Boris

Viewing a recent Steven Wilson interview I decided to check out a band he mentioned that he was a big fan of called Sunn O)) on You Tube. While I like my rock music diverse and different, droning loud guitars which seem to last for ever will take a while to catch on with me. However, Sunn O)))collaborated once with the Japanese drone rock band BORIS and so watched a few clips and you know what I like them. Do not get confused with another band called Boris, apparantly from the US who do not sound anything like their Japanese namesakes. The lead guitarist Watta is one of the best lady guitarists I've seen. In their early albums their trademark was definately drone, but lately their sound is more contemporary and worth listening to.

The year so far

Well 2009 is already half way over and I've been a bit lazy in regards to writing in this blog. My main excuse is the work involved with my Psychology course which is on its last leg now (thank God!), but I am enjoying this one much, much more than last year's which was a pig of a one to do. The module is Social Psychology and it is very interesting. In fact I am in the middle of conducting research for a project which will include studying people's identity in relation to their environment. I can't say too much about it because of confidentiality restrictions, but I am looking forward to participate in it.
The year so far has been a mixture of study and family tree work. I have completed the counselling course, but I am taking on another module at the college which finish at the end of next month. With the degree course finishing this year I should be study free for the first time in 3 years, and will be taking on other projects hopefully. But no studying! Not for a while anyway.
My main interest this year on the family tree is one of my great great grandmother, whose surname I recently found out. Her name was Jane Salt, as confirmed by her marriage certificate and my great grandfather's birth certificate. She has been a bit of a mystery for quite some time,and the only information that I knew about her was that she married William Williams of Croesor in 1869, her children, which included twins with the names of James and George, and that she was buried at Llanfrothen churchyard in 1927. The mystery deepend when her marriage certificate did not reveal her father's name. A bit of back story for you. Around the 1850's, 2 brothers named George and Joseph Salt came to live in the Bangor/Bethesda area together with other members of family with the name Twigge. With Jane naming her boys George and James (James was George and Joseph's father's name) I was sure I was on the right track, with probably George being her father. Well I can't be sure, but a recent telephone conversation I had with a relative seems to indicate that George was her father but had her with a woman named Margaret Jones before he married his wife Ellen. This seems to make sense because Jane apparant birth was before his marriage, and that George and Ellen's daughter Sarah was a witness at Jane and William's marriage.
Another avenue for information may be a resident in a Criccieth home who clams up whenever anyone asks about Jane. Could there be a dark secret in my family history? I hope so!

Another rant!

Yes it must be that time of the year again! Something irked me this morning that made me write a stinging letter to that old 'reliable' institution of ours, namely British Gas. To cut a long story short we recently found out that British Gas has been taking money from our bank account for someone else's homecare bolier service plan - since October last year. Now you would think that they would be concerned that they have done this, but apparantly not. Since they agreed to refund us they have told me that it will take a further 21 days for them to send me a cheque, which will then add another week for us to wait until we get back what was ours in the first place. Anyway I think it's outrageous, and the next time I get a call interupting my tea from British Gas wanting me to sign up with them, I will not be responsible for my actions! This is the letter.

RE: Refund

Dear Sir,

I feel that I need to write this letter to you because British Gas has taken money from my bank account without my permission. 2 weeks ago I discovered that I was paying someone else’s Homecare Plan since October last year. No explanation as to how this occurred has ever been given to me, but it sounds like you have at least one sloppy employee! Actually it makes you think why the people I was paying for their boiler to be serviced all this time didn’t spot that they were getting it for free. Boy, are they going to get mad when they have to be told that they owe you money! Anyway, I think it’s outrageous that I have to wait 21 days for what is rightly mine and then it will be in the form of a cheque, which will probably take another week to clear. A month to get my own money back, and by the way money that I cannot do without. I wish I could be generous and be able to afford to help someone else out, but unfortunately I had to give up my work in order to care for a relative, and find myself having to live on Income Support. So, I herby give you notice that if I go over my overdraft during the period I am waiting for my money, I will be sending you the bill. It’s only fair.

I also must tell you that the ‘advisor’ I spoke to today (Leslie with a Scottish accent) needs to brush up on her customer care skills. Her ‘sorry’ sounded like I was her enemy, not a customer. I have read comments by other people on the Uswitch web site declaring their disgust at the responses and lack of help they get from your telephone ‘advisors’. It seems they were not exaggerating. I pity the one who will inevitably phone me next trying to get me to switch back to British Gas for my supply! With what I have to say I’ll convince HIM to leave British Gas!

To conclude, if I was responsible for taking money that didn’t belong to me I would try and return it as fast as possible, and break my back to make sure it happened. As a customer I would expect that. However, this matter is being treated like it doesn’t matter to you. This money that you took from my account MATTERS to me. If I took 21 days plus to pay you, YOU would charge me!

I expect you to reply to this letter giving me a good reason why it takes 21 days to write a cheque to correct a mistake that British Gas was responsible for. What the hell is stopping someone higher up the corporate chain of command in getting the big fat chequebook that British Gas undoubtedly has (how many millions profit did you make recently?) and send me a measly £90 whatever, which should have stayed in my bank account anyway?

Yours sincerely,

G Hughes


I'm not holding my breath, but I recommend writing as a method of relieving stress!

Insurgentes review

Steven Wilson’s first official solo album (I still like to refer musical pieces of work as ‘albums’ even though they are ancient history now that we are in the digital age) came out last month. A couple of trailers were released and widely available to watch on You Tube, which had diehard fans salivating for more (including me), ready to fork out whatever it cost to purchase the CD. Actually the price was too much even for me (a diehard fan remember) even as an indulgence, so I was resigned to wait until next February when the much reduced priced retail version comes out. However, it is at the moment available to pre-order and you can get a download version until the actual CD arrives. So I have succumbed to the temptation of the download I have it safely tucked away in my iPod.
Speaking of indulgence, Wilson has mentioned several times that he writes music for himself, and if the fans love it…great. If not…tough shit! It’s so refreshing to know that there are such artists out there, who don’t pander to the record executives and mass marketing pressures, and produce under the direction of whatever creative force that surrounds them. There is so much anyone can write about love and getting ‘your woman between the sheets’. It’s been done to death for the last 5 decades! Wilson writes about what he sees around him. A great example is the last Porcupine Tree album ‘Fear of a Blank Planet’ (2007). A concept album (heard of them before?) about the state of the disaffected youth of today, it is a social comment on how Wilson sees most of the youth of today behave and spend their existence. The songs deal with their preoccupation with computer games, iPods (yes even the fantastic iPods!), MTV and dependence on prescription drugs (and illegal ones I may add), which result in the aggressive and unpredictive behaviour that we read about and see on the news everyday. Pretty gloomy state of affairs really, but who can argue with him. On the day the album was released a student went on the rampage in an American University and killed many, just because nobody was paying attention to him! This subsequently resulted in the video for the opening track being withdrawn for a while because of the scenes depicting young kids wielding guns, but Wilson’s point was hammered home well and truly.

This album takes a few listens to really get into it (as do all albums really), but the opening track blew me away from the first listen. True the 1st trailer Wilson released did constitute pieces from this track, called Harmony Korine, so I had an advanced warning. It encapsulates what Wilson’s music is all about. His music always makes you wander what is round the corner, for example if he starts all mellow at the beginning, I can almost guarantee that it won’t end up mellow! A couple of minutes into this track he lets rip with trademark heavy guitar riffs, then goes back to mellow, but doesn’t forget the riff because it keep coming back. A fantastic opening track.

So, I’m thinking, if it carries on like this then I’m in for a treat, and continuous play on the old iPod. True to form, a completely different track for the second! It’s the one that is slowly growing on me, and sort of reminds me of No-Man, the band he collaborates with Tim Bowness. A haunting song, it almost ends with a heavy drone, which I think spoils the song. Overall my least liked track.

