I was listening to Test Match Special last week shortly before England had to make a decision about enforcing the follow on; an Australian pundit said something along the lines of, "when you've got your foot on their throat, best to keep it there."

Are't group dynamics fascinating?
GFC, my experience of your pixels has been broadly in line with the (possibly hard to hear)feedback you've been receiving on this mini-thread, but I've also been worried about your personal investment in all this. Your prickliness sometimes seems rooted in a need for acceptance and inclusion, to a degree which I've not come across in this particular setting. As DSD and TCM have pointed out this is an overwhelmingly inclusive setting; there's an accrued ballast of bonhomie here which actually makes it hard to be apart rather than a part. Our oyster needs its grit but this is washed in and out on a communal tide rather than chucked in as a stick of rock with 'me me me' written through it. Your response to the challenges above is rather heartening; you are obviously a man with a full and satisfying personal and family life but here you are in an entirely voluntary situation; you're not related to us, you don't have to live with us and you don't work with us ... do you know what you want from us?

I'm quite fascinated by the way our deeper vulnerabilities are teased out on-line, distilled in clearer ways than we might see them in our day to day, real life relationships. Howzzabout a trust excercise; EJ, on the Spill mantelpiece facing the wall, Gremlin, you'll join us in catching him, no? He's big ... but he's all heart ... oh, and ... balls ..

gremlinfc said...

@tatankaYotanka - yeah bit of a tough day really. I do enjoy the exchange of opinions and ideas and i suppose the cut & thrust of everyday whatever-ishness...what do i get out of it? I have always loved music and found this idea great...the Spill thing, that came out of a picture i'd done for a quiz with mates and went on...it cracks me up if nowt else.
Entertainment , interesting angles on things,...sometimes i'm not sure and i don't bother for a while...it's still a puzzle and as you say we're not family , there are no binding ties, there's a large number of "people" i find very interesting / entertaining , including yersen: as with most "clubs" (which is essentially what this is) you pop your head round the door, shake a few hands , have a laugh , argue maybe and come back the next week, learning a bit more about each other as time goes by. As for Ejaydee - i have a huge amount of respect for the guy and would certainly catch him if he fell.

ToffeeBoy said...

@ Tatanka - don't let ejd up on that mantlepiece! He'll be off through the mirror and into Wonderland quicker than we can say 'Jabberwock'.

Shoey said...

Yeah, you've all done enough damage to the lounge for one day.

DarceysDad said...

Hey! Cool, that last thump fixed the Boxstr player!! We've got toooooonnsz.

Do we have to have to clean up first, Mr. Gazer, sir, or have I got time for a quick drink first?

Just one, you say? Great. Japanther, gizza glass ...

Shoey said...

Ok, drinks all round - but if there's anymore trouble....
....
.....
I'll put Blimpy's best of Toto album on, ok?

DarceysDad said...

No, the usual barman always says it's OK if I want to play some Phil Collins - gimme that remote!

Shoey said...

*** Wrestles with DsD & franticly tries to pride remote from his grasp. ***

gremlinfc said...

Is "pride" to "prise" as "Ledley" is to Lesley"?

Shoey said...

Bugger, I'll try that next time.

DarceysDad said...

[Barman Shoey glares at his spell-checker. DsD misinterprets the look, and seizes the opportunity to throw three very rapid punches at mein host. Then calls for his mates to make a show of pulling him away, and rings his £3000/hr lawyer.]

Shoey said...

Phew, insanity restored - was getting all a bit "real world" there for a while.

shane with too many tunes said...

if you two are going to be so bloody antisocial... I'm going to get drunk and put ear plugs in!

otherwise use the spurs defense maneuver
that'll be the leadknee King technique followed by the wounded woodgate.


Shoey
I have 34 nominations that 2 thirds fit...
do I list them somewhere and you tick the ones you want?
( I can't post all of them.. and some are just camera songs that you might like, not surveillance.. so would clog up the already bulging dropbox.. my yahoo headline says "FIRE sharer cut off" can't even help keep people warm these days - no sense of community I say!)




Have a good holiday Gfc.. the dust should have settled by the time you return.

DarceysDad said...

Yup.

Enjoying this list, Shoey. I have to admit it's been a while since I've managed one straight through.

Particularly taken with Worldwide Watchdog Peepshow: who is that? It would've gone well on my Social CD. On the subject of which, I'm glad you likeee. Its eventual composition was a major surprise even to me. The incomplete preplan had 6 instrumentals I wanted to include. 4 of those - all the heavy rockers - failed to make the final cut.

