Terra's Revision Playlist

We've all been there. Revision is the dullest thing since England's World Cup matches (or even – le gasp – the dullest blog in the world). In order to prevent yourself from doing something stupid to throw off the boredom, like suicide or listening to your sisters throw insults at one another for an hour or so (then suicide), you need something to counteract the sheer dullity of revision notes. That something is music.
So here are my top five albums (yes, albums – single songs are too insubstantial to have any real effect in counteracting the monotony that is my study leave life) for revision.

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I:Scintilla – Prey On You
So the album 'Dying and Falling' has been set back a few months (/eons). But if it's anything like their latest EP, then it'll be well worth the wait. 'Prey On You' marks a definite shift in the industrial band's sound to a more EBM-inspired electro-beat. They've certainly been studying their Ayrias and their Zombie Girls – Seb Konor even does a remix of the title track which has the exact same synths as Creepy Crawler, I swear. They seem more willing to give the synths a greater voice and give Brittany's vocals a rest for a while, striking a nice balance.
Stand-out tracks: Prey On You and Hollowed.


Jack Off Jill – Humid Teenage Mediocrity
We all know revision has the power to completely destroy all positivity. Well, Jessicka knows your pain and your frustration. In fact, she's the queen of teenage angst – and nowhere is this clearer than 'HTM'. This compilation of non-album tracks and blunt-edged originals is all the more hard-hitting for its lo-fi punk undertones. Nothing compliments Jessicka's Kat Bjelland-style angelic to banshee-like vocals better.
Stand-out tracks: Bruises are Back in Style, Girlscout (I couldn’t find the 'HTM' version on youtube, so this is the ‘Sexless Demons and Scars’ album version. Not as good, imo, but nevermind) and Cockroach Waltz.


Räuberhöhle – Deep in the Forest
If you're looking for something to cheer you up rather than wallow in, Räuberhöhle is probably of more interest (this is about as close to pop as I get, so be excited!). The German retroclash singer's musical blend of retroclash, 8-bit chiptronica and lo-fi 'revolution girl style' punk gives you hope that the spirit of riot grrrl is still very much alive and kicking down the glass ceilings of the underground. 'Every Day More and More Ppl Are Going Radical' even samples Bikini Kill's 'Rebel Girl' – what more can you ask for? Oh, and if puppets, sparkly-pink capes, and people dressed as bears is your thing, then you're in for a treat.
Stand-out tracks: Every Day More and More Ppl Are Going Radical and Angry Dancy.


Kidneythieves - Zerospace
There's nothing lo-fi about Kidneythieves' industrial music. When listening to 'Zerospace', you get the sense that every second of electro-beat, synth and noise has been carefully thought out, and the resulting sound is very polished and clear-cut: what I like to call 'the Collide effect'. Free's lyrics are intelligent and her vocals extremely versatile – she covers just about every vocal technique known to man over the course of this album. The result is a diverse range of tracks; something to suit every mood.
Stand-out tracks: Zerospace, Crazy and Before I'm Dead.


Stolen Babies – There Be Squabbles Ahead
Strangely, someone recommended Stolen Babies on a Kidneythieves page. Trust me: they sound nothing alike. I'm thankful for the recommendation though, because 'TBSA' is a great album – nay, an amazing album. Stolen Babies have a truly unique sound with a wide sphere of influences that largely defies genres – the closest you'll get is circus-inspired punk avant-garde metal (or something along those lines). If avant-garde metal sounds a bit daunting – the genre is known for its experimental heavy metal eccentricity – then don't fret: Stolen Babies combine the instrumental-weirdassness of bands like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Unexpect with the more melodious sounds of a dark cabaret. Dominique is one of the most talented vocalists I have ever heard, and their music has probably the best punk/funk-inspired bass I have heard since Lunachicks' Squid Silver. Besides, anyone who makes the accordion badass deserves respect, right?
Stand-out tracks: seriously, the whole album is note-worthy, but if I had to choose, they'd be Filistata, So Close and Tablescrap.

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I hope that's brightened up your revision experience - or at least made it more interesting! And remember; the end is now in sight!

