Merry Christmas!x

To one and all! :) If you ever need an excuse to be happy, Christmas is one. Aren't we fortunate-all the people I know-can afford/have presents, electricity, shelter, food, clean water, music, friends, family, health, relationships, creative ideas, heating, time to cuddle, pets, transport, opinions, emotions, art, and a world where peoples basic needs are the same but everyone wants theirs just a little bit differently. Bless us.

Yes we are. Blessed.

Don't you know me?

Some girls are like hot chocolate, sweet, warm, smooth and creamy.
I'm more like cheap lemonade. Sweet, but sometimes bitter, bubbly, but sometimes flat, and though you think you can see through me, you can't.

Do you know me?

"If you don't know who I am from listening to my music, then you're not going to figure it out from me talking to you, either." Joan Jett talking to Seattle Times.

My thoughts exactly x

First gig in a year...

The Antifolk festival is an unpretentious handful of nuts. I like it because I fit in here just about as well as anywhere else-in that I don't, but nobody really minds. So that kind of openness makes me feel as warm and accepting of the folk around me. The grimy floors of the 12 Bar are not really where you want to be sitting for someones acoustic set. But during my set, several people did, and I liked their hippy vibes so close to the stage.

So, no one came that I knew, except my personal roadie. But that was ok. Fresh people is always nice to play with, the anti folk. Knowing I'm more recently less anti-and more folk, I anticipated that my set might be drowned in other sound.
As if to demonstrate the point I started with my quietest song "Something you should know". Actually they shushed each other, and though there was still a continual rabble from the balcony the core downstairs stayed silent, and their number grew, throughout the set.

I gave them what I thought they'd enjoy in the second tune. "Fine". I gave them fire to fight fire, to shut them up. It was playground stuff. Like they were children. Like I'm going "listen to me, I've got the fucking mic-and I can make more noise than all of you put together. Shut the fuck up." And amazingly, they did. It made me laugh, I'm so loud now-and they've gone quiet. It also got the loudest applause. Not that it hurt, but I suddenly sympathised with how a lot of old bands must feel when they tour now-I felt they were applauding me for who I was 6 years ago. Not where I'm at now.

I played the next two songs that are going on the EP. That was ok. They still got quieter when I got louder but I think they were hoping for more screaming. They are not screamy songs. Sorry. Where were you 3 years ago?

I was asked for an upbeat tune to finish off (I had nothing left to say..) I don't usually do crowd requests..but I pulled another old one out the bag. They kind of didn't know how to take that. That's ok. It was a mixed bag. But fucking hell if I had a schtick that stayed the same all the time it would be fucking dull wouldn't it?

Mewzik.

So... here's a new track for you.
http://soundcloud.com/queenofuncool/fall
And when you're done with that, you can come see me play at the 12 bar on Saturday night. details on the myspace xxx

From the student protest that became a riot..

http://news.uk.msn.com//photos/special-photo-galleries/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=155216945&page=7

You

To be as cool as Kings of Leon. To have a voice that reminded me of you. x

Catch it while it's hot.

For one day only, I'm making this song available to the masses - http://soundcloud.com/queenofuncool/winter

Winter © 2010 Dee James

Another petal falls from the stem
In the morning you can collect
No response at the weekend
Clear your inbox a bomb is coming

Wish my eyes were shielded
To the anger within
It's taken it's toll
and he's taken offence to everything
Struggle for connection
I lay down my weapons
and I find myself in Winter
so dark and cold

So this is how it escalated
She uses me like a crutch
In the past I've been stronger
But right now this is just too much

He's just getting wasted
and I can feel this lover
with nowhere to go
oh what I would give right now
to be swept up in your arms
my happiness returns
our love burst through the wall that I built to protect me

Would you let go of his love
as you bleed down at his feet?
Where's the safety in need?
The safety in need, this is damaging me.

Would you love if he was cursed?
Did not know it would be worse
But I thought I could feel it
I thought I could feel him in me

So flood me with your love
I live like an Island
would you swim out to me, swim out to me
in Winter?

In case you didn't know..

I am now on soundcloud- http://soundcloud.com/queenofuncool which is far better than some other unmentionables due to the fact that there are next to NO adverts. How wonderful. Go listen x

Saying you only like one type of music is like saying all your friends have the same personality.

Love

So, just as it works for you it does for me. The braver face you put on, the harder it is for me to give love to you, my friend. And so the universe with me. Me within myself. You have to let it go. Let it come to you, break down if you have to, let it GO. Only then can you let the good stuff in.

and other thoughts..in a new song.

I will post soon x

Something You Should Know

The Kindness Of Strangers.

Some days, for whatever reason, you lack drive and self belief. Something is seeping out of you, and you are the only one around to remind yourself to stitch it back up.

