Derek's (not so) Weekly Comment
Who would have thought that we'd all grow up? 27/11/02
I just felt like kind of looking at how when you're young, being older just doesn't seem to occur at all. The idea of what you will be doing and having resposibilities are totally alien. You're just there having fun. Though admittedly from an early age I have had panic attacks about death but that's not what I'm on about here. I often wonder how much we are changing and evolving every day. Personally I've never wanted to grow up. I don't like the idea. It kind of worried me a bit when I set up my pension recently. Planning for the future. A future when I'm old. The idea of that coming felt strange. For the first time finally properly thinking of it being a reality rather than a strange concept. Time.. keeps moving on..
Things and stuff 9/4/02
Damnit I never wanted this to turn into a diary but it's heading that way lately. I just felt it was important to announce to the people that read this (that is people that are likely to know the information already) That the new JDB album has lost my last provisional title and gained a definite title in agreement with the rest of the band. The new title is Too Valuable To Risk. As gained from picking a line out at random from a book. Though I still prefer my original titles I'm happy with this as you can have a bit of fun with Jan Doyle Band - Too Valuable To Risk. Which is amusing to me anyway. We're recording tonight with Kendrick so let's see how things go.
So er Comments then eh? 6/4/02
Yes. Well Ahem. So it's been over a year since I last did a comment. Who's counting. :) Not quite as good at this as Julie is, who actually manages several comments per week. So anyway Jan Doyle Band.. recording for the new album (which I have provisionally titled 'Soft'(as opposed to the universally unpopular Irony Worship Symphony(well I thought it was good(blimey what a lot of nested brackets here(anyone would think this was Your Sinclair (or something))))) Er.. where was I? Ah yes recording for the new JDB album is aproaching it's final stages. It's been ongoing for some considerable time now. It's been a remarkably unproductive year. We've produced a few good tracks but generally I'm feeling a little uncreative. Something I have tried to limit with this album is the use of distortion and guitars. I'm trying to be very synthy with it. It's been hard to resist plugging in the guitar and going crazy but that's what Defile are for. :) (check out God of A Gun on the Defile site. You know where it is. Don't make me put a link in here. Bah lazy sods Click Here to Go To the Defile Website you lazy sods. JDB have felt recently that their music has been sounding rather too much like bank advert music. But still I'm sure something will be sorted soon. So anyway I'll resume normal service whenever I figure out what that is.
Did I really look like that?? 26/11/00
Cuningly throwing people off track with that heading methinks. Instead of what may be expected here, I am going to argue against being embarassed by your past appearances. It really bugs me when people complain how they used to look so stupid but look really cool now. I see no reason to be ashamed of the past unless you did something horribly wrong to someone. Fashions change all the time and however you looked back then was obviously relevant to the time. It tends to bug me when pop stars seem rather ashamed of past appearances, for instance Claire Grogan of Altered Images. She complained once of having a 'dodgy 80's past'. Quite frankly I think it was better than her cool 90's present (when the comment was made). What was so wrong in dressing up and having fun? Is that a chrime? In the 1990s, it seemed so. But I can never be ashamed of how I have looked in the past because there was nothing wrong with it. It was me then and that's fine by me. And as for being embarassed by baby photos, thats even more rediculous as you have no control over such things at that age. These people who are ashamed of their past should be ashamed of their present too because very soon that's going to be the past anyway..
Why bother? 22/11/00
If there's only going to be Julie reading this? Well to fulfill a little ego trip on my part. If I feel I'm spouting off to the masses and my opinions are being heard then I'm happy. Even if I am deluded. Which brings me onto an interesting point. Does sincerity really matter? This is something which has interested me since Ron said that he felt Diana Princess of Whales :) R.I.P. was putting on an act. But she made lots of people very happy. Now I think there's nothing wrong with that but does it really make a difference if she didn't mean it? The action is still the same whether there was feeling behind it or not. The person still remains very happy and uplifted and may (if they are unwell) get better due to this visit. But can this be considered wrong if Diana didn't mean it and was doing this to enhance her own image? Is the truth of the whole thing only down to personal perception anyway? In the visitee's world the act was a wonderful totally sincere one. But maybe in the visitor's world it isn't. Both are realities but different for each person. Hmmmm...
Gritty Realism 13/10/00
Nearly forgot this week. So anyway this week I speak out about English films, why oh why are they nearly always gritty and realistic? Notions of not being able to compete with Hollywood are rubbish. After all so many Hollywood films are made here anyway. Thing is in this country we nearly always have to make something 'true to life' and usually about some Northern characters struggling through their deprived grimy northern existence. Which isn't that commonplace anyway. And quite frankly I have enough true to life-nes through my normal everyday life so I don't want to pay to go to the cinema to see it all over again. Can we make something a little more escapist? Like maybe for instance Vigilante the movie starring someboy or other as Jan Doyle? Where there's plenty of explosions and people shooting each other (and aliens)? Why can't we just escape from repeating everyday life? Let's have a Sci-Fi action adventure film made in this country. It's about time. (though people should please note that there is at least one film made set in this country that is fantasy and that is Split Second starring Rutger Hauer, it's not marvelous but it's better than this gritty realism.)
Derek's First Comment:Music and Fun 25/9/00
Well I feel compelled to persue a little ego trip here and spout off about things that I feel I want to spout off about. Little more than self indulgence really but here goes anyway. I firstly want to talk about Daphne and Celeste, the American insane girly boppers. Personally I think they are excellent and just what the pop scene needs. A nice bit of vibrant colour. They seem to know how to have a good laugh and present their music as nothing more than throwaway pop. Can't people be cheerful anymore? Everyone seems obsessed with appearing 'cool' all the time and 'street cred' but I hate it. Daphne and Celeste are cute insane pop and are welcome to duet with me on any of my projects. Robbie Williams however is an annoyingly arrogant smug git who is so far up his own arse that he's probably never going to see light of day again.