mangina

danny gave me what might be described in various ways as a napsack, a stachel, a courier/newspaper bag, or a manbag. danny gives me lots of things and i'm always very grateful. he had already given me a good, large rucksack. too big for day to day use, probably, but perfect for a two-octave midi controller/usb audio interface (which he also gave me). so i went with this, a bag branded by 10tacle, with octopi outlined on the outside, and filled it with things my pockets couldn't hold. both my rough guide to london and my mini a-z, both pocket sized but what with everything else it made sense to keep them in my bag. with, you know, my things. my walkman (also pocket sized) and headphones (that fit a little too snugly round my neck when not in use). a couple of other books, an invisibles trade, lent to me by ed. out on monday at the bobby mcgees gig, i realised i was treating it exactly like a hand bag. picking it up, putting it down, rooting through it for stuff. pockets are great; things don't fall out of them, you can feel the items you need are there. how much stuff do i actually need to take out with me? if i need a bag to carry it all, is it too much?

i remember ex-house mate alex always took his backpack with him wherever he went, even when he had nothing to carry; he might pick up some veg on the market on his way back, or something, being the logic. i remember being criticised by a mancunian in brighton, in the toilets after a gorky's gig (curated by john peel) as a group of bag carrying southeners, having my bag with me for all the things i need for a night out; that was different. it was cold, and a backpack is something you can put your two jumpers and jacket in when you get in the venue. i like my pockets, i can fit most things in them, and even when i carry this fine napsack again, which i will, it will not be as a manbag.

and so ends the tale.