settling in & manda rin :::
A big part of settling in to my gorgeous new turquoise studio has been sorting through all the boxes I didn’t open in my last, more transitory abode. Recycling bags have been filled with assorted paper based crap, including once-exciting items like old tour itineraries, backstage passes and the like. The sort of stuff I always think I should keep to do something with later, but so far haven’t. I know people who actually have gone off and made lovely collages of tour memorabilia for their walls and it’s a nice idea, but even if I do get round to it one day I don’t need a bajillion of them.
This week I started sorting through the piles of CDs I’ve been carting from one home to another throughout my nine years in London. I was surprised at the memories that flooded back when I cast my eye over such classics as ‘The Score’ by The Fugees and ‘Crazy Sexy Cool’ by TLC. Top 40 r ‘n’ b was a big part of the soundtrack to my early teens; having spent three years abroad with no decent radio stations I was oblivious to guitar music until just after grunge imploded. But I also spent a happy hour singing along to ‘On’ by Echobelly – I still know pretty much all the words – and revelling in the delights of ‘Social Dancing’ by Bis.
Coincidentally, I met former Bis frontwoman Manda Rin last week at the BBC last week when she was taking part in Never Mind The Buzzcocks and got to have a quick chat with her. What a lovely woman – very friendly and pleased to hear my (reasonably restrained) gushings about how much I loved her band when I was at school and how inspirational the lyrics were. And they really were. ‘I’m A Slut’ made a massive impression on me – not least because I was going out with an extremely jealous and possessive boy at the time – and has definitely affected my songwriting. Biting feminist commentary in a cheeky electroey pop song? Yes please!
Bis – I’m A Slut
Have I done something to upset you?
Was my dress a bit too see through?
Was it talking to that boy I knew?
Don’t you like my brand new hairdo?
You tell me I deserve this
Cos I’m a slut and I provoke you to do
These things to me
Why can’t I wear makeup tonight?
Don’t really think my t-shirt’s too tight
Going out can’t let me out your sight
Can I see my friends without a fight?
You tell me I deserve this
Cos I’m a slut and I provoke you to do
These things to me
Always tell me I still need you
Always tell me you don’t mean to
Always tell me I still need you
Always tell me you don’t mean to
Tell me when I talk I am a flirt
I agree, I prefer the long skirt
How nice of you to let me not work
I’ll do anything to make you not hurt
You tell me I deserve this
Cos I’m a slut and I provoke you to do
These things to me
Manda has some great new solo material coming out soon and I came across this excellent interview where she not only discusses music and the internet and being a solo artist as opposed to being in a band, but proves you don’t have to be an arrogant tosser to make music:
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