Yule

Sitting in my room, with a glass of warm flat champagne, listening to the new Good Books album. It has been a silly year, I think. But nicely off-the-map; if you’d asked me on the 2nd of January 2008 what this year would have brought our way, I wouldn’t have predicted much of what ended up happening. Good Books are scattered far and wide at the moment; Leo’s in Germany, JP’s in Scotland and I’m off to Sweden tomorrow for some snow and candle-light – I’ve spent every New Year in my life in Sweden except for two. Bit of GB trivia for you there!

The BBC website tells me that Harold Pinter died yesterday; I would have liked to have met him, but I suspect he’d have been unimpressed by me, so probably a desire best left unfulfilled. Me and JP did his ‘The Hothouse’ for GCSE Drama – more GB trivia for you!

The album sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to get it out into the world. 2009 is looking fantastic too – there’ll be many many shows, releases, parties, all the good things. The Bush Hall gig supporting Dan le Sac vs Scrubious Pip is very close to being sold out now, so once that’s happened we’ll be announcing a few other shows in February.

Did everyone get what they wanted for Christmas? I’ve got enough books to last me until October, including a Milan Kundera I’ve not read yet, so I’m pretty chuffed with that.

So, this is me, signing out from 2008. My ‘Album 2′ playlist is nearing its conclusion, and the smell of Turkey is growing stronger. I wish everyone the very best New Year they could ask for, and we’ll see you the other side of it, with new songs and ting.

xx
Max

Genius/assholes

It’s a bit like when you were little, and the guy in your year who was always a prick to you is being picked on by a guy two years above. You understand that it’s not fair, that no-one should really be picked on, yet you feel kinda good about it because he’s always being a prick to you. I’m grateful for the Data Protection Act, god knows we need it what with all this interweb facetube spamjunk 2.0 going on these days, but I couldn’t help but let out a mini-snigger when Wikileaks published the BNP list this week. I assume this means that the bulk of people on The List won’t be renewing their membership when the time comes, and so hopefully the BNP will be crippled and unable to function properly. Idiots will of course continue to exist, but at least they’ll no longer be organised idiots. Good to see one living in my road too!

http://www.youtube.com/v/BUNUuqlG1a0&hl=en&fs=1

This made me chuckle a bit…

Other news:

The album’s really getting there now – with you early 2009.

The Chap played the best gig I’ve ever seen on Thursday. If you haven’t yet, have a look at myspace.com/thechap.

We might/are probably doing a show before Christmas. News soon.

Did I mention that the album’s nearly finished?

xx
Max

christmas (clearly) and my ten-pence-worth on the bbc thing

the christmas decorations are going up as i type here in sevenoaks. that’s definitely not right. it’s like if you swear casually all the time, it’s less effective than if you swear occasionally but with vigour. surely 2 full months of christmas decorations is too much? that’s getting on for 20% of the year with christmas lights…

and then it’s bonfire night, where we can all burn effigies of russell brand and jonathan ross, for they are clearly the source of all the rot in our society, and should probably be blamed for the credit crunch and iraq too if we’re being honest. ridiculous.

right, i’m going to the pub. londoners (and the guy who’s coming down from preston) see you on sunday. new songs aplenty.

xx

max

gigging!!

what a strange feeling – it’s half past 4 in the morning, and we just got in from playing in southampton tonight, and last night we played london. both gigs were great – we should have a few live recordings to share with you shortly. on monday it’s back to work on the next album, but for the time being i’m still stunned at how long we left it to get out live again. there is no excuse for this. whatever the hell silly labels are up to, however many songs anyone’s writing, there is no excuse for 12-month gaps, so i can only apologise for that.

for those of you who weren’t there we played (in no particular order):
manifesto (new)
the illness
alice
save me (new)
leni
all this time (new)
beautiful to watch (southampton only).

see how we carefully slipped new songs in there, but not too many, so as not to confuse returning listeners? clever, we are. thanks to everyone who came down, it was a real pleasure playing again, and we will never leave it that long again. videos, recordings, the works to follow. now it’s definitely time for some sleep!

much love, and we’ll speak soon

xx
max

Thrown

, originally uploaded by Jordan Chark.

This photo reminded me of a game we used to play at our practice room. It was called Thrown. You had to throw a rolled up piece of tin foil at the telephone wires overhead, 10 points for each time you hit it . . . good times.
x

Chris’ Daily Photo . . .

When size matters, originally uploaded by Nawien.

Have a good weekend . . .
x

Settling In . . .

furniture., originally uploaded by i am krisan.

After a long period of silence, and a variety of troubled times, we are almost ready to return to the wide world. Almost.

