Well folks, i'm in africa, South Africa. Pretoria to be exact.. this probably explains my lack of posting. but i am here on an important mission: to answer a question which began when i found a Camera Obscura album in a little record shop in Taiwan.
How Indie are places far away?
.. i like to give a mark in percentage form: at the moment Pretoria.. isn't looking so sharp.
i'm communicating now from a very large shopping centre, the biggest in this hemisphere i'm informed. So i wandered around the shops looking for a sign of some indieness. i also tried this earlier in the week in a place called Centurion, but alas, the most indie thing i found was Cat Stevens greatest hits. i was so depressed i almost bought it. (i in fact already have the album, i just felt this one deserved to be released from its prison). Things have been a little more successful here.. in the 4th record store i went into i found the first glimmer of hope: an "alternative" section, nestled neatly and untouched between "Metal" and "Afrikaans"
sadly, this flame of hope was quickly quashed by my discovery that it appeared to have meant "alternative metal". but having been sick of my elaborate music playing capabilities at home (this is an exteral hard drive, and external speakers meeting angrily with a laptop on its last legs) i decided that i MUST find a CD to listen to.. strangely i discover that after Green Day and other unacceptable music is the "various" section.. barely labled. it is a treasure trove, a life line in this land of over-produced crap.
I spot The Go Teams album and raise it into the air like a new born child in a Disney movie (but without elton john) i also see to my surprise Duke Special's album...
i now have 2 CD's to keep me busy while my poor little laptop crashes.
as it stands South Africa is at 20%.. and thats just because i'm in a good mood.
more updates are to come.. my next section will be the indie populace.. Do they in fact exist. and if so.. where are they?
