Jamie Thomas

Just a brief update to confirm my continued existence to those of you not in touch with me via other means.

I am still living in Durham with Liz. Liz has nearly finished her PhD. I now work for Durham County Council (how thrilling). I still do my music fanzine, occasionally play the bass, and occasionally have time to game. I am still hairy.

Update ends.

Hello people.

You may have noticed I don't update my livejournal much anymore.

So this message is basically for any people who are not in touch with me on facebook or by email or on myspace or whatever.

You can keep in touch with me in these ways:

email: jamiet99uk@hotmail.com OR heavymagazine@hotmail.co.uk
myspace: www.myspace.com/heavymagazine

Anyway while I'm here, a brief update:

I'm still living in County Durham with the lovely Liz. I recently lost my job working for Kevan Jones MP but am just about to start a new job in the next week or so, so no need to panic. I am also still publishing a bi-monthly rock and metal fanzine, HEAVY, which is now up to over 800 copies per issue. Not huge numbers but not bad for a 'zine. If you want a copy of the next issue, Issue 11, which is out next week, send me your address.

I have also recently joined a newly-formed band called Metal Pariah (I know, I know...).

Seasons greetings, etc.

Jamie

Bit short notice, but just to let Edinburgh people know, myself and the Liz will be in Edinburgh for new year's eve (ie tomorrow night).

We have no firm plans about where in Edinburgh we'll actually be, so if you're about, let us know what your plans are!

About time for a brief update.

Fingers crossed, Heavy Magazine issue 4 will be out this weekend with features on NWOBHM and AOR, plus various rock news/reviews/listings. I've put the page count up to 20 and I'm printing 200 copies. Responses have been pretty good so far but I'll need to increase the amount of advertising money I'm getting from it if I'm going to increase the print run any further.

My wee brother is in Durham this week with my Dad so it'd nice to be able to see him. He seems to be dealing with the impending divorce pretty well.

Aside from that everything is good except Liz is stressing because she's too busy.

Oh, also I now have a Facebook account under my real name 'Jamie Thomas', and there's a Facebook group for the magazine ('Heavy Magazine') too.

This is genius.

Ages ago I promised a picture of the bass I got for my birthday.

Hi people!

Been a while so I thought a brief update was in order.

Recently published Issue 2 of my old rock & metal fanzine 'Heavy'. The first issue, in April - May, which was a bit of a test run, was very popular. I only printed 60 copies and they all disappeared very quickly. So this time I printed 120 copies, and again within less than two weeks I've only got a handful left.

So I'm working on Issue number 3, out early August, and will be doing 180 copies this time, and putting the page count up from 16 to 20 pages. I'm giving them away for free in local record shops, rocks discos, and at the pub, so I'm bearing hte printing costs myself. For issue 2 I managed to sell £30 worth of adverts, and for issue 3 I've so far sold £40 worth of advertising space, so the cost to me is actually pretty low. Which isn't bad as it's just a silly hobby, and an excuse for me to force my opinion about music down people's throats.

To be honest I had assumed Issue 1 would be not only the first, but also the last issue, as I expected people to either (a) not be intested or (b) tell me it was crap. But apparently people like it.

Liz's cool illustrations are helping it look good, too. I'll scan some of her artwork and post it here for you to see.

That's enough prattling about my stupid fanzine. Ahem.

We're getting ready for our PARTY at the end of the month. Looking forward to seeing a few of you guys there! Bad news is that we're pretty much out of crash space - essentially if we haven't promised you a bed, we won't be able to give you one. However for any of you that decide to join us at the last minute there is plenty of university accomodation in Durham available at very cheap rates. Check out Liz's journal / facebook for more info.

On the subject of rock discos me and Liz have recently been attending a semi-regular rock disco at Durham Cricket Club run by the curiously named DJ Burt Ramrod. It's a total 70's and 80's air guitar fest which as you might imagine suits me down to the sticky, beer-stained ground. Seriously though there's a really good crowd too - it's like rocksoc used to be, back when it was any good (I'm told things in the Fraser Suite ain't what they used to be).

Apart from all that, my boss, Kevan Jones MP, didn't get a job in the recent reshuffle, so it's business as usual in the office.

Keep on trucking!

Death to EMO!!

RRRRRRRRRRRRRROCK!!!



Red Jamie

I have a stupid plan.

I am writing a fanzine about old-fashioned rock music.

Articles for the first issue include "How grunge killed rock music", which I have already just about written. My mate Sean has given me a piece on "Why Trivium are shit". Other items will include a brief history of Thin Lizzy, and listings of good rock nights and rock record shops in the North East.

Let me know if you want one.



In other news, my Dad has now moved out of the house which will become my Mum's once the divorce is complete. This must be a good thing as the atmostphere must have been shitty with them both having to live under the same roof.

Anyways, Chuck Norris humour aside, now time for a proper post.

Briefly, Xmas was nice but a bit busy. We had Xmas day at home in County Durham. Liz's parents came round for Xmas dinner and stayed the night with us because the next day we drove to Derbyshire to see her side of the family. Had quite a good time. Received various gifts, including -from Liz - the PS2 game 'Canis Canem Edit', which is surprisingly good.

Then for a fews days in between Xmas and New Year we flew up to Shetland to see my parents and my wee brother, who will be 11 in a couple of weeks. Everything seemed nice which, in retrospect, is a bit odd given what happened just over a week later.

New Year in Edinburgh was good. Saw lots of people - if you were there, you know who you are, and it was good to see you. If you weren't there a belated happy new year. Quite a few of the people at the Dublin St. party were folks I hadn't seen for a while. But no-one had changed much :)

Then the bad news. Just over a week after new year I got a call to inform me that my parents are splitting up. I hadn't expected it, but looking back there were signs of trouble. No blazing rows or anything, but they'd stopped really having anything in common.

