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[KarmaTsunami]

Apparently missed out on Iain Banks tickets Got for everything else I wanted though!

[Metarie]

Originally Posted by KarmaTsunami

Programme - Word Festival, University of Aberdeen

A cracker this year. Going to Alan Warner, Iain Banks, Rhona Cameron and the poetry one with Henry Hart (my creative writing professor!)

I investigated some of Hart's poetry to see if I could suck up to him for the class and I wasn't hugely impressed. But having a poet read out their own poems is usually really interesting, even if the poetry itself isn't. Might come along too.

[Larsen B]

According to Word programme Roddy Woomble is "fresh and articulate". To me he was neither of these things, let alone particularly intelligent and he seemed to be in over his head. Plus he gave unconvincing answers to questions, particularly my own one.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Larsen B

According to Word programme Roddy Woomble is "fresh and articulate". To me he was neither of these things, let alone particularly intelligent and he seemed to be in over his head. Plus he gave unconvincing answers to questions, particularly my own one.

what was your question? and his answer?

[KarmaTsunami]

Really enjoyed Rhona Cameron, she was very warm, funny and intelligent. Her reading was really touching as well.

But Alan Warner, John Burnside and A.L Kennedy was absolutely brilliant. I went for Alan Warner who was fantastic, but A.L Kennedy was a definite hightlight for me.

Unfortunately due to tiredness and laziness the next day i missed Roddy Wooble and the poetry in the morning

[daveofficer]

Originally Posted by Larsen B

According to Word programme Roddy Woomble is "fresh and articulate". To me he was neither of these things, let alone particularly intelligent and he seemed to be in over his head. Plus he gave unconvincing answers to questions, particularly my own one.

hmm, that's kinda unfair. i thought he was quite witty in places and self depracating. he certainly didn't come across as dim. he seemed pretty relaxed and gave good long answers to some fairly dull questions.

was your question about the album representing scotland yet featuring mainly glasgow bands? i felt it was a fairly redundant question which they'd covered early on in the interview.

[Larsen B]

Originally Posted by daveofficer

hmm, that's kinda unfair. i thought he was quite witty in places and self depracating. he certainly didn't come across as dim. he seemed pretty relaxed and gave good long answers to some fairly dull questions.

was your question about the album representing scotland yet featuring mainly glasgow bands? i felt it was a fairly redundant question which they'd covered early on in the interview.

He actually failed to answer my question entirely, he failed to tackle the part about the folky side of some of the music being an attempt to compensate for the glasgow-centric aspect of Scottish music. To make an album which is a collaboration between Scottish writers and musicians, and then claim the aim is purely to make 18 good songs (an aim the album also fails to achieve), is totally pathetic. You make such record then automatically, whether you like it or not, and whether it was the intention or not, it becomes part of the culture by which people will define your country. Roddy just anwered as if I said it wasn't representative because there weren't people from every corner of Scotland on it, and then proceeded to ramble on about tartan and shortbread as if i suggested that it would have been more representative of Scottish identity if it features these kind of things. I'll admit that speaking in front of the room full of people I might not have been as articulate as I'd wished, but I think judging by some of the the subsequent questions that some people they knew what I was getting that, perhaps people who were there more generally for the festival than the starstruck fanboys.

[Lester Burnham]

Originally Posted by daveofficer

hmm, that's kinda unfair. i thought he was quite witty in places and self depracating. he certainly didn't come across as dim. he seemed pretty relaxed and gave good long answers to some fairly dull questions.

was your question about the album representing scotland yet featuring mainly glasgow bands? i felt it was a fairly redundant question which they'd covered early on in the interview.

Seconded. I thought the question was fairly redundant within the context on the talk. He also answered it fairly well and stated that the bands that were on it were the acts that came up with the goods promptly and well. It just so happened that didn’t include some northern acts. It’s not rocket science. What was he suppose to justify to you?

Personally, I really enjoyed his talk. He did come across as being slightly nervous, but wouldn’t you in the same situation?

[Larsen B]

Originally Posted by Lester Burnham

Seconded. I thought the question was fairly redundant within the context on the talk. He also answered it fairly well and stated that the bands that were on it were the acts that came up with the goods promptly and well. It just so happened that didn’t include some northern acts. It’s not rocket science. What was he suppose to justify to you?

Personally, I really enjoyed his talk. He did come across as being slightly nervous, but wouldn’t you in the same situation?

You clearly didn't read/understand what i said above. Other things which disappointed me were the fact he didn't vote and wouldn't comment on politics in any way and the stupidity of his comment that lyrics aren't poetry except those by Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, without giving any explanation as to what the distinction.

Like I said, regardless of whether or not there was a "masterplan" for Ballads of the Book, the fact that it was a collaboration (at least almost) exclusively between Scottish writers and bands must at least have aspects worth discussing above whether the songs are just good or not and how logistically the whole thing came to together. It is a product of Scottish minds, and clearly some of those minds involved in it has some grander intentions for it, not least Alasdair Gray with his suggested titles, his artwork and the quote he contributed to it, which has strong political implications behind it. The fact that Roddy would only say that there was no masterplan for it and not discuss it's significance any further rather undermines the collaborative nature of the album. Where Scotland is defined by stereotypes of what our nation is, ie tartan, kilts, haggis etc, Ballads of the Book was great opportunity to portray through, some of our best bands and writers, what modern Scotland is really like, or at least to discover what our modern day artists own perceptions of our nation are. In some individual songs this is case, but Roddy Woomble just seems to view it as a novel approach to make some good songs and this to me makes Ballads of the Book, conceptually at least, a rather empty gesture.

[Lester Burnham]

Originally Posted by Larsen B

You clearly didn't read/understand what i said above. Other things which disappointed me were the fact he didn't vote and wouldn't comment on politics in any way and the stupidity of his comment that lyrics aren't poetry except those by Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, without giving any explanation as to what the distinction.

Like I said, regardless of whether or not there was a "masterplan" for Ballads of the Book, the fact that it was a collaboration (at least almost) exclusively between Scottish writers and bands must at least have aspects worth discussing above whether the songs are just good or not and how logistically the whole thing came to together. It is a product of Scottish minds, and clearly some of those minds involved in it has some grander intentions for it, not least Alasdair Gray with his suggested titles, his artwork and the quote he contributed to it, which has strong political implications behind it. The fact that Roddy would only say that there was no masterplan for it and not discuss it's significance any further rather undermines the collaborative nature of the album. Where Scotland is defined by stereotypes of what our nation is, ie tartan, kilts, haggis etc, Ballads of the Book was great opportunity to portray through, some of our best bands and writers, what modern Scotland is really like, or at least to discover what our modern day artists own perceptions of our nation are. In some individual songs this is case, but Roddy Woomble just seems to view it as a novel approach to make some good songs and this to me makes Ballads of the Book, conceptually at least, a rather empty gesture.

Right,

I'm with you on this one. He did seem very uncomfortable with discussing politics. He recoiled when asked anything remotely political and denied any evidence given to him that the project had any political undertone. He did admit that he didn't vote in the last election and I think that perhaps his refusal to discuss anything was heavily leaning on that fact.

Tbh I was quite happy to except his explaination of it all. I think maybe he didn't realise how the project would be percieved upon release. perhaps it was rambled together slightly without looking at consequence. Regardless, I won't personally hold this against it but I can't comment on the material as I've yet to buy it. I agree that it's a great opportunity to give people a slice of what Modern Scotland is really like and Roddy did become very vague when questioned around this area. I don't think he really thought the concept through fully.