The third track, Salvaging, is back to rock territory, layers of guitars for a maximum power riff, and again you wonder where the track is going to take you. More guitars! A sort of a later Rush sort of song, and transforms to a lovely mellow and violiny direction towards the end. But that’s not the end. The final part builds into a crescendo of noise, rather like some of the tracks on his Bass Communion albums. Interesting track to listen to.

The next track starts like a re-working of the ‘The Sky Moves Sideways’ track, a 1995 album of Porcupine Tree, and the lyrics could come out of a ‘Blackfield’ album, another project of Wilson’s. This is a very well arranged track, plenty of instrumental overlays (as all of them are really). No rock parts, the track almost takes you away to a far flung island somewhere.

‘No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun’ is the 5th track as the name suggests this is a progressive rock track, but progressive Steven Wilson style. Brilliant guitar work embedded with a killer background rock riff, a la Led Zeppelin, it takes you to No-Man territory, circa ‘Wild Opera’ for a while, then gentle harmony, which remind me of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Incantations’, with a little bit of piano that reminds me of ELP’s track ‘Trilogy’.

The sixth track ‘Significant Other’ is gorgeous and second favourite track. Brilliant opening, melodious and catchy echoy guitar, leading to a wonderous guitar riff which eventually gets heavier as the track progresses. In this track, Wilson proves that he can write brilliant catchy melodic songs, as he has done on numerous occasions with PT, Blackfield and No-Man. The track ends chaotically, imagine hurtling down to earth at great speed, and finally with a gentle xylophone. Honestly!

Only Child opens quite lazily and plods along like a Kings of Leon song. So what can Wilson do to pep it up? Not much I’m afraid. It also reminds me of later Genesis somehow, something that they did as a B side, but I can’t think of the track. It’s ok, nothing special. One of the few occasions that Wilson doesn’t follow his own template of changing music styles within a piece of music.

Twilight Coda is a lovely instrumental piece that could easily be a piece in a film soundtrack, a direction that Wilson will surely sample in the near future. In fact a lot of his music could easily find its way into film.

Some of the pieces from the next track ‘Get All That You Deserve’, was used for the second trailer and I wasn’t that enamoured with the music when I first heard it, but the track has to listened to fully to appreciate it. Again it starts off slow, painfully slow really, but builds up to a magnificently moody rock piece with Gavin Harrison’s heavy drumming complementing the chaotic and sometimes painfully sounding almost out of control guitar that ends the track. Definitely 21st century progressive rock.

The title track ends the album and it’s amazing how often Wilson will have a sad, slow and mellow track to end his albums. Refer to ‘Stop Swimming’ on the Stupid Dream album, and ‘Feel So Low’ on Lightbulb Sun. The piano at the beginning reminds me of Sarah McLachan’s ‘Possession’, a great track and one of my favourites.

Overall a very enjoyable journey into Wilson’s first foray into solo territory. I look forward to receiving the CD in a couple of months which also has an excerpt from a forthcoming documentary he made with long term collaborator Lasse Hoile which will be shown at various film festivals next summer.

It really IS the end of a nightmare!

It seems that whenever I write for my blog the posts tend be on the negative side. I fear I’m a lot more cynical in my old age and seemingly ordinary things really fucking irritate me. I could post everyday about something that either upset me or I think ‘someone did something really stupid today’ sort of thing, but that would give people the wrong impression of me. Despite the world going to hell I am still a positive person who thinks there are a lot of good things going on, though I can’t actually think of anything at the moment! But such moments do come along and usually when least expected. A smile from a passing stranger will lift my heart and wipe away a recent disappointment or a negative thought in an instant, simple in its execution but powerfully meaningful and really makes me glad to be alive. Only the other week we had a bad overnight frost and our car needed de-icing. I had bought a couple of cans of the stuff from Halfords, and I had nearly finished on our car and I noticed that one of the residents in the block of flats nearby was struggling with a scraper to get rid of the ice on his car. I had no hesitation to go over there and give him a few squirts just to speed up the process for him. I had no idea who he was, it didn’t enter my head that he might be the worst person on earth, (a purely non-judgmental act that my counselling course tutor would be proud of me!) I think that’s the sort of thing people should do, and I think the guy was probably surprised at first, but I like to think that he thought that not everybody thinks only of themselves. Hopefully he will go away from the experience thinking the same.
Getting back to the original concept for this post, I got a letter yesterday from the Open University that I have passed the Biological Psychology course that I struggled with for most of the year (see previous post 'End of a Nightmare'). Not only did I pass but my average was above what I predicted it would be. I don’t know how and I don’t fucking care! I will never have to study the brain, and I won’t have to cross paths with that tutor anymore! I had been carrying the thought with me that I had failed this course and I would have to either resit one of the assignments or even do the course again. This would mean, of course, that I would have to wait another year before I gained my degree. Now that I have passed I can concentrate on my final course, Social Psychology, knowing that at the end of it I will have reached my goal of getting the degree that I started to study for way back in 1996! I did take 8 year break, just in case some of you think it takes this fucking long to complete a degree with the OU!
So, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel at last. The letter came when I wasn’t even expecting it to be my result. I thought it was something to do with my financial account concerning my next course. Another moment to lift my heart when I least expected it?

