I’m listening to this Flaming Lips album because Frances has referenced it in her excellent and impressionistic OOIOO article, and I wanted to make sure that I too felt Yoshimi P-We’s own output was far more fascinating then the rather mainstream Lips album title implied. And yes, of course…although this record is slowly creeping up and snuffling in my ear like Flaming Lips records used to do. Although I could do without the calculated nods to Noughties production. (We had a discussion about that word yesterday, me and Katrina and intern Alex: we agreed we didn’t like it, but it seems we have no choice. The Nothings would seem to be more appropriate. But that was what yesterday was like: laughter and coffee and frolicking with cat Poppy in the sun and rain, and open-mouthed awe at the wonderful job Andrew Clare has done designing the new Media section for issue 0, and dictionary battles, and banter. Banter is good.)

Ah, sorry for my absence.
I’ll give you 10 significant recent events in the life of Mr Everett True as we attempt to battle the forces of complacency. And then hopefully we can all be friends again.

1) Last Wednesday: Plan B night at the Albert - the return of Jamie and ET’s Quizatron, Jon Slade’s birthday, just one team recognised the lyrics to ‘Enter Sandman’, on the Fiendish Picture Round a few people (alright, me) thought Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry was Frank Sinatra, A Question Of Pain ran away with the first prize of two tickets to a Concorde2 show of their choice (Slade came undone on the Euro Visions round), someone supplied a crate of beer, I got to play Aaron Neville singing the theme from The Mickey Mouse Club, only 15 people entered because there was a clash with the sparkly and delicate Blonde Redhead…Don’t type the words Blond Redhead into a search engine seeking to check your spelling unless you want ‘1000s of free redhead pubes pics”…

2) David McNamee has disappeared. No one else on Plan B understands what it’s like to go out and have a good time with people who actually like them, apparently. So he’s fucked off until we learn. This doesn’t make putting the pilot issue of Plan B together very easy, particularly as we’re on our final few days of deadlines, and we have no idea what album reviews have and haven’t been commissioned. So if you’re a contributor and reading this, maybe you could drop Frances a line and check to see whether she’s got your review? Thanks. I knew you’d understand.

3) Coco Rosie were superb. Harp, human beatbox, toy instruments, handheld tape recorders, two incredibly posh and stuck-up females - so incredibly attractive, obviously - one affecting a deranged child’s voice, the other all operatic and sweeping from side to side. Nice! Really enjoyed them, even though the soundsystem thumping through from upstairs at the Penthouse was frequently louder than their voices. Nice! In interview, we soon bonded on a shared love of cooking, and style. Not that I have much. Their album is just so beguiling and poised mysterious. I’m sure it’ll be the only one they make, before they move onto arthouse cinema.

4) Everyone here at Plan B is in awe of Hannah Gregory, 16-years-old and writing like a champ. Shame on you Klang, for not bothering to take the time to reply to Hannah’s questions with the respect and courtesy they deserved. You should hang your heads.

5) Got the finished version of my White Stripes book back. Man, Andrew did a fine job on the design.

6) Got some posters printed up of the cover to the pilot issue of Plan B. Yes! That blue. That lab technician. That syringe being stuck straight into the chick’s eyeball. Just need some cover lines now… ;O)

7) Been groovin’ on the reissued Modern Lovers album - Back In Your Life and Modern Lovers Live - for a solid two weeks now, and been absolutely shocked at the number of interns who’ve never heard of Jonathan. Man. This is summer music like I’ve haven’t enjoyed summer music since The Undertones.

8) Been groovin’ on all the fabulous Fantagraphics and Top Shelf comics I’ve been sent too, particularly the sweet and childishly spooky Van Helsing’s Night Off, the first volume of The Complete Peanuts (Charlie Brown & co, before any taint of popularism touched their world) and James Kochalka, of course. And those editions of The Comics Journal! Possibly the most beautiful magazine in the entire world…

9) …unless that honour goes to the new Loose Lips Sink Ships. Oh. My. God. How incredible is this?

10) Frances and Sarah and Andrew so have my respect and admiration.

Posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2004by Everett True