We’ve started to record the second album and so far we’re pretty excited about it, can’t wait to get some music out there for people to hear, will be good to get some opinions. Lots of little changes will be happening over the remaining months of this year. New photos, new myspace, more blogs to keep you updated, a new flickr group for you all to add your photos of us to and, eventually, new music to satisfy your ears . . .

So bear with us while we change things about! We’re very much excited about our little outings to London and Southampton next week too, hope to see some of you there . .

Christopher . . xx

Save Me, Manifesto and Football

And there was me thinking I’d have a nice, stress-free Euro 2008, supporting Germany because Germany were better than England at the last World Cup, and on account of both my other half (happy birthday Josie) and my drummer being, to different extents, German. Despite the slight amusement that apparently ‘Schweinsteiger’ translates roughly as ‘pig mounter’, the Croatia match left me with very very short fingernails.

Yesterday we played a new song ‘Save Me’ which I CANNOT WAIT to get onto a stage – it’s like a 3-minute sugar rush, like watching a television set that’s somehow taken speed, so all the colours are flying by at 1000 miles per hour. Somewhere between Born Slippy and Flux, I think it’s nestled into top place among my favourites of the new GoodBooks songs. Also on the ‘new arrivals’ list is ‘Manifesto’, for which we will need an orchestra. Slow, almost menacing (!) and gorgeously negative, it’s pretty much the opposite of ‘Save Me’, but again, I can’t wait to get that chorus onto a stage at some point.

In other news we’re all a bit gutted because we were supposed to have a gig last night which got pulled at the last minute due to leaves on the line. But we were well excited about playing for the first time in ages, so it’s a real shame we didn’t. The bright side of that is that we won’t be spending today in a van returning from Bristol, so we’re having a barbecue and football – four goodbooks, three girlfriends, a manager, a guy from Columbia, and a guy from the pub. Max is excited.

Keep the faith, we will be back with you soon.

xx
Max

GOODBOOKS WIN PRIZE

for being the least frequent bloggists on the whole of the interweb.

But what are these four crazy mother****ers up to? These four free spirits, like the winds set loose on an unsuspecting world by an unsuspecting Aeolus? Well, as the mailout said the other day, a hell of a lot, but not much that you can share in just yet. The album’s going to be an out-and-out banger from start to end, that’s for sure. No quiet-contemplative strings-based meditation from us just yet. Maybe for album 6?

We’re playing together again tomorrow, then a day trip to London on Tuesday, meeting our accountant and our A&R. I’m always impressed by how our accountant manages to keep a straight face when he’s dealing with us – the other day I sent him a letter that my bank sent me: “I certify that on paying to Mr M R Cooke Gross Annual Interest of £1.29 I deduct Income Tax of £0.26. Love and kisses from his bank manager.” It’s sweet, it really is.

JP’s been flirting a bit, in and out of the studio with Frankmusik, a good friend and fine musician. From what I can hear that all sounds fine and dandy, and I think Chris, Leo and myself will be contributing to what’s already been created at some point in the future. Me and Vincent will have a sing-off or something.

And I’ve been flirting with I Was A Cub Scout a bit too – spent a few days in the studio recording two tracks for their upcoming double A-side single. From their album will be ‘The Hunter’s Daughter’, twinned with ‘Workerbees’ (one of the tracks I recorded with them) and a fine cover of The Cure’s ‘Close To Me’ (also me producing).

I Was A Cub Scout – Close To Me

Some music now to warm your soul on this shitty rainy day (was that summer? was that it?).

Ellen Allien & Apparat – Bubbles

Big Love

xx

Max

A Public Apology

Dear Spooks (an open letter)

Specifically series 6

I have neglected you, in thought, in word and in deed. I dropped the ball. I fucked up, and for this I am sorry. Halfway through series 6 I failed to put in the basic effort required to give you the time you deserve, and as such left a team of brave intelligence operatives in the lurch.

Between the months of October and December of last year, I partook of five series’ of Spooks, including such moments as the fall of Tom Quinn, or the trial of Zoe Reynolds. My life was rich, fulfilled, and righteous.

What I’m saying is that I want to give it another go. Technically speaking, I know that watching it on the internet is a bit naughty, yet I need you in my life, and in the words of Damon Albarn, ’There’s No Other Way’. If you’d come round to my house, in the form of a DVD box set, then maybe things could be different. Incidentally, I urge you to get a move on with this.

I hope we can sort things out, and that you will let me fill the Spooks-shaped hole in this life of mine by allowing me to rectifying my behaviour. I look forward to the promt appearance of Series 7. And 8, and 9, and on into the future. You’re The One, Spooks. I want you in my flat and in my life. for good.

I don’t have a flat, but this is a line from series 1.

Yours in deepest regret,

Max Cooke