the penance for eating horse meat is four years on bread and water - irish penitential (7th century)

matsuo basho (the haiku poet) took his name from a banana tree given him by a grateful student - robbie basho was the name taken by another takoma park guitarist who relocated to san francisco, adopted at birth he had previously gone by the name of daniel robinson, Jr. in east germany in the 80ies steffen junghans became interested in the music of robbie basho (and the poetry of matsuo basho) and renamed himself steffen basho-junghans.

watchers of the jamaica set caper film rockers will notice in it the reggae drummer leroy wallace (who renamed himself horsemouth). musicians often take the opportunity to improve their names.

horsemouth has finished reading patrick hamilton's hangover square - like derek raymond's the crust on its uppers  it's a good account of the seedy side of the posh. hamilton's novel is set in 1939 just before the second world war kicks off - curiously it is like sartre's nausea in describing the sense of disgust at the collusion with fascism. it's another novel horsemouth has read in record time. (and another good recommendation from andy). as derek raymond notes people in that life (of idleness, drinking and low level crime) are vivid if nothing else.

horsemouth always planned to turn more of his brief acquaintance with this scene into song (beyond gentleman john that is). he would (of course) heavily anonymise it all.

saturday was candlemas.