Picture by A Quick Flash (I'm in here somewhere)
Last year I attended the Waterfront Festival as reviewer for the Nottingham Post and regretted taking on the assignment as I realised what I had taken on. Starting at noon on Saturday I returned home at around three o'clock the next morning and had to write the piece up for the paper before I could go to bed, by which time it was getting light outside. As gig-going mistakes go this was right up there with not booking the Monday following the Hockley Hustle off work, and a mistake I do not intend to repeat. This year's Waterfront will be written up by someone else while I enjoy myself as a customer, while I am sure it will be a good write up it will of course lack something, then again my review lacked something which is why I wrote a more honest and less polite account on my blog. Funnily enough I was told a while ago that the outdoor stage is going to be a bit more mixed up than last year as a result of my criticism so I look forward to the results, and having seen a poster containing all the names of those performing it looks like being an exceptional day for Nottingham music - certainly better than the fucking Splendour Festival.
The reason I bring this up now is despite my reluctance to review it I support the festival and hold great admiration for the tireless promotion company that is I'm Not From London so I wanted to do something to help. My contribution this year took place today when I pitched up at the INFL nerve centre in Hockley to record an interview with the company's founder Will Robinson. I have started a new system when interviewing people which seems to be working and I might continue with this unorthadox technique - I plan ahead and write down a list of relevant questions to ask. Seriously, if you're going to interview someone then plan ahead and you won't look like you're floundering - you can have that advice for free Notts TV.
My day's work was recording the interview and now I have to transcribe it, if you are someone who has to transcribe from a recording to text then you will know what a monumental pain in the bollocks of a task this is. It really has to be the worst thing in the world apart from all the things that are actually worse; famine, disease, rape, murder, racism, and people talking at gigs for example. The finished article doesn't have to be on the editor's desk (or inbox) for a few weeks yet so I could get straight on with it and have it in the paper's possession in plenty of time like a dedicated journalist and maybe be given the nickname 'Scoop' and finally earn my trilby hat with a small piece of card bearing the word 'press' sticking out of the band. On the other hand, I could piss about taking photographs of ice-cream vans and tweeting about crisps until the day before the deadline.
The Sunday Alternative will return soon.
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June housekeeping
The audio book of Bowie Day (a short story inspired by A Christmas Carol) will be released on August 31st. In the meantime the book can be downloaded to your Kindle from here.
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steveEoliver@gmail.com