Apollo 11 video and the 70's

For those who knew me in a previous life growing up in Blaenau Ffestiniog, my interests mainly covered history and sciency stuff (I'm really trying to avoid the term geek here!), and I think the reason for this unfortunate and sometimes forgotten time of my life is the whole NASA thing of astronauts going to the moon that was so awsome to these young eyes. For years I always thought that I actually witnessed the first moon landing in 1969, in front of my black and white telly I may add, but thinking about it I would have been only 6, so not really credible! I probably remember the later missions when going t the moon was old hat to most, but to me it was something that really fascinated me, the whole idea of going to the moon and back. My school books must have been covered with little drawings of spaceships and astronauts! I must add that I was into football and cricket in a big way so I had other interests. Looking back it was such an interesting place to grow up in, and of course interesting times. To me, the early 70's (of what I remember of it) was a totally different era to the late 70's, I mean in my mind I have 2 different feelings towards them. The last remnants of the 60's against the beginnings of the electronic emergence of the 80's. Being older in the late 70's also had something to do with it of course! I started drinking alcohol in 1979 (pint of lager 35p!) and smoking took a firm hold on me. Welcome to the adult world! So my childhood ended at this time. But I can remember the great landmark times of every family (getting a telephone in the house for the first time and when we got our first colour telly from Radio Rentals) in 1977. I'll never forget the first football match I saw on telly (in fact there were not many live matches in those days like today only highlights, and the pitch was so green. I used to like sliding the colour control up a bit just to see more colour! We weren't rich but overall me and my sister had a happy childhood. Bottom line is that it was a great time to grow up in and I remember back on it with great affection.
Anyway, I heard this track from Porcupine Tree (yes, them again!), and thought this subject would compliment the music. There's another track called 'Moonloop' which is even more suited to NASA video footage which can be seen on my website. The reason why I use a lot of the PT's music is that I feel that it really compliments the ideas I get for video projects. So I'm always kind of glad that I find other music for a project, which I have with the Dexter video and one I made using the music of Djam Karet

A Dexter video

I have been busy lately watching this excellent series and have compiled some scenes from the first 2 episodes. Season 3 is crrently airing and Showtime have recently announced that they have comissioned a further 2 seasons. Devised from the novel 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' by Jeff Lindsey, Dexter is the tale of a blood spatter officer working for the Miami PD and moonlights as a serial killer at night. He specifically kills only those who have killed but have avoided justice, this is the code that has been instilled in him since he was a boy by his foster father, a cop named Harry Morgan. Predictably there have been opponents to the series, notably the Parents Television Council, who tried to prevent the series being aired on a national broadcaster, quoting:

"We are formally asking CBS to cancel its plan to air the first season of Dexter on its television network. This show is not suitable for airing on broadcast television; it should remain on a premium subscription cable network. The biggest problem with the series is something that no amount of editing can get around: the series compels viewers to empathize with a serial killer, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn’t get discovered."

