W♥M

Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (02 Dec 2017)

Sleeper Setlist Bedhead Pyrotechnician Delicious What Do I Do Now? Lie Detector Dress Like Your Mother Statuesque Nice Guy Eddie Atomic (Blondie cover) Inbetweener She's a Good Girl Vegas Feeling Peaky/Satellite of Love (Lou Reed cover) -- Encore -- Alice in Vain Factor 41 Sale of the Century Read More Sleeper Jon Stewart of Sleeper dropped in on W♥M Radio. Guitarist Jon, along with singer/guitarist Louise Wener, drummer Andy Macclure and bassist Diid Osman formed Sleeper in 1993.…

As with previous Sleeper reunion concerts, I have gathered some photos, their setlist, and other information to post here, simply because I am a fan. I'm very interested in how the band is progressing.

What is important to note about last night’s O2 Shepheard's Bush Empire show, is that it is the group’s first London headlining gig in 19 years. It was booked around the same time that the band went on a very successful Star Shaped Festival tour.

The O2 Shepheard’s Bush Empire headlining show had support from Silver Suns (not to be confused with Silversun Pickups) and Yassassin, with Starshaped DJs playing music before, between, and after the show.

Even with tickets priced at £22.00 (excluding booking fees), the show was sold out. Fans as far as America flew in just for this reunion gig.

The other thing worth noting is that Sleeper will be doing a full headlining UK tour in 2018. Some dates have already sold out.

Also: Sleeper’s first camping music festival will take place at Spring Gathering at Catton Park. Although the festival lasts over the weekend, Sleeper is only playing Friday night.

Tour dates:

01 Mar 2018 Arts Club, Liverpool
02 Mar 2018 O2 Academy2 , Sheffield
09 Mar 2018 The Fleece, Bristol (Sold Out)
10 Mar 2018 O2 Academy2 Oxford, Oxford
15 Mar 2018 The Sugarmill, Stoke-On-Trent
16 Mar 2018 The Wardrobe, Leeds (Sold Out)
17 Mar 2018 O2 Academy2, Newcastle
05 Apr 2018 The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
06 Apr 2018 Bedford, Esquires (Sold Out)
07 Apr 2018 Norwich Arts Ctr, Norwich (Sold Out)
24 May 2018 Spring Gathering at Catton Park

Silver Suns setlist:

1. Last Day
2. There Will Never Be Another Me
3. Dumb
4. Julia
5. Service
6. Far Out
7. 17 Times
8. Scared
9. Yellow Light
10. Lava
11. Wonderful
12. Nobody
13. Golden Skin
14. I'll See You Around

Photos O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK (02 Dec 2017) Academy Events "First Lines" Setlist (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @substandardnerd O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Marquee (02 Dec 2017) Photo: Jill N Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: Jason W Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @mary_sweeney Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @jellytotsrock2 Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @moominlounge Sleeper (Confetti) at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @moominlounge Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @scottieparker Louise Wener at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: Rich K Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @tonedeafchas

Sleeper at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (02 Dec 2017) Photo: @DanEatsFrazzles

vu ([email protected]) ‚ô• weheartmusic.com ‚ô• twitter.com/weheartmusic

Britpop Now: Sleeper, S*M*A*S*H, and Elastica

Read More Sleeper I love fanzines. How I got into them were through Tower Records' massive magazine stand. They would sometime carry local fanzines. Usually the type of 'zines I was interested in were Morrissey, Suede…

Read more Britpop.

SLEEPER
sleeper.weheartmusic.com

What kind of A to Z would get you here.

I’m probably the biggest Sleeper fan you’ll ever meet... and I’m super excited to see them reform to play a few dates for the upcoming Star Shaped Festivals.

Personally speaking, the rumors of them reforming started in 2015, on the 20th anniversary of the release of their ‘Inbetweener’ single, which is the band’s signature song (although not my personal favorite single from them). The rumors were actually pretty solid, as I even got word from the rarely heard (or seen) original bassist, Diid Osman in 2015. We talked over email and I learned that he was still keeping in contact with guitarist Jon Stewart, so it felt like the time was right.

