F.R.I.E.N.D.
6.25.2010 | Blog
It’s Friday morning and this is the start of 3 days off after one of the most emotionally polarised weeks in a few months. My ‘real life’ job has the ability to take me to new depths of shit each day. It has made me realise how ridiculous human beings are, how materialistic, how selfish and sometimes how disgusting they are. Perspective is a wonderful thing and whilst I am guilty of getting upset about a scoop of ice cream falling on the pavement (this is a fucking travesty incidentally especially if your childhood nickname was ‘Chunk’) I still like to think that flesh, blood and real emotion is far more justified.
Music is a release, there is nothing better than doing a ‘Richard Ashcroft’ and walking down a busy street only difference with headphones and not giving a flying jobby who is walking past you. You are so consumed in the music that all the bollocks of the day evaporates including that 40 something city worker that called you a slag because you couldn’t get them that telecommunications device the day they wanted it. Yes my friend you are in London and I guarantee if you were in front of my face and you said that you would be on the deck now.
We have met many friends doing Podcart, made no real enemies, obviously there are people you do not warm to, but all you do is walk away. Well I try to, I do have a rant…I can’t help it I am a mental woman. Radar Scotsman published an editorial yesterday conjuring the debate about friendliness in the Scottish music scene and whether it is too friendly sometimes. Fuck aye its friendly, I know the cliques, and I know the friendships. That’s the difference though. People think you are some happy go lucky, airy fairy, not a clue podcaster, pretend writer that wants to change the world and paint it rainbow colours. I am naïve, but I am not stupid. I am fully aware that people may bitch about us being friendly and loving so many etc…you know what though I take enough shit in the job that I hate that in something I love they can carry on.
We have made great friends, they all know who they are and I defy anyone in their human nature and doing music to say that it is not a good thing. What it comes down to ultimately is…are you happy?
I have a full time job, it is a fact and something that I need to have. I have to pay my bills and I use the extra money I have for Podcart, managing and the odd Queen’s Park Café homemade chocolate ice cream pot…..ooooooh it’s good. We get sent A LOT of music, we receive a lot of things to review and we try to do as much as we can within our means and time. I am not complaining about any of that because it is something I love. We rely on blogs, podcasts, DJ’s that we admire and trust to help filter as well. These ‘friends’ are people that we respect greatly because they recognise (from experience) what is good music. Obviously there are disagreements I would hope for that.
I was upset for years that artists were not being heard enough in comparison to high paid chart artists. My main response to Radar is that having a community and unit it amplifies the love for an artist and will hopefully act as a ‘radio’ for them to be heard. New incentives such as Storm The Charts are aiming to have 40 artists get into the charts that are independent/grass roots and voted for by the public. If I am too friendly with other people to help get Zoey Van Goey or A Band Called Quinn heard in this capacity then I apologise now!
So yeah, naïve Halina is going to carry on helping the cause, ‘fighting the good fight’ in the words of Claire Lim (a great friend and good egg) and listening to lots more music. I hope that all the folks that we have become ‘friends’ with continue to help guide us to wee gems and big smiles.
Halina
6.25.2010
For some reason it would not let me post on the Radar site, no matter how many times I refreshed and copy and pasted etc. Maybe it is because I gave them an earful. Who knows.
Anyway, I think the main difference is that you are decent enough to air your grievances with folk, be it ‘friends’ or otherwise, in private. The Radar piece seemed to take some unresolved personal issues and thrust them into a public forum. The hypocrisy of saying bands cannot take criticism and then blantantly not taking criticism of a review the writer wrote was not lost on me. I just don’t really see what a passive aggressive piece like that does to help the ’scene’.
