You mean I'm not invisible?

[cosmolinguist]

"Why do I have the phrase 'cat of nine tails, master of none' in my head?"

I'd been looking out the window. Not that there's anything about the ride to Piccadilly that's at all new to me, but that's just the sort of thing I do.

"I don't know," I said.

The tram had been almost full when we'd got on, so the two of us just stood by the doors. By the time it started clearing out we only had a couple of stops left, so we didn't bother moving.

"It's a good phrase, though," Andrew said. "It should be in a song."

"So write a song, then."

"I don't have my guitar with me. And I always make up weird chords, when it's just in my head." He continued, "That's the thing about writing on the guitar. It doesn't end up all Barry Manilow, you know, seventies chart singer-songwriter. I still use some unusual chords, maybe, but still." He said some stuff along these lines, I nodded, and I was sure that'd be the end of it.

I should explain that I was sort of leaning against a pole in such a way that I was facing most of the now-empty seats; the only bit that was behind me was the bit between the last door and the end of the car. Only a few people were still on it; it'd never crossed my mind to wonder if any of them were in the part I wasn't looking at. But then all of a sudden there was a man beside me, saying something quickly and quickly walking much further down the tram.

Andrew and I just looked at each other for a few moments after, attempting to communicate with raised eyebrows and shrugs. At first, I wasn't sure he'd been talking to us. There wasn't anyone else near us, really, but I'm just not used to anyone coming up to me and talking to me; I talk to Andrew and sometimes to his cousin/roommate, but that's really about it; at first I actually felt a bit weird walking around the city centre and thinking that I might recognize some of these people, that someone might call out to me. I guess that's just a holdover of my last social immersion, a small college where I did in fact know some people and at least recognized many others on sight. But now I've gotten used to being invisible, and that's one of the reasons I was surprised this guy said anything, just as I was surprised yesterday when someone asked me how to get to Altrincham. (That was an easy one; we already were in Altrincham!)

I finally asked, "What'd he say? I'm not sure I got it." (This actually happens to me fairly often; anybody here with a strong accent is likely to confuse me, and Andrew will translate if I ask him.)

"He said, 'I'm sorry, I can't listen to this, you're wrong,' " he told me.

I nodded. "That's pretty much what I thought ... but ... you're wrong about how you write songs?"

I don't really have an ending for this story; it's just a thing that happened to me today.

Comments

[cosmolinguist]

I do not know what Mark E Smith looks like... nor did I know he was stalking former Munchkins. Fascinating.

[cosmolinguist]

Andrew told me it couldn't have been Mark E. Smith because "he's not a little gay bloke with makeup" or something.

[paninogirl.livejournal.com]

Was he saying you were wrong, or Andrew was wrong? I assumed it must have been directed toward Andrew, considering he mumbled something after Andrew was speaking. At least, that's how I interpreted it when I read the entry...

Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. :)

[cosmolinguist]

Hm, I'd not thought of that point before. But I don't remember really saying much--when Andrew gets all music-geeky, I only say "yeah" or "mmm". Sometimes I nod. That's about it. :-) So it must be Andrew that's wrong!

And yes, despite my atrocious lack of broadcasting this fact to the LJ-verse, I am having a good time here.

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

'cat of nine tails, master of none'

Sounds like a lyric from a Beck song.

[cosmolinguist]

I don't know if Andrew would find that a good thing or not. :-)

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

I dunno... I happen to like Beck, primarily because he made sure to get it in writing that he could continue to make independent releases alongside his major label stuff. He also doesn't get bogged down on trying to make his next thing sound like his last thing...

[cosmolinguist]

Oh, I rather like Beck myself, but I don't knwo if Andrew does, that's all I meant.

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

Do they even listen to Beck over there in the honky motherland?

[karaksindru.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a mishmash of two saying ... something about a cat with nine tails in a room full of rocking chairs, and being "jack of all trades, master of none"

*shrug*

[stealthmunchkin.livejournal.com]

Nah, a cat of nine tails is a type of whip that was used in public floggings, especially on boats...

[karaksindru.livejournal.com]

Guess I was thinking of a long-tailed cat...

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

On a different note... did you ever write anymore lyrics to "Surfin Satan?"

[stealthmunchkin.livejournal.com]

I'd totally forgotten that song even existed...

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

I'm not terribly surprised... I just like the idea of Surfin Satan.

[cosmolinguist]

I like it too. I had to ask Andrew about it once you mentioned it.

[sporksoma.livejournal.com]

cat of nine tails/master of none/frog in the glove/mouse and his son/the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine/for a change/the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine/for a change/broken down cart/sickened sparrow/change of heart/speeding arrow/the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine/for a change/the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine, the truth will be fine/for a change

Sorry it is so suckass. -=is low in herself=-