1.
You aren’t original. Everything has practically been done now. Accept it. The only thing left is internal truth and honesty. Whatever you do, don’t have ‘originality’ or similar buzzwords as you’re main reason to exist.
2.
Pretension eases the tension. Don’t worry about being branded a silly pretensious dick for what you do.
As long has you can see through your own bullshit: flout those pretences with pride!
3.
Don’t forget beauty. You must search and strive for this and I don’t mean stereotypical beauty like kittens or a sunny day. The punks did wonders by saying let’s go back 20 years and forget this monsterous technical bourgeoisie, but a lot of them forgot in fact aimed to destroy beauty. This is a grave error.
4.
Discover things for yourself. Go out there and see a band you’ve not heard much of, buy an obscure album that’s hidden by better known ones, go watch that film your friends have derided. Don’t get me wrong, if the newest Jerry Bruckheimer movie is getting bad reviews you are probably better off listening to that critical opinion.
5.
Don’t aim to destroy. It is much clever to pretend to be a part of it and through days, months and years make your mark towards improving it for the best. Ever so slightly. Bit by bit.
6.
Accept beliefs. The truth is we’re just an animal that’s aware it is going to die. We’ve came up with fairy tales to neutralise the fear. But there is no place we go after the body we inhabit stops having consciousness. But people are perfectly happy holding views that gives them comfort. I think being born in a Christian world has allowed me to follow some of the life guidelines that religion sometimes promotes and be a nice person, but I don’t fear Hell or Satan, I fear never existing ever again. We has a race need something to believe in be it religion, the paranormal or football. We give this meaningless existence our own meaning. There is gonna be a new way of thinking beyond religion and even deeply flawed atheism. Someday.
7.
Do it for yourself. Create something that you wish had been created but hasn’t done already. Don’t whatever you do make something for pleasing your friends, family or the masses. Rules are important, for example if I hadn’t learnt the rules of constructing a sentence this would be more unintelligible than it already is. But don’t avidly follow them in everything you do. Things should flow from you and if it’s meant to be, the right audience will understand it.
8.
Don’t think you’re better than others just because of what you’ve aquired. How many books you’ve read doesn’t mean shit. Some of the most intelligent people I’ve met rarely read. Quoting and referencing Dostoyevsky doesn’t prove you’re intelligent it just shows you’ve spent several hours closed off to reality. But most importantly do read because has my grandad wisely said to me when I seven “Read what others have thought before you, it’ll make life that little more rich”.
9.
Accept by by. That is a slight half-joke. But seriously because I am by by, I’m the only person I can believe is writing for the right reasons. Fuck I may get bored of the being in a band act in a few months but I’m still gonna be by by. If you appreciate anything I do you should deem yourself by by as well. Be a byby-ist. You know you wanna!
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There you go. 9 important dictums. Good marketing gimmick this isn't it? I don’t give a shit whether you or your cool friends add me or anything equally superficial. Fuck print this off and leave it in public places.
I know I’m gonna…
www.myspace.com/bybytheband
