dots and spaces

Cape Town

Out in Cape Town with work and am awoken by seals that sleep on the pontoon below my hotel window. They bark like big dogs and I watch them for hours, so full of personality. Spent the last couple of days escaping the waterfront and visited Robben Island to see the small cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years. We were shown around by an ex-political prisoner who had been incarcerated there, it was humbling stuff and makes you feel very lucky and very priviliaged.

Table Mountain frames everything and you get your co-ordinates here by looking up. It reminds me a little of Grenoble, with the mountains rising up just beyond the spread of the city. Waves are big at the beach and crash down with dynamite boom. This must be why all the hip hop bands use huge bass sounds - there are tons of great record shops and if you ask for some recommendations then there's a real mix of stuff you can get to hear. I'll be home with some fine tunes.

photos and links when I get back - I'm in one of those backpacker internet cafes.

Jon Burgerman

Jon very kindly completed the dotsandspaces quiz and I'd like you to go and have a look at all his doodles at jonburgerman.com and also Biro web which I really enjoyed. Jon told me that "Biro-web started as a section on jonburgerman.com many years ago (1999-2000) along with things like Flea Gallery and Finger Disko... but in 2001 it became it's own site as it was out growing it's space on jonburgerman.com
The other sections died away leaving jonb.com as it is today.." I really like the style and the figures are small and a bit scary, like wicked little thoughts you get during the day. I know that Jon's work is very well regarded amongst you drawing types, and if I hadn't been tipped off at The Monkey Nuts, and visited nopaper, then I'm sure i would have come to Jon Burgerman in the end. I'm sure we all wish Jon well and look forward to speaking to him again in the future.

Kid Carpet (and Willy Mason)

All hail Kid Carpet and his new record that includes the best version of Jump by Van Halen that I've ever heard. He has a website here and just to give you an idea, there's a gig review here. I think Mr Carpet follows closely in the tradition of The Phil Collins 3. He was quite simply magnificent, and we all especially enjoyed his song about Badgers sleeping by the dual carriageway - that how he sees it. All instruments purchased very cheaply, including the bad boy keyboard that he got from a car booty, with power adaptor and manual. He was very proud of this. The japanese toysrus guitar has the best sounds, all those kids instruments that he uses as the tools of his trade, he uses to devastating effect.

Also should mention Willy Mason, who actually headlined this gig at The Wedge. He was accompanied by his brother on drums, and was elegant and sublime. Oxygen sounded wonderful and he left us all with a good fuzzy feeling as we spilled out.

Steamboy

Following on from last month's mention of Akira is the news that a new film called Steamboy is due out any moment from Katsuhiro Otomo. I'm really looking forward to this one. As always, the visual detail looks amazing, and I'm excited because i got Metropolis and it reminded me that there should be something on the way...

Vote X Election 2005

So now the ominous sounding date of 05/05/05 has been announced as the date for a General Election, and it is incumbent on us all to vote, even if its a resounding No to everyone on the list. I think that its important that everyone have a little think about who they want to run the country.

First thing you have to do is register and you can find out here at Aboutmyvote.co.uk which has all the necessary info. Once you're elegible, you need to have a think about the issues, there's lots of info out there, from places like The BBC's Election 2005 site, The Blair Watch Project which is an Election blog by The Guardian, They work for you, which is superb, you can even put in your postcode and find out who you MP is and what they've achieved and how precarious they're hold on power is.

Also worth mentioning is Rob's Election Blog which is from the heart of a Libdem campaign office, regardless of how you want to vote it provides an interesting insight; Radio One's sister station 1Xtra has the lowdown at Xelect and finally, if you want to find lots more look at the Keele Uni site which has lists of Election sites.

If you don't vote, then that's a choice too, but you should reflect on the issues, just a little X on a card makes a difference, then you can get back to Important work and feel you did the right thing.

Tipi West

As the big day approaches, those in the know will have got a little invitation to a cracking weekend at Tipiwest in Wales. I know that I didn't want to spend a weekend in town, with all it entails, but instead thought we'd opt for somewhere, a long way from home and all the better for it. I saw this on the Howies site (there's a new catalogue out - if you want, I can lend you my copy, although its well thumbed). In fact I got a few things in the shop in Cardigan, including a "You are here" T-shirt for Chris. There are quite a few tipi's at Tipi West, and the site sleeps around 20 people comfortably. If you want to have a look, hit the link above and you'll get all the details. It'll be a great weekend I know and I'm really looking forward to bedding down in a Tipi.