alexsarll: (bernard)
Alex ([personal profile] alexsarll) wrote2007-04-03 07:21 pm

And it's so sad that I'm so glad that you're so bad for me

Just as the Hammersmith Palais bows out, it is confirmed that the Spitz is also on the endangered list. I can just about accept the sacrifice of the Astoria to Crossrail, but all these others are being replaced with shops, offices and gastropubs - things of which I've never noticed any shortage in London.

Today's mind-bogglingly Wrong, I-really-hope-this-is-a-hoax website: Thank God I.... They believe that "by becoming grateful for EVERY experience in our lives we discover that we are in fact NOT victims of circumstance but beings worthy of love and a life filled with divine porpose & inspiration!" [sic. And if only they'd typo'd one further and said 'divine porpoise' eh?] Which is a stupid bloody idea, but one with some centuries of history; they've just managed to express it in an especially queasy form by coating it in modern self-help gloss and producing such charming images as this. They're looking for stories for various forthcoming titles, so do drop them a line if you'd like to see your contribution appear in such inspiring volumes as "Thank God I Was Incested", "Thank God I Have A Small Penis", "Thank God I Am Crippled", "Thank God I Am A Dwarf/Midget", "Thank God I Had A Miscarriage" and "Thank God My Pet Died".
(Of course, coming from a christian POV they do count as afflictions some things which others might not. I can imagine a few people I know might be able to offer entirely sincere contributions to "Thank God I Am Bi-Sexual")

If a German commemoration of the war dead in 1970 had seen a senior member of their government declare "The Sudetenland is German, it always was, it always will be," nobody would have found that remotely acceptable. So how come Argentina restating their claim on the Falklands in like terms is passing with so little comment?

[identity profile] johnnybrolly.livejournal.com 2007-04-04 12:11 pm (UTC)(link)
The Spitz is one of the best venues in London. Merg!

There are some venues not currently being operated as venues proper...The Grand in Clapham is the only one I can think of a ce moment. The Kentish Town Forum - Does that have a different name these days, or has it been rubbed out completely?

There used to be three famous music pubs in Fulham. The King's Head, The Swan and The Golden Gloves. Now there are none.

If I was still in a band I'd be most depressed about all the venues closing.

[identity profile] barrysarll.livejournal.com 2007-04-04 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
You what? Last Thursday the Bull & Gate was absolutely swarming with Shins fans waiting for the (still called the) Forum to open, and over the next month or so they've also got the View, the Manics, Maximo Park, Cat Power, Marillion...and all this aside from Schooldisco now having their weekly there since they relocated from the doomed Palais.
The Clapham Grand's line-up is uninspiring, admittedly - mainly no-marks, or tribute bands playing as part of their uninspiring selection of weekly clubs. But still, it's in use.

The problem is more creeping gentrification in certain areas than city or nation-wide, I think. So yes, Fulham has fewer worthwhile venues and more tossy DJ bars - but there'll always be a new area where the venues spring up. The main problem is, the further out they're pushed, the bigger faff the transport is.