I think it's hard sometimes being Gen X. We remember the days in the same way boomers remember the days - both generations have the curse of recalling music in a different form to the way it is now - analogue, for one, that warm crackle sound of vinyl, or more portable cassette tapes that would get stuck in your car stereo and you'd have to wind the ribbon back on with a pencil and sometimes even carefully splice it with sticky tape. But music also felt alternative and accessible - it was exciting because it was a different energy to what your parents listened to, or perhaps the hated mainstream would listen to on popular radio stations, and it was cheap to go and see live gigs in small intimate venues.
I try not to fall into the trap of being stuck in decades where music spoke to me so sharply that it was etched on my whole being, because there is a lot of fantastic music out there if you search in the right places. It's hard though, not to be cynical - music picked up by record labels and algorithms can be seriously pushed at you so that you have no choice but to listen to what everyone's listening to.
I do love Tom Waits, but not sure what I think of this new song with Massive Attack.
And don't even get me started on how much it costs to see a band these days. We used to (god, I feel old saying this, but there's plenty of Gen Xers here that will lament with me - hands up in the comments please) see bands for around $10 to $20 in Melbourne in small venues that would now cost a small fortune and be advertised now at big arenas and cost you hundreds of dollars. For example, I wanted to go see the last Nick Cave concert (I mean, I had seen him six times before since 1990, but he's that good) and a ticket would have cost us $600 for the two of us. I was tempted by seeing the trio of guitarists John Butler, Jack Johnson and Ben Harper but the tickets were $500. Ouch. Who can afford such things? Not us.
Just absolutely stunning. The paranoia in the film clip is amazing. Definitely an anthem of the '90's Brit electro scene. Love you love you love you love you...
Arguably, I'm so old that most concerts are past my bedtime anyway. I'm always begging my son to put on a matinee gig for his mate's band Faxman which he plays guitar and mixes for, you know, a start at 4 pm so I can be in bed by 9 kinda thing.
But I was tempted by going to see Massive Attack in Melbourne. Tickets go on sale on Thursday. Mezzanine is one of the best albums every made, imho - every time we put it on the record player we're reminded why. Tickets are $179 for the best seated tickets, and $99 for general standing. They'll sell out ridiculously fast - I'd have to go online and have my finger on the trigger. But I have to ask whether I'd really want to go and join the masses in Melbourne to go see them, or just turn them up loud in my loungeroom. After all, that's a day's work to pay for the tickets.
Yep, I'm getting old, perhaps. Jamie argues he'd rather see them in Bristol, where they hail from. But what are the chances of them playing when we are in the UK? Big gamble.
Maybe our gig days are over. I've seen enough live music to last many life times over.
Or maybe I'm just being Gen X lame.
Fuck though, they were that good I'm going for four tracks. I don't think 
With Love,