Personal on Basil Labib

My School Journey

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 23:34:27 +0530

Few days back, I graduated high school. Which means a journey of 14 years came to an end. I have numerous delights, some regrets and plenty of memories to take with me. I have some to share too.

Teachers

First of all, I want to thank every teacher who has taught me. From holding my hand to write an ‘A’ in nursery to open discussions in Physics classes to painful lectures in Literature – I have taken a part of you all. And though, I may become whatever I will, I have irrevocably become the sum of those pieces that you all have gladly given me. I am grateful to all of you, in the truest sense of the word. Moreover, coming from an indigent family, the love and support that some of you have shown me has been something I still can’t imagine. I still remember when Mrs. Bannerjee (my 10th English teacher) borrowed a dictionary on her name from the school library for me so that I could prepare for my board exams the following day. I remember Mrs. Ali and Mrs. Khan who waived my school fees for an entire year at a time when my family was going through great turmoil. Frankly, I would had to drop-out otherwise. Mrs. Kalam, who treated me as her own son, extended every possible help she could. I always felt so at home around her given the fact that I don’t like people a lot. Mrs. Sinha, who taught me Chemistry from practically the beginning. I still have the pen you gave me after I scored a 100 in boards by your guidance and blessings. And surely many, many others I cannot recall. I am a self-motivated student and all I need is a little encouragement. I am glad I got that and a lot more from all of you.

Not every teacher was co-operative so to speak. I guess some people just take school jobs for lack of a better option considering their intelligence quotient. I had a cranky librarian, few incapable (inappropriate?) teachers, an oversmart school official among others who I cannot recall anymore. I remember them all. I guess that is the fun of it.

The most delightful and terrifying time

Birla High School, Kolkata. Picture: David

The change of school after 10th was a seminal shift in my life. It was a period of intense self-doubt, anxiety and skepticism. What was I doing around these kids from hotshot families? Our habits, manners, ideals were different. Imagine a kid who is known throughout the school thrown into a situation where he is a nobody – an outsider. All these seemingly unreachable toppers looked daunting to me for the first time. I had no place, no status. I used to sit in a corner and nobody bothered. I was both elated and terrified at the same time. Somebody had hit the reset button. It was one of the best times of my life. But I wasn’t deterred. I had a plan. After the first test assessments came in, I regained my composure. Teachers began to remember my name. And I reinstituted myself at the place I like to be. Winning is always a function of one’s own capabilities.

A different vantage point

BHS gave me perspective. It offered me a different vantage point to assess myself. It was also the time I began to question the credibility of our education system. I think I identified the charade much later than others. The past two years have been extraordinary. I got what I wished for: a moment to breathe but at a terrible cost. I got time to seek new ideas, ponder deeply about things and figure out what exactly I want to do with my life (For the record, I’m still undecided).

Friends

My school life would have been bland and monotonous had it not been for my friends. As I am sitting here recalling all those mischiefs that we committed together, I have a silent smirk on my face. If teachers made me who I am, then my friends made the process less painful, more memorable. All memories, painful or joyous in the face of time become just memories – souvenirs to be cherished. I am glad I had my share of fun.

School Picnic, 2020.

I hate school

After all the sugar-coated talk out of the way, let’s get to the real deal. I hate school. Really hate it. I have felt suffocated for all these years. One of the most effective ways to ensure destruction of originality and value. Those loathesome memorization and regurgitation regimes. The utter helplessness of kids dancing to the tune to get those “sacred marks”. People didn’t learn for learning’s sake, for the love of learning. All they ever bothered was with marks, a fictitious magnitude they can measure and compare. Real learning was met with awkwardness, even ridicule. Deep down, good grades was a reassurance to their hearts, a misplaced sense of safety. And I am just happy it’s all over. I am hopeful that learning is valued where I am going. And I can’t f*cking wait to get out of here.

Regrets

Ah, regrets. Of course, my life hasn’t been all success and medals and wins. When I look back (few will scoff at this phrase because how old am I? They think there is a minimum age bar to qualified to talk about responsibility, to take a third person stance and judge your life for what it’s worth) I have tons of regrets.

