Emperor X - "Right to the Rails". I didn't see the point of an older brother. He never gave a shit about me. He was in his room, or lying on the carpet in front of the TV with a journal. He bought an expensive camera and took photos of girls on our front lawn. Once he got in a fight at the parking lot of the Sobey's. He called me "Matt", even though I liked being called "Matthew". I remember he walked out of the room when I was practicing my speech in seventh grade, the one about Venus. His hair hung over his eyes. He knew how to drive. I didn't see the point of an older brother. Not til I came home with blood on my hands, aged sixteen and two months, and Charlie said: "GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO." [website]

Diamonds - "Swan (49°02'00",119°03''00")". "You'll never be a poet. No-one'll read a word you write. Your rhymes are too dumb, cocksucker. They're too dumb. You couldn't even be a fucking songwriter. People would roll their eyes and leave the room. People would throw shit at you. Throw tomatoes. 'Tomatoes potatoes,' is that what you were going to say? Poetry's not about truth. It's about meter and assonance, dumb-fuck. And there's no such thing as an ugly thing that's beautiful." [this too is from the Lifted Brow's new ATLAS issue (aka Browrovision 2010), featuring all sorts of music and writing and daft Australian gusto.]

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Our friends at Sing Statistics are tossing up their hands and saying "It's snowing!", by offering free worldwide postage this week. This is a particular deal for Canadians and Americans. Get a deal on beautiful prints, or We Are The Friction, a lovely book with original drawings and fiction by all kinds (including me). (Also, Jez is hosting a give-away.)

(image source (someone told me it was by Ian Hill?))