James profile picture

James

Beware Shakespeare / Bring fresh air.

About Me

I'm James. most people know me because I'm in the band Mumm~ra. I live in Bexhill and play guitar and listen to music. It's a nice life. If you love Russia then I wouldn't mind a chat.

My Interests

music. Sometimes it can remove you from this plateau altogether. I love to play guitar. I love going to gigs. I like discovering new bands and records a lot! The other day I saw a band called Beat the Devil live and they blew me away. I just stumbled across them. Their cd isn't so good though. I like whims as well because they often suprise and delight. Traveling. Reading the odd book. My favourite is Gormenghast. That is indeed THE odd book. The sea especially where it laps Bexhill's shore. The weather always changes in England and I like that. The fields and woods of East Sussex. I love tea, especially after coming in from walking along the beach in the rain, or the woods. Free food. Like stinging nettles. I like watching and playing football with Mad Jon, and the rest of Mumm-ra and friends. I like drawing. People with pencils, mostly. Sometimes the end result is worthwhile. Fishing is good, even though I haven't done it for ages. Art. I also hate art. Most of it's just not that good. Poker. Cooking. I am lucky to have good friends and family who I enjoy spending time with (mostly!) I like going out and getting drunk sometimes.

I'd like to meet:

People who have done interesting things with their lives, and people for whom every day beautiful, impractical ideas fall upon the rotten lawn of their mind. Gorky's fans.

Music:

Some of my favourites are Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (rest in Peace), Pixies, Jonquil, The Beatles, The White Stripes, Sigur Ros, Archie Bronson Outfit, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Karen Dalton, Beta Band, The Chap, Four Tet, Flotation Toy Warning..... ..... Grandaddy, The Flaming Lips, Electrelane, British Sea Power, The Kinks, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nick Cave, Beth Gibbons, Vashti Bunyan, The Books, Slint, Mercury Rev, Love, Deerhoof, Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Caribou, The Monks, The Sonics, Jaga Jazzist, Aphex Twin, Jamie Liddel, Wolf Parade, M.I.A, Kraftwerk, Quasimoto, Mew, Sybille Baier, Cat Power, The Teadrop Explodes, Sonic Youth, Johnny Cash, Mum, My Bloody Valentine, Mystery Jets, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits...... I like jazz, as long as it is stylish and or challenging. I'm into delta blues like Son House and Robert Johnson. I love the Chess label, Stax Records, Sun. I love Soul Jazz compilations, Dub Reggae, Ragas, traditional folk music... I love sixties garage and psyche... I have a very wide music taste! Some great stuff I recently got into includes Paavoharju (a Finnish band of Christians that sound like nothing else), Wolf Eyes, Merz, Kimmo Pohjonnen (accordian terrorist), Guido Mobius, Jaga Jazzist, Kim Hiorthoy, Barney Wilen (french jazz bloke with mind blowing concept album called Moshi), Basil Kirchin, Melt Banana (the craziest band ever), Lightning Bolt, The Locust, Grinderman, The Electric Prunes, New Body, Moondog, Satoru Wono, Jonquil, Boxhead Ensemble, and Nico's unique solo albums). Some bands who I personally know and who should be huge and successful are Gintis, Dead! Dead! Dead!, The Flavonoids (don't give up), and Youngplan.The best song of all time I reckon is Happiness is a Warm Gun by the Beatles.If you wish, join me on Last.fm to we see what music lots of other people and I are listening to and share discoveries. It's actually a cool site and worth joining. My Last.fm name is: teameister This is what I’m listening toClick here to join for free, or learn more.

Movies:

My Favourite Film is Koyaanisqatsi, which has a soundtrack by Phillip Glass. Also the new one, "Powaaqatsi" is genius.I really like.....Pi and Requiem For A Dream. Belleville Rendez-Vous. Withnail and I. Black Cat White Cat. Los Amorres Perros. Hana Bi. Japon. I love slow films. Breathless. Brick. Battleship Potemkin. And the best ever is the Snowman. I haven't seen that many films though.

Television:

Snowman, The Office (and Extras), Bullseye, Popped In Crashed out (Phil Alexander is a bona fide legend), Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Young Ones, Alan Partridge, Lost, Have I Got News... televised poker, ITV freescreen... David Attenborough is a legend too. Telly's an excuse not to go and do something. It's annoying!

Books:

Gormenghast, indeed anything by Mervyn Peake. The Outsider by Albert Camus. Chronicles by Bob Dylan. Life of Pi by Yan Martell. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. Crow by Ted Hughes. The poetry of Dylan Thomas. The poetry of Charles Bukowski. Breakfast Of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Kes by Barry Hines. In Siberia by Colin Thuberon. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Blood Meridian by Comac McCarthy. In The Penal Colony by Franz Kafka. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Rip It Up And Start Again by Simon Reynolds. A Time Of Gifts and Between The Woods And The Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor...... history books. Cookery books.

Heroes:

My personal heroes are Bob Dylan and the Beatles, because everyone else is either making love or else expecting rain.