Gender inclusivity

I wish our school had been more gender inclusive. I wish I had been more exposed to the other gender. It is preposterous to segregate people during the formative years of one’s life ideals and then throw them together in the real world and expect them to fend off for themselves. I would have been more confident in myself. I would have had a much clearer picture of what girls are. I wish I knew what it is like to know a girl. All that I had to “fend off” during my teenage was…nothing. I began patronising girls, elevating them to unrealistic expectations (not physical, ok) and I still have that scar mark, I guess. I look at other boys and I wish that it had all just been normal.

Skills

Personally, I wish I had learned more during my middle school. I wish I had utilised my time properly there. I was such a fool to just bury my nose in books and be all smiles with beaming parents on Annual Report Days. I wish I had picked up other things back then – tech, new language, music, sports.

That’s what I regret the most.

Goodbye, school

I am not at all emotional or crying or anything. In fact, good riddance. But I am happy what I have become.

I leave here becoming more than what I came here being.

Batch of 2020-21, BHS

Rereading 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 18:37:19 +0530

There are all these people constantly questioning me about my identity, my aspirations, my worth. What I want to do? What I want to be? So, I am forced to think about these questions. Indeed, what do I wanna do?

I reread the poignant “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. So, I have a habit, for better or worse, of poking around the central content to appreciate the big picture. I read a Wikipedia article on Afghanistan’s history. I found it interesting. And included 3 books on Afghan history in my library – looking forward to “A Brief History of Afghanistan” by Shaista Wahab et. al.

So here’s what I want: I want to go to Afghanistan. Stand and take a deep breath of Afghani air and remember the greatness and the massacre. Remember all the great leaders, the corrupt dictators, the murders, the rapes, the genocide, the bullets, the bombs, the cries, the anguish. I want to experience the sweetness of the land, the beautiful mountains, the pretty women, the hopeful youth. I want to savour the delicacies, the smells, the sounds. I want to go to these places I read about. The poorest, deprived of villages to the teeming metropolises.

I want to know how Herati accent is different from Kabuli. I want to see vineyards and orchards. Fields of them. I want to shake the hands of the Afghani women and tell them how brave they are. I want to sit down and listen to their tales of sacrifice and greatness. Such greatness that I can only imagine for myself.

And I want to learn, not only from books but from life itself. Yes, that is what I want to do.

I find life so worthy of living. Is there anyone out there who can hear my cry? Who knows exactly how I feel?

Friendship

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:37:34 +0530

“How many times had she, Hasina, and Giti said those same three words to each other, Laila wondered, said it without hesitation, after only two or three days of not seeing each other?
I missed you, Hasina. Oh, I missed you too. In Tariq’s grimace, Laila learned that boys differed from girls in this regard. They didn’t make a show of friendship. They felt no urge, no need, for this sort of talk. Laila imagined it had been this way for her brothers too. Boys, Laila came to see, treated friendship the way they treated the sun: its existence undisputed; its radiance best enjoyed, not beheld directly.”

~A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini

My Reading Portfolio

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 12:00:15 +0530

I haven’t met anybody as devoutly fanatic about books as I am in real life. This love of mine can turn aggressive, even generously self-depreciative, which is a source of concern. I maintain a digital library simply because there won’t be enough room for all the books if I build for myself a physical library (Now you know how to impress me :winking_face:). I spend literally hours fretting about organization, intensely debating with myself what parameters to organize under, designing programs to maintain a catalog, devising makeshift ways to register progress and so on.

The most painful task for me, however, is choosing what book to read next. Bear with me if this sounds ridiculous. It is less ridiculous than what most people do these days. Hours of negotiation goes into deciding what to read next. To ensure I utilize my time optimally. This might seem trivial but it isn’t. Imagine picking up a book that required pre-requisite knowledge. Reading it is wasting time because nothing registers. So, it boils down to a dependency problem. But that can be solved with trees? One problem: Those trees can get very large. Pruning? No, what we need is prudent decision making.

Four parameters

Interest. I am human and a reckless reader. If I lose interest in a book, I’ll leave it right then, no questions asked. So, I have to make sure I pick up only those books that I want to read.

Utility. For eg, I love Harry Potter. Let me put away my current read and pour over the entire HP universe? No. The next question is: How much utility will I derive from the book I am about to read? Is it a good investment? Will it help me in acheiving my goals?