Sound of(f) 2009

Finally, the whole 'Christmas Number One crisis' is over. And although I’m glad that Rage Against The Machine pipped X-Factor contestant Joe McElderry to the number one spot (being anti-Cowell, exploitation profits and musical manufacture as I am), in general, that facebook campaign really annoyed me. I mean, the idea of a load of people saying ‘fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me’ to Simon Cowell and the establishment is pretty awesome, and I totally back that. But when its tainted with the irony that people have said basically just turned round and said ‘fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me – but I will do what YOU tell me’ to someone else has really taken any sense of success out of the campaign for me. The whole situation smacks of fail. Is this really what our heavily watered-down sense of revolution has come to: self-deluding hypocrisy?
I also found it interesting to read this article at Current.com which says:

‘Both acts are on Sony. Music News reports that the two singles gave the record label a 65.6% share of single market. Indie labels had 2.0% between them.’

A great ‘win’ for real music then? I think not.
Personally, I am an advocate of everyone finding their own music taste, and buying what they want to hear, no matter what others tell them. And if pop music is your thing, then fine, go and buy that. But if not, then don’t fret and don’t feel obliged to conform! There are plenty of great alternative bands out there. Don’t believe it? Here is a selection of some of my favourite bands from 2009.

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Angelspit
I was really excited when I heard that 2009 would yield the release of a new Angelspit album – one of my favourite bands of all time – especially when I ordered a beautiful signed copy! ‘Hideous and Perfect’ is, as always, a wonderful work of musical and visual artistry. The songs’ lyrics and music show the band’s clear creative development, and ‘Hideous and Perfect’ is very much crafted as a self-contained album. Check out the awesome video for ‘Fuck the Revolution’.

Daisy Dares You
OK, I admit, Daisy Dares You is not exactly alternative. In fact, Daisy is apparently set to be a big mainstream success in 2010 according to various newspapers – she’s even longlisted for the BBC’s Sound of 2010. But anyway, I shall be pleased to be able to say ‘I knew about her before she was cool!’ and mean it! Her self-titled track ‘Daisy Dares You’ is pretty catchy dance-pop, and I can definitely see her music catching on. One to watch, for sure.

Fever Fever
Fever Fever are a cool three-piece punk band hailing from Norwich that mix primal rock fury with occasional girl rap and a clear riot grrrl influence. They are a relatively new band, with only a couple of songs released on their debut record and several compilation albums, but their songs have plenty of biting character and are all worth a listen. ‘Numbers’ is my personal favourite.

I:Scintilla
Another of my all-time favourite bands, industrial-powerhouse I:Scintilla, have made some great new music this year. Although I was slightly gutted to hear that the release of their album has been delayed till 2010, the release of their EP ‘Prey on You’ this November cheered me up a lot. I adore the songs on this EP, especially ‘Hollowed’, and it’s made me even more excited for the release of ‘Dying and Falling’ next January. Yay!

Räuberhöhle
2009 also saw another fantastic release from my favourite lo-fi retroclash German band, Räuberhöhle. ‘Deep in the Forest’ is their debut full-length album, crammed with sugar-powered riot grrrl goodness. They’re all great songs to dance around to, my favourite being ‘Angry Dancy’ which officially does what it says on the tin!

Screaming Females
Another punk rock three piece, Screaming Females hail from New Brunswick. Now this is a band with some skillz. Marissa is a truly amazing vocalist and guitarist, and the threesome are perfectly matched to make great tunes. ‘Buried in the Nude’ is a truly amazing song. Go download ‘Bell’ for free from their Last.fm page now!

The Brownies
The Brownies describe themselves as a post-punk, happy hardcore five-piece from Norwich. Clearly influenced by riot grrrl bands like Bratmobile and Bikini Kill, but also taking wider musical inspiration from metalcore, indie and punk, The Brownies have their own unique sound. Ourknife Yourback is a shockingly good album, full of amazing songs. If there is anything that you listen to from this list, let it be The Brownies!

Violet Violet
A riot grrrl indie punk band, Violet Violet describe their music as ‘gossip rock’: ‘edgy, full-on bitching, harmoniously delivered by a feisty trio of sardonic sirens’. Their songs have plenty of kick and energy, and always make a good listen. 2009 has seen the release of another awesome album from the threesome: ‘This City is Full of Beasts’. ‘Love This Band’ has been in my head for days..

From A Jigsaw-Grrrl To You...

In honour of my friend J finally being able to put Le Tigre's 'This Island' album on her iPod (after months of waiting!) and of me finally completing my Bikini Kill discography last week, here's a tribute to the awesome Kathleen Hanna that I saw recently, and thought I ought to share, just to spread the K-Ha love, if nothing else!

