I went to see The Fall and now my bum hurts.

[zotz]

Not because they kicked serious arse, though (although they did), but because gingiber amd anonymous_seth dragged me off into the Pentlands on their spare bike. Actually, though, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. More on this topic later.

There's speculation that the Duddingston angel envelopes might be a marketing ploy. Bloody expensive one if so.

Anyway. As you may remember, on Friday I was in work with a stiff neck (literally rather than metaphorically this time) doing the usual nonsense. Later I went round to S&L's place to get a lift to Glasgow to see Queen Adreena again. They were good, but not as good as i've seen them. The support band, Ariel-X, were rather fun in a slightly punky way. Sandy was in drummer heaven when he realised they'd just kicked off a song in 13/8 time (although they pusillanimously fell back to the revoltingly commercial 7/8 time for the chorus).

Saturday involved a quick trip round the shops to buy a coffee table book and look at compasses. On the way home across North Bridge I passed a squirrel going the other way, looking quite nervous. I assumed at the time that it was lost, but perhaps it was heading for Calton Hill or the graveyard across the road from it. In spite of zoo_music_girl's helpful suggestions I still can't think of where it might have been coming from. Later I met mxhaunted, buca et al for a pint or two and then hit Vain. My neck was a little better - I could turn it a little further to the left than on Friday, but only the same amount to the right - but I was sure that hopping about to Kerosene was going to have been a mistake.

On Sunday I messed about and tidied up, got a phone call from my sister and played some records to people at Neon, which was busy and rather fun. And realised that my neck was totally back to normal. I have a newfound respect for and appreciation of working necks.

Early on Monday afternoon, as soon as I'd had breakfast and read the paper, I went over to S&L's to be tortured by bicycle. As they'd fixed up their spare bike, we went out along the Union Canal and then the Water of Leith to Balerno, then uphill past Marchbank to Thriepmuir reservoir (it started raining slightly - it had been threatening to for a while, although it started out sunny), Harlaw reservoir (passing a woman coming off her bike on the aptly-named slipway - apparently unhurt, though - and then stopping in some trees for sandwiches) and then downhill through the gradually worsening rain past Wester, Middle and Easter Kinleith, steeply downhill before, between and after Clubbiedean and Torduff reservoirs, back across the bypass by Torphin and then back to the Water of Leith at Colinton before going straight home along the waterside. A lot of fun, actually, in spite of the weather, and not nearly as painful on the arse as I'd expected. I'm not sure about all the ridiculous hardware (disk brakes on pushbikes?), but effort into improved technology of bike seats is definitely justified. I'm also quite proud of not having ridden into the canal, which on the very narrow towpath on the canal aqueduct wasn't at all guaranteed. I think Lara said it was about twenty miles, with a rise of about 200 meters to Clubbiedean (which is about 10m above the top of Arthur's Seat).

Later, as I could still walk (John Wayne comments will not be appreciated) I got dragged out, kicking and screaming as usual, by grahamb to see The Fall. I haven't seen them in several years and I didn't know any of the songs. Mark Smith was a curmudgeonly old git who at least once turned his back on the audience to sing from lyrics on a bit of paper from his pocket and at no point made any apparent effort to win the audience over. When he and most of the band left the stage, the drummer kept playing until the guitarist came back on and joined in. Then the bassist did so, and the drummer decided to overturn his kit and go (probably laughing uproariously), at which point the other two did also, some lights came up, the records came on again and everyone prepared to leave. At which point Smith enters stage right and the crew start putting the drumkit together again. Utter chaos.

They were, of course, fantastic the whole time. Particularly a song that may or may not be called What About Us? which had a really good synth line. But they were all good. It's hard to say why it all worked so well, but it's enough that it did.

Smith has to turn the bassist up once they get going again because he's had his volume turned down (probably also by Smith) at some point - several times during the set he fiddled with the settings on people's amps without saying a word to whoever's using them. He must be impossible to work with.

Brilliant. I must go and see them again soon.

Today I shopped for Torx bits, read the paper and relaxed. At some point in the last few days I heard a lightbulb joke I hadn't heard before. It was probably on LJ, though, so you all probably know it.

Comments

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Disc brakes serve one very real purpose for offroaders; they don't clog with mud. Everything else is bunk.

Improved saddles, however - Robin and I did the End to End on leather Brookses, basic design circa 1890 or so, without any bottom discomfort. There have always been lousy ones and there have always been good ones, and most of the modern gimmicks (like "fart slots") were actually invented by the Victorians.

[zotz]

leather Brookses

. . . aren't much use to vegetarians.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Dead cow isn't the only long-established solution to this problem...

[zotz]

Really? It was the only one I was aware of. Any pointers?

[original-aj.livejournal.com]

Try lots & find one that fits! I like the Specialised Body Geometry ones - if it fits it supports your hip bones without uncomfortable pressure elsewhere. Mind you, getting the bike set up right can take a while with any saddle, as quite small adjustments can make a big difference.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Well, the real problem is that most of what is on the market is too narrow - the Brooks range is quite wide (even my B17-Narrow is wider than most road saddles) - or too squishy.

Squishy doesn't work for long distances because the sit bones sink into it and the central portion can then press on the soft tissues of the crotch.