I DIGRESS. You keep fighting the good fight, Halina. If people never dished out favours then it would make things ever so hard. It also helps to restore my faith in humankind. A certain editor of mine does that for me on a daily basis. I think you are great, and I don’t care if that makes me seem part of a clique or cause me to do some ‘friendly fire’.
x
6.25.2010
Here ye Halina! Anyone who criticised you lot for being too friendly must be a terribly bitter person. It’s nice to be nice, and even nicer to be able to express a criticism without personal attack or alterior motives. I’m always glad to hear criticism of music as it can only lead to improvement on behalf of the artist. There are too many horrid tosspots to deal with in working life so in my personal affairs I’d rather people were too friendly than too… Tosser-y.
6.25.2010
i’m cofused is this a dig at Radar?
6.25.2010
oh and mon the ZVG!
6.25.2010
Not a dig at all, merely a response. Were you looking for a dig?
6.25.2010
Aye, that Storm The Charts thing looks pretty great!
6.25.2010
Well said, Halina, good post.
6.25.2010
Don’t sweat it Halina. I read the Radar article. Thought about replying to it, at length, but I’d rather not as it could be tricky.
While I hate the phrase, they have basically jumped the shark – the art of taking themselves way too seriously by questioning their own values instead of just-getting-on-with-it, but as for the question posed itself, well, their peer issue, I mean, blimey…
If they read this, I am available phonecalls.
6.25.2010
‘for’ phonecalls.
6.25.2010
lol do i sound like i am having a rant? it’s not meant to be just a mission statement
i suppose that’s a fucking rant.
i will go get some well deserved ice cream
6.25.2010
I, like Ian, tried to post on the radar article but my comment did not make the page.Possible allowed comments clique?
This idea of ‘friendly fire’ is lost on me. I totally agree with the podcart ethos of promoting stuff you love. How does a bad review help a band? If you want to help a band out with criticism then send them an email, don’t destroy them in a public forum. There are too many good acts not getting coverage to waste time panning something you don’t like.
I am pretty new to all this stuff, so don’t have much of a reference point here, but I think the notion that bloggers/journos/etc simply follow a clique line is quite derogatory to the time and effort such people put in to what they are doing. I’m sure people refer to each others ideas, but when you get folk that passionate it’s pretty hard to shape their thoughts by buying them a pint, though if anyone wants to try with me that’s fine.
Anyhow, I’m glad you keep it positive, and it is nice to meet friendly folk at a gig. No-one wants to see a local attempt at the snobby shitebag NME.
6.25.2010
I play in a band from Dundee, but I think it’s important that we play elsewhere as much as, if not more than, we play in Dundee. We’ve been very fortunate to receive some generous press and airtime from outside of Dundee, podcART included.
In light of that, I’d just like to thank you guys for continuing to expose bands that don’t always reside on the west coast; that alone solidifies the fact that you are not as ‘cliquey’ as some people would probably have you believe.
I think it’s important to highlight that you guys don’t just play your mates bands on rotation; and even if you do, so what?
I wish Radar would take some more interest in the Dundee, Aberdeen and Highland scenes; if anything, they’re the ones that come across like the inclusive Glasgow/Edinburgh circle jerk fanatics.
6.25.2010
Thanks Ross, a very eloquent and awesome response
x
6.29.2010
podcart restored my faith in that you don’t have to be a wanker to write about music in scotland and you don’t have to exclusively love the twee scottish alt folk to be part of the crowd.
i love podcart. end of story.
6.29.2010
cheers louise
x
7.20.2010
Hello Halina, it’s always a pleasure to see your happy smiling face so just you keep positive!
The RADAR thing was a bit of a non-post. Everyone in the history of planet Earth has tried to help folk they get along with. Hardly a big insight. They could perhaps have lent the piece some substance by calling out who they thought the cliques were, and who was receiving “friendly fire” from those cliques. Would have made for far more interesting reading.
I think it’s good that we now have several “players” (bloggers, promoters, podcasters) on the “scene” all pushing thier own agenda and their own chums.
It means that maybe a meritocracy can be established, based on talent, rather than how many folk you know from mono or the art school. That way we might actually see some solid bands emerging from the “scene”, rather than all the overhyped “cool” drivel that plagued the noughties.
Keep on keeping on!
John D.x