Been badgered to post something (anything!) on the Blog for ages now so figured i'd finally get something on (e-)paper. I've been away for a couple of weeks, meditating, cogitating and vacillating on my many many issues and getting in touch with my roots. Albeit my middle class English suburban white kid roots but my roots none the less. As always I cant fault my parents hospitality and all the tasty Christmas food and home comforts to boot made for an awesome Christmas but I found that there was something missing, something a little off, that took me a while to put a finger on. Seeing several of my old and close friends was as incredible as ever (two of my best buddies are involved in a kick called Collab-I-Rate hanging paintings priced free across my whole town and building a six foot igloo out of the heaviest snowfall the south of England has seen in decades served as a few a few highlights [Oh, and finding out a childhood buddy is now touring with the WWE under the name Oliver Rose, a tough talking, thieving, orphan from the streets - seriously, no shit, how cool is that!?!?]). But nonetheless there was still a dischord, something out of place.

It wasn't even in the streets of my old neighborhoods and the shadows and haunts of my old lairs. They provided me nights full of memories that conjured up more ideas of promise than nostalgia. It wasn't in the vaguely polluted air (the snow cut it crisp) and England managed to marshal a little of its festive seasonal magic (no white Christmas though). I had to think long and hard ppin it down.

And when I finally realized I was scared to my very core.

(well I would nave been if I hadnt been walking in a winter wonderland of fresh made snowmen and snow capped fir trees. Blue Tits warbling pleasantly in the middle distance as the early fading sun paints the cloud streaks pink and gold - and I was toasted... nicely toasted)

It was nothing innately English wrong with England, nor is there anything wrong with any of the english people i had the fortune to meet. Rather there is a problem with the English, en masse. Apparently whenever we group in number something goes horribly horribly wrong with our collective conscious. All we seem to care about is binge drinking, fast food, consumer clothes and an inch of fake tan. MTV parades an endless stream of skinny bitches (not just referring to women for all you feminists out there, its a prison sex term.) studio pressed over plastic beats and cheap cliched sample harmonies and calls it music. Who the fu*k is lady GaGa? Why is Simon Cowell still aloud to walk the earth despite his nigh innumerate sins against mankind!? Okay I can see why we drink so much, but the poor man stays poor because the Pub is on the way home from work. Its vicious man.

So, its good to be back in Cape Town, really good. I've been in the warm embrace of the city for just gone 48 hours and I've never felt better. Granted I've slept for maybe seven of those hours and none of them recently isn't really a problem, but we'll see how I'm doing at band practice in a few hours. In fact, a good cape town Jol really helps put things in perspective. Hooked up with an awesome community in Gugulethu (and I'm going through to check out a location and draw some preliminary plans on Thursday if your keen, need folk to come with, contact me please!) and I cant not mention the general awesome-ness that is the flickering white road lines as you bomb Du Vall drive at sunrise, or the pretty smiles you don't seem to get anywhere else, or the dope weather, or the beach. Yep, despite, poverty, TB,The next swine/bird/walrus flu, life is still pretty good here in the Cape.

But, Our greatest friend is also our worst enemy here. I want to spend my time tanning by the pool and drinking margaritas at the next trendy bar/club/show/party and Damn! you know how we do in this City! But beyond this we've got to Gather our forces and marshal ourselves into action. If I can gather the shattered remnants of my ridiculous life together and pass them off for something vaguely socially acceptable that still entertainingly challenges the status quo and just beyond gently pushes the boundaries of how we interact as people then there might just be hope for humankind.

So This little letter serves as a bit of a foreword, I've got a couple of pieces cooking up in the archive and its only fair to serve a mild warning.

I've been known to offend people

I'm sorry to

(a significant proportion of )

the people I have offended

I cant really promise it wont happen again

but really guys, it's up to you to tell me where to draw the line.

I don't even know where to start.

Word Team. Please god call me about Gugulethu Thursday, its gonna be a chance to do something nice and real and awesome.

Peace.

Stay in touch

James Randle

0733965037