BS Johnson and the randomness of
thoughts
I picked up The Unfortunates by BS
Johnson from the library. A Christmas break book. I keep reading
about him being the great forgotten British author of the sixties.
Great is good and forgotten is a shame but not surprising. Culture
has been sabotaged by a succession of administrations that see
anything other than vocational training and acquisition aspirations
as subversion that needs stamping out. A book in a box. A beautiful
object. Open the book-shaped box and there's opening and closing
chapters, titled 'First' and 'Last' and twenty five intermediate
chapters to be read in random order in between. Signifying the random
nature of thoughts, memories, the inability of the human will to tame
the human mind. The unbound volume is presented in a paper slip,
similar to those used to hold large bundles of banknotes. The
printing I've come away with has quotes from Johnson's favoured
authors on the inner faces of the box. The e-book people would
struggle with this, wouldn't they?
Aim
Listened to Cold Water Music,
Hinterland, and Means of Production driving back. Great albums. Good
for in the car, too.
A rare night out
Out with BLISS last night. Long drive,
good meal, decent company and a nice time. Room sorted so we didn't
have to worry about driving back in the small hours. Just as well,
because a fair proportion of the roads seem to be at least partly
under water.
Nice relaxed start to the day. Cooked
breakfast. Tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Just
in time, though, as the A27 was closed later.
Wigan 0 v 1 Arsenal
Funny how bipolar the Arsenal forums
are. A win's a win. The book only ever says how many, never just
'how'. Yet the performance is criticised for being unconvincing. It
was that, undeniably. But the same folk talk about the team's
inability to win ugly when necessary.
Fantastic international T20...
...yesterday. Morgan holding his nerve,
and needing three runs to win from the last ball, despatched it back
over the bowler's head and away for six. Great game of cricket.
Clifton Chenie
Louisiana Blues and Zydeco. Listening
to this and Trombone Shorty's For True this evening. Great albums,
full of that New Orleans joy and celebration. I bet they do Christmas
well there.
The revolving door spins ever
faster...
...or the dementia's getting worse, as
I keep trying to get my head around who's where and when over the
Christmas break. Maybe if I started writing it all down...
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