DarceysDad said...

Nice Spurs jokes, Shane, both of 'em. Whaddya mean, whaddooeye mean "both"?

1. Leadknee & Wounded

2. Harry: I have 34 defenders that're two-thirds fit

Shoey said...

It's from an early Ninja Tunes comp. Nilp probably knows more, as I think he was poised to nom it himself (sorry, Nilp - that's twice in 2 weeks). I was looking for some Funki Porcini. Anyhow, all the Ninja comps have excellent Jazz, Dub, Hip-Hop & elecronica stuff. Did leave Golden Virgins for Shane though - so I'm not all bad.

you can talk shane said...

DsD
2 thirds fit
the other 2 thirds thick.


I did wonder why you hadn't done the virgins shoey.

Shoey said...

Sorry the tech isn't working for you, Shane. If you can or chose the dropbox route - perhaps a seperate folder. The main rr folder is too overwhelming for me to pick through. I owe you some stuff too, but, erm, can't remember what, let me know?

DarceysDad said...

Aw come on guys ...

I'm all punned out, and you two are swinging over some absolute tap-ins with the virgin comments.

Shoey said...

Shane took care of the virgins.

DarceysDad said...

Shoey, that Push soundtrack stuff is ace! Boxstr just kept playing down the page after finishing your surveillance choices.

Have you identified the tunes anywhere?

shane said...

shoey and DsD

you just saved me from making the most laddish comment ever...

now tunes:
have done a little camera added folder.. but the rest are going in Sat to mon dropbox.. get them quick shoey.. by the time they upload and I get on RR it will be Saturday.

I'm trying to get a picture done for a post but CRAPcleaner has sorted the computer and basically I need more RAM to carry on doing artwork.. virtual memory is shot.. so I can't listen to everyones music at the same time... that's rubbish.. cos I'm loving your playlist... haven't heard Vision thing in eons...

I will let you know what I want - if I remember!

Shoey said...

Actually, it's all c/o dropbox these days (thanks Tin). All the tunes are tagged for i-Tunes if you download. Left the titles off as advertising hard to find tunes from a current movie = the Google boot squad showing up.

DarceysDad said...

Gotcha, Shoey. On it immediately.

@ Shane - found similar steam-powered issues with gordonimmel's PC today; must be really frustrating. Major advantage of what I do is that I don't need files bigger than, say, 20MB Powerpoint presentations. I can, and have, thrown my hardware money at processing speed rather than design programs and graphics cards.

Might soon need another half-terabyte of back-up hard-drive for my tunes, mind!

sleepy shane said...

@Rich

to think 3 and a bit years ago I had:

1 record player
1 small sometimes used cd player
tape player in the car.
for art:
Paper/ photocopier/ scalpel/ inks/ brushes/ glue.

and could just about turn the computer on for e-mails- not very competently.

Have only learnt to use the computer to design since blimpy started the 'spill.

managed to do a design so back tomorrow night with a post..
(got a little show to go to over this side.. not quite the same as Manchester and the African Drumming.. but we've got tractors)

night all.

Shoey said...

Night, Shane. Thanks for stopping by, will drop some stuff in the box for you.

ejaydee said...

Wait, there was some music posted?!
Loving Observatory Crest.

Shoey said...

Cool, Ejay. There's a great Mercury Rev cover, but you can't top the original.

tincanman said...

@ ejay (& anyone else)
If you are happy using RSS feeds, you can subscribe to via RR dropbox web interface that notifies you of every song added, deleted, renamed, etc

ejaydee said...

Tempting, I might do it.

Shoey said...

Tin, Will it warn me if you try to nick Stalker Fever again? (J.K. glad you like it, would be a little counter-productive to spend time recommending stuff, to get gruntled when someone else actually agrees).

Note to self: try not to pre-emptive Ninja Nilpferd next week.

nilpferd said...

I think I've learned things on this thread I'd rather not have known. Foremost amongst these things is DsD's revelation that "I have to admit it's been a while since I've managed one straight through".

Like the playlist Shoey- particularly Monitor, Spy Song and the Worldwide Peepshow, that's Burnt Friedman & the nu-Dub Players, off Funkungfusion.
I didn't find many other Ninja Tunes tracks besides the Coldcut ones, Everything is under control fits I think, and there is quite a nice film noirish track called Spy on Funkungfusion, which I'll dropbox.

nilpferd said...

Oh and shoey, any Ninja pre-empting is fine by me- I was actually quite amazed when I began contributing to RR that hardly anyone seemed to mention the label, except Shanesane, and I used to enjoy ping-ponging Ninj recommendations back and forth.