Anyway, it’ll be good to have Louise Wener and company back. I wish I was going!

P.S., Other Britpopsters The Bluetones, Space, and Salad will be joining Sleeper.

Tour dates:

Birmingham, O2 Institute (July 29)
London, O2 Forum (August 5)
Glasgow, O2 ABC (August 12)
Manchester, O2 Ritz (August 19)

Read More S*M*A*S*H Just a quick note on that S*M*A*S*H / NxtGen Split Single Launch, taking place 29 March 2014 at The Portland Arms in Cambridge. As I suspected, the lyrics …

S*M*A*S*H
s-m-a-s-h.net

You’ve been on my mind, like a tumor, eating away at my every thought...

Before Britpop, there was a New Wave of New Wave (NWONW) and S*M*A*S*H was part of this movement... Unfortunately, the quick shot to fame left the band crashing and burning and died in January 1996. As a big fan of S*M*A*S*H, I’ve been following their movement post-long hiatus.

S*M*A*S*H recently released their new album, Goodbye W.G.C., with album title logo and cover artwork inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A.. As of this writing, I do not believe the record is available to buy in the U.S.A., but you can always import it.

The trio (Ed, Salv, and Rob) just headlined The Green Room earlier this week (February 11th) and their next gig is at Banquet Records on February 26th - it’s £11 but includes CD. No excuse if you live in the area. Go take some photos for me.

Goodbye W.G.C. Tracklisting:

1. Art Therapy
2. Erin
3. Hedy Lamarr
4. I Thought I Was Right
5. My Father
6. Secret Bruise
7. Goodbye W.G.C.
8. You In Me (Blondes & Guns)

Read More Elastica Here's a band I know a lot about: Elastica. I have all their singles, EPs, albums, bootlegs and miscellaneous releases (booklets, playing cards, etc). I was a pretty massive fan, I guess.…

ELASTICA
facebook.com/ElasticaOfficial

I'd work very hard but I'm lazy, I've got a lot of songs but they're all in my head. I'll get a guitar and a lover who pays me, if I can't be a star I won't get out of bed.

In mid/late January 2017, Abbey Roads Studios mastering engineer Sean Magee wrote on his twitter that he “cut a record for Elastica today.”

Hold the phone. What?

A photo of Donna, Justin, and Annie, appearing at Abbey Roads came online via @Britpopmemories with singer Justine Frischmann obviously missing. She wasn’t at the studio with them, but the band promised that Justine is involved and that we should not worry. Justine has been a U.S.A. resident for a long time now, so it made sense that she couldn’t easily make it to the British studio.

There probably won’t be a tour, as I know Annie notoriously hated being on the road, but I will settle for a new Elastica record!

NOTE: The inside scoop I was given is that Elastica met in the studio to remaster their old albums, so I’m told there will not be any new songs from them.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Britpop At 20

Britpop at Maida Vale Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Read More Britpop April 2014 is the 20th anniversary of Britpop, so all month we're dedicating our show to the wonderful movement. NOTE: This was originally shot on video, so if you want the visuals …

For all the month of April 2014, we are celebrating Britpop at 20. "Britpop at the BBC" ran for about two weeks so far, and recently (April 10th), they aired put a new original 30 minute compilation special called Britpop at Maida Vale. This program includes Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq presenting original live performances from Damon Albarn, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gaz Coombes, and Josh Record (who?!?).

Damon Albarn performed Blur's "For Tomorrow" and "This is a Low", Ellis-Bextor covered of Pulp's "Do You Remember the First Time", Coombes' performed Supergrass' "Caught by the Fuzz", and Josh Record cover Cast's "Walkaway".

If you live in the UK, you can access the program via iPlayer or on the web.

Steve, Louise, and Jo

In other Britpop coverage, check out Sleeper's Louise Wener on BBC Radio 2. Listened to an excerpt. Again, if you live in the states, you're not allowed to listen or watch their programming. Boo to the BBC.

