Stone dead

The news of the Stone Roses reunion has garnered an understandable amount of press coverage and conjecture this last week. The ‘Roses’ were, after all, a band that ushered in one of indie music’s most notable eras, paving the way for the unbridled success of Oasis, Blur et al and, along with the Happy Mondays, burgeoning an already emphatic scene latterly to become subjugated by the moniker ‘Madchester.’
 

The Pollock inspired cover of their debut LP

Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989, is rightly heralded as one of the all-time greats from these shores; its mixture of kaleidoscopic melody, pop sensibility and psychedelic imagery bubbling over in a froth of youthful exuberance and working-class defiance.

And yet, these very characteristics - which weave together to form the fabric of what made the Stone Roses great – make this reunion far less palatable than those of their contemporaries Pulp, Blur and Suede.

Whereas Pulp champion introspection and social awareness – themes less likely to seem out of step with the onset of age (Jarvis Cocker’s Reading 2011 appropriation of ‘Joyriders’ as topical allegory to the recent nationwide looting being the perfect example) - the Stone Roses, with their anarchic dreams of regicide, blasphemous posturing and unabashed self-adoration, are totemic of a romanticism far more inherent to youthful abandon.

Is it artistically and romantically desirable to hear someone in their forties exclaiming the line “the past was yours but the future’s mine”?

John Squire's 2009 position on potential reunion

Irrespective of any ageism on my part, the Stone Roses, surely, were emblematic of the beautiful possibilities of working class idealism.

They fantasised in their bedrooms [while cars burned below them] and created a short lived expression of vitality that perfectly encapsulated the life-affirming escapism of 'rock 'n' roll'.

Oasis should have split in 1997, immediately after the 'here and now' that was their record breaking Knepworth shows; before that vitality was weathered away by the affluence and security that a prolonged recording career brings, debilitatating them in the process.

When you can't boast of lyrical insight or musical innovation, inevitably, there's only so long your appeal can last. Your star will burn brightly but fade quickly and that's the way it ought to be.

To see the Stone Roses reunite now, a full 23 years after that historic debut release, feels less like a resurrection and more like an exhumation.

Is this just fantasy?

I'm partial to the odd bit of science fiction, even the occasional graphic novel (I've read Watchmen like everyone else), so happening across this guide was a bit of a treat.

A Guide to NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
(Click to enlarge)

I'll be attending Star Trek conventions before I know it!

Source: www.box.net

"But I wanted to win it better than you. You can understand that can't you?"

I recently came across the Yorkshire Television interview in which Brian Clough and Don Revie went head-to-head - since immortalised in the film 'The Damned United' starring Michael Sheen.

Amidst all the petty sniping, which admittedly reflects poorly on both of them, Clough nonetheless hits upon something that seems wonderfully sentimental and poignant given Tevez's readiness to throw in the towel recently - bear in mind Clough had only that day been sacked as Leeds United manager after just 44 days in the job.

His desire to take on the role, one so synonymous with his great rival, was not because he wanted to win more titles than Revie, necessarily, but because he wanted to win them better. It may have just been a clever quip at the time but still it seems to capture a wonderful idealism.

Give a little whistle

As a rule, I hate it when football managers criticise referees in post match interviews. For one, it's the easiest and oldest excuse in the book, plus why focus on something you simply have no control over?

Referee's will always make mistakes, always have, and the laws of statistics inevitably mean you'll get as many in your favour as against over time.

However, last night's 5-a-side match for Barely Athletic will always be remembered personally for this extraordinary incident...

Two players tussle for the ball. The ref's whistle blows. We stop. An opposition player proceeds to kick the ball in the net. I pick the ball up for what I assume is a free kick to us. Then the following dialogue unfolds...

- Me: Where's it from ref?
- Ref: Nah mate it was a goal.
- Me: But you blew your whistle.
- Ref: Yeah but I was trying to say 'play on' and blew it by accident.
- Me: But you blew your whistle!
- Ref: Sorry mate but it's still a goal.

Barely Athletic lost 7-1.

Library saved!: The Lloyd's List Article

Click image to enlarge

Source: Lloyd's List

Library Saved!: The Marine Professional Article

As well as the press release I posted here previously - and as way of a second in what will be a trilogy of IMarEST library press pieces on this blog - here is the article I was requested to write for the IMarEST Members newsletter, 'The Marine Professional', which goes out quarterly to our 15'000 Members...

Since the founding of the IMarEST – then the IMarE – in 1889, the provision of a library has been synonymous with the Institute’s promotion of academic disciplines in marine engineering, science and technology, our role in furthering the knowledge of Members central to the very definition of a ‘learned society’.

However, researcher needs continually evolve and now, as we push on into what is sometimes called the ‘digital age’, their expectations of libraries – or what we often refer to as ‘information services’ – have adapted in-line with the wider onset of mobile web technologies globally.

Researchers expect ‘real-time’ access to the full-text of books, journals and conference proceedings online and direct from their desktop or mobile device. They demand the ability to adapt and refine their searches with usable ‘Google’ style tools and interactive social media, ever increasing the relevance of the information they retrieve.

For the IMarEST this paradigm shift offers an opportunity to provide new online information services to all Members worldwide - especially significant as the IMarEST targets international Membership growth.

Already we’ve begun providing Member only access to a small but growing number of eBooks (for eBook access visit - http://www.imarest.org/knowledge), whilst also investigating the digitisation of our IMarEST serials archive in a fully-indexed and searchable online solution.

Furthermore, we are scoping the potential to provide Member only access to external research databases and discovery technologies that unlock a vast resource of full-text, 3rd party published material online.

Of course, amidst the clamour for new technologies, it’s important not to overlook the wealth of valuable knowledge still inherent to physical collections - especially when the content is not otherwise available online due to copyright restrictions or feasibilities of scale.

Therefore, with the relocation of HQ to Aldgate House, the IMarEST is delighted to have found a new custodian for its library in Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, who, in agreement with IMarEST, have transported our holdings to their historic building at 71 Fenchurch Street. There, in fittingly grand surroundings, IMarEST Members will be permitted access to an extraordinary knowledge base of research.

In securing the future of this unique and historically significant maritime resource, we have ensured the 122 year legacy of the Institute remains intact whilst opening up avenues for the provision of new online Member services on an international scale.

For more information visit The IMarEST Collection at Lloyd’s Register

"People getting angry"

There's been an overwhelming amount of comment - some considered, some reactionary and some just down right idiotic - on the riots and looting across the UK over the last few days, but when considering the causes, I think Dorian Lynskey in his piece on 'crisis music' actually sums up my feelings quite neatly.

Importantly, he distinguishes between the original protest in Tottenham at the weekend and the mindless, meaningless, looting and violence of the the following days...

A riot is a weapon of last resort; a cry for help; a public form of self-harming. The spark in Tottenham was political: the shooting of Mark Duggan by the police, the incompetence of the police in explaining to the community what had happened, and – reports currently suggest — at least one instance of heavy-handed policing during a demonstration on Saturday. The fuel was the pervasive frustration and anxiety of a suffering neighbourhood: record levels of youth unemployment, social services (especially youth services) slashed to the bone, the Education Maintenance Allowance scrapped, a damaged relationship between the police and the community, and collapsing faith in the political class. But a lot of the behaviour, especially the looting, had no political impetus and the immediate outcome makes the lives of deprived residents even worse than they were last week. There are no winners.