Experts. I believe we are the greatest fools if we can’t learn from the mistakes of those who already committed them. In terms of books, I look up to what others suggest. Mostly, the old and wise are eager to share their knowledge.

Content. This is me getting judgemental. If I have a chose between a finely written old masterpiece and a lousily written contemporary masterpiece, I’ll probably go with the old one. I can’t stand poor writing. I want to derive more than just the concepts. But what if the new book has more relevant ideas? As I said, it isn’t always easy.

My portfolio

I read multiple books together. So, I devised a so-called “reader’s portfolio” – a term borrowed from investing. It is a bunch of categories and I actively endeavor to maintain that proportion in my current readings.

Non-fiction
- History
- Finances
  - Economics
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Culture & Geography
Revisits
Tech
Science
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Fundamental Sciences
Literature
- Poetry
- Contemporary
- Classics

In conclusion

All these elaborate schemes are far from perfect and I know it. But at least, it’s a start. These crude ideas give me a basic idea of where I should be headed so that I don’t go crazy.

The Sun After A Thuderstorm

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

There is something magical about the first sunshine after a thunderstorm. The coolness of the still wet ground and the warm sunshine vapourising the dew. The mist hanging low over the floor mixing with the musky smell of freshly spawned algae. The chirping of the songbird as they return to their nests mingling with the chattering of the hawkers and peddlers as they return to the streets below.

Turn Down The Music

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, turn down the music
Throw away the booze and
Tell them the party’s over for
she isn’t here.
Rip the sky bleed,
crush every skull I find,
burn every fucking flower
that blooms coz I want her.
Yes, turn down the music
Throw away the booze and
Tell them the party’s over for
she isn’t here.
Was it so much to ask for your love?
I dreamt too much about us
But you were too conceited. Now,
Switch off the lights
And, turn down the music
Throw away the booze and
Tell them the party’s over for
she isn’t here.
— b.l.

My First Guitar

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Sun, 30 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I admit I have become lazy. I have not written about myself for a long time. And I apologize for polluting this space with movie and book thoughts. A lot of things have been happening (or should I say, the lack thereof?). But surely, the coolest things to happen is my guitar. Yes, ladies and gentlemen! My first guitar.

At this point, I am not clear whether the pandemic screwed me or I screwed myself. But I am certain, I feel depressed and terribly alone. When your mind is idle, it has these thoughts, interesting thoughts. Let me share one of mine: So, people say there are introverted and so on and so forth. But they are lying. Because if they were, then they certainly wouldn’t be telling you. The point is we don’t really know any introverts. And by definition, we can never. For instance, I decided to write about myself and my life. If I hadn’t, you would have never known anything. Now, apply this to every person you know and let them apply it to their knowns. Those whose laughs are the most joyous are the ones truly crying.

Isn’t this post supposed to be about the goddamn guitar? Did you expect me to ramble about its beauty and quality and price and dimension? Okay, let’s do it. I must say that it is indeed beautiful. A Yamaha F280 Acoustic. I can play “Ode to Joy”, “Yankee Doodle” and “Aura Lee” albeit, not fluently. I am practising finger coordination at a daily basis. I have a really generous classmate who guides me a lot and I am grateful to him. After much research and negotiation, I think Hal Leonard’s Guitar Book (Complete Volume) is an ideal book (there are actually 3 books. I have a compilation edition) for me because I am in sync with the pedagogy professed in that book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a total beginner and a self-learner like me.

My first guitar. A Yamaha F280

Pardon my admittedly mediocre photography skills and the mess on the left. I don’t feel like cleaning up.

For the inquisitive reader

If you stare carefully at the picture, you’ll notice something strange (Provided you have the patience). Yes! The strings are reversed. I am a left-handed player so they had to change the string order. But wait, why is the pick guard on the wrong side? I can’t help that. That’s how they made it. They assumed that some right-handed person is going to play it. That’s okay. I have grown used to it.

I did look up left-handed pick on Amazon. Apparently, it’s a scarcity. They are not to blame. Producing something that isn’t in demand doesn’t make sense.

My father (predictably) didn’t agree with my decision. It was quite a show during the first week. His actions and words back then were nothing short of blades slicing my heart. But now his actions and words point to the fact that he has acknowledged my decision. And all I can say is I’m okay. Eventually, everything will be.