The bbc.com reports that "Common People" by Pulp was the #1 Britpop anthem (as voted by fans), followed by "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve and "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis. Personally, I would have also ranked Elastica's "Connection" and even Sleeper's "Inbetweener" or Echobelly's "King Of The Kerb".... but there were no "female-fronted bands" on the Top 10 list. What gives? Even the Bluetones and Ash made it. I don't even like top lists, but maybe if I feel inspired at the end of April, I will put together a Britpop W♥M Mixtape for you.

Speaking of Echobelly, they are now called Calm of Zero. The duo (Sonya Aurora Madan and Glenn Johansson) announced that they're reissuing Echobelly's first two albums (Everyone's Got One and On) with extra tracks and extra discs full of previously unreleased material. Well worth looking into if you never got the albums the first time around... they are both very excellent albums. All pre-orders will guarantee autographs from both Sonya and Glenn.

Anyway, I've been really pleased at all the Britpop coverage in the media. As a fan of the music movement the first time around, I hope this new generation will like what they hear and be inspired by this short-lived music genre.

As Jarvis Cocker would put it, "Do you remember the first time? I can't remember a worse time."

Sophie Ellis-Bextor remembers the first time...

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Chrisbritpopher writes:
Tuesday, 15 April 2014 at 04:25 AM

...The Maida Vale vid isn't a show that was "aired" as such - basically Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq did 5 Britpop special radio shows, each one had someone in doing a live cover version, these were filmed, and have just been added in to the single compilation of cover sessions. In fact they only showed a single thing on TV - this: Britpop at the BBC

Shame really. They could have put a load of Glastonbury stuff up from 94-95, but copyright would all be owned by Channel 4 (who were covering it at that time), not the BBC, so guess they couldn't afford to do that.

Louise Wener Extends Her Talents to Poker and Writing

Louise Wener: The Perfect Play Harper Collins Synopsis Playing the cards life has dealt her has left Audrey Unger anxious, obsessive, and without a sense of direction. Audrey's professional poker-playing father left her and her mother behind when she was eleven, his only explanation a scribbled matchbook that advised "one day you'll understand this was probably for the best." Now, about to turn thirty-three and poised on the edge of her own midlife crisis, Audrey makes the decision to try and find him. She's prepared to risk everything in her attempt to understand him, and to finally ask what made him choose poker over his only daughter. Read More Sleeper I love fanzines. How I got into them were through Tower Records' massive magazine stand. They would sometime carry local fanzines. Usually the type of 'zines I was interested in were Morrissey, Suede…

They may have only had a five-year run, but Sleeper saw a lot of success in the world of Britpop during the fruitful mid-nineties. They had three top 10 albums in a row with Smart, The It Girl, and Pleased to Meet You, all of which sold well, created a rabid fanbase, and landed the band a placement on the Trainspotting soundtrack. Not bad for a group that some unfairly thought had internal issues. Remember the whole "Sleeperbloke" thing that attempted to poke fun at frontwoman Louise Wener and her perceived hogging of the spotlight? She then responded with her now-trademark tee, "Just Another Girl Fronted Band," while her cohorts had a good laugh about it. Sigh, weren't those the days?

As anyone who's visited this site over the years knows full well, I'm a lover of all things Sleeper. As a result, I've made sure to keep up with what the members of the defunct band have been up to since they called it quits back in 1998. Everyone's gone their separate ways and taken on new endeavors, whether that means getting into music writing, artist management, or (for Wener) heading to the poker tables.

If you can recall, poker underwent a serious surge in popularity in the early 2000s and with that rise came a slew of television shows about the game. And from 2003 to 2005, British TV aired a program called Celebrity Poker Club that, sure enough, featured Wener as a challenger several times. A quick search of her name online also had a few Internet gambling site results, though they were mostly inconclusive. Could she still be playing on the web? It's possible, especially given the ongoing popularity of online poker in particular. At any given moment, Betfair's poker site has at least 10,000 (if not more!) people playing at once. I'd like to imagine Wener among that crowd, furrowing her brow pensively while taking down her opponents.

Footage of one of her appearances on Celebrity Poker Club appeared online last year and can get watch the clip below. As you'll see, she's a rather conservative and quiet player who ultimately has to pack up and leave the table.

