"There's a Boy Puking Up in the Lavatory..."
Paul Ess. | Holywell, N.Wales,UK. | 06/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Graham Fellows is a uniquely funny boy/man: from his burning, yearning for a girlfriend in 'True Love Stories' to his most recent incarnation as fastidious, Austin Ambassador obsessed John Shuttleworth ('500 Bus Stops' is a vital dvd!) he is constantly amusing and has a rare gift for presenting pretention/stupidity in an engaging, involving way.
You're a strange fish indeed if you've never felt the agony of unrequited love. That delicious, suicide-inducing ache in the pit of your stomach and the sure knowledge that you'd take bullets in the mouth for some-one that doesn't even know you exist..
Often thought to be exclusively the territory of the pre-pubescent, unrequited love can strike at any age; in fact, the older you are when it hits, the more painful it inevitably is. By the bye...
Anyway; Fellows here is concentrating exclusively on teen angst/lust/failure; a quick snog on your way to the chippy, a sneaky grope while babysitting, that disloyal, wretched, saggy cow (IE: the funniest, most intelligent, most beautiful woman in the world !), thrifty, cowardly declarations of amour (gain, but please - no pain!) set against a throbbing, powerful backdrop of late buses and not-done homework.
Inspiring stuff.
Of course it would be a better world if kids were depressed and morose instead of buzzing around slashing people on the Underground. Surely teenage girls would feel a lot safer if a dumped boyfriend retreated into himself and wrote poetry rather than beat her to a pulp before throwing himself in front of a train while high on crack.
I firmly believe - even this late in the day - that 'True Love Stories' with its clever, razor-sharp words and charming, chiming melodies can achieve this dream-state and thus save the country millions in social-workers fees and anger-management officers wages. (IE Taxes!)
Fellows of course is no politician...he just likes girls! The more the merrier. The more underhand, cheating liars they are - the better he seems to like it. And considering he's propelling himself as some kind of geek-god..he seems to get his fair share.
He has dalliances with Karen, Sharon, Shirley, Julie (pure evil!), Belinda, Denise, Mrs Higgins (!?) in the 50-odd minutes of 'TLS' alone;
I don't know what he's complaining about. He's a great guy!
John/Graham/John is your middle-class, health-food conscious, touchy feely, nanny-state, PC do-gooders worst nightmare: someone who learns from his own mistakes and takes responsibility for his own actions.
And DEFINITELY not a dodgy post-punk novelty act, flogging an unlikely optimism to zit smothered half-wits who'll be 30 before they get a girlfriend, and even then she'll be 25 stone and smell of chocolate..."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1