Today I had such a day, but I've a broken needle, and ran out of thread.

So it was a much greater surprise when a stranger (you know who you are if you're reading this) extended their gratitude to me, in such a way that I was made to feel intelligible, blessed, and truly replenished in my self belief.

What an amazing feeling.

I'd like to say-to that stranger, (to please mind my grammer as I have no editor) that as soon as that happened, I felt like you were handing my belief right back to me. Like "Here, get on, this is your calling." like I had been begging the universe to confirm to me. And I felt in no way weird about it.

I knew you as soon as I saw you in the room, and our conversation proved my intuition valid. It's a one off. You recognise something, and you let it be known. I absolutely hold on to that.

I want you to know that my doubts were prompted by others, and not for a second my own. I apologise for making you think I had doubt. I never did. You wanted me to run with it, and I would have. You said ..for whatever.. but you and I both know that I am here to make music. And that is exactly what I will do.


Thank You.

x

Judy Fights Back

Joanni

LOVE

I wrote a new happy song today too.

Some Paintings I did last night/tonight..

If we should fall, love will catch us every time.

So, the new recordings are up at-www.myspace.com/judyfightsback and www.myspace.com/queenofuncool
'Sky' has the legendary Dan See on drums. 'Fine' and 'Storm' are like really nice demos, with Dan Godfrey on drums on Storm, sounding Bonham like..

Now, see this beautiful Launderette sign?


well the shop is now under orders from the bailiffs, so I asked about it..


...and now it lives with me! We are very happy together :)

Solo Artist?

So I never wanted to be a solo artist-but look at it now, I have the freedom to work with some seriously talented people, who I want to work with, when I want, completely on my terms. It's pretty cool y'all. I shall be posting the wonderful results of my random hook ups shortly....:D

If fame is a process of isolation where you surround yourself only in people you know from work, and lose any sense of a private life, then I am half way there.

"..individuals may keep going over the event again and again so that it takes up valuable thinking time. It is as if the mind has been temporarily taken over with no headspace for normal daily function.
They may experience a sense of overwhelming fear, intrusive images, thoughts, colours, smells and memories connected with the incident. Avoidance plays a part with some people – carefully avoiding talking, thinking or allowing triggers into their life to remind them of the trauma. This acts as a short-term safety mechanism but can lead to isolation from others.

This can lead to ruptured relationships while the individual stays trapped with a sense of numbness and prolonged shock. Having a continuous startled response is another common symptom causing the individual to jump at every noise or sound.
Often individuals trapped in this way may seem as if their personality has changed, as they become irritable, have bouts of increased moodiness and episodes of ‘flying off the handle’. An inability to sleep properly or waking up regularly in the early hours may affect concentration and memory.

All symptoms are normal reactions to an abnormal situation; it is the body’s response for keeping the individual safe from further danger, a primeval instinct, more profound and highly developed than any of us give it credit for."

I picked myself some wild flowers x

There are some things that make us feel more alive. Closer to god. We cling to these things. Some of us are used to pain, others, pleasure. Whatever it is we crave it, when it's not there. We seek for things to bring out our passion-life, love, death, destruction, orgasm, speaking to angels, spiritual bliss.
We also seek numbness.

Feelings can be so raw, and without proper avenues, expression is void. Useless. We are talking to the deaf. Therefore we seek the numbness to prevent the feeling of helplessness. How vulnerable we truly are.

It's all about the cups eh...

"On a divinatory level, the Ace of Cups heralds an outpouring of feeling, although this feeling has not yet differentiated and emerges as raw, vital and often overwhelming. The potential is implied of a relationship, although often this has not yet been manifested. The individual is ready to embark on the journey of love."

For clarity on that see my earlier post! Psychic eh..

The 4 of cups says "...they are whispering to her that the bridegroom must be a dreadful monster; otherwise why would he conceal himself from the light of the sun and visit her only at night? On her face Psyche wears a look of discontent.." (psyche....as in psychic...)

By the way no one visits me in the night...only certain people I read about...and my dreams ;)

RahRah-OohLaLa

Average Monday night..find an empty stage set up in the middle of a field, get your mate to film you go for it. (With a cameo from passing cars)

Inspire

When will I sleep? How come the first "cool" day coming in weeks has kept me awake at night feeling the heat? My mind is so full of things...things that are not of this world. Things that didn't happen to me during the day. And though I am not dreaming, I can not shake this feeling. Like something is about to happen. Like something is happening, a relationship, that provokes, astounds, inspires. A vivid, striking, life changing, earth shattering, relationship, but there's nobody here.

So, my first blog... A lot on my mind right now, but nothing I can really share. Here's a picture instead :P

A few months back I attempted to write for someone else, but being edited makes me sound-not myself, so I decided to start this page in an attempt to get my thoughts out there-out my head...it helps.