Shane- wicked spurs joke there.

Blimpy said...

re Spystick - I have listened to this song many many many times - but I still can't figure out what the "spystick" in the song actually is - any ideas anyone?

tincanman said...

Blimpy, I have a deodorant stick that I use in my armpits to stop me from stinking (as much), so I can only surmise the spystick would stop you peeping into people's windows when they get undressed, like the lady across from me does at 11:17 every weeknight.

Chris said...

As I escalated the gremlin issue up above, following on from an oblique reference a couple of weeks ago, I feel the need for one, final comment before he returns (or not) to RR.

Apologies were issued by our man and appear to have been accepted. For the record, I do not accept his response to me as an apology at all and I stand by everything I said yesterday, including the word ‘pollute’ to describe his effect on the blog. I gave a random example of that pollution from this week’s blog but I’ll add another from the recent Pets topic, which I think shows why I used the words I did in my accusation and why his response is both inadequate and self-delusional. I had resisted any exchange with gremlin for weeks, until this:

gremlinfc on 26 Jun 09 at 1:12am:
This particular moment is one I shall cherish for many years...nomination of a "Dead" number whilst the deadheads are all crashed out after sniffing too many beer mats...
"Terrapin Station"§...

Chris7572 on 26 Jun 09 at 11:06am:
Just catching up, I noticed this from dear old gremlin:
[gremlin’s above comment inserted here]
Can't speak for all the deadheads, of course, but this one at least (because he's actually listened to it) knows that Terrapin Station is bugger all to do with pets. Surely, grem, you're not going to cherish the moment when you made an arse of yourself?! (Oh, and why would anyone sniff a beer mat, btw?)

gremlinfc on 26 Jun 09 at 8:30pm:
@Chris5752 - I am still guffawing and chortling mesen silly after reading your comment! Am i actually expected to listen to a song by the Grafetul Dead before nomming it? It was on the family itunes (NOT GUILTY!!!) and automatically thought it would be about a station where terrapins hung out or something...as i say i am now splitting my sides! I have just read the lyrics [……]

Apart from the unprovoked personalised attack on people who like different music from himself, there is a clear example of his ‘"humour hopefully contained in the following phrase / word" bollocks’. Plus, of course, the blatant disregard for RR nomination etiquette.

DsD has, a little ironically, used the Michael Jackson defence to an extent (forgive the sins of a great talent). I’ll go along with that slightly. Gremlin has a wide musical knowledge and articulates his thoughts very well, sometimes very amusingly. He joins many others in having the ability to bring to mind suitable songs from different musical genres; a skill which I lack. He appeared on RR after me but has established more of a recognised presence, due in part to that ability. So, maybe we have to make allowances. However tincanman, as an example, also appeared later than me and has made his (much bigger) mark in a different but infinitely more positive way…

I’ll leave it there and resume my ‘look the other way’ policy if gremlin returns in the same form.
If anyone feels I’ve got all this wrong or that I behave in a way that causes offence or annoyance, please say so: we may as well get the air in this room completely clear.

debbym said...

You're causing neither offence nor annoyance, Chris, but I do think we ought to drop this now. The Graemli's not going to be around for a couple of weeks, so anything further here would be tantamount to talking behind his back. However, having said that...
I was interested to see you find that gremlin 'articulates his thoughts well'. I have great difficulty reading through his posts on the Mothership (which seem to me as if he's blurting out all the thoughts in his head without drawing breath, one great long bluster), but I found his posts on this thread far easier to read AND comprehend!
I really hope he'll take the positive criticism offered by various parties here to heart. I've always understood RR is for all-comers (including those of us who don't contribute an awful lot), so I thinks it's good to have cleared the air.

nilpferd said...

Chris, I don't see the point of harbouring resentment that way. I think EJ's suggestion that he'll flag what he sees as unacceptable commentary in the future is the best idea, and Gremlin has said he's got no problem with that. Let's all agree to draw a line under the past, and if something crops up which you don't like, please say so at the time, and leave it at that. We all have to accept that there will be discussions or disagreements which find no resolution, but each of us has to be able to say, ok- end of discussion.
And try not to take every G.D. slag-off so personally- if I did the same thing anytime someone made a derogatory comment about jazz, I'd go crazy.

DarceysDad said...

Chris,

Now you're making me laugh & wince at the same time, with the WackoJacko comparison! Take it from me, any irony was wholly unintentional, but then such is the definition of that word.

