Pseudonym

I am entertained by Citigroup's assessment of the current state of the US stock market as a victim of "a pause in US exceptionalism." Nicely put.

I haven't been back to the UK since 2022, and that was only the second visit in five years, but I certainly found the place a lot more openly sour about things that the British had previously at least pretended to keep in check. I don't think the most poisonous aspects of social media respect geographic and cultural boundaries. Ireland would almost certainly be higher than the UK on my list if I planned to leave the US, but it is all down to personal circumstances. I have no plans to leave New York, however.

I wouldn't care to raise children here, either. Good luck with your plans as they develop.

When are you returning to the UK, Russ?

I would say the buyers do in fact live in this world. They simply own more of it than most of us do. I wouldn't personally spend that kind of money on memorabilia but it is surely one of the more benign ways to spend private wealth. It isn't like they are pricing us out of a market that matters to us. It isn't land.

That's great news, Eddie! You'll get your bass in no time, I imagine. By the way, if you are unhappy with the hardware, I know of a spare bridge that you can probably get for a decent price:

It might be even more fun to poach them.

I suppose that for some people who weren't there back in the day, or would dearly love to be back in the day, it is cheaper than a time machine. I cannot comment on the nostalgic value for others, so the question of whether it is worth the enthusiasm and cost is really down to personal taste and expectations.

Indeed. The singing-lesson scene in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle comes to mind. Surely the whole point of Oasis is that they are cocky, swaggering, musical junk food? Is there really any point in complaining that some people enjoy a bag of Wotsits with a can of lager?

That is a poor choice on his part. A sedated Farrell is undoubtedly more amenable than a belligerently drunk Farrell.

I believe this is known as "managing upwards."

If his record of actually delivering objects to a destination is anything to go by, he is more likely to be throwing lame excuses.

This reminds me of the calamitous gig where Plan B and Mel C tried to cover the whole of Kid A. Let’s not even think about the time ABC preceded XTC at the BBC and poor old Jools needed an EKG. Sorry, Gasman. Carry on. W sounds like a bit of a four-letter type.

I wonder what you would make of this thread if you were part of its audience rather than the protagonist. As a member of the audience, all I see is a tragedy based on the fatal flaws of two people: a dishonest artisan and an unworldly customer. At best, you will get an adequate bass that you should have had many years ago, either from the builder or using money recovered from the builder. If you want a different story, perhaps you simply need to understand that you can only change the behaviour of one of the two characters.

The switches on 1970s technology do get stuck easily. The Sunakomatic was built in 1980, and it still thinks there is a Conservative Party that can fix the previous government's economic blunders.

The technology has come a long way since Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo.

On the other hand, at least Tesco changes the record from time to time. A good example to follow.

There's no need to get personal, mate.

I saw them at Livermore after they got big.

At the very least, the dep should not be out of pocket. Any travel costs should be reimbursed. But I find the attitude of your bandmates pretty selfish, to be honest, and I would not want to be in the invidious position of finding a dep who then gets nickel-and-dimed in this way. If the members of the band want to treat this as a hobby, that's absolutely up to them and you. It's a completely reasonable choice, although from another point of view a band that plays for free undercuts all of those hardworking bands that don't. Either way, hobbies cost money, and in this case perhaps one of the costs should be making sure the dep's costs are covered. And yes, asking for the landlord to cough up on a busy night is completely in order. All of that aside, best wishes for a great night for all.

I have been along this dark path on Basschat before. From five years ago:

At last. We now know what bass is good for metal.

I have a theory about it, but perhaps I'll stick to my intuitions.

There's no need to be unkind to others merely because you are an intellectual powerhouse of immeasurable capability.

I think Dan's point is that how one feels about a situation is no substitute for what one actually does about a situation. Emotions can help or hinder actions, but they cannot make them happen as if by magic. This applies to most aspects of life, but certainly to situations where levels of performance feel like crucial assessments of your worth as a human being -- which, for the most part, they are not. In any case, good luck with any future jams, and try to remember that even Tom Verlaine could have an off night (I saw it and it was excruciating).