King Crimson, and News

This song, Starless, is from King Crimson's 1974 album Red; this album is like Kind of Blue, in that it's one of those rare moments when normal people play normal instruments in a normal way, but somehow come up with something that's just transcendent. It's an absolutely beautiful, beautiful album. This song in a way epitomises and is a microcosm of it; and it's one of my favourite pieces of music. I'd love to know what you think of it. (Oh - and Bill Bruford's playing drums. Need I say more?)

Anyway - I'm in St. Andrews now, and have been since Sunday evening. I got settled in fairly quickly; my room is decently sized and sensibly organised, and I have books and CDs everywhere so I feel very comfortable and contented. And, of course, Radio 3. Lectures start on Monday, and this week is a sort of orientation week. I also have decent flatmates, so I have no complaints whatsoever.

I am, however, highly apprehensive about starting: I know I'll be fine, intellectually, but yet my emotions are all a mess, and they're even distracting me from reading (but that said, when the reading is Kant's second Critique, and it's translated poorly, distractions are not hard to come by).

The international character here is stunning. All five of my flatmates are from abroad, one from as far as Taiwan. I can count the British students I've met on one hand. I'm extraordinarily pleased with this: it's such a welcome contrast to my experience in Maynooth, wherein virtually everyone was Irish; I can think of two foreigners I met in my three years there. When I think of Ireland, I think first and foremost of how parochial it is, and how philistine. Here, everything is the opposite. I've talked to a Romanian girl about James Joyce (not being Irish, she hated him - but that's for another time), and then turned to my other shoulder to talk to a German man about the Economist.

I should go and practice for the guitar orchestra. But to do so requires a big effort of will, because there are only two passages which are in any way difficult, and these passages are hugely difficult. And, of course, musically nonsensical without the context which can be given only by the full orchestra. Instead, perhaps, I will play some simple studies by Leo Brouwer. They don't have any recordings of any of the good ones on Grooveshark, so here's his Berceuse, not a bad piece of music by half. I think John Williams is the guitarist.