It's important to note that this wasn't the only instance of Wener's run-in with the gambling world. As you may know, she branched off into the world of literature in the 2000s and hasn't really looked back since. And one portion of her newfound career led to her writing about (what else?) poker.

Her 2004 novel, The Big Blind (also known as The Perfect Play), centers on the story of a thirty-something woman named Audrey Unger, who attempts to find her father by playing the game that caused him to leave home. That game, of course, is poker. She wants to figure out exactly what about it made him abandon his family, which leads to her own "journey of self discovery" alongside her father once they finally reunite. That's the word according to Goodreads, which also indicates that the novel must be a pretty solid read with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5.

Wener's written a variety of other books over the years including the well-received Goodnight Steve McQueen and a memoir of sorts in Just For One Day: Adventures In Britpop. These works have provided her with other opportunities in the writing world, such as teaching at the Curtis Brown Creative's Writing School. They actually just posted a question-and-answer piece with her this past January 7th, so be sure to read that to learn about her career transition, what she enjoys about teaching, and more.

Louise Wener playing Poker pepsi max2k via youtube.com

cavender ♥ weheartmusic.com

Sleeper Fanzines

Sleeper: Romeo Me Read More Sleeper Sleeper is probably my all-time modern favorite band, at least when they were active. I've created a fanzine and website devoted to Sleeper...

I love fanzines. How I got into them were through Tower Records' massive magazine stand. They would sometime carry local fanzines. Usually the type of 'zines I was interested in were Morrissey, Suede, or Britpop-type at the time. From the Tower Records purchases, I would order even more 'zines in their classifies.

Most of these fanzines had very small print runs. We're talking normally fewer than 100 copies.

By 1996, I was bitten by the bug and decided to release a 'zine dedicated to Sleeper. I felt, at the time, there was a gap in Sleeper fanzines, since the Indolent Records' "Gorgeous and Fully Equipped" were lacking for an American audience.

As for my Sleeper fanzine, "The It Zine": only three issues were produced. There was a fourth issue, which never made production. I still have the 'proof' copy of #4 - I may scan in the entire issue for sleeper.weheartmusic.com someday.

In the meantime, enjoy these classic Sleeper fanzines. I have scanned in all the pages myself. Feel free to contact me if I'm missing any other Sleeper fanzines.

THE IT ZINE #1 (Aug 1996) Pgs 0-1 Pgs 2-3 Pgs 4-5 Pgs 6-7 Pgs 8-9 Pgs 10-11 Pgs 12-13 Information from vu

THE IT ZINE #2 (May 1997) Pgs 1-2 Pgs 3-4 Pgs 5-6 Pgs 7-8 Pgs 9-10 Pgs 11-12 Pgs 13-14 Pgs 15-16 Pgs 17-18 Information from vu

THE IT ZINE #3 (Jan 1998) Front/Back Pgs 0-1 Pgs 2-3 Pgs 4-5 Pgs 6-7 Pgs 8-9 Pgs 10-11 Pgs 12-13 Pgs 14-15 Pgs 16-17 Information from vu

GORGEOUS AND FULLY EQUIPPED (Dec 1994) Front/Back Pgs 1-2 Pgs 3-4 Pgs 5-6 Pgs 7-8 Pgs 9-10 Pgs 11-12 Pgs 13-14 Information from vu

GORGEOUS AND FULLY EQUIPPED (1995) Reprints GORGEOUS AND FULLY EQUIPPED (Dec 1994) Indolent, with some new contents. New contents below: Front/Back Pgs 1-2 Pgs 3-4 Information from vu

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Sleeper: Little Annie

Sleeper: Little Annie Little Annie Don't come around, acting so feeble It's much too late to talk to you people She knows, she knows what's happening And like a woman she explodes She knows what's happening She'd cut off her fingers to keep them from itching She sewed up her eyes to stop them from twitching She's eating the dirt again like a monkey She's flat on her back, oh yes Wasted and glad, oh yes Lost in a bend, she's gone 'round it Don't come around, I feel so ugly I'd like to punch someone and I'm hungry Little Annie says she knows She knows what's going on And like a woman she explodes She's knows what's going on She'd cut off her fingers to keep them from itching She sewed up her eyes to stop them from twitching She's eating the dirt again like a monkey She's flat on her back, oh yes Wasted and glad, oh yes Lost in a bend, she's gone 'round it Read More Sleeper Sleeper is probably my all-time modern favorite band, at least when they were active. I've created a fanzine and website devoted to Sleeper...

