#Martin Newell

[nedison]

This Black Sea-era Andy Partridge demo ended up in the hands of Martin Newell, who ended up recording the definitive version a little while later as The Cleaners From Venus:

Andy and Martin would, of course, end up recording together in the 90s during XTC's strike from Virgin-- crafting one of the great home-recorded albums of all time. I just love the idea that they were swapping demo cassettes in the 80s ahead of their collaboration.

[the-macabre-goatman]

[guessimdumb]

Martin Newell - Amateur Paranoiac (1983)

Oddball DIY released as a cassette single back in 1983

I’m stuck in the kitchen in the party of life

[peeemo]

how come no one ever told me about cleaners from venus this is the best music ive ever wven heard

[bandcampsnoop]

7/29/24.

Jodie Lowther's label The Cat Collects has gotten off to a rousing start: an excellent 4-band CD followed by Rachel Love and now a full album from The Cleaners From Venus (Wivenhoe, England).

Just the other day we posted about Nick Saloman and I marveled at his ability to create consistently great music over a period of 40 years. Martin Newell's been doing it even longer under various names, but mostly under the Cleaners From Venus moniker. "Lilli Bolero" will stand up with any of the great Cleaners' songs. When I think of Newell's music I always think of Television Personalities, Guided By Voices, The Kinks and XTC.

The great thing about The Cat Collects and Jodie Lowther is the art/design. She has a clear style that somehow makes music sound better.

[mistfunk]

Mistigram: to the vulgarian, it's just pixelart of a teapot. But anyone with a bellyfull of the lore of early computer graphics will appreciate the subject of this #teletext screen by @illarterate, the foundational and ubiquitous Melitta teapot that #MartinNewell modelled at the University of Utah in 1975 -- nearly 50 years ago! Also it pours a mean cuppa. This piece was included in the foolish MIST0418 artpack collection.

[nearwildheaven]

another silly little radio demo/cover !! cleaners from venus my beloved...... anti thatcher songs my beloved <33

(alternatively titled how NOT to produce music)

[streetsofdublin]

I'M A TEAPOT - IT IS ACTUALLY THE NEWELL TEAPOT OR IF YOU PREFER THE UTAH TEAPOT

The Utah teapot, or the Newell teapot, is a 3D test model that has become a standard reference object and an in-joke within the computer graphics community.

THIS IS LOCATED IN SMITHFIELD CLOSE TO THE TRAM STOP HTTP Status Code 418 I’m a Teapot. In the context of web development, the HTTP Status Code 418 I’m a Teapot is a client error response code that indicates that the server refuses to brew coffee because it is, permanently, a teapot. This code is often used as a joke or a way to indicate that the server is not functioning properly. It is not a…

[restlesschilled]

Everyone always talks about how funny it is that Jon Ex girlfriend is Played by Jonny’s real life spouse,

but what I thinks is funnier is that Jane Prentiss who spends half of season 1 harassing Martin is voice by Alex’s then girlfriend/now wife Hannah Brankin

[strawberriedmeadows]

they are Mitski and The Crane Wives coded husbands, methinks

[nedison]

I got [my Höfner V3] for 19 quid in Guitar Village Shaftsbury Avenue when I was 17 in 1970. People didn't reckon it much as a guitar because then it was prog rock and everyone was doing widdly-widdly and this was a jangly-jangly sort of guitar. But it came into its own in The Cleaners From Venus!

- Martin Newell, The Jangling Man (2022)

[notexactlyrocketscience]

TMA ending reflections (and theories about the sequel!)

When I initially listened to the ending, it felt like a good plan (and the prospects of a perfect happy ending) unnecessarily jeopardised. Jon and Martin’s panicked conversation sounded so hopeless and their final decision felt impulsive. Everything was in shambles, and a good outcome was unlikely at this point. The promise of Somewhere Else seemed like an empty euphemism to make certain death more bearable. I was frustrated, and heartbroken.

Now that I've taken a few days to process and distanced myself from the characters' momentary pain, I actually truly believe that what happened at the end was a happy accident instead.

I don’t think I can put it better than the Reddit post already has—The original plan proposed by Annabelle could have had equally (if not worse) disastrous outcomes. Even if it had been canonically executed, knowing the way Jonny and Alex love to write, things would still have been shown to end ambiguously—just less tragically poetic. For the purposes of the narrative, I think they did a great job of ending the series on a climactic, fulfilling (and hopeful!) note that remains faithful to the overall tone of The Magnus Archives. Jon and Martin weren’t exactly planning on doing what they did, but it’s given them a chance at the best and happiest ending that was up for grabs.

And I love that I genuinely don’t feel like I have to be in denial of the canon at all to fully believe in this interpretation, since it was left strictly ambiguous on purpose.

But there’s more!

The Magnus Protocol teaser has a seemingly unharmed (and physically corporeal) Martin surprised to see the familiar tape recorder show up again, long after he’s assumed they’ve stopped listening. This, plus the fact that Jonny and Alex have confirmed they will appear in TMA 2, tells me:

It’s unlikely that Jonny and Alex will appear simply to voice other side-characters, even those with distorted voices. It’s clear from Q&As that they take casting very seