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Nick Hornby's 31 Songs + Suicide

• Message 1. 

  Posted by KingLudd (U14703455) on Saturday, 4th June 2011

  Stuart mentioned Nick Hornby when he played those Suicide tracks a few weeks ago. Hornby talked about Frankie Teardrop in his book 31 Songs and memorably wrote "I don't want to be terrified by art anymore". Odd then that he should team up with Ben Folds Five to release an album of such vicious blandness that death seems to swarm over with every chord. It really puts the "special" in "special relationship". It sounds like Richard Stilgoe: the alienated suburban years. If that's not terrifying I don't know what is.
  
  In 31 Songs Hornby said that anyone who liked Suicide was only pretending, presumably to impress people like Nick Hornby. Why we would want to impress him is never fully explained. I suppose because he takes it for granted that all of life, socially, financially and culturally, is one vast competition and we're all desperately attempting to outdo one another in each other's estimation. In Hornby's world capitalism really has no outside.
  
  Anyway, I just wanted to say that I liked those Suicide tracks. I hope other Children Of The Zone did too.
  
  Don't let the good blokes grind you down.
  
  
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by jasonaparkes (U3653332) on Saturday, 4th June 2011

  31 Songs is one of a number of bad books by Nick Hornby - let's recall in that book he gushes over that horrible song by Nelly Furtado where she tells us that birds don't know where their souls reside. I have discussed this at length with a local blackbird and he refutes that stereotypical stance taken towards him and his feathered friends...
  
  31 Songs is pretty boring stuff. Paul Morley is much better at lists.
  
  'Frankie Teardrop' is fantastic stuff, the missing link between 'The End' by The Doors and 'Nebraska' by The Boss (who is a fan of Rev & Vega). I'm not sure I'd want to impress a boring writer who likes MOR and football and has no hair either.
  
  I pretty much like any Suicide LP - even the baeleric-tinged one with a live LP on where Vega starts to sing 'Faith' by George Michael. The second one is probably my fave, especially with the addition of 'Super Subway Comedia' and 'Dream Baby Dream b/w Radiation.' Soft Cell, the Mode et al took their cues from that record. Perhaps that should be LP of the week with the songs 'Diamonds Furcoat Champagne', 'Shadazz' and 'Dream Baby Dream' picked out? Would be more interesting than having the Fall LP everyone agrees is the best/the classic(al) which we're getting tomorrow....
  
  The first Suicide album is great stuff and what's wrong with being disturbed by art. A few years ago I was finding a lot of alternative/pop/rock stuff unchallenging and it was records like those of Suicide and Throbbing Gristle that got me through that and onto odder/challenging stuff. I guess this should prompt a tea-time threesome for Radcliffe & Maconie: (1) Frankie Teardrop by Suicide (2) Hamburger Lady by Throbbing Gristle (3) The Electrician by The Walker Brothers....
  
  The last Suicide LP 'American Supreme' sounded like the ideal record for the zeitgeist of the War on Terror. 'Wrong Descicions' was fantastic, even if it did use the same sample as an old Wu-Tang Clan song (and an old Louise Redknapp song too!).
  
  Vega's solo LP 'Station' was furious and disturbing too - certainly one for the Freakier Zone !!

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by KingLudd (U14703455) on Sunday, 5th June 2011

  I just listened to that Nelly Furtado song on that youtube - and you're right it's a calumny against Swans (famously monogamous) and *looks up monogamous birds* well. whaddyaknow....Albatrosses and Eagles. I'm considering making a joke here about Michael Gira, Peter Green (slight return) and Glenn Frey but I can't quite put my finger on how to go about it. Nope. I've got nothing.
  
  I read about how Springsteen was influenced by Suicide yesterday and immediately thought of the only song by BS that I ever heard and liked - 'State Trooper" - which was played at the end of one of the Soprano's episodes. I remember looking it up and finding it was from the album Nebraska and resolving to listen to the rest of it. Of course I've never got round to it. The loud reverberating echoed scream in that song though, is very Alan Vega-ish.
  
  I expect Hornby prefers Alan's sister, Suzanne.
  
  Following your example I asked my female blackbird where her soul resides but she just pecked at a bit of apple peel for a while and then flew off. I'm pretty sure she contemptuously flung 'our souls!' over her shoulder as she went.
  
  
  

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by jasonaparkes (U3653332) on Sunday, 5th June 2011

  A pigeon I know called Tarquin was just moaning to me about elements of Simon Reynolds' new book Retromania. I nodded my head as he griped about allusions to Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard ; then he perked up as we noted Suicide were chatting to Jarvis Cocker later....

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by KingLudd (U14703455) on Monday, 6th June 2011

  I heard that Suicide interview - thanks for putting me on to that. And very interesting it was too. I noticed they even mentioned State Trooper which I'd just been typing to you about earlier. Vega said he heard it and couldn't remember recording it, then realised it was Springsteen.
  
  Re: Tarquin the pigeon. Pigeons are parochial birds so it's unsurprising that they'd have a mortal fear of Theory. The Engish do generally - even so I was surprised at the general indifference when Derrida died and the scathing and disrespectful nature of the few obituaries which appeared. As a nation we seem to take things we don't understand as a personal affront and glory in pointing at everything and shouting 'Emperors new clothes!'. What tarts we make of ourselves.
  
  I've never met a pigeon called Tarquin: he must have very aspirational nouveau riche parents. All the ones I know have sort of Eastenders names, like Alfie and Dennis. I find Swifts and Swallows, being migratory birds, are much more keen on French philosophy. They're read alot of Deleuze and Guattari, I think because of all that 'lines of flight' stuff.
  
  
  

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