Ever since I listened to Bikini Kill's iconic song 'Rebel Girl', I have been obsessed with the riot grrrl movement. It's girl-positive mix of raw post-punk and feminism are both truly inspirational elements to me, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say riot grrrl has helped define who I am today. Thanks to Kathleen Hanna and the many other awesome grrrls like her, feminism lives on!

Keep the girl-style revolution alive!

Terra's Winter Playlist

Here's something to distract me from the apocalyptic disaster that is my personal statement...

The season is changing. My breath makes little crystallised clouds in the air every morning, my radiator is on full-blast, and everywhere you go there are huge piles of leaves just begging to be jumped in. So, to celebrate the season, here is a collection of songs that remind me of winter to get you in the wintery mood - before things start getting Christmas-y.

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Weekend – The Birthday Massacre
For me, this is the definitive winter song. You may remember this one from my top ten tunes post, in which I said that this was ‘a song that reminds me of autumn leaves, shiny wrapping paper and the colour purple’, and that it never fails to make me smile. This remains true. This is an adorable and meaningful song; one of TBM’s best.


Scin – I:Scintilla
I really have no idea why this reminds me of winter, but it is another great industrial sound. For me the best thing about this song (other than the awesome tune, guitars and synths!), is its message. Here’s the chorus:

Detach from crippling divisions
Feel outside your skin
Find empowerment and illumination
Taken entirely from within

Love.it.


Girl on the Floor – Ayria
This is very much a ‘final-song-on-the-album’ song; you can tell as soon as you hear it. But it’s good. I especially like the eerie piano ending. The lyrics relay quite a depressing story, for Ayria, but it’s one that I can relate to, and I guess that’s why I like it. Plus, it contains some good advice:

All you get from this moment
Is all you gave to your past

So make the most of the time you’ve got, and never compromise the future. Maybe the world leaders who are still unable to make a decision on climate change should listen to this song...


House of Ill Trepidation – Jakalope
OK, so the beginning of this song is annoying. Muted-crowded-room sound is not really the most tuneful intro. But one and a half minutes later, when the beat kicks in, this becomes a great tune. And since industrial seems to be the sound of winter, there is really no better way of getting in the wintery mood than this song. Katie B’s voice is eerily beautiful, and I love the harmonies.


Symphony of the Living Dead [Part ii] – Zombie Girl
Part ii is infinitely better than part i, may I just say. Another great industrial song: my favourite instrumental by Zombie Girl. Though this is really more suited to Hallowe’en than winter, as the title suggests, there is a ‘colder’ edge to this that makes you think of blood in the snow, and mysterious handprints on fogged glass... I like the creaky-floorboards effect at the end! Spooky...


Apathetic – Lunachicks
‘Apathetic’, believe it or not, is in the thesaurus under cold. I shared that fact with the Creative Writing Club that I’m currently leading the other day. They were suitably, er, apathetic, to hear it...
Finally, something non-industrial! The whole ‘Binge and Purge’ album reminds me of winter, for some unknown winter. This is the opening track, and it’s awesome: because it tells you some of the key situations in life in which it’s ok to be apathetic. The Lunachicks are always cool, witty, and suitably gross (it is riot grrrl/gross-out punk, after all!), and this is certainly not exception to the rule – plus it has a Squid-section (Squid is one of the most awesome people ever, as is Theo Kogan). A great song and a great album!


Everything’s Brown – Jack Off Jill
This is a killer – an eerie, skeletal-trees kind of song. The discordant chord progression on the guitar is amazing, and Jessicka’s screaming is so emotion-packed. It’s the kind of song that forces you do listen to it, however preoccupied you are, and make you think ‘wow’. Not really sure why it’s really wintery, but it’s one of my recent finds, so it made the list anyway.


After Dark – Le Tigre
And last, but not least, there’s this little feminist dance-punk gem. Everyone knows that Kathleen Hanna is epic win, and so is Le Tigre. It was a toss-up between this and ‘TKO’ for the last spot on the playlist – this song won on catchiness. I guarantee it will having you singing along! This is lo-fi retroclash at its best.

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I hope you enjoyed the playlist! Like last time, I’ve made a playlist on my last.fm page for your listening convenience.

Happy winter!

