Mick Karn 1958 - 2011

Mick Karn was "the best bass player in the world". Well, so I said when I was a teenager and had a best guitarist, drummer etc. Now I know these things can't be measured quite so simply, but to the grown up me, Mick was still the best bass player in the world.

The sound he made with the fretless bass was so unique, you could always tell when Mick was playing on a track. From Japan to Gary Numan to Kate Bush and his solo work, his technique made it sound although the song was melting through your speakers and it was very rare to hear Mick play anything obvious, The keys he chose were so unusual, so odd that instead of focusing on the singer, I would always listen to the bass lines, and there aren't many artists who would have that effect. I mean, who listens to the bass player more closely than anyone else in the band? (Apart from bass players.)

I never saw Mick live, but I was turned on to Japan via through my best mate Spencer at school, who moulded my musical tastes for years to come. Japan were often dismissed as Duran Duran wannabes, mainly because of their looks, but they were so much more than that. They were often criticised for copying Roxy Music, mainly due to David Sylvian's remarkable Ferry-like voice, but, to me, again, they were so much more. Japan never achieved the commercial success they deserved, splitting up after one hit single, just as Duran and Spandau were about to make it big.

It was announced in the middle of 2010 that Mick was suffering from advanced stages of cancer. I guess I assumed they would be able to make him better, and my hopes were lifted when reading that Pete Murphy and Karn were planning a new Dali's Car album any time soon.

Unfortunately this wasn't to be, and Mick died yesterday surrounded by his family. Not since Kurt Cobain in 1994 have I felt so affected by someone I never knew dying, and to finish this off, here is a Spotify song list featuring what I think is some of his best work.

Upthear.se

• Bit.ly
• Tinyurl.com
• Is.gd
• j.mp

What have these all got in common? Yes they can make long complicated URLs shorter, making them easier to remember and especially to post on Twitter. Yes, they all quick to type too. But the main things they have in common are that they are CHARACTERLESS AND BORING.

I implore you, from now on when you need to shorten a URL, please use the magnificent upthear.se - As well as being able to choose your own personal ending, how can it possibly not raise a smile?

Here are some of my favourite blogs in an easy to remember upthear.se stylee !!

upthear.se/andymch - Me!

http://upthear.se/michaellegge - Michael Legge

http://upthear.se/richardherring - Richard Herring

http://upthear.se/andrewcollins - Andrew Collins

http://upthear.se/collingsandherrin - Collings & Herrin

http://upthear.se/taraflynn - Tara Flynn

http://upthear.se/paulsinha - Paul Sinha

http://upthear.se/tiernandouieb - Tiernan Douieb

http://upthear.se/robinince - Robin Ince

http://upthear.se/catiewilkins - Catie Wilkins

http://upthear.se/woolhouse - Nicola Woolhouse

http://upthear.se/vickyhook - Vicky Hook (nee "Harsehole)

http://upthear.se/drunksarah - Sarah Williamson

While I'm on an upthear.se roll, if any of you guys are around on Sunday the 14th, come to a new comedy night in Angel at The New Red Lion Theatre to see Richard Herring, Imran Yusuf and others, all held together by Catie Wilkins, MC - Tickets at upthear.se/newredlioncomedy

Yes I know - crappy blog, but let's crush tinyurl, dwarfweb, nanoaddress and all the dreary but practical shorteners, and lets all get upthear.se now!

(Oh, quick note to self - try and do more blogs that aren't just about going to comedy gigs)

Confessions of an ex-ex-smoker

Until a few weeks ago I was pretty proud that I'd not smoked for 3 years. Until I fell for the old trap. It sounds so simple, but if you are an ex-smoker don't think you can "just have the one" cigarette.

I had fallen for this in 2006 after stopping for 11 months, and it has happened again.

I am clearly a dick.

So it was a lovely spring day in March and Donald & I were sitting in the pub beer garden. Amusing stories were being told, laughter abounded. It was a happy day. Then I said... "Donald, could I borrow one of your fags?"

Borrow? Yes that's what I said.

I don't know why I fancied one, but I did and that's that.

I smoked the cigarette. I felt like I had cheated on myself, but it wasn't going to lead me back to smoking again was it? I didn't suddenly get the shakes and crave an entire packet of Golden Virgina in one sitting. So that was alright.

A few days later I "borrowed" another one. I might have had two. I was beginning to feel guilty asking Donald for one of his precious fags. So I spotted Eamonn. He had even better ciggies - roll ups - the kind I liked.

"Eamonn, can I borrow a rollie?"
"But you don't smoke."
"I know, but I just fancy a rollie."
"Well I'm not going to give you one but if I leave the packet on the bar when I go to the loo then I'll never know if you take one or not."

I rolled up one. In fact I rolled up two and hid one in my shirt pocket to avoid the embarrassment of asking him again. Eamonn came back, and we had a lovely "social" roll up together. He went back inside and I played on my phone for a bit to give me an excuse to stay outside and smoke another one. Round the corner so he couldn't see.

After a few more days of this furtiveness and sponging I made the ultimate sacrifice. I went to the shop to buy my own. I had picked up a bottle of water and put it on the counter.

"And a small packet of Golden Virginia, some small green Rizlas and a cheap lighter please."

He put them on the counter and I changed my mind.

"Actually, sorry, I'll just have the water."

I left the shop, only to return 30 seconds later and re-purchase the fags. Pathetic. I was now an ex-ex-smoker. Or alternatively, a smoker, doomed to waste time lurking outside tube stations and in bus shelters and hanging out of windows.

I then had the embarrassment of "coming out" to my friends. In fact my flatmate Ben asked why I was smoking again? I didn't have an answer and to avoid more embarrassment I just brushed the question aside as I didn't have an answer.

I will stop smoking again. I'm just not sure when. Hopefully soon, but I don't have the confidence yet that I'll be able to do it. I'll get back on my "Easy Way To Stop Smoking" book by Allen Carr (no not that one) and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you do smoke then you really must read it. It certainly beats nicotine patches and gum and the like. You may say that it can't be that good as I'm back on them again. But that's becasue I didn't follow all the rules. One of which is "Never have even one cigarette".

So. to end all this, yes I know I'm a dick. No, I don't know why I started smoking again. No, I don't know when I'll stop. Yes I will stop and want to stop.

Wish me luck!

The Allen Carr website

Post #1

OK, so I've finally started a blog.

Everyone seems to be doing it, some more successfully than others, so I think I should give it a go.

I must try not to blog when drunk. That is probably quite important, but I'm sure it may happen.

I used to keep diaries to help with my memory. I kind of gave that up and along the way with my many house moves, I have lost most of them. I don't have a very good memory at all, and not in a jokey way. I can barely remember my childhood and my teenage memories are a mere blur with a few chunks that may or may not be true ones. Hopefully this will be a good aid for that, if only I have the self-discipline and motivation to keep it up.

I think this whole memory issue is due to either drinking too much in general, or the excessive and hideous amount of cannabis I consumed in my early 20s. Who knows, but its quite a bitch when people talk to me about something that happened last month and I have virtually no memory of it at all (even though I did for a few days afterwards) It's almost like the memories are there but slowly slip away if I don't actively try to keep them there.

Anyway, moving on, I'm sure that most people that read this will be people that I have met on Twitter and people that I know on the comedy scene. This presents a dilemma. How honest should I be? On one hand as not many of my expected readers really KNOW me I could be 100% brutally honest and not give a monkeys what people think, but on the other hand if you all knew the unexpurgated truth you may cross the road if you see me coming.

I shall play it by ear and see what happens !