It does raise the point on whether Dexter is seen as a hero, which is emphazised in the second season which has Dexter, dubbed the Bay Harbour Butcher by the police, is seen as a force of good as it is revealed that he only disposes of the scum of society, and dubbed The Dark Defender by the public. In fact in reality there is an ongoing case in America where a copycat killing has been blamed on the TV series.

"Connections have been suggested between the TV show Dexter and an ongoing missing person investigation in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mark Twitchell, has been charged with first degree murder in the disappearance of 38 year old John Altinger in what appears to be similar to Dexter's clandestine murders. Det. Mark Anstey of the Edmonton Police Service was quoted as saying "We have a lot of information to suggest he definitely idolizes Dexter." Three months prior to the murder of Altinger, Twitchell had posted on his Facebook status that he claimed to have a lot in common with Dexter Morgan."

Perhaps the PTC have a point.

A terrible tragedy

On Monday night Ben lost one of his best friends from school. Reece Statham was killed with the rest of his family on the M6 motorway coming home from visiting his grandparents in Birmingham. It is such a terrible loss it has been headline news in the UK since. Four children and two adults lost due to the careless driving of a truck driver is the result of this tragedy. I hope the police throw the book on him. Understandably, Ben was distraught when the news was given to him on Wednesday, and he is still distraught as are many at the school. He has not been able to face going to school especially as poor Reece was in his form class as well as in many of his subject classes. Many will miss him as the tributes given and the flowers laid at his house in Llandudno show. Ben, together with a couple of friends and teachers, went to give flowers at Reece’s house this afternoon which was very brave of him, and it was good for him to confront the tragedy in his efforts to try and deal with his grief. Our thoughts are with his grandparents at this terrible time.

Tom's christening and that school!

Last week-end we went down to Suffolk to attend little Tom’s christening. It was held at the parish church of Copdock where Tracy and I were married in 1990. It was a bit weird going there again, first time since a little after the wedding, and it seemed a lot smaller inside now than I remember it then for some reason. Am I still growing! Surely not. Tom is the son of Tracy’s niece, Emma and her husband Keith. We had a great time, it was nice to meet up with family again, and Tom was a star through the whole thing. He seems to like Ben, smiling and laughing away whenever Ben was around him. Tracy’s other niece Jessica was also there with her fiancé, Alan, recently having announced their engagement. It was good to see her happy again and moving on with her life.
It was no surprise to us that our usual thorn in the side, the boys’ school, threatened the enjoyment of this happy occasion. Nothing surprises us with that place, continually getting things wrong and seemingly trying to make life difficult for us. In the past they have reported an Education Social Worker on us because I phoned the head to inform her that Ben was having a hard time going to school. I won’t reveal the specifics but it was about a month into his first year and he was having a hard time coming to terms with the situation that had developed at home. So, thinking it was the right thing to do, I informed the head teacher and said I need help as I didn’t know how to get him over this. Without any sympathy to our plight she forcibly told me that if I didn’t get him to school the following day the school would prosecute us!! This is a head teacher dealing with a parent who actually believes in education and has children who are polite and well behaved! Needless to say we took him in and he was worse than ever, despite the head of year reassuring us during the day. Ben later told us that the method he took to check on Ben was to go to his class and ask Ben in front of the whole class if he was ok! IDIOT. Of course he would say that! He didn’t go in the following day (understandably) and was reported to the ESW by the ever so helpful Mr Parry. He really showed himself up by being the head lap dog with this little incident, and I saw him in the head’s office as we were driving from the school. So much for me getting “help” from them! Luckily there was a school nurse there who helped us pull Ben through or God knows how Ben would have turned out. She was marvellous, but I won’t go to any teacher or member of the management at the school ever again. There are loads of things the boys have told us in the last 3 years of incidents that have happened which they have witnessed themselves, that would make any parent of a child in that school shudder, but perhaps all schools are like this, which if true is disturbing to say the least.
The week leading up to the trip is a typical example of the incompetence displayed on a regular basis. After writing letters to the form teachers of the boys at the beginning of the week to inform them that they had been invited to the christening, they were told to fill in a holiday form. Now bearing in mind that they were only going to be away for 2 school days, we did fill in the form anyway. We noticed that it said on the form that it was meant to be used for annual family holidays only, but hey, they know what they are doing, right? Sent it in and waited for a response. Got a letter from an assistant head to say that we need not have filled in the form and that a letter to the form teachers would be sufficient, and a reminder that it was not advisable to take pupils out of school during term time. HELLO! IT WAS FOR A CHRISTENING IN SUFFOLK! TAKES HALF A DAY TO EVEN GET THERE! What goes through these people’s minds? Do they expect us to leave the kids at home or with other relatives, while Tracy and I go down without them? Wouldn’t our relatives be wondering where they were and be upset that they were not there? So, after receiving the letter I phoned the school to sort the mess out, and that we had already written letters to the form teachers. I got told that everything would be sorted and that the boys would be registered as away due to family commitments. Finally, we can rest easy that the school knew and had recorded the correct information. Really? Too good to be true, I’m afraid! We went down by car, got booked in the hotel, and went to visit Tracy’s parents. Tracy checked her mobile and what do you know, a message from the school made at 2.50 enquiring that they were worried that Ben had not turned up to school! Ten to three they phoned! He had been missing since quarter to nine! And why were they phoning anyway? We had told them about the christening, remember?
So, I phoned again on the Monday morning to straighten things out again. When we got back they gave us more grief, regarding Simon’s EMA payments. The agony just goes on…! So, visit the blog next time to read the next hilarious chapter! What a Carry On… as