Looking ahead

I am really looking forward to playing “Wonderwall” , “Iris” and “Free Fallin” . Let me just say, these songs are very close to me. Of course, I have many miles to go before I sleep and I cannot wait!

To infinity and beyond.

My Music Order Arrived

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

A rather crazy self-imposed project which I had the faintest of ideas will become all-devouring and pose countless hurdles for me to dodge. But yeah, did it. Don’t blame me for the CT making ethereal noises!

From left to right: Treasure, Stars and Topsoil and Heaven or Las Vegas (all CDs)

Why do I have to buy music?

In a nutshell, because I want to. But seriously, why in a world of Spotify and pirated downloadable songs would I have the brilliant idea to buy music?

As I said, because I wanted to. And really can you ever aspire to reason with a human who is blinded by desire? So that’s that. I wanted to pay my tribute to the most fascinating thing I have discovered this year. I wanted to pay my respect to the band which gave me my first ever taste of stardom. And let’s be frank, somewhere deep down I wanted to believe I’m cool (cause human vanity after all).

Moreover, I wanted to prove myself. To whom? Myself? Nah. To my parents. I wanted to show them that I am capable of earning money and spending it on stuff I desire. I wanted them to know that I can be free. I wanted to make a statement. I want them to let me be myself.

A Disturbing Bug in my head

The culmination of so many days’ of hardwork, research and passion finally paid off. Acquiring these CDs had become more than an obsession/desire for me. It became my emotion.

I have absolutely no idea how I ended up being so ignorant as to what my target is and what I’m doing. But then I guess, this is what being a human is like. Imagine all those big shots and important people failing their responsibilities and then eventually who suffers?

Apart from that side rant that was disturbing me for sometime now, I feel accomplished in a small way.

I financed the whole endeavor on my own from the compensation I got for my gig work for Topcoder.

What did I buy?

To be extremely honest, the idea to buy a CT CD came to me after I listened to HOLV. And it was just one CD. What could eventually go wrong? I thought to myself. But with some contribution from human desire coupled with marketing techniques exercised by Norman and my own vanity, I ended up ordering 3 CDs - Heaven or Las Vegas(1990), Treasure(1984) and Stars and Topsoil (Compilation). All three CDs are, of course, masterpieces. And I love them!

Is one click ever enough?

Inside of Treasure

Where did I buy from?

Norman Records .

I wasted quite sometime in vain during the initial days of the undertaking to convince myself that I can find a CT album here in the music shops of Kolkata. My supposition may have been correct say 20 years ago but today only remnants remain of this bizarre craze I have happened to nurture. For second, Music World burned down in an accident in 2010. I regret that. I ordered my CDs on October 26, 2020 and they arrived on November 27th, 2020.

My learning out of this experience was this: If you want something, spend money for it. There is absolutely no compromise for authenticity and quality.

What next?

I haven’t torn the seals of HOLV and Stars yet. I think they are too precious and are thus better off being untouched and pure. (😅 Weird) So, yea, anything we desire remains an obsession only until we haven’t owned it. Strange, this human nature really.

I plan to buy Blue Bell Knoll and am eyeing the 4 CD Treasure Hiding boxset for next year.

It sure has been a hell of a ride and I enjoyed every bit of it!

My First Open Source Excursion

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Granted that I have atleast a dozen projects hanging in midair (figuratively) on my hard disk (literally). And I have a couple of repos on github in near stasis but today I had my first whiff of open source. Open source doesn’t mean much without collaboration and today I dabbled in real time. Contributing code to a public repo, getting feedback and watching it getting approved. Oh! I felt rewarded.

I am of the opinion that newsletters are annoying but ironically all the good stuff I like have always come from them(!) Last year, I participated in Google Code-In (and got a tee) and that info came from a CodeChef newsletter. I got into crowdsourcing, Hacktoberfest and stuff through them.
The vital point is to judiciously decide which newsletter is relevant to you.

Procrastination is strong in me

It annoys me more than anything and I am fighting it. Coming back to the topic, I got to know about Hacktoberfest around mid-October. 4 PRs and I had 2 weeks. 14 days. Unconsciously, I let it slid to the back of my head. Adding it to my to-do everyday but not gathering the desire to actively work on it.

But few days back I did.