I have accepted gremlin's comments, and to a certain extent, am now choosing to forget many of the original "offences". I will grant you that's easy for me to say, because I've never had any of his previous comments (in the range between merely ill-considered, and repulsively abusive) directed at me personally.

So, forget, yes. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is dependent on the attitude and level of consideration he displays on his return. From that point of view, as he said himself, his holiday could not have come at a better time. If, on his return, we see only the considered version of his online persona glimpsed yesterday, then I personally will be fine with that. Doesn't mean we'll be best mates of course, but I will be okay sharing our virtual room with him.

However, for those who have been more directly on the receiving end, such as yourself, I would suggest following tincanman's advice above (I'll quote, so you don't reference the bizarre deodorant one): ..what these people are expressing is the way you come across to me as well. I'm hear (sic) for the music so I've learned to just skip your posts... No-one can seriously expect a community this large and diverse to all get on, but it's a big blog; just give each other a wide berth. That should be easy enough, as he's already backed himself into the 'naughty corner'. [WTF is that, btw? DsSis came home from school t'other week towing that phrase behind her!]

Having said that, if the old gremlin resurfaces, he now knows there are several of us who will let him know in no uncertain terms. He may have missed the hint when no-one replied to his enquiry about the Social, but he damned well knows now, thanks to this thread. And no, Debby, I don't consider we're talking behind his back as long as we post on here; he'll read it all at some point in the next fortnight.

I will add a stage whisper that whilst it's great that so many of his music nominations are new to me, as I said above, I don't actually like many of 'em. Don't tell him I said that, OK?

Oh, and Chris? Don't do yourself down over the music nominated over on RR. Sticking to what you know and love is what both blogs are about; only one person ended up looking an idiot over the Terrapin Station affair ...

Grudges are destructive things. I know because I hold plenty of my own, but there's the rub: none of you are exposed to the unholy stench of mine, because I keep the lid on 'em. Can we all do the same, please?

ToffeeBoy said...

@ nilpferd - agreed. BTW ru old enuff to like jazz???

Chris said...

I've said I’ll leave it there and I will.

Look, there's my resentment floating away out of the harbour.....

Abahachi said...

Follow the Way of the Hippo. I can't now remember what incident inspired it in the first place, so it must work...

Shoey said...

*** Looks at trashed state of shoelounge in despair ***

Next time you lot want to do one of these exorcisms, could you please pick someone elses room?

sane wants 68 comments please said...

if it gets 'em listening to the tunes.. let em wrestle I say - it's naked with baby oil in the room above.....


sits back and waits for 65 more comments....

...no ones going to fall for that.

Cheers for the tunes have copied them all over... chilling to Portishead rejiggled at the moment.

Exodus said...

Bit late to be joining in this conversation I think, but I've just had my attention drawn to this thread by a posting on the mothership. I hope the Gremlin does stick with us, I quite enjoy his comments, even when I don't necessarily agree or relate to them. If that puts me beyond the pale in some eyes, well fair enough. Personally I find a few other people far more annoying, but I don't really feel the need to react.

steenbeck said...

Ack--did anybody else have a very paranoid reaction to

"Personally I find a few other people far more annoying, but I don't really feel the need to react"

I just wanted to say that I don't think anyone wants GFC to leave...and now I'll address this to him himself, because I guess he'll be reading it all...I don't think anybody wants you to leave. I like a lot of the music you nominate (The Message is ace, to borrow a blimpy term). And you have admirable passion for the music you love. You're not the first person to storm into RR from another Guardian blog hoping for/expecting a big argument. I just think in this community, although we love a good discussion, nobody wants a fight. The thing that's so beautiful about RR is that despite vast differences in geography/taste in music/age, and I don't know what else, we respect and support each other. And there's no reason you can't be part of that. Plenty of people look forward to your contributions, though, I feel sure, and Exodus has just given support for that. so....

Finally, Shoegazer, haven't had a chance to listen yet, although, as I've just told Shane, I'm trying to figure out how to put playlists on my iPhone the way Japanther does on his iPod...

I was just wondering if you've ever been able to get onto RR comments on your iPhone. I did for a fleeting moment, but I tried to get to the last page, and I got DsD's striped candy pole of doom. Is there a trick I don't know about.

DarceysDad said...

@ steenbeck re:

Ack--did anybody else have a very paranoid reaction to "Personally I find a few other people far more annoying, but I don't really feel the need to react"

'Course I did; even more so after my latest bout of foot-in-mouth disease this evening.

Life used to be SSs-o-o-o much less complicated back in the olden days of ... say ... last Thursday!

:o(

steenbeck said...

