(no subject)

Bush phones DUP chief Paisley

Just so long as I know there's an expert on hand to give in-depth advice and analysis, I can sleep soundly in my bed at night. *drowns in sudden metaphorical tidal wave of sarcasm.*

I have no faith in George W Bush being able to do anything about N. Ireland. Nothing at all. It is a complex situation with many different sides, about a thousand years of history and nuances coming out of every crevice. Mind you, the Rev. Ian Paisley is one of the least subtle people on the planet, so maybe they got on like a house on fire. One is a right-wing bigoted fundamentalist protestant... and the other is... much the same, actually. *briefly chokes on own Catholicness*

One day, this whole thing will be a thing of the past. Dublin and Belfast will no longer be cities drowning in a sea of blessed and holy martyrs for both sides. It will exist only in schoolbooks. That day is coming, and I hope to merciful God in all his benevolence and wisdom that I'm alive to see it happen. By the way, as far as I'm concerned, God doesn't see the world in shades of Catholic and Protestant.

The thing is, and I don't want to sound like I'm particularly coming down on the republican side, because I'm really not on any side in this, but I don't think we'll see true, lasting peace until Paisley is long gone. Not dead necessarily... but can you see him retiring? He is a relic of a bigoted, terrible past. We've got rid of the RUC, but there the reverend stands with his foghorn voice, its fingernail/chalkboard accent spewing out anti-Catholic rhetoric like it was 1680, not 2004.

And Reverend, the loyalists have their guns the same as the republicans. I'd appreciate it if they'd put them down. Then perhaps they'd be able to stop blighting N. Ireland's youth by selling drugs to pay for said guns.

I know most of you don't care about this- most people in England don't give a rat's now that the IRA have stopped blowing shit up. But I do care. I care very much, because as far as I'm concerned Ireland is the most beautiful place in the world with some of the most wonderful people in the world, and they deserve to live in peace and security. They deserve the best, just like the rest of us do. Is that so much to ask, Mr Adams/Trimble/Paisley/Blair/Bush?

You know, I'm actually now scared that Bush has involved himself at all. Last time he got involved in a country, he invaded it and allowed the looting and destruction of its greatest treasures. Going on his track record, Bush would probably end up sending marines to blow up the Giant's Causeway.

Was this my second political post of the day? What the fuck is the matter with me?

(no subject)

Bush phones DUP chief Paisley

Just so long as I know there's an expert on hand to give in-depth advice and analysis, I can sleep soundly in my bed at night. *drowns in sudden metaphorical tidal wave of sarcasm.*

I have no faith in George W Bush being able to do anything about N. Ireland. Nothing at all. It is a complex situation with many different sides, about a thousand years of history and nuances coming out of every crevice. Mind you, the Rev. Ian Paisley is one of the least subtle people on the planet, so maybe they got on like a house on fire. One is a right-wing bigoted fundamentalist protestant... and the other is... much the same, actually. *briefly chokes on own Catholicness*

One day, this whole thing will be a thing of the past. Dublin and Belfast will no longer be cities drowning in a sea of blessed and holy martyrs for both sides. It will exist only in schoolbooks. That day is coming, and I hope to merciful God in all his benevolence and wisdom that I'm alive to see it happen. By the way, as far as I'm concerned, God doesn't see the world in shades of Catholic and Protestant.

The thing is, and I don't want to sound like I'm particularly coming down on the republican side, because I'm really not on any side in this, but I don't think we'll see true, lasting peace until Paisley is long gone. Not dead necessarily... but can you see him retiring? He is a relic of a bigoted, terrible past. We've got rid of the RUC, but there the reverend stands with his foghorn voice, its fingernail/chalkboard accent spewing out anti-Catholic rhetoric like it was 1680, not 2004.

And Reverend, the loyalists have their guns the same as the republicans. I'd appreciate it if they'd put them down. Then perhaps they'd be able to stop blighting N. Ireland's youth by selling drugs to pay for said guns.

I know most of you don't care about this- most people in England don't give a rat's now that the IRA have stopped blowing shit up. But I do care. I care very much, because as far as I'm concerned Ireland is the most beautiful place in the world with some of the most wonderful people in the world, and they deserve to live in peace and security. They deserve the best, just like the rest of us do. Is that so much to ask, Mr Adams/Trimble/Paisley/Blair/Bush?

You know, I'm actually now scared that Bush has involved himself at all. Last time he got involved in a country, he invaded it and allowed the looting and destruction of its greatest treasures. Going on his track record, Bush would probably end up sending marines to blow up the Giant's Causeway.

Was this my second political post of the day? What the fuck is the matter with me?

(no subject)

If there is at least one person in your life who you consider a close friend, and who you would not have met without being part of an online fandom, post this sentence in your journal.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

(no subject)

If there is at least one person in your life who you consider a close friend, and who you would not have met without being part of an online fandom, post this sentence in your journal.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The Beatles and I.

There is currently a show on Channel 4 called Howard Goodall's 20th Century Composers. First up in the series are some men I like to call John and Paul, Ritchie and my dear George. Of course, he's concentrating on Lennon & McCartney, but Georgie has turned up in the section about Indian music. I'm hoping he'll also mention Frank Sinatra's favourite Lennon & McCartney song, 'Something' (think about it, my darlings).