CONTRIBUTING.md

I contributed to a starter repo to get started. And then found this probability distribution package written in python. Added exponential distribution and its unit tests. The codebase was meticulously documented and that helped a lot not to nip my enthusiasm initially. Clever code and no documentation only puts off potential contributors.

The maintainer deemed my contribution substantial enough to name me a major contributor on the next release! See, I told you rewarding.

Depravity is a curse. Overcome it

I think that the Indian mind seeks frugality. I’m not being racist. Just something I observed during the Hacktoberfest.

People have made these “repos” where you can contribute CP solutions. Just silly stockpiles of code. These PRs count as valid for the fest but are of course, against the very spirit of open source. And why are people stooping so low for a contest? Well they ship you a tee if you reach 4 PRs. Yes! For a meagre tee. So shameful. I hate such people and such narrow miser mindset.

Would you be able to look at yourself straight in the mirror when you put on such a tee? What’s the point of owning something if you can’t earn it? Let’s make open source meaningful for everyone by playing fair.

No matter what, always with the truth.

TBR (To be read, silly!)

Producing OSS - By Karl Fogel

This book is on my reading list from a long time. Few would compete with it in terms of teaching what open source really is, how it works, what are your roles both as a contributor to a project and as maintainer of one. How to start your own FOSS project and the technical requirements/setup demanded. It’s pretty comprehensive for a beginner. And all of that from a practical viewpoint, so after reading the book, you can actually start your own project.

PS: This book is under the open copyright and available to read online . You may order a copy from O’Reilly Media.

Closing remarks

It was kinda obvious from the beginning but for the records, I think this dabble will soon turn into a deep dive!

Stuck by Fandom for the First Time in My Life

gs454236@gmail.com (Basil Labib) — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Ethereal, heavenly, celestial, opulent, splendid, otherworldly - these adjectives form the regular staple of people who dare to describe the music of the Cocteau Twins (pronounced: cock-tow twins). Honestly, I think it’s an effort in vain. Because this band defies all possibilities of being defined by words. Cage them in artificial genres and you will fail. You can only experience their “sacred microcosm” yourself as Azam Ali so eloquently puts it .

Yes! This is the story of when I was stuck by fandom for the very first time in my life.

Early days. Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser seen here with Will Heggie. Source: official site

In the beginning…

Trying to be a fan of a band which breathed its last almost a decade before I was even born is difficult. So when I did discover Cocteau Twins I almost felt it was a decree of God Himself to show me what celestial beauty truly felt like.

It was during a breezy rewatch of “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” (delightful story. Read more about it here ) that I noticed Sam (Emma Watson) confront Charlie (Logan Lerman) with the name of a funny song title. “Then I heard this old song. Pearly Dewdrops’ Drop”. Hmph. But I took a mental passing note. Now, I have this habit of digging out trivia, soundtracks, wiki etc about any movie I watch as I believe it makes my experience more “fulfilling” somehow(!) (As a more practical perk, it sure helps me in quizzes).

I remember that first time when I innocuously played PDD on YouTube wondering it’ll be a regular song. But oh boy, there it was. Intriguing and writhing with life.

The next thing I remember is going through CT Wikipedia page, fan forum pages, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Rolling Stones and what not. I was stuck by fandom for the first time in my life. And boy, was it hard.

I came out of my dazed stupor with 2 things: their official website (gold mine of info, I still go back for a nugget!) and this beginner-friendly introduction to the CT by Vice which led me in my initial days in the dark.
(NB: I had zero interest and knowledge about music till then. Maybe a popular flick here and there on YouTube but that was it.)

A Brief History of the Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins was a Scottish band formed in Grangemouth, Scotland and active from 1979 to 1997.

Robin Guthrie paired with Will Heggie and started producing music from around 1979. He met 17 year old Elizabeth Fraser in 1981 at a local bar called “Nash”. With the front-lineup of guitar (Robin), bass (Will) and vocals (Liz), the band delivered their debut gothic-punk dark goodness “Garlands” in 1982 under the record label 4AD.

The band took their name from a song “The Cocteau Twins” (later rewritten as “No Cure”) by a band called “Johnny and the Self-Abusers” (later “Simple Minds” ). They were no kin to the French poet Jean Cocteau.