Caution: You Are Now Entering Toyland

Please beware of kick-ass screams, killer kinderwhore dresses and excessive mookiness!

...In other words, please check out my article featured on Mookychick at the moment, on the awesome Kat Bjelland.
If she's cool enough to be an inspirational icon for the riot grrrl movement, and the driving force behind the amazing Babes In Toyland, she's cool enough to be an inspiration to anyone!

Terradoll's Top Ten Tunes And Why You Should Listen To Them

I was wondering how long it would be until the conventional 'top ten' lists started to appear on my blog... A disappointingly short time, by the look of it! But anyway...

Music is very important to me, as both a means of escapism and as inspiration for my ideas – both creative and socio-cultural. My favourite music has an impact on how I think, act and write, and has effectively helped make me who I am. I cannot go a half a day without listening to something on my iPod, and have to buy new CDs practically weekly to stop myself getting withdrawal symptoms. Basically, I listen to music a lot.
I was having a listen through loads of my old and favourite music today – a break from the extreme riot grrrl punk rock phase I’ve been having recently – and thought I should compile a list of my favourite songs ever to put my music taste into perspective (when you keep having genre-phases, it’s sometimes hard to remember all those songs that you love). So here is a list of ten (you have no idea how long it took to whittle it down to that lovely round number!) of my favourite songs ever, in no particular order, and why you should listen to them sometime too.
And I apologise in advance for inflicting my strange, eclectic music taste on you!

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Angelspit - Lust Worthy
Any of Angelspit’s songs are seriously worth a listen to, but this is definitely my favourite – although, to be honest, I am unsure why. It differs from many of Angelspit’s other tracks in that it has an unusually slow beat and very dark sound, but retaining an awesome tune and attitude-laced clever lyrics. Plus it contains perhaps my favourite Angelspit lyrics ever: ‘I hate, therefore I ain’t / I am nothing but my own disease’.

Emilie Autumn – Opheliac
The first song I ever heard by Emilie, so of course it has its own little place in my heart. The mixture of the opening harpsichord melody, Emilie’s characteristic Victorian-industrial awesomeness, the Shakespeare quotes and Emilie’s crazy-Ophelia voice in the chorus undoubtedly make ‘Opheliac’ one of her best songs. If you only listen to one song from this list, make it this one!

I:Scintilla – Ultravioletfly
Like ‘Lust Worthy’ from ‘Blood Death Ivory’, ‘Ultravioletfly’ is another stand-out track from an album, in this case I:Scintilla’s ‘Optics’. Why do I like this track? To put it simply: everything about this track is unbelievably awesome. I:Scintilla are one of my favourite lyricists, and ‘Ultravioletfly’ contains some of the best lyrics on the album, not to mention awesome guitar, synths, melody and rhythmic effects. The best of an album full of great songs.

The Birthday Massacre – Blue
The Birthday Massacre is another band with great lyrics and great music – and they have always been a major inspiration to me. And this, my top-played track on iTunes, is no exception. For a while every single thing I wrote was somehow inspired by this song (obsessive, much?), including my GCSE coursework piece, and the themes of duplicity, split personalities and internal conflicts remain some of my main literary preoccupations today all because of this song. It’s Chibi’s voice that really makes this song so special, contrasting with and complimenting the dark chugging guitars and the retroclash electro-bleeps so well. And I have always longed to be able to replicate her growl!

Lunachicks – Binge & Purge
The first song I ever heard by the Lunachicks, and I have loved them ever since. ‘Binge and Purge’, the title song of the album, is a perfect example of the Lunachicks’ mix of fun post-punk rock and comic lyrics (with added puke noises!) with a serious message that became the Lunachicks’ trademark style. Definitely one to jump around and sing along to!

Bikini Kill – Feels Blind
As well as their well-known feminist-centred catchy punk rock songs that have become the ‘anthems’ of the riot grrrl movement, like ‘Rebel Girl’ and ‘Double Dare Ya’, Bikini Kill also wrote some great slower, more emotional songs. ‘Feels Blind’ is one of these, with a narrator who stands ‘in the doorway of [her] demise’ and who is doomed to only feel blind forever. Of course it would not be Bikini Kill without some kind of feminist message, as it talks about the debilitation of women and the limitation of their lives in a patriarchal society. Powerful stuff with a really great melody.