The end of a nightmare

Well, I finally did it! No, I didn’t strangle my next door neighbour, I finished my Brain Biology course with the Open University. Sent the offending last assignment yesterday and now awaiting the dreaded result. I sucked this year big time, couldn’t get anywhere near my usual standard. I think it was a combination of my head not being focused this year and the fact that I had a crappy tutor. I met him only the once, and that was enough for me. Only 2 of us turned up (same number as the one before that) and the first thing he told us was this war of words he was having with a student on another course he was tutoring. THEY LET HIM LOOSE ON 2 COURSES!I had a slight unpleasant exchange with him by e-mail when he refused to help me with re-sending an attached file I had lost. He kept going round the houses telling me to join a forum where all the files would be found, which I couldn’t get right at the time, and all I wanted was the file re-sent! So I went to the tutorial to see who this dick was, and found him to be prejudiced, to his own Liverpudlian roots (hated the people who are still in Liverpool) and ready to argue the toss with students. I told him I was experiencing health problems due to stress and this sort of thing does not help, especially as the piece of work was important as it contributed to all our 2nd assignment (an experiment). He told me ‘let me worry about things’! Great advice, pal, great advice! I haven’t heard from him since I got my 3rd assignment back in early August. I missed my 4th (I forgot!) and have just completed the End of Course Assignment. He obviously is not worried about me! For all he knows I may have left the course or even be dead! Anyway I hope I have passed this one as I sure don’t want to do it again, or have him as my tutor. Rebecca Pleasant (Child Psychology), now there was a good, caring tutor. Apparently, my next tutor is an ex-con with a quick temper so that should be interesting! Social Psychology is more up my street. Brain biology is interesting, don’t get me wrong, and I did learn a lot even though I found the assignments hard. And I did read all the course books, despite what my tutor says on my work. I made more notes on this course than on any, so there! So, my Social Psychology course starts in February next year, and I will have been on my counselling course at Llandrillo about 5 months. Yes, old glutton for punishment here has already undertaken another course! This is the follow up to the counselling course I took earlier in the year, but I am looking forward to it. Last week was the first and it served as an introduction for everybody. Seems like a nice crowd (again), and I could not help but think of the nice bunch I was with on the earlier course, and the fact that not any of them managed to get on this one. So, its time to forge new friendships again, and I’m sure it will be fun while it lasts.
I keep telling myself, there is a purpose for all this hard work, isn’t there!
I bet you’re wondering why I want to strangle my next door neighbour! And there’s three of them, so … which one?