Call me Raven...
 

... or don't, because that would just be stupid since it's not my name.

Hello all, I'm Disaffected Shoelaces. I'm about to have an episode of narcissism in which I talk about myself for ages and ages.

I love to read, and do as much of that as I can. I’ve just left school and am about to start college, where I’m going to be studying A-Levels in philosophy, psychology, English literature and sociology – I’m pretty excited about that. I try to read plenty of non-fiction as well as novels and stuff.

What else? Hmmm. I love to be stoned and am fascinated by, but a little scared of, harder drugs. I love music (who doesn’t?), and am hoping to be introduced to some new bands or artists here. I also draw and write shitty poetry, short stories and plays.

I have a passion for comedy, and rank stand-up as one of the most difficult art forms in existence. My favourite stand-up comedians are Bill Bailey, Bill Hicks, Russell Peters and Richard Pryor. Again, I’d love to hear new suggestions so if anyone has any then hit me. I love comedy shows too.

I’m from Essex (yeah! You’re gonna get your fuckin’ ‘eads kicked in), UK.

Favourite author… oooh, tough one. If I had to narrow it down it’s be between Kurt Vonnegut, Angela Carter, Philip Larkin and John Fante (who I came to through Bukowski, another favourite). Films I like are Vertigo, Taxi Driver, Wilt, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, Mulholland Drive, Fargo, Barton Fink, and a lot of crap I’m not going to own up to.

I don’t want to die. Death scares me quite a lot. Hopefully I’ll feel differently when I’m crippled with arthritis and most of the people I’ve ever known are gone. Sod caskets, just give my corpse to a necrophiliac, so at least someone gets something out of my complete annihilation. Remember kids, recycle!

My music tastes change all the time. A few core favourites are The Fall, The Pogues, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Miles Davis, Dead Can Dance and Tom Waits. I love soul and am starting to get a taste for punk, although my selection is very limited at the mo’. I started getting into classical a while ago, and am currently in a folk phase of collecting random obscure CDs of drinking songs, folk ballads etc, and embarrassing my friends by singing to myself in public. As you can probably see, I’m not much of a goth.

Hello and welcome, I hope you enjoy your time here !!!. :)

Welcome! Something tells me you'd get along quite well with my fiance.

Thank you! :)

Welcome.

Hehe Essex :p Really though most places seem as bad as everywhere else now.

Anyway you sound like you'll fit in fine here. I usually link new people to this when they're looking for bands so: Click here. Might enjoy something there. Enjoy your stay.

I like you a lot.

You have excellent taste in movies.

Yeah, I was thinking that. Plus, Tom Waits, Miles Davis, Russell Peters, John Fante and Charles Bukowski are all in there. This person is awesome.

Cheers for that, I'm watching as we speak. I've heard of a lot of those guys, but apart from JD nearly all of the music is completely new to me.

Thanks for the welcomes, JCC and gothicusmaximus. To the latter: like I said, I also watch a lot of shit I'd never admit to in public. But online I'll just be pretentious and make like I only watch / listen to / read intellectually stimulating and improving stuff. Shhh!

Somebody gunna get a-hurt real bad!!!!

Oh man, I'm so fucking happy I can exchange Russell Peters quotes with someone.

Haha, I only found him recently but he's quickly become one of my favourites. Chen! It say here yu gotta F on your report card! *Kung Fu stance*

Non-sequitur: holy god, I forgot to mention Bob Dylan in the music portion of my shameless self-whoring! *hoists Bob back on throne*

Oh man. I like you. Stay.

Wow, you guys are a very welcoming bunch. Thanks for making me feel at home. I think I'm gonna like it here.

What's your favourite Dylan album? I like Blonde On Blonde.

"THEY'LL STONE YOU WHEN YOU WON'T GIVE UP YOUR SEAT!"

Musical poetry and Rosa Parkes brought together in a beautiful amalgamy of coolness. I salute you Mr Dylan.

It's a joint honour that goes to Highway 61 and The Freewheeling BD. I know he made brilliant folk, but Highwsay 61 is just genius. Tombstone Blues is one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Blonde On Blonde is amazing, though. It's so hard to choose.

I had this teacher that thought Dylan was God. I love Dylan, but Waits > Dylan for me. Did you know that the hooting and wailing in Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 is actually John Lennon and Paul McCartney completely wasted on drugs? (Or at least, that's what my teacher told me. Maybe he was bullshitting.) Dylan wouldn't record the song until everyone got high and drunk. Made the track so much better.

I couldn't choose between Bob and Tom. They both have this ability to make something so fucking beautiful it hurts to listen, then to switch on you and make evil songs like Masters of War or Like a Rolling Stone or The Rag.

Re: the drugs - have you seen No Direction Home? Lots of backstage footage of Dylan tripping his arse off. And it brings home how young he was - he looks about my age.

What's your favourite Tom Waits album? Alice is fantastic, obviously, but I'm in love with Mule Variations.

Depends what characteristics of Waits' career we're talking about.

For his fun, off-beat jazz style, Nighthawks At The Diner is fantastic. Great atmosphere with the live crowd, great songs (he performed Eggs and Sausage on the Don Lane show, that was awesome), and he's a funny guy.

For experimentation, Real Gone or Mule Variations. Real Gone's opener had turntables. TURNTABLES!!!!!!

For ballads, Alice, no doubt.

For the most wide choice, Rain Dogs.

For balls-to-the-walls rawk, Orphans: Brawlers.

I could talk about Waits a lot. :D

I've never heard Nighthawks at the Diner. Will take a look though, soon as I get paid. I'm poor at the mo'. :(

Orphans is awesome though. I found some of Dylan's bootlegs pretty disappointing.

If you're talking about Dylan's live shows, it's because the guy was always stoned. In the bad way, rather than the funny way.

Yeah, I wouldn't bother going to see him now. My brother went a couple of years ago and he said it just wasn't worth it. Mind you, people say the same about The Pogues, but I'd still go just to be in a room with Shane MacGowan. I REALLY want to see The Fall live, but since they often play in bars I'll probably have to wait until I turn eighteen. I can usually pull it off with make-up, but the thought of buying a ticket, building it up then being asked for ID and turned away has stopped me. I just hope Mark E Smith's still alive in two years' time... if he dies before I get to see them, I will be REALLY annoyed.

I tried to get tickets for Tom Waits European tour this year, but being Tom Waits, it sold out in like, twenty minutes. Sucks.

The Pogues are hilarious, the vocalist has a big bottle of whiskey that he has at the gigs, and it's guaranteed that he'll finish it by the end of the show, hahaha.

I heard from a documentary that he has a habit of going awol and making a beeline for the nearest pub just before gigs. Maybe I'll just follow them around and haunt the nearest boozer instead of buying tickets.

Welcome to the boards!!! :D

I like the courses that you're going to be taking. I don't know how much my schedule for university let me take. You seem like an interesting person.

Enjoy your stay!

Thank you! I chose those courses because pretty much everything I want to know about the world is in them. Of course, I'll probably come out of philosophy class wondering if one can ever really know anything... o_O