How Does It Feel To Be Misunderstood

The How Does It Feel To Be Loved messageboard has been having a go at us here over at FET Towers for our comments on the club.
I’d like to address a few of the points they raise.

Ian (the DJ/promoter) said: “Perhaps he asked for a specific Hobgoblins b-side and I didn't have it.”

I have no Hobgoblins, and I am confident that position won’t change. However, if I’m missing out on something, maybe someone could let me know.

Ian continued: “Anyway, my cover's blown, my secret's out. It's all been a sham. All of those Field Mice and Orchids and St Christopher reviews that were written by me in the late Eighties…”

C’mon, I said almost clueless. I’m not convinced that a thin slice of bands from one record label really gives us the best defence of having your ear to the (under)ground. It’s just that almost every time someone requests a record via your messageboard your stock response seems to be, “Don’t know that. I’ll see if I can download it.”

Dianne: “Am I completly stupid, or is that man confused. Or am I confused?”

You’re certainly confused; I don’t know about the stupid, but you can’t spell…

Ian: “I don't think he's slagging the club off - he's saying that attitude is a good thing too. He's just saying that I don't know much about pre-B&S indiepop. What he really means, of course, is that I don't play as much pre-B&S indiepop as he'd like.”

No, Ian, I’m not suggesting you don’t play enough of any certain thing. I’m just surprised at your general ignorance of music. I know you have a coterie of fans on your website, some who are clearly disturbed by the revelation that you are not the King of Indie, but I do find it surprising when I read the messageboard at how little you know about music generally. I mean, you’d never heard of R Dean Taylor for fuck’s sake.

Felters said: “Next time the reviewer comes to the club, Ian, you'd better play him the whole of Demonstration Tapes eh?”
Ian said: “What's that?”

I say, QED. And if I wanted to play the whole of Demonstration Tapes, I’d stay at home; the only song from it that I’d ever want to hear in a club is How Come You’re Such A Hit With The Boys, Jane?

Ash said: “A serious case of point-missery and inverted snobbery there I feel ..... The assumption that HDIF and your DJ policy is completely indie is 100% wrong..... its HALF indie... Unless soul has become indie all of a sudden ...
Oh well, I guess he can walk around with his Tufty Club T-shirt chest all puffed out because he knows more about indie than you...”

And I say, a serious case of you missing the point, sir. I made no such assumption about HDIF; the music policy is stated quite clearly on the website and I have been to the club enough times to be quite aware of its remit.

Sure, I probably know more about indie than Ian does. So do a lot of people who go to the club. But as I made clear, that’s why people go the club – it’s not a place where indie snobbery is encouraged. These clubs – and this is where I think you missed the point (or did you not, in fact, read the same article as other people?) – have much in spirit of the original indie scene from the mid-80s.

I was not having a go at the club or at anyone who attends. I merely professed my surprise that the promoter, to my mind, is ignorant about a lot of music. He is, though, helped by the people who go there about new and old music, who in turn introduce each other to good music new and old (whether it’s indie or soul). It’s a mutually beneficial process, with Ian, too, introducing people to music of which they were previously unaware. Do you see? Of course you do. That’s why you go there.