I'm in the process of moving, so I've been packing things up in boxes. I was working on my magazines, when I took a break and started flipping through them. The memories started flooding back, what good times these were. I fear that in today's word, how are you going to reminisce about an old article?

Believe it or not, but before the internet took over, most of my news and attention to bands were all thanks to magazines. I stopped buying magazines altogether because, let's be honest: they are expensive. Plus, all the cool magazines (Select, Q, Mojo, Uncut) are based in the UK and getting a subscription to it was way, way expensive.

To justify many of my mags purchases, it would have to include a compilation CD or if there was a band I really, really love on its cover. Usually this meant Britpop-related bands, like my most obsessed band in the 90s, Sleeper.

I love everything that Sleeper released, collected all the albums and singles (on various formats, CD, 7", 12", cassingles). I had it bad, and it was worst being in the U.S. Everything came out to us late, and we never got to see all the cool music videos or various television appearances.

I saw Sleeper twice: 1995 and 1996. The first time was the best time. Mel and I got to interview Louise Wener and Andy McClure. We met the rest of the band in the green room of the Whiskey A-Go-Go. The second time was also unforgettable; they opened up for Elvis Costello. All good times.

When their third album came out in 1997, it was pretty much over: Britpop died an early death and indie labels like Indolent Records were swallowed up by bigger companies or just went out of business.

The song I'm using is "Little Annie", a B-Side from their Inbetweener UK single. The song was also collected in a US promo-only EP called B-Sides, which BMG gave to radio stations. At the time, I was volunteering at KFSR 90.7 FM, so I own the rare EP in my massive Sleeper music collection.

Below are, what I believe, are the only magazine covers that Louise Wener/Sleeper appeared on. I have various other inset covers and one-pager, but these are the magazines that she clearly is featured on the cover. If I am missing any, please email me. I would like to know why I'd missed them, and I'll probably try and spend my time on collecting the final covers to complete my sad, sad Sleeper collection.

MELODY MAKER (13 Apr 1996) IPC Media G-SPOT #21 (May/Jun 1996) Gspot Magazine NME (07 Dec  1996) IPC Media VOX (Feb 1997) IPC Magazines SELECT #87 (Oct 1997) EMAP Metro Ltd THE BAND #4  (Nov 1997) Future Publishing

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

ACRNYMS: PSY, PVT, DFA, BBC

PSY STYLE
psypark.com

Last month, my brother was telling me about this PSY guy with his music video "Gangnam Style". I didn't think much of it, except I started seeing a ton of parodies on the music video when I started watching loads of YouTube videos on my PS3. Personally, I think the best one is the "Gundam Style" with Gundam heads (I believe YouTube has banned the video as I write this.)

Since then, "Gangnam Style" got over 100 million views, which is safe to say, the most views for a K-pop song. Hot off his success, he's signed to Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and has agreed to appear on the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday.

Expect the horse dance to become a party favorite, but is this a one-trick pony? Will "Gangnam Style" end up like a one-hit wonder?

PIVOT PIVAT
pvtpvt.net

Originally called Pivot, this Sydney band decided to be known as PVT because of legal claims from an American band of the same name.

The band will be releasing a yet-to-be-titled new album on the Brooklyn label Felte. Since there's no cover artwork or title, the cover you see is from their previous album, Church With No Magic. Anyway, you can get a sneak peek at "Shivers" via Soundcloud:

In late September, PVT will be heading out on tour with Menomena, a band that we previously mentioned.