Emilie Autumn – Let The Record Show
Another epic Emilie song! I can’t really think of a specific reason of why I like this song so much, I think its awesomeness must just owe to the delicious darkness of the lyrics and music, the biting Victorian-industrial edge and Emilie’s coolness and originality. She is one talented woman.

Lunachicks – Superstrong
‘Take this! Take that! But no one is ever going to take my fucking rights back!’ An awesome song about women’s rights concerning freedom from sexual harassment (both visual and physical) by men. Theo’s gruff, masculine voice in this and the humour and attitude of the lyrics make it one of the best tracks off ‘Binge and Purge’. It’s just more proof that the Lunachicks = awesome.

The Birthday Massacre – Weekend
To be honest, there were several contenders from TBM’s ‘Walking With Stranger’s album for this spot in the list, including ‘Goodnight’ and the title track, but ‘Weekend’ cinched it, being my most-listened-to out of the three. A song that reminds me of autumn leaves, shiny wrapping paper and the colour purple, ‘Weekend’ never fails to make me smile.

Evanescence – Whisper
Truthfully, I haven’t listened to any Evanescence in ages, but when I was an angsty tween I listened to little else. There are so many songs of theirs I absolutely adored when I was in that phase, but Whisper remained my one favourite – the song that introduced me to their music. And the guitar riffs and Amy Lee’s voice mean this song remains a great listen to this day. I have to thank Evanescence for introducing me to all the music I listen to now (albeit in a very roundabout way), so in some ways this is the most important song on the list, because without this, none of the others would be there!

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And because I know that you’ll be dying to listen to all these tracks now, after I’ve sold them to you so well, I’ve made a playlist of all these songs on my last.fm page, which can be found here.
Enjoy!

Alien Grrrls

Alien She

I wasn’t intending on writing something that so smoothly followed on from the last article, it just happened like that (honest!). I’ve been going through (another) Bikini Kill phase at the moment, and so I thought I’d write about one of their songs. ‘Alien She’ is one of the first songs I ever heard by the band, and has remained one of my favourites.

For those of you that don’t know, Bikini Kill is a band strongly associated with the Riot Grrrl movement – a 90s feminist punk subculture often attributed with inspiring the third wave feminist movement. They believed in girl power (not the corporate-created Spice Girls type!), female independence and an end to sexist discrimination, particularly within the punk subculture. Despite fracas between those within the movement and others outside – particularly the media who repeatedly misrepresented the movement and the views of those in it – Bikini Kill believed in the ‘every grrrl a riot grrrl’ credo.

However, many within the movement disagreed with this view (some viewed bimbos and lame girlfriends as ‘so fuckin’ indoctrinated into male culture + ideology’ – quote from ‘Riot Grrrl’ London zine) and there was often conflicting evidence, so it is a view Bikini Kill began to question. These ‘bimbos’ were seen as slaves to fashion and a male-dominated corporate society, aspiring to become the image of ‘the perfect female’ that the media projected to the western world – pretty, slim fashion clones, reliant on male protection and affection. This image of superficial perfection trapped girls in a weak, subordinate stereotype: an empty image. As discussed in the last article, this poisoned girls both individually (destroying them physically and wreaking them emotionally) and towards each other, creating jealousy and destroying the girl unity that the riot grrrl movement aimed for. Thus Bikini Kill wanted to challenge this girl-stereotype, and did so through the song ‘Alien She’.

The link between ‘her’ (the image of ‘the perfect female’) and ‘I’ (the persona of the song) is clearly set out right from the start with the phrase ‘she is me, I am her’, which is repeated to echo the theme of duality. This creates the idea of unity of girl-kind before the idea of conflict is introduced, which then remains the prevailing image. ‘She’ is described as a ‘Siamese twin connected at the cunt’ – i.e. they are inextricably linked by their gender (symbolised clearly by their joint possession of female genitalia). Their bond is then shown to be as close as their internal organs – ‘heart-brain-heart-brain-heart-brain-lung-gut’. The quick flow of words makes it seem as if they merge into one another, as does the use of repetition.

So, after the strength of their bond has been so clearly emphasised, right down to a sub-dermal level, it comes as a shock when, in the next line, the narrator (or whatever you call them in a song) announces ‘I want to kill her’. Why would someone want to kill someone they feel is them - unless of course, they were suicidal, but then why would they be worried ‘it might kill me’?

