Monday 23 May 2011

Here's To Integrity!

2 things, one I met one of my heroes, Steve Diggle, he gave me a plectrum (superfan!!) and we hung out and watched the cribs together. The Buzzcocks were the band that turned me onto punk and that turned me onto writing the songs I started writing when I was 17, the songs I wrote for Made of Bricks, My Best Friend Is You, all the b-sides and everything really. Understanding that I didn't have to be a "Shakespeare" of songwriting to be smart and considerate, that I didn't have to pretend to be something that I'm not. I could be myself and write about what I knew, my friends, my town, my opinion, my experience of love and life no matter how big or small, interesting or glamorous it may or not be, it's still important and there's actually a lot of beauty in the mundane. It turns out the ordinary is quite extraordinary. I love kitchen sink drama. So thanks for that Diggle, it's just as relevant a message, if not more and certainly more important to me now that I'm going around schools doing workshops and classes with kids, trying to encourage them to be themselves and helping them realise that they are interesting people no matter how much the media tries to tell them they're not followed up by a marketing company trying to sell them something quick to make them feel better about not being interesting/cool/pretty/thin/rich/sexy/exciting enough. 

The Second thing is that my boyfriend is cool. The Cribs were amazing in Coventry and at Friends of Mine Festival. I am continuously blown away by their live show, their guts and bravery and passion. They're such an exciting band and an extremely important one. Not only is their music totally fucking awesome but they actually stand for something, which so few artists do these days. They have dignity and they speak out against discrimination or for a worthy cause. Most bands are too busy trying to sell themselves as a product, either literally in an advert or as some kind of model of "cool", which is funny because it's so try hard that it instantly has the opposite affect on me personally, I'm completely turned off by that kind of sell. The Cribs are effortlessly cool because all their hard work goes into making great music, giving everything they've got in a guaranteed raw & explosive live performance, considering every artistic element of anything they ever put out and having an opinion. The best live act I've ever seen. I don't care if you think I'm biased I'm just happy and proud. 







18 comments:

  1. Was great to meet you there too Shame i didnt meet the lads though, just uploading all my Friends of Mine pics, shame some muppets nicked by singers amp and lead guitarists Epiphone as this has really screwed the band

    Catch you soon Nic B-C xx

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  2. you see, Kate, thanks for saying the things you said on this post. All this stuff about meeting your hero, and receiving a plectrum from him (actually I just learned what 'plectrum' means, thanks for that too), and taking a picture with him, well that's great. Because it just makes me think that you really know how I felt when I met you (though we couldn't hang out :( ), and (one more time) I would like to thank you for being such a nice and polite and cute person, for existing and for doing what you do. you definitely are my favorite 'shero'! Come back to Brazil, ok? Love xxx

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  3. that's cute you think your boyfriend is cool.

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  4. you're cool too by thw way.

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  5. You are an inspiration, Kate. The way you feel about your hero is also the way I and all your fans feel about you.

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  6. You know what tickles me Kate... You know that song with what's his face...? Wears naff sunglasses and can't sing for shit... "Na na na na naaa friissskky!"

    When he describes all the stuff he does...with his light around his 'table and dresser' and all the girls and the whatever...

    I'd fucking MUCH rather have your lifestyle man... you're humperdy bumperdying an absolute gentleman and (thankfully underated in the mainstream) ambassador of modern music, you seem to eat cakes thats quite frankly make me jealous, you've the freedom to be going out and doing something you're so passionate about and can already see is blatantly fucking working... and you met Diggle, Diggle man! He's the reason I picked up a guitar...

    When I first heard 'Ever Fallen in Love (with someone you shouldn't' I realised you didn't have to be Slash or Johnny Marr to be a fucking mint guitarist.

    Anyway, my point being, just makes me chuckle in the (silly boys with their sticks as pretend guns way) that you're you...and you're cool and you're a little belter cracking on with your own stuff and actually being a bit fucking productive without the need to announce to the world just how good you are in bed!

