(k) skateboarding be soulful and

With .-. headtothewoods With

WATT ABOUT THAT Re: Musicians Guide (441) Interesting reading your Musicians Guide. Some good information for musicians. However. no mention of Heriot- Watt Students Union as a live music venue. Shame on you! For the last three years. Heriot-Watt has prided itself on providing a platform for new bands to perform. We don't charge the bands to play; we give them a rider or payment for their trouble. We provide a good PA and a great sound engineer. and we have dedicated lighting engineers to assemble an impressive lighting rig. Surely this commitment to new talent deserved a listing as a venue in your rather good guide? Simon McDowell Vice president of services and communication (elect) via email

FEUD FOR THOUGHT Re: Beer money (442)

Why is Braithwaite being allowed to take up valuable space on the letters page with an ego-boosting feud with the Tennent's bloke? This space should be set aside for urban myths. sorry, ‘true. heart- warming stories' like that of the book left in the park.

As far as l have seen at gigs in Glasgow. 8 Braithwaite gives more attention to the beer than the bands. anyway. so what's his problem?

Tom Harkness via email

MONARCH OF THE GLUM

Re: Republican Comedy Special (441)

I was very disappointed with the so-called comedy at the Republican Comedy Special at the Stand. We had gone with the hope of escaping the jubilee celebrations with some 'republican' humour. Instead we were met with a virtual word for word repeat routine from the headline act Vladimir McTavish that we had heard only about four weeks

2 THE LIST 20 Jun—4 Jul 2002

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previously in the same venue. The only difference was that the routine had ‘fuck the queen!‘ interspersed throughout. Jane McKay was only slightly better with her monotonous Scotland/English jokes. The evening was only saved by the extremely talented Frankie Boyle and some excellent bantering from the audience. Ruth Green via email

GLASGOW CRAPULOUS

Re: the new ha ha (442)

I couldn't agree more with All from the Jengaheads about Glasgow Fabulous. The cartoon strip is. for want of a better word. crap and I’m sure the only reason there hasn't been a letter from any of the ‘targets’ is because people will think that ‘these people can't take a joke.‘

This is why I feel l have to support Ali. It's not funny. topical or valuable as an artform and are these guys so sad that they have nothing better to do with their time than to hang about every club and try and get some unfunny angle on a thing that nobody gives a shit about?

How about for the next few issues you devote that wee bottom quarter page to free adverts for all people targeted by Glasgow 'fabulous’ for whatever reason they see fit. Jon McCue Atmosphere co-ordinator via email

DEAD GOOD Re: Six Feet Under (442) Those who watched the first episode of the new HBO drama Six Feet Under on Channel 4 might be interested to know that the music used during the crystal meth scene was written and performed by Glasgow based band Spylab. The track is called ‘Celluloid Hypnotic'. taken from the album This Utopia (Guidance Recordings) released on 16 June.

The Americans might be the best at making TV dramas. but they still have to involve the Scots when it comes to finding the best music . . .

Kenny Inglis Spylab via email

SOAPED UP THE WRONG WAY

Re: Six Feet Under (442)

I note that the front cover and leading article of The List are once again given to the latest American TV soap. Meanwhile international events happening within our cities (sports in general. the Royal Highland Show. the World Flower show . . .) receive no more than a passing mention.

Surely the advantage of living in Glasgow/Edinburgh is that we are offered a variety of activities that is rich enough for us not to have to stay in? Isn't that. principally, what The List should be about?

Personally speaking, if I wanted to spend my ‘15 days to live' sat on my arse in front of the telly, I would move to Auchtermuchty and buy a subscription to Cable TV Guide.

Laurence Grove via email

HANGING HANGOVER Re: Where the art is (442)

l have just finished my degree at Edinburgh College of Art in tapestry. The article on 'Where the Art is' by Helen Monaghan gave some welcome exposure to the degree shows. but I found the “Buyer's Guide' offensive in parts. The article paints a negative image of art students. by encouraging the buyer to haggle over the prices as 'it's not uncommon for artists to raise their prices for degree shows'.

As a 32-year-old mature student. who has struggled to finance the last four years, I would like to point out there are many students. some older and some younger. who are not well off and who are relying on sales to recover some of

the debt incurred from a four year art degree. The remark that 'students may well be nursing hangovers' adds to this patronising tone.

There are many students who take their work extremely seriously and have worked unbelievably long hours for the last few months in order to get this far. Perhaps a little more emphasis on the positive side of at students and their work would have been more welcome. Come and see my show (I won't have a hangoven.

Fiona Walker

via email

(Students with hangovers? What could we have been thinking of? Ed)

SAMPLE ARGUMENT Re: Insider (442)

Your Insider column reckons that: ‘All the evidence shows that the opportunity to sample music makes people more likely to go out and sample music: not less.‘

Well. is that so? Just imagine applying the same dumb reasoning to other products. Next time you fancy walking out of a newsagent with a pile of unpaid magazines. see what happens when you tell the owner you're sampling them.

Actually. I quite fancy sampling a few high performance cars. No doubt my experience will make me more inclined to go out and buy one. In the meantime. I'm sure the car showroom will look sympathetically at my desire to joyride.

Come on! Why should music be different to any other product? It still costs musicians time and talent to record. It still costs record companies money and investment to reach you. It still costs shop keepers to sell it to you.

Just because home taping didn’t kill music. doesn't mean it made it thrive. How would you like it if I started ‘sampling' The List?

Amanda Robinson via email

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Film Miles Fielder

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