bri - you have a good day now.

Not sure....how it's the magazines fault.

It's the massives missives that seem to trouble you.

that the Arctic Monkeys have a new album out and the Beatles are having their re-mastered studio work released. And that it's an internet blog where you get out what you put in. Based in the UK.

I don't mean to sound condascending, but if you feel that way, why not be a bit more constructive? Start some more blogs, contribute to others and add a non-UK perspective to some of the more open ones.

There's a few contributers around from Australia and Spain and they seem to get on just fine.

If something's overly Anglocentric, feel free to ignore it. I don't read and contribute to ever blog. I'm pretty fed up of the frequent prog references seeing as I'm in my early 20s and have never knowingly heard any King Crimson or ELP, so I just let it wash over me.

international / world music?

You might be pleasantly surprised.
This is a broad-church.

Weirdly enough, the stats are the opposite to what you suggest - the percentage of overall visitors to the website who come from overseas is much higher than the percentage of overseas subscribers to the magazine.

sometimes it just takes a few words of reasoning to gain a full perspective.

-8 GMT

I think Bricameron is right - but the Britishness of these threads is what's the fun for me (I'm a German living in Berlin).

Where else would you hear about "celebrities" like Russell Brand, or follow discussions about newspaper articles about "jokes" from people who apparently present a radio show. (A radio show? Do British newspapers write about the presenters of a radio show? Utterly bizzarre!)

Granted, I would like to hear the massive's opinion about world music or krautrock, but even the ISB thread died after a few days...

I'm sure there are similar music-related discussion fora specialising in the music of your adopted country.

On the other hand, you might want to start a thread here and tell us about your local music - you never know, we might be interested.

Que?

and why not...........?

..blogs like the Shamwow guy he won't get much discussion going!!!

or Glass Tiger, Skinny Puppy, Trans-X, Joni Mitchell, Alannah Myles, The Guess Who, Men Without Hats, Martha & the Muffins or Bryan Adams. Your choice.

Failing that, Degrassi Junior High.

I'm making a Canadian effort here.

Just not enough Japanese music and discussion on. Home of karaoke and anime and Endurance. If you think we Brits are barking mad...and I mean that in a nice way.

..this blog shows the Best of British, not jingoistic in the slightest...

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/absent-friends

Colonials playing up again? Jolly bad show. Is it time for tiffin?

...a good number of overseas blog contributors. As a magazine, the Observer Music Monthly goes down the road of trying to appeal to a readership with a diverse taste in music and it fails miserably in my opinion.

I think it's unfair to accuse the Blog here as dominated by nasal-gazing anglo's. Natch there is a focus on British media/issues/music etc as that is where most of are from or living. If I lived abroad I'd value this kind of contact with the old country.

Is that the same as looking down your nose at something...?

Captain Oscar, you will

The Word is like a stream of bat's piss

I don't miss Britain much but I do miss a rib-tickling chinwag with mates about what Shaky Nancy had on her fingers and toes, Robyn Hitchcock's cones, Peter Hammill's early eighties pressed slacks and whatever might have happened to the SFA's tank/armoured car.

Nice to know I've got somewhere online to come to for that kind of thing.

..in defence of the original poster, it is Intelligent Life on Planet Rock. That's Planet, not Plantagenet.

Sorry, it's late here.

The Tantric Lute-Spanker is not received well in my shire, Heaven forfend. There is, however, a comely Gunner's Daughter gladly primed and waiting for his impertinent tuberous embrace. ( Too colonial perchance ? )

Where were the queues to post when there were Swedish / Icelandic playlists flying around??

Nowhere.

But that's ok. Fans of "serious songwriter music" just like to voice their opinion more than others.

That's ok too.

you have confounded me. I raise you a braise of freshley potted leverets. Of whom do you ejaculate thus ?

with a surfeit of LAMPREYS. Moreover, a musickal DIVERSION by the New Pornographers (a divers and merry band of MINSTRELS of the Colonies).

Jove! 'Tis, as t'were, a LARK most worthy, that wouldst fain amuse even a fine LADY of this parish, I would warrant.

(*creeps into corner and sits holding head and rocking back and forth*)

(has everyone got a drink, by the way?)

It thus came to pass that such good fellows as this should yonder wander o'er hill and vale.

Bring back colonialism and such....

...or not. Whichever.

But please bear in mind we were helpful enough to chip in to your requests for ideas for a 30th birthday present - still waiting to hear what you picked.

If you want different content here, it is simple to create a blog entry on something in the wide world you are passionate / curious / outraged about : but the place will become the oozlum bird if all we have is threads complaining about the place.

...sarcasm and p*ss-taking, moaning and harping-on help make this country what it is today? (ahem) Come on bricameron, what else do you expect from a British site populated mainly by blokes who like music?!

am I forgiven?

Apologies from other posters acknowledged, gratefully received, but nothwithstanding - how's that for the start of a committee meeting? - could we move on from having a go at contributors here on the basis of being blinkered, old, British, unreceptive etc etc etc?

If you don't like another thread about His Bobness or Pope John Paul George Ringo, ignore it. You haven't paid for it, you don't need to get your money's worth. If you want to be critical of Bob and post accordingly, fine, good debate. If you want to be critical of posters here for liking what we like, that's a bit harsh isn't it?

We are what we is, which demographically I'd guess is largely middle-aged, British and busy and we know what we like. We'd all like to know more about other things, which is why youtube links on here are great, but generally most of us don't have the time or, with kids in tow, the money. So if we're not taking about the latest exciting band, it's not necessarily a character flaw, and if you want to persuade us to take them in by providing evidence, good. And if we still don't like it, that's ok as well.

It just seems a bit odd to criticise Word readers for liking the music that finds its way into Word magazine. Are there currently debates going on within dub circles that read "Why don't any of you guys talk about the majesty of "Brain Salad Surgery"?" I think not.

Ok, group hug. You know you want to.