HairyScaryMark

I am fairly gutted that I already made other plans for this day. I was convinced that I was going to go to the gig then I checked the date against this one, only to be disapointed.

I play guitars, quite well and I also play keyboards, not so well but i can manage reasonable parts, with some practice. I have my own gear but would be willing to use the in-house amps depending on the situation. I can do backing vocals but lead vocals are beyond me. What sort of stuff would we be expected to play? I wont be able to make it on Sunday night. I will be in England then.

To be honest, I am not sure how to solve this problem but I do not believe that compulsory military service for all is the way to go about it. It is very expensive and I don't believe there is real evidence that proves any real benefit for our country. A number of countries in Europe still have compulsory military service , some of them have recently been less keen on funding it and as a result have made it less compulsory than it used to be (Sweden being my main example here) and in Finland and Germany it isn't entirely compulsory as other 'crappy' jobs can be done in the place if someone opts out of the military service. There has been a very real, practical point in these countries having conscription. Germany was at the border of the soviet union so hence was scared that it could be invaded by Russia and the soviet part was afraid the other way round, i guess. It just seemed to carry on after that. Finland was invaded by Russia twice, once at the beginning of the 2nd world war. The fear of Russian imperialism has lived on in recent times so conscription is there as a result. I will also point out that Sweden has not invaded any countries for many 100s of years and stayed neutral during the 2nd world war. Finland has a no-attacking policy in it's constitution. Quite the opposite could not be said about the UK. I am really not prepared to be forced into joining an army, only to fight in foreign oil missions. If my country was under a threat which could be countered by millitary force. I would happily fight for my country but I believe wars have mainly been fought for sinister reasons.

Recently, a friend of mine was randomly attacked by a group of youths aged between 15 - 17. I later found out that I know these people. These are precisely the sorts of people I do not want to be serving in my countries army. The British Army does have a very good reputation, compared with many others, I believe peopel forced into the army woudl not do such a good job as reglar soldiers who chose to join the army. There probably has been a growing problems of 'ned culture. I watched a TV programme on channel 4, on sunday night titled 'The British Working Class'. It was very interesting (although mainly adressed the issue of the working class in London), It put across the point that the British working classes gained a higher standard of living throughout the 60s and 70s but then Thatcher got in. The 80s saw people get richer through money, but not education. Then there was the sale of council houses. Most people used to live in Council houses but as many of them were sold it has meant that the remaining council houses have become much less desirable places to live in. This has resulted in lots of chavs existing, as there has been a growth in a delinquent 'underdclass'. It is unfair to blame this ned culture entirely on the sale of council houses but it certainly is an influencing factor in some areas. I realise that most neds probably do not live in council houses but I think it would have been an influencing factor, possibly also in their parents. Thatcher also abolished a lot of council and state services. I remember reading a lettering in 'the independent' the other week. The writer talked about when he was young he remembered his friends and himself were always scared they would get caught by the likes of a 'park warden,' or some other member of staff, employed by the council. This in turn, taught him a certain amount of a respect for authority. Today there are far less of such characters in society and you rarely see a policeman just walking around in a residential area (bobby on the beat). There are few authority figures to show respect to. The only ones that most youngsters are asked to show respect to are their parents and teachers. A Lot of kids end up fighting with them and disobeying them, without good reason. It is often thought that many people who have violent nature often suffer from mental health problems. Even mild aggressive behaviour such as compulsive swearing has been linked to mild forms of Autism

Ace gig. This was the 2nd Black Atom gig I have been to . Assuming that I am somewhere near here when the next Atom gig is. I will deffiantely be going to it. Alchohol seemed to have had more of an effect on me than usual, probably due to lack of sleep and food that day.

www.myspace.com/hairyscarymark That is me, don't hesitate to add me.

I used to get The Guardian but we changed to The Independent for various reasons such as Robert Frisk being one of the few Journalists who genuinely report from outside the 'green zone' in Iraq and the compact edition is more convenient to read in a small space than trying to fold up a broadsheet in unpractical ways, in an attempt to see the far side of it. I still do occasionally buy The Guardian and I often go onto their website. I do not think the availability of free Internet news has had any great impact on the sales of quality newspapers. What Mr Shankly has to say about 'the tabloid age' is very true. I believe a lot of people's brains have effectively turned to mush with the popularity of such TV shows as 'big brother' and 'celebrity love Island'. I think such people as Mr Shankly and myself are maybe just part of some articulate middle-class group (correct me if I am wrong). Most people in the UK do not fit into this group and therefore do not take any real interest in British politics.

I am selling becuase I bought a more expensive upgrade. I dont' really want to sell the jmp-1 but I need to fund the new piece of equipment. I might get another jmp-1 in the future if I ever go on a tour or something. It does the sound of marshall amps very well and I do actaully miss some of the features it has.

my gear I will get more gear when I find a new job. Guitars Ibanez RG7620 7 string guitar (DiMarzio Blaze II pickups) Ibanez GRX70 (my first guitar) Rack Gear Tech 21 - Sanamp psa-1 pre amp Alesis Midiverb IV effects processor Omniphonics - Footprint stereo 75W power amplifier patch panel a converted beyer dynamic radio mic kit used for guitar other stuff Marshall 1936 2x12" speaker cabinet Shure SM57 microphones Borrowed Korg Synths (I plan to get my own soon) You can find more information on my website's gear page. www.mark-chalmers.com/gear.php

I was at the gig in the lemon tree. It was the first time I have seen Black Atom. I really enjoyed it and will deffinately be attending future Atom gigs.

Comes with manual. The only defect is the volume pot could do with being replaced. If this is a problem I could do it for you. I will accept 250 for it. I can either post it at the buyers expense or local meet-up. It weights approxomately 5KG That is a picture of my actual jmp-1 pre amp. You can find more information about it here http://www.marshallamps.com/images/products/rack/jmp1.html If you are interested send an email to mark@mark-chalmers.com Feel free to ask any questions.