09/26 San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club* 09/27 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey* 09/28 San Diego, CA – Casbah* 09/29 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom* 10/02 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater* 10/03 Austin, TX – Parish* 10/04 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s* 10/05 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks* 10/06 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade* 10/09 Washington, DC – Black Cat* 10/10 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer* 10/11 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom* 10/12 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg* 10/13 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall* 10/16 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa* 10/17 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern* 10/18 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom* 10/19 Chicago, IL – Metro* 10/20 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock* 10/23 Boise, ID – Neurolux* 10/25 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore*

10/26 Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market* 11/03 Nantes, FRANCE - Le Stereolux+ 11/04 Lyon, FRANCE - Le Transbordeur+ 11/05 Bordeaux, FRANCE - Le Rocher de Palmer+ 11/07 Toulouse, FRANCE - Le Bikini+ 11/08 Milan, ITALY - Alcatraz+ 11/11 Hamburg, GERMANY - Docks+ 11/12 Stuttgart, GERMANY - Theatrehaus+ 11/13 Dresden, GERMANY - Eventwerk+ 11/15 Munich, GERMANY - Tonhalle+ 11/18 Copenhagen, DENMARK - Vega+ 11/19 Stockholm, SWEDEN - Munich Brewery+ 11/20 Oslo, NORWAY - Rockafeller+ 12/06 Adelaide, SA - Adelaide Ent Centre^ 12/08 Melbourne, VIC - Sidney Myer Music Bowl^ 12/12 Brisbane, QLD - Riverstage^ 12/14 Sydney, NSW - Sydney Ent Centre^ * w/ Menomena + w/ Bloc Party ^ w/ Gotye

MARS FROM ABOVE
sinkane.tumblr.com

DFA (Death From Above) announced that they've signed Sinkane. His debut album, Mars, will be out October 23rd, 2012. You can check out "Jeeper Creeper" via soundcloud:

Sinkane is the multi-dimensional music project from Ahmad Gallab. If you saw Of Montreal, Caribou, or Yeasayer, you may have noticed that Gallab is in their touring band.

The name, Sinkane, is a weird homage to Kanye West, who sang "I want to give us 'Us Free' like Cinqué" (referencing to Joseph Cinqué, leader of the Amistad Rebellion.) Gallab misheard this as "Sinkane."

Look for Sinkane's Mars on DFA. If you're in the UK, the album will be out on City Slang.

BRITPOP GLEE?
bbc.co.uk

"Shout to the Top" is a new BBC Radio 2 production about a fictional all-female band to air on September 25th. The star of the program, Shane Richie, described the musical drama as "Glee for an older audience."

Music Weekly described the program as a "'Britpop Glee", because creator Jeff Smith was quoted to say, "Attempts like Britannia High didn’t quite get it right. Ours is grittier [than that] but is still a British take on Glee, for an older audience."

Britpop fans will notice that "Shout to the Top" is co written by ex-Sleeper's Louise Wener and former The Farm's drummer Roy Boulter.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Kiss your fringes goodbye...

A topical classic from the streets of London.

- Christopher. Still with a house. For now.

Magic: The Gathering

MTG: Morrissey ♥ Art by Vu Morrissey - That's How People Grow Up Morrissey

When I started playing Magic: The Gathering, they were still struggling with balance issues with their Beta and Unlimited sets. Certainly, some cards were way too powerful for their mana cost (like the zero-costing Moxes, which were banned from tournaments). By the time Third Edition came out, I had thousand and thousand of cards, including some really rare out-of-print Legends, Arabian Nights and The Dark series.

My friends and I used to create our own Magic cards, as long as they were fair (mana cost compared to creature's abilities). Morrissey, is one of three that I made, the other two are Louise Wener, Pyrotechnician and Elastica (they have "banding", haha). The fact that the 0/2 Morrissey card is a black creature that take control of other creatures (this sort of ability is usually associated with blue) is cool, but ironically the black creature cannot be played in any traditional black deck - making it completely useless, unless you have other means of getting black mana outside of Swamps.

I gave up on Magic around the release of Ice Age (bought a box of booster for $75) and Homeland, because I moved and lost all my Magic-playing friends. New friends I found, well none of them knows what Magic is.