DsD--I didn't detect (is that really how you spell that word?) any foot in mouth--nothing offensive as far as I could see (but they do call me Oblivia Adas). And from everything I've heard you are universally beloved in these circles. So... pleasant dreams.

Oh...and I finally listened to The COlour of Spring in a relatively undistracted state and very very much enjoyed it. I'll try to think of something intelligent to say about it...

Shoey said...

@Steen, since the upgrade (*spits*), the Guardian blog formats require too much memory for most mobile devices & even some older pc's. That's the main reason I don't post over there as much as I used to. Not sure how JP does it, but if you create new playlist(s) in i-tunes, it will add as an option in your phone for playback. You can either delete the playlist or clear the check marks (in I-tunes) when you're done to free up space on the mobile for next time (tunes remain on the pc). Hmm, that wasn't too clear - just let me know if you need help?

Colour of Spring is a masterpiece. Colour of Speng is a little too psychadelic & you need to be very careful where you listen to it.

Exodus said...

Sorry to cause paranoia - just trying to make the point, in a rather cack-handed way, that like any group of people who spend a lot of time in each others' company there will be occasional times when certain behavioural tics can get on ones nerves. Counting to 10, though a cliche, works & tolerance needs to extend to those we find either intolerant or intolerable.

@ DarceysDad - de nada. Its as much my fault for using confusing terminology when referring to the other half. The problem I have is that I find non-gender specific terms for same sex partner pretty mealy-mouthed and 'clinical' - rather like the phrase 'same sex partner' itself.

tincanman said...

@ exodus
I know what you mean - I cringe every time I hear anyone use 'partner' for a mate. What, you have a little shop together? Worse even than significant other. Gawd.
RR collective minds could do the world a favour and come up with a proper term. Something that wraps up life partner and best friend and rather than being unisex is both genders. So you could say ''I'm sorry, I can't go home with you because I have a [potato}'' and the other person would know your status but none of their business if it is a girl or a boy [potato] unless you want them to know. Or ''Sorry, I can't work late tonight. My [potato] and I have plans.'' They'd even put a place for it on forms: Widowed, separated, single, [potatoed].

AND SINCE I'M ON ONE ANYWAY, why do complete strangers (like shop clerks) call me love and dearie and darling and honey? Why do virtual strangers sign their emails with hugs and kisses? Why does my mother in law, for that matter? ewwwwwwwww
And why - look out people, I'm really on one now - do people I hardly know - and often don't even know - call me mate? It's so pervasive, I've started doing it. grrrr. I have a few mates; they are people I have known for years. And my [potato], of course, who is my best mate.

May1366 said...

Recently, I was introduced by one male member ("C") of the tango class my, if you will, #potato# ("V") attends, to another ("P"). The conversation went roughly like this, bearing in mind I was sitting there the whole time:

C: He's V's friend. Well, when I say 'friend', I mean, they're having sex.
P: Her partner, then.
C: Well, I was going to say partner but I think it's a horrible term.
P: Yes, like you're in business together or something.
C: And "significant other" doesn't sound right.
P: No, well I refer to [P's #potato#] as "my lady".
C: Yes, that's much better - so he's V's man.
P: Well, good to meet you anyway.
Me: And you...well, that's the sleeping arrangements sorted.

Makes you hanker after "stud" and "bird".
I'm not sure it's one I could use with a completely absence of irony, but isn't "my boo" (as in Nelly & Kelly's Dilemma: "Even when I'm with my boo, all I think about is you.") a term which denotes relationship status in the broadest, non-gender specific terms?

ejaydee said...

I believe that boo is indeed non-gender specific, as displayed also in Usher and Alicia's aptly-titled, My Boo

ejaydee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tincanman said...

Me and Boo and a dog named Boo?

Blimpy said...

Who are the songs by, please?

Blimpy said...

Now, I've not heard Sister OF mercy for ages!!

saneshane said...

....and Fuck Buddy doesn't go down too well with the in laws church friends.

my 'Pototo' (let's 'spill it) finds that if I continually refer to her as Boss it loses the romance.

@tincanmate
sorry mate... and shiv once pulled me up on calling The Glove, just the Cure with some bird singing.

Shoey said...

Ok Blimps (deep breath):

Spoon, Banshees, Sisters, Beefheart, Sholi, Creosote, 6x7, Tubeway Army, Vanderslice, Nu-Dub, Mark Stewart, Magazine, Stranglers.   

Quite a Lot late 70's/early 80's looking back, but there you are.

B-Mac said...

Tanks shoey!