Anyway, it's very much like the stuff we saw in music lessons- your key changes, modulation and that. It's nice to see at seven o'clock on a major TV channel on a Saturday night- and I completely understand why they've opened the series with my boys. Howard Goodall clearly comes down on the McCartney side of the Lennon/McCartney question, but that's not a bad thing. He's singing the songs a little too much himself with an organ/piano, but that's really the only way to demonstrate a lot of the points he's making for the uninitiated.

So anyway, I've got a GCSE in Music. I spent two years learning for it. I've had about seven/eight years of lessons in both keyboard and guitar each, as well as a few in violin.

And I still don't get it. I don't know if it's that I never paid proper attention to the mechanics of it (I didn't) but I don't. I know that a minim is two crotchets, two quavers are a crotchet and four crotchets make a semibreve. Or at least, I think that's how I remember it- I can read music but it's so long since I did theory that explaining it is hard.

But I still don't get it. I don't really get modulation or keys and scales and modes and everything that music is. I'd like to tell myself that it's just a lack of knowledge, or my inability to really understand numbers without needing to think. But I don't think it is. I just do not get it. I didn't get it six years ago when I managed to scrape a C grade in GCSE and I don't get it now.

I know that certain notes work best with certain chords, and I know a lot of chords. But I don't know which chords really work best together and I don't understand fifths and thirds and pentatonic scales and all the other things. I don't know how to put music together. I don't know how to take it apart and change it around and put it back together again.

Now, none of this would matter if it weren't for my utmost desire to be a musician. I don't imagine I'll ever be John Lennon or Paul McCartney or George Harrison. I won't be Cole Porter or Irving Berlin, and I don't even want to be Beethoven or Mozart. But if I don't understand, how can I even hope to match Jim Morrison or Philip Lynott? Or Mick and Keef? How can I do anything but the most basic, dull, repetitive bollocks we hear in the chart right now?

Oh, I do understand looping. That makes me feel so much better.

I want to be able to affect people. I want to make people laugh and cry and inspire them. How can I do that if I just don't get it?

Right now, I'm really hoping two things: 1: that my brother is learning and understanding this stuff in his classes at uni. 2: that he'll help me for the rest of my life.

PS. I don't imagine my American pals will get this show, but look out just in case- it really is fascinating.
PPS. I love the Beatles, and I will love them forever.

The Beatles and I.

There is currently a show on Channel 4 called Howard Goodall's 20th Century Composers. First up in the series are some men I like to call John and Paul, Ritchie and my dear George. Of course, he's concentrating on Lennon & McCartney, but Georgie has turned up in the section about Indian music. I'm hoping he'll also mention Frank Sinatra's favourite Lennon & McCartney song, 'Something' (think about it, my darlings).

Anyway, it's very much like the stuff we saw in music lessons- your key changes, modulation and that. It's nice to see at seven o'clock on a major TV channel on a Saturday night- and I completely understand why they've opened the series with my boys. Howard Goodall clearly comes down on the McCartney side of the Lennon/McCartney question, but that's not a bad thing. He's singing the songs a little too much himself with an organ/piano, but that's really the only way to demonstrate a lot of the points he's making for the uninitiated.

So anyway, I've got a GCSE in Music. I spent two years learning for it. I've had about seven/eight years of lessons in both keyboard and guitar each, as well as a few in violin.

And I still don't get it. I don't know if it's that I never paid proper attention to the mechanics of it (I didn't) but I don't. I know that a minim is two crotchets, two quavers are a crotchet and four crotchets make a semibreve. Or at least, I think that's how I remember it- I can read music but it's so long since I did theory that explaining it is hard.

But I still don't get it. I don't really get modulation or keys and scales and modes and everything that music is. I'd like to tell myself that it's just a lack of knowledge, or my inability to really understand numbers without needing to think. But I don't think it is. I just do not get it. I didn't get it six years ago when I managed to scrape a C grade in GCSE and I don't get it now.

I know that certain notes work best with certain chords, and I know a lot of chords. But I don't know which chords really work best together and I don't understand fifths and thirds and pentatonic scales and all the other things. I don't know how to put music together. I don't know how to take it apart and change it around and put it back together again.

Now, none of this would matter if it weren't for my utmost desire to be a musician. I don't imagine I'll ever be John Lennon or Paul McCartney or George Harrison. I won't be Cole Porter or Irving Berlin, and I don't even want to be Beethoven or Mozart. But if I don't understand, how can I even hope to match Jim Morrison or Philip Lynott? Or Mick and Keef? How can I do anything but the most basic, dull, repetitive bollocks we hear in the chart right now?

Oh, I do understand looping. That makes me feel so much better.

I want to be able to affect people. I want to make people laugh and cry and inspire them. How can I do that if I just don't get it?

Right now, I'm really hoping two things: 1: that my brother is learning and understanding this stuff in his classes at uni. 2: that he'll help me for the rest of my life.

PS. I don't imagine my American pals will get this show, but look out just in case- it really is fascinating.
PPS. I love the Beatles, and I will love them forever.