So there it is anyway.

I'm kind of upset obviously, but mostly I just feel a bit numb about the whole thing.

I was most worried about my brother but I've been keeping in touch with him, by phone, every few days, and he actually seems to be dealing with it okay.

I think things will be fine for them in the long run, but it's a bit hard to know how to deal with it at the moment.

Helicopter commander, and former Texas Ranger, Lt. Chuck Norris takes charge of a stormy rescue mission at sea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6278295.stm


hehe.

<

Look what my silly girlfriend did, and left waiting for me when I opened the fridge!

Hee hee!

Heya people.

For your information I've started selling on ebay, so I'll occasionally post on here about things I'm selling if I think they'd be of interest to you guys.

At the moment I have a copy of the Alice Cooper CD 'Trash' for sale. Some of you will already have this but if you don't, it's not a bad record. It's the one with 'Poison' on it, so you can buy it and pretend to be at a Rocksoc six years ago, just after last orders.

I'm only selling it as Liz and me both have copies.

You can see my auction at:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alice-Cooper-Trash-CD-1989_W0QQitemZ170042176893QQihZ007QQcategoryZ1055QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Cheers!

I don't write film scripts. But if I did, I would write the following piece of dialogue:

===================================
JIM: Rock and Roll is the most powerful force in the universe!

BOB: What about sex?

JIM: Good Rock and Roll and good sex are indistinguishable.

BOB: Dude.
===================================

Probably, this suggests that none of my films would ever get made. Just as well I don't write them.

Have a nice weekend AND LISTEN TO SOME ROCK MUSIC. If go shopping at the weekend I advise you spend most of your money on ROCK MUSIC. Oh and remember to have plenty to drink.

That is all. Except...

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCK!!!!

Red Jamie


P.S. I was your King once.

Oops haven't posted in a while. Here is recent news.

The other week me & Liz went for a week's holiday in the Scilly isles. It was quite nice and very relaxing which I guess is what I needed. It's a bit like Sheltand only smaller and warmer.

Back at work last week to find piles of work had built up in addition to the piles of work left uncompleted when I left for my holiday. However with various special measures and monumental efforting, my in tray is now almost empty. In fact the only things in it are work that came in yesterday. Given there's usually 2-3 weeks backlog that's pretty good, I think.

In other news, I have just read a very stuipd advert in a magazine, which made me laugh a lot.

The said advert is on page 47 of this week's 'Amateur Gardening' magazine - Liz's magazine not mine, but on this occasion worth the asking price just to laugh at this advert.

The advert is trying to sell a book called "HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT". There's a lot of blurb in the advert, but the bit that made me laugh was this absolute gem:

"Cats have a lot more going for them than most people realise... for example, they are scientifically proven to possess certaing telepathic powers for 'reading' the true mind-set of a human companion within seconds of observation."

So it seems cats have telepathic powers! Scientists have proved it. I bet you didn't know that! I certainly didn't.

If you want to laugh at it yourself, the advert also features on the company's website at: http://www.talktoyourcat.co.uk/



Idiots are funny.

Just a quick heads-up for those who might be interested:

Myself, Liz and Rich will be in Edinburgh this Saturday evening. Anyone else who will be in Edinburgh that same evening is welcome to get in touch. The plan is to go to a pub, but nothing more concrete than that.

The reason for this brief visit to New St Andrews is myself and Rich are heading up to Aberdeen earlier on Saturday, where we will be watching the footballing delights of Aberdeen FC versus Dunfermline Athletic.

Last season I went with Rich to a couple of Sunderland matches and I've been promising to drag him up to Aberdeen to take in a game. So finally that's what we're doing. Meanwhile Liz will travel up with us as far as Edinburgh and we'll meet her (and hopefully other people!) back there on our way down, spend the night in Edinburgh and finish our journey back to Durham the next day.

I'm appalled at how crappy the train connections are, though! The last train leaving Aberdeen on a Saturday which will get you to Durham or Newcastle leaves at 4:22pm! Just as well we don't mind staying over in Edinburgh. Expensive too at £70-odd pounds return.

Maybe see a few of you on Saturday!

I just got Cheap Trick's new album, "Rockford".

It's bloody good, too.

If you want a free listen, there are four tracks from it playing on the front page of Cheaptrick.com

"Perfect Stranger" and "This Time You Got It" are particularly sweet. I recommend this record. If you only buy one new release this year, buy this.

For refrerence if you don't know Cheap Trick, they had hits with songs like "Surrender" and "I Want You to Want Me" which have been covered by loads of bands over the years... You'll like them if you like quirky rock & roll. I'd compare them to other bands you might like, but that's very difficult as they don't really fit into a specifc genre.

Go to cheaptrick.com and listen! Then let me know what you think. Please!

So that's it then. Top of The Pops is no more.

Poor old Jimmy Saville. He looked heartbroken in the last bit where they had him turning off the power in the studio.

Strangely despite the fact that I don't like 'pop' music I will miss Top of the Pops. It was always entertaining when a band you did like got on, such as Iron Maiden when they re-released 'Run to the Hills'.

More than that, though, Top of the Pops was a British cultural institution. The world will be a slightly duller, smaller place without it.

( Join the Meme Spam )

Hello people.


Bad news. My moblie phone has been stolen. It got nicked while I was at the pub last night.

This means that I will be getting a new phone and new number which I will advertise on here in due course.

In the meantime I have lost everyone's mobile number. Please can you all email me at: thomasja@parliament.uk with your numbers.


Ho hum.

You Are Barney

You could have been an intellectual leader... Instead, your whole life is an homage to beer You will be remembered for: your beautiful singing voice and your burps Your life philosophy: "There's nothing like beer to give you that inflated sense of self-esteem."