    Waffle over,

    Hugs and kisses. x

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  7. Amo ver las fotos de Kate :)
    And obviously I love to read her blog :P

    Kate is an inspiration :)

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  8. Funniest thing: I hope with all my guts to eventually say the very same thing you said about Diggle when talking about a remarkable afternoon with Kate Nash in the future. I mean, some people think your hair is nice, some think your voice is marvelous, some say your accent is cute and some say they'd rather keep with the doll-like dressed Kate Nash.
    Well I say you mean something to me - something I cannot understand nor describe nor conceive and so on. Sometimes I feel I've got so so so many things I'd like to tell you that I'm about to explode if I don't say anything. In the other hand, when I think of writing you I totally feel like plummeting. I lack words; it's too much feeling inside my heart. Maybe it's too much of nothing actually, once I cannot put it all down in words. Even right now I feel scary, frightened, uptight, ashamed that I could possibly write something of which I'm going to regret soon (mainly because I'm not a native English speaker)(although I also feel like this when writing in Portuguese)(and you are so awesome that I repulse the idea of saying something that will bother you). I listen to you talking about girls feeling ugly and insecure, I read to you writing about standing up for something you truly believe in, trying to be something real, raw, creative, outstanding, perhaps well-rounded opinionated just like your lovely mother. But I'm in troubles when I face this feeling - this truly impotency of doing something substantial. I feel more and more sad, I feel discouraged, I feel like quitting. Is that of your business? I feel slightly inclined to answer 'yes', although that would be a coward and selfish answer. No, you’ve got nothing to do with the fact that I’m having troubles with – with what, for god’s sake? With myself, ultimately.
    Right now I feel blocked. Again, that flood of hideous thoughts in which I put myself in the place of an insignificant small cockroach. Why is that, why is that, why is that? I really don’t know. "Or will the world end in the day time? I really don’t know."
    But it’s still amazing. Amazing the fact that you exist, amazing the fact that I’m actually able to connect to your words and feel something out of them, amazing the fact that even sore means I’m alive. It’s amazing the possibility that you’ll read this and think something like ‘well, in the end I was all right. And I didn’t have to suck any dick to succeed’, either metaphorically or not. I feel fine with the perspective that people like you indeed still fight for women’s lib and men to be a little less pricky. For beauty in the mundane, for your mother that has been sick (I still cannot listen to ‘This House’, it’s still hurting a bit that we spoke so briefly in February. But I’ll get over it someday soon), for making simple songs with simple chords but wise words, for witness sake! For people like me to feel awkward just because we’ve never seen anything more brilliant in our entire 18-ed lives, so small, so hushing, so urgent of meaning. Anyways, I’m jabbering. Enough for now, right?
    Still a lot of things left unsaid, but words are doing a good job with this hide and seek game, I always seem to land in the last place. Thank you. I can only offer this as much.
    Lots and lots and thousands of lots of love,
    B.

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  9. What a wonderful way of write Kate....greetings from México..you should come back soon!!!

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  10. Nice one, Kate :D Yet another great Bloggy thingy :']
    Thought I'd write again :L But yeah, just to say; you were the one who like inspired me to pick up the guitar again ^^ I never really bothered; quit my Bass lessons; really put off learning Guitar in my spare time; all that jazz. Like I said before - the Music department in my school is sooooo shit, so I didn't really have much encouragement, etc. etc. But after reading your blog and stuff I don't know what it is... It's definately give me more encouragement than anything else. I'm lucky I've actually picked it up again 'cause I was going rusty ;] :L But yeah, thank you again :'D You made me wanna do something instead of just letting my guitars sit over in the corner and waste away :D
    Thought I'd let you know your project is being recognized outside the after-school-club-for-girls stuff ^^ And I'm sure there's more girls like me inspired by this :D Keep it up! :)! xx

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  11. I don't wanna sound like I'm sucking up to you because you probably don't like this whole "being an idol" thing but thank you for making this blog. You're so opinionated and I'm glad you speak up for things you believe in.
    I'm glad I'm a fan of yours.

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  12. Cool to meet you in the Green Room at FOM, Kate! The Cribs smashed it! Thanks for the photo! http://yfrog.com/5hslideandkatenashj

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  13. hey, Kate. I am a huge fan, and i felt really happy seeing your project with the girls. I can't belive how powerful you are, i think every girl needs you as an example. Congratulations. I am from Brasil, so i write about it in my blog, so you can encourage brazilian girls that need and love you too. If you can understand a little of portuguese, come and see it!

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  14. You have every right to be proud and happy!;) No one is judging you, because we all love your blog and that you share something with us, your fans! <3

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    p.s. I have that lamp!

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