Nostalgia, regrets and remorse.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life.

I keep making mistakes (when will I learn?) and I have plenty of regrets, but I'm in two minds, I've I'd have done it all differently, would I feel any happier? Would I have accomplished more? Would I be any different?

Well, here's a little list of the big decisions, it's a little of my insides for you to look at.

Birmingham - I love and hate this city. It's horrible, but I've some of the greatest people I could ever hope to meet here. I want to leave, but I don't want to leave those friends, and I definately don't want to leave the bands! It's a horrible city where everyone is horrible, there's no grass, and no comunity. Worst of all, there's fuck all music scene. But I love my house... and I love anarchy... I just don't know what to do!

University - Why did I ever go to Aston? Because it was what I was supposed to do, if only I'd listened to my brother, and just told my parents that I wasn't sure about uni. Perhaps I'd have done a gap year and how my life would've been different...

Music - You know what, I really don't know if I could've done much more here! I joined every band that wanted me, I play with anyone that asks me, and I fucking go for it. I'm scared it's now too late, the 18-21 gap is gone. I just hope thats not the end of my chances.

Girls - I want to experience (yes, I mean sleep with) all of the pretty girls that I went to school with, all of the pretty girls I've met over the years. It just seems like a wasted oppurtunity... So much fun could've been had.

Everyone - every cool person I met and never got to know. Where are you all now?

In the end, I've missed out on a lot, but I've also done my fair share. My mission in life is to make an impact, to be rememebered for something more than just being alive. To have truely existed, and not be forgotten. Or at least to experience everything I can.

There's millions of things I haven't done, people I haven't met, places I haven't been, and I want to do as much as I can before I blink out of here.

So, changing subject somewhat. If you can offer me an experience (I will consider almost anything) Whether it's going to see a new town, playing a new game, even just going to a new pub, I am up for it.

Please, just invite me along, and be friendly!

Hell, I'll do the Fight Club thing if I can!

blogs, twitter, facebook and more

Yeah,

I just watched a rather facinating video on twitter, involved Andrew Dubber and Steve Lawson (New Music Strategies Steve Lawson) about twitter and how it can be used essentially as a great marketing tool. Which in many ways supports my theory on how everything is marketing.

But, in a world of millions of people, thousands of musicians, hundreds of communities, does the impersonal twitter really make much difference. Now Steve and Andrew are both very much supporters of Twitter, and while I'm a user, I really find it rather dull (with the exception of the excellent Sockington). I don't follow anyone that twitters unnesesarily, so I don't get the really shit posts, but I still don't give enough of a shit about anyone else to really want to know what they're doing all the time!

My point is, with so many posts, no-one reads them all, and so, just like myspace the quality is drowned in a flood of crap.

Blogs are great, if you want to spend your life reading. Like newspaper columbs for people that can't get printed. Again, there's some amazing stuff out there, but again, a lot of it is shit, totall wastefull shit. I guess in many ways, mine isn't worth reading either :( but my point remains.

Sure, you'd be crazy not to be on every site in the world, it's a great way to spread your name about, but it doesn't sell records, it doesn't make you friends. It opens doors, and lets be honest, there's more than enough open doors for you already.

I've found that one of the best ways to sell tickets to my gigs is to flirt with girls on myspace. It's shameless and rather banal at times, but it comes down to basic one-on-one human interation. These people don't come to see us just on a few flirty messages, I usually have to msn them, maybe meet them at another gig.

Basically, it comes down to real face to face charm! Until you've really got some momentum, your best bet at making real fans, is by making real friends. Admittable these friends should be people that will like your band, but still. Strangers don't meet strangers much, although i expect this is less the case with older generations.

So, now I've totally lsot track of what I was saying...

Yes! Use every avaialble resource to plug you, your band, your product, but if you want true support, make new friends! Friends that love what you do, and will support that, not because they're obligated, but because they want to. These people will get you off the floor. Unfortunately, not much further, but it's a start ;)

So, use what you want, but in the end - make time for real people, you need them!