So. Recently, I return back to the game by picking up a "fat pack" of 2010 Core Edition. Wow, I was blown away at all the improvements: clean interface, rarity color coding, amazing artists, easy-to-understand card names, color artifacts(!), explanations of common powers (for instance, non-tapping attacks are now called "Vigilance"), and, best of all, checklist numbering.

Some things I didn't like is the "randomness" of booster packs, why are certain 'common cards' harder to find than some uncommon or rare cards? Why do I keep getting the same "rare" cards? Also, prices are ridiculous at $4 a booster pack.

So, I am building an Angels deck, which isn't easy because most angels are rare and their casting cost is too high. Plus many of them require at least two white mana, which means you're better off playing a white-only deck. The Platinum Angel should be used with a combination with Disenchant. When you're ready to win, just get rid of the artifact angel.

Sera Angel	Archangel	Angel of Salvation	Baneslayer Angel
Asha's Favor	Warrior Angel	Angel of Retribution	Platinum Angel

 09/05/2009 14:04:44 ♥ vu () ♥ www.wizards.com/

Sleeper - Bedside Manners

Sleeper - Bedside Manners

Sleeper

I used to be a radio disc jockey, I went by the name of "DJ Drivel-Head" (it was a bit of a joke because it was really "dri-vu-head" and it was also a nod to Elastica's song "Line Up".) I worked for KFSR 90.7, which is where Emelia heard the Parcels, so I guess our station played some good indie stuff back then.

My time slot was pretty bad, it was every Thursday from midnight to two in the morning and I really didn't think I had regular listeners (although there were these two girls that would call and talk every week).

Anyway, I stopped DJing around 1996, and about seven years later, I received a message from one of my fans:

I used to actively listen to your show for the first hour (blank tape cued up and ready), then I would go to bed and just let the stereo record the rest of the show. After I woke up, there were usually one or two songs I would choose to "keep" and put them on a "keepers" tape. One day, I listened to the tape I had left to record while I slept, and the whole block was really good. The whole tape automatically became a "keepers" tape. The first song was bedside manners, and I started recording too late to get the lead-in, intro information about the name of the band or song. In case you're curious, and you think it would be nostalgically interesting to know what you played in that one night, it was...

He then proceeded to name all the songs, in the correct order and what I said about each song (they were: Mazzy Star, Jesus and Mary Chain, Morrissey, Lush, Frente, Echobelly, Miranda Sex Garden, and They Might be Giants).

The strangest part ? He had recited these from MEMORY!! Apparently he had lost the tape and was telling me what he remembered because he listened to the tape over a million times! He said that he recorded too late for the introduction of "Bedside Manners" so he didn't know who the artist was... well it is a b-side from my favorite band, Sleeper!

Sleeper, is of course, from the London-area, in England. They were originally called Surrender Dorothy (a reference to the Wizard of Oz), but changed their name on account that there were already several bands registered under that name in the UK.

They settled for Sleeper, which was a reference to Woody Allen's film. They were signed to a small indie label called Indolent in the UK.

I first heard of them in 1994 when my friend Mark, who came back from France, lent me the Alice in Vain EP and Swallow EP. I fell in love with Louise Wener when I met and interview the band in real life in 1995 and have been a loyal fan since then.

Currently, Louise Wener is a novel writer, penning Goodnight Steve McQueen, The Big Blind (aka The Perfect Play), and The Half Life of Stars. She's also a part-time columnist at the Guardian. As for the other band members, I think Andy Macclure is a computer-guy who's living with Louise. Jon Stewart, guitarist, teaches music and as session musician (he is the guitarist on Mel C's Reason album) and sometime band manager. Not really sure what Diid Osman is up to.

Trivia: For a short time, Sleeper was known as Sleeper UK because there was already an established punk band called Sleeper.

PS, Sleeper is probably my all-time modern favorite band, at least when they were active. I've created a fanzine and website devoted to Sleeper (sleeper.weheartmusic.com), which have been around since Sep 1996! If you are new to Sleeper, I suggest checking out "Nice Guy Eddie", "What Do I Do Now?", and their massive hit, "Inbetweener".

vu www.louisewener.com