There are just not very many wide firm saddles out there, let alone sprung ones (not always appropriate, but it worked very well for us on the rear tandem position) - but there's nothing inherent about dead cow in that design. Leather does offer a modest breathability advantage in hot weather, mind.

That said, saddle choice is a strange thing and people like all sorts of things that other people loathe. It's impossible to point to anything and say "you will like this". Alas.

[gingiber.livejournal.com]

There is also an element of just getting used to being on a bike that I don't think any saddle can help with. I have had some pretty comfy saddles but I have never had one that didn't feel a little wird and uncomfortable the first time I rode with it.

[zotz]

What I heard - twenty or twenty-five years ago now, I suppose - was that there really wasn't much alternative to leather. Admittedly this was just what was said generally, but then cycling wasn't the industry then that it is now.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Aha, from that point of view there has been an advancement, yes - not in shapes, none of which are new, but in materials. Traditionally no-one really had a very good alternative to leather, indeed, but then essentially no-one cared about whether things were made of animals either. :-)

[zotz]

Gotcha. Thanks. I feel slightly better informed now.

He's getting right miserable in his old age

[swisstone.livejournal.com]

He were always a grumpy sod, but he used to at least leave everyone else alone. Mind you, almost all the times I saw them it was the most stable, and best, line-up, built around Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley and Simon Wolstencroft. This produced the finest albums in the band's history, from Bend Sinister through to The Light User Syndrome. I wonder if he doesn't trust the musicians he has these days quite as much. Certainly, when they were on Later, he stood over the keyboard player, playing some of her parts for her. But then she is married to him, so she's probably used to this.

Re: He's getting right miserable in his old age

[zotz]

from Bend Sinister through to The Light User Syndrome

I have a couple (well, three or four. ish) of these, and the first time i saw them was during that period - '92, in fact. I saw them about '99 and they weren't as good. I'd say last night they were in between the two. Possibly closer to '92 than '99.

playing some of her parts for her

Aye, he was doing that too.

Re: He's getting right miserable in his old age

[swisstone.livejournal.com]

I saw them in '99, and though they were good, with only Mark E. left from the last time I saw them, there was something about it that wasn't, for me, The Fall. I kept thinking how much better these songs would sound if played by the old band. From the Later performance, the current line-up is much better at producing classic Fall material.

Re: He's getting right miserable in his old age

[reddragdiva]

I saw then in 1990 and they was relentlessly mediocre. I think Brix had just left, which might explain it.

[funkyplaid.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. I think S&L are trying to systematically destroy the arses of their friends. I did that route with them when I first arrived, and I heard maniacal giggles the whole way.

Hope your buttocks heal soon. MIne still quiver when a bike passes by.

[zotz]

I think S&L are trying to systematically destroy the arses of their friends.
[ . . . ]
MIne still quiver

They aren't going to thank you for that comment.

[gingiber.livejournal.com]

:-D

22 miles. I shall up-load the track some time soon.
So when do you want to do it again.

And to the funky one, all I can say is a man who can cycle over ben lawers after not cycling since he was something like 6 gets loads of my respect.

[funkyplaid.livejournal.com]

That was seriously one of the best day trips of my life. The seed that you guys planted means that I'm now seriously considering the purchase of a new bike, as Seth may have mentioned. Lots of pictures when I actually get around to doing it, and you can bet I'll bring it on over should I head that way again.

[gingiber.livejournal.com]

Na, seth didn't mention it yet.

I look forward to seeing it when you make your way back over here.

[zotz]

So when do you want to do it again.

I don't think I'll have the time until at least Sunday.

[zotz]

Busily listening to a sneakily pirated version of The End Of Radio. Tempted for Saturday by that one, as well as this, by these people. Fairly early on, obviously.

[gingiber.livejournal.com]

I think we are in the same situation :)

Are you going to the writers bloc readings tonight?

[zotz]

I'd forgotten about them, actually. Dunno.

[funkyplaid.livejournal.com]

I think you're reading too far into this. :)

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

The Fall once played a concert in Auckland, New Zealand, and recorded it for a live album. They hated the city and the city hated them right back. The album was called "In a Hole".

[zotz]

He's such a charming bloke, isn't he?

I think the only live album I have recorded over there is Rockin'nReelinInAucklandNewZealand, which is rather fine.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Can't say I know it. Who's it by?

[zotz]

The Cramps.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

That'll be why. I'm not at all familiar with their stuff.

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Duddingston angel envelopes?

[zotz]

Somebody's been sticking envelopes through letterboxes in a rather nice Edinburgh suburb with "Do you believe in angels?" on the outide and money inside. Money as in tens of pounds.

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

How bizarre.

I did once get an envelope through my door contianing £100 in cash, not long after I'd been whining in LJ about being excessively broke; I still don't know who did that but I assume it was one of my friends.

[grendelis.livejournal.com]

Five years after the event, I was able to put $100 under the doormat of a house in South Island, as a way of saying thankyou for helping me out in my hour of need one night only 5 days into my first trip to NZ.

I hope the female of the house got the money rather than the drunken maori 'husband'. For it was she who had been so nice to me. However, by the state of the house, I'm not sure that she still lived there anymore.

[grendelis.livejournal.com]

Bike trip - good on ya :)