Have an Asboville Christmas

Received this from a friend. Thought I'd share it. Says it all really! Happy Christmas to one and all!

Album of the Year

For the record my album of the year has to be Midlake's The Trials of Van Occupanther.

It's expansive musically and lyrically. It's narrative seems to relay the story of the character Van Occupanther and his wilderness existence in late 19th Century America. It's probably metaphorical (and I may be well off the mark) but I like to imagine myself there with him. It makes me think of Henry David Thoreau's Walden. It speaks across time too; human trials and tribulations being what they are...

'Let me not be consumed with this world
Sometimes I want to go home
And stay out of sight
For a long time'

I know how that feels.

Cultural Confessions...

In the spirit of Scott Pack's excellent idea...

My five confessions are:

1. I've never seen any of the 'Godfather' films or 'The Deer Hunter'

If, like me, you know lots of people who live for film, who talk about film on a daily basis and reference films in all that they do, then you'll understand why this is very careless of me.

2. I've never read any novels by any of the Brontes, Austen or Hardy

I'm ashamed of the last on the list because I love Hardy's poetry. I just find the novels such hard work...but I'm determined to get there one day. No consolation but I've see plenty of TV adaptations!

3. I own no albums by Tom Waits...

...which for a man with quite a large album collection is embarrassing. Staying with musical confessionals...

4. ...I do not own 'Born in the USA' by Bruce Springsteen

I'm a huge fan of Springsteen. I own everything else and more besides and I've seen him on every tour since 1987. I just don't like the album.

5. Hmmmm. How about loving Hemingway but never reading 'A Farewell to Arms' or 'The Old Man and the Sea' (but really liking 'Across the River and into the Trees' which every critic hates) or calling myself a Stephen King fan without ever reading 'The Stand' (a crime amongst Stephen King fans apparently) or how about the fact that I've never been to the opera?

Okay. I'm pushing it! Actually I did see the opera at Glastonbury. In all honesty it was pretty awful. I did try. I was disappointed actually because whenever I see snippets on TV I always fancy it. Puccini is the one. I'll have to go see.

That's it. Surprisingly I found it quite hard to list five. It just doesn't tally wth the number of times I've felt cringingly embarrassed and culturally inept. No doubt I'll recall a few more.