Things that don’t rock today: e-mails like the one I have just received (yeah, serves me right for making it easier to drop me a line from this page). Because I quite like the person in question, I shan’t quote them verbatim, or publish their name or e-mail address. I am kind like that. They’ve already had a private mail in response, but I tend to operate on the assumption that if one person actually says it, then another bunch are thinking it.

Gist of the e-mail: They like Sequential Tart but think that I was just recommending my friends articles. Their contention was that I was just being nice to my friends, and my recommendation of ST was debased as a result. So full disclosure: I’ve known Lee Atchison on-and-off for years, on-line. I have never actually met Lee and look forward to doing so in San Diego this year. Lee has been very helpful in providing hosting and assistance for Ninth Art. I like Lee.

Back in January, I described Andrea as “intelligent, attractive, and generally pleasant company”, having only met her a few times. I’ve since got to know Andrea better, and I remain more than happy to stand by that. In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have read the review (because the link to it didn’t mark it out as being a review of Nick Cave), but I went to the concert in question with Andrea, she sent me an early draft of the review to read, and I wanted to see what had changed between that draft and the final version. I like Andrea.

I don’t recall ever having had any contact with Katherine Keller. She’s been described to me as a decent human being. I am entirely prepared to believe this.

My point, though: None of any of the above matters. Not a bit of it.

I said it the other week: I don’t say things I don’t mean. I certainly don’t pay insincere compliments. It’s a revolting fucking habit that cheapens both the person giving and worse, the person recieving the compliment. It’s a rotten thing to do. Likewise, when I link to something on here, and say that it’s worth your attention, I mean it. I don’t mean “You should be looking at my friend’s work”. I don’t mean “I think I ought to be paying my mate a compliment”. I mean exactly what I say: I think it’s worth your attention. You may not agree, which is fair enough. If you’re reading this even semi-regularly, I’m sure you have a fair idea whether you like the same sort of things I do, and can make your own call about whether or not my opinion is worth listening to.

If all I wanted to do was pay my friends compliments, I could do it much more easily that by posting on here. I have their e-mail, phone numbers, and other means to get in touch. Doing it via a blog that they may or may not read seems like a pretty fucking stupid way to do it. Besides, I try and assume that they’re not reading, as much as I can. I’d be a fool to say that the knowledge that a few people I know read this doesn’t affect what I say here, but that means I tend to ignore certain topics entirely, rather than water down what I would have to say on the topic. But I certainly don’t alter what I write in order to please them or anyone else. This is my rantpoint, and if I’m not honest in what I write on it, then what’s the point of having it?