The Next Big Thing

A colleague sent me this link today and it quite accurately reflects my own current dilemma. My own particular situation is entirely of my own making. I realise that and take full(ish) responsibility. The vicelike headache that wiped out yesterday evening is gone for the meantime. I’m sure it’ll be back but for now things seem to be OK. I’ve been thinking a lot about the 100 item scenario lately. Every time that I try to retrieve an album, cd, book or whatever. Where the hell did all that stuff come from anyway?

It seems like a lot of us are reaching this so-called tipping point lately. I have been giving stuff away but nothing like what I need to. I mentioned the 100 items program before. It was suggested to me by Ulf Lindqvist many moons ago and I really wish I’d taken heed. It involves exactly that number of a certain commodity. If you want to have something new then one of the others has to go. Pretty simple yet so, so hard.

Actually not so hard for movies because I’d always rather go to a theatre these days. The few that I go to are virtual idylls. But music and books and posters and magazines and… well, I’m learning that maybe I can let these things go. With NFS, WFMU and Wreckless Wradio just for starters, I can hear old and new audio sustenance without physically owning a jot. That is pretty appealing. Maybe mp3’s aren’t so bad at all but accessing quality files from a giant global jukebox that accounted directly to the artists/labels would be even better.

There are also individual acts that I’d be happy to subscribe to so they can continue with their art. One thing that’s for sure is that the landfill aspect will have to be bounced. This may cause problems for manufacturers who rely on hungry consumerism but I’ve done my bit and I want off the bus. Prior to it careering over the cliff if possible.

I might be back later, then again maybe not. The A-Bones are in Paris and I'm not there which is a major bummer where my radar is concerned. I'm off into Edinburgh to meet a guy I first saw play in Berlin, October 1988 that the aforementioned Mr Lindqvist attended also. So on that symmetrical note, I'll leave you.

Mr Helsing has kindly supplied a Mott report - anybody got any photos I could run alongside it?