This juxtaposition is continued in the next section when the three chanted ‘insults’ (‘“Feminist”, “dyke”, “whore”’) are followed by the phrase ‘I’m so pretty’, sang in mocking tones. The two contrasting ideas that these two sections evoke (the concept of ‘prettiness’ relates closely to ideas of innocence, superficiality and cuteness – not things considered synonymous to the selection of ‘insults’) are, indeed, ‘alien’ to one another.

‘She’ and ‘me’ are further separated in the following sections, where a conflict of interests is revealed: ‘she wants me to go to the mall’ and ‘put the pretty, the pretty, pretty, pretty red lipstick on’. These are what many would consider typical ‘girl’ activities – things teenage girls would enjoy doing. The lyric shows how ‘she’ – the media image of the perfect female – encourages girls to do these things, and to enjoy them.

However, the narrator realises that something more sinister is going on. The repetition of the word ‘pretty’ plays on the idea of restriction to a monosyllabic stereotype, girls being confined to the superficial state of ‘pretty’ rather than becoming their own individuals. The repeated phrase ‘she wants me to be like her’ again reinforces the theme of duality, and shows how this media image is bent on transforming girls into this ‘pretty pretty’ stereotype – clones of one another, all decked out in the same fashions, with the same hair and make up which the consumerist society targets them with.

The narrator wants to kill this stereotype, and escape to be her own person – but she is torn, afraid that in doing so she might kill herself. The ‘perfect female’ image has grown so close to the hearts of many girls, whether they like it or not, that it is something they can’t dismiss. Many girls choose to follow such ‘feminine’ pastimes as shopping and putting on makeup, and those who act or dress in ways opposing to the stereotype do so actively knowing they are, declaring themselves ‘tom boys’ or ‘not girly’. This stereotypical image of the empty ‘pretty pretty’ girl is the personification of ‘girly’, and is thus inescapable to many girls. Even if it is an image that you feel is ‘alien’ to yourself, it is still a part of you, as shown in the lyric ‘who was me, and who is she?’, where the narrator becomes confused over the identity of both herself and this stereotype – they are so contrasting, but so merged.

The final phrase, ‘I guess I’ll never know’, is an admission to the fact that the line between the female self and the image of femininity will remain indistinguishable. Social doctrines of what a girl should like and how she should act, however narrow and restrictive and unjust they may be, have been hammered into the western culture, and are not easily dismissed. Even riot grrrls and feminists accept that they are not immune to ‘feminine-desires’ to look pretty, wear lipstick, go shopping – whatever – and this does not make them any less of a feminist. And, in truth, there is nothing wrong with doing or enjoying any of these things – only the concepts of female subordination and reduction to a stereotype that are behind their creation. Throughout the riot grrrl movement, there is a desire to break the mould, be individual, be who they want to be beyond the label of ‘girl’ (hence the corruption of the word ‘girl’ in the form ‘grrrl’). But there is also a hidden fear that Bikini Kill voice in this song: what if in breaking the mould, they destroy themselves - what gives them their individual identity as women? Because Bikini Kill wanted to be considered as ‘females’ (as opposed to simply humans in an asexual light), with their individual traits and sexuality, etc; just on equal terms to men. It is hard to find a way to achieve this equality without destroying the one of the main symbols of a patriarchal society – the image of the ‘perfect’ subordinate female – which at the same time seems to uphold girl unity, and a sense of girl power (the Spice Girls type!). ‘Alien She’ presents society with a complex question that remains unanswered: ‘I guess we’ll never know’...

So... Who Is Terradoll?

Terra: from the Latin meaning ‘earth’ or ‘land’; misspelt ‘terror’.

Doll: ‘a toy in the form of a human; used to refer to or to address a woman [derogatory]; a term of endearment’ (definition from Wikitionary).

Terradoll: a female horror-child of the earth; a frightening product of the advanced capitalist society; a 17 year old grrrl from England.

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And why have I decided to write a blog?

Well, basically, my life is boring, so traditional blog-writing isn’t something that really comes naturally to me. I’ve tried to keep a couple of journals on other websites, but they’ve never worked out, and I haven’t kept a diary or anything since I was like 11 or something. So I thought I’d write about things outside of my life that have influenced it in some way - art, books, abstract concepts, whatever – things that mean or have meant something to me. And then hopefully, once these things are recorded in my ineloquent ramblings, they might inspire someone else.

Well, maybe…