Reading in the Bath

A new Buffy Comic arrives through the letter box, just as I'm running a bath. I have an overwhelming urge to read it in the bath. However, I know that if I do this, disaster will follow. I will inevitably drop it in the bath. I have done this before, with books. And once you drop a book in the bath, there's no coming back from it. There is no way of restoring a bath-drenched book to its former shape. As my local library can testify.

This comic features Faith, and starts off with a flashback to the epic scene where she fought Buffy at the end of season three, and Buffy stabbed her. This whole sequence was one of the best things ever. I was awe struck at how good this television was. A highlight of Western culture, as far as I'm concerned. Right after Buffy stabbed Faith, she had to let Angel bite her, and drink some of her blood, in an orgasmic scene which involved much moaning and writhing around on the floor. It was great stuff.

My friend Ivy Webb has her first album out, which I've just bought from iTunes. It's taken Ivy a lot of time and effort to get this release and I'm hoping it does well for her. Ivy is American and lives in London. She has a beautiful voice. If you happen to be someone who does music reviews of any sort, I'm sure she'd be pleased to hear from you.

Not long now till Carter USM's re-union gig in Brixton, I'm really looking forward to this.

Arguing in Shops

All has not been entirely well on the rhubarb crumble front. There have been several occasions recently when I've arrived in the supermarket to find the shelf empty. Which leads to me standing there for quite a long time, peering at the shelf, hoping that one might magically appear from somewhere. Eventually realising that I've once more been defeated by life, I shuffle off home to brood on the unfairness of everything.

I have considered demanding to see the manager, and having him send a team of workers to search the storerooms, and bring me a rhubarb crumble right now, but I fear it might degenerate into some sort of argument. I don't like to argue in shops, though I have found it happening in the past. I'm not sure why. Some deficiency in my character, no doubt.

Local Shops In Which My Presence Is Not Entirely Welcome:

The Hardware Store

Stormed out after furious argument over deficient pot. Took it back with broken handle and they accused me of dropping it on the floor! Scandalous and untrue. Almost came to blows with the owner and can never go back.

Chemist

Argued over price of saline solution. How much do these people think they can charge for a little salted water? Criminals. Surprisingly vehement quarrel with the manager. I'm convinced he was drunk at the time.

Morrison's Supermarket

Not actually banned, but staff came to regard me with hostile suspicion after prolonged angry dispute over their mis-handling of the whole potato labelling situation. I will never forgive them for trying to make me pay more for these potatoes at the checkout than the price on the shelf. A complicated argument as to which potatoes the price on the shelf actually referred to eventually sucked in the check-out girl, the floor manager, the duty manager and the general manager, but still failed to fully resolve the disagreement. But Morrison's has closed down now. Ha. That will teach them.

The Post Office

Am angry with them after being asked not to bring my bicycle in there. I go in the damn shop every day. One appearance with bike wasn't going to hurt anyone.

The Other Post Office

Discovered, to my distress, that the staff at the other post office were uniformly rude and unpleasant. Have now been obliged to revert to the original post office. But they'd better not give me a hard time about anything.

More Complaints about Music

There was great dissatisfaction in the Millar household this week as I found myself watching the NME top ten on some music channel. This chart might be classified as something like Guitar Bands Play Their Singles.

I thought it was all fairly dreadful. Quite possibly because I'm just getting old.

On the other hand. Under the broad category of Guitar Bands Play Their Singles Which I've Seen Live Onstage a quick scan of my memory banks brings up the following -

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Roxie Music - Virginia Plain
Hawkwind - Silver Machine
Deep Purple - Fireball
Slade - Come On Feel The Noize
The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Love In A Void
Johnny Thunders And The Heartbreakers - Born To Lose
The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes
Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes
The Clash - White Riot
X Ray Spex - Identity
The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Family - In My Own Time
Jesus And Mary Chain - Never Understand
The Ramones - Suzy Is A Punk Rocker
The Rezillos - Can't Stand My Baby
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
New Order - Blue Monday
The Fall - How I Wrote Elastic Man
The Pixies - Gigantic
Carter Usm - Sheriff Fatman
The Damned - New Rose

And there are no doubt many more which escape me at the moment.

Does the current NME chart compare to that list? Pah. Modern guitar bands. Hah.

* shuffles off, stooped with age, shaking fist at everything *