4AD remained their record label for the most prolific years of the band, releasing acoustic aesthetics such as “Head Over Heels ” (1983), “Treasure” (1984), “Victorialand” (1986), “Blue Bell Knoll” (1988) and “Heaven Or Las Vegas” (1990) alongside a number of EPs and singles under it.

Cocteau Twins, with Robin Guthrie’s brilliant and shimmering guitar, Liz’s soparno vocals and Simon’s bass to anchor heavenly mess, went on to define the genre of music christened as “dream pop”, “ethereal wave” or “shoegaze”. They were one of the pillars of British alternative music in the 80s alongside The Smiths and New Order.

They signed up with Mercury Records in the UK and Capitol for the American audience and delivered “Four-calendar cafe” (1993) and “Milk and Kisses” (1996) which was, rather unfortunately, destined to be their last studio album. The band broke up in 1997 due to conflicts mainly arising from the disintegration of the romantic relationship between Guthrie and Fraser.

The band was known to be notoriously reclusive, shying away from press interviews and live performances at large. The few occassions where they did consented provides a window into the minds of the people who make music sound like nothing ever conceived, all well documented here .

The band participated in 4AD’s The Mortal Coil project in 1983, producing the spine-chilling cover of Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren with Elizabeth Fraser’s voice at its purest and Robin Guthrie’s guitar to complement it. Simon Raymonde joined the Twins later that year as a result of this collaboration as the bassist. Will Heggie had left the band after ‘Garlands’ and ‘Head Over Heels’ was essentially a Robin-Liz production. This trio was set to lead the Twins to glory.

The band members chose their paths relatively independent of each others. Simon Raymonde found his own music label Bella Union Records . Elizabeth has lent her voice to various artist productions, most notable among them is perhaps on Teardrop on Massive Attack’s Mezzanine album. Robin recorded his solo album, Imperial with Harold Budd, which went on to become the film score of Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin.

Get what Cocteau Twins really are (and what they are not):

(l-r): Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde and Elizabeth Fraser, pictured in 1983, a year before their signature album, Treasure. Source: Google Images

The soundscapes matter. Not the lyrics. Liz uses her voice as an instrument which weaves that magnificent tapestry of acoustic grandeur alongside Robin Guthrie’s guitar and Simon Raymonde’s bass. It is not conventional singing which one expects.

The CT tracks are not in any way singalongs. In fact the lyrics are so obscured, you can only ever hear the sounds in your head and heart but can never hum it in the bathroom.

CT tracks are not party music. They are really meant to be listened in solitary, perhaps with a companion (more on this later!) on a breezy afternoon with the sun rays obliquely filtering through the curtains.

The Cocteau Twins never supplied any lyric sheets with their records, save for the occasion of “Four Calendar Cafe” where Liz specifically wanted people to know the turbulence in her life and the failing marriage.

It has been recorded and documented that people have tried to make babies to their tracks(!).

A confession

Google “Cocteau Twins” and you’ll be presented with a heavily SEO’d set of webpages from major review sites I don’t wanna name with titles like “10 of the best CT tracks”, “20 of the greatest dream pop”. Don’t pay heed to those articles. They are bullshit.

How can you just pick up only the most prominent tracks from a band’s repertoire without taking into consideration their entire output? It only shows negligence when you don’t research enough and are in a rush to publish an article for a screaming boss or whatever.

But please understand it leads to a shrewd perception of reality for whosoever comes after and is counting on you to give them accurate information. (this applies to you even more if you are admired and looked up to.) You are responsible.

Closing Remarks

Steven Sutherland’s daring review of Treasure, 1984. Notice the last sentence. Source: official site

And just like that the Cocteaus shot into limelight suffusing our lives with joy and yearning. And as swiftly, they dispersed. Be whatever it may, as Trash Theory puts it, “for those who listened, they meant everything”.

Can’t get enough?

Head over to Eric Roosendall’s exhaustive review of every Cocteau track in the most passionate manner. This is my definitive encyclopedia of the Cocteaus. Every CT fan must read the whole subsite at least once. It’s amazing.
There is no higher clearing house than the official website when it comes to discrepancies or tracking rarities. Check out “News and Press”; it was particularly enthralling for a 17 y/o in 2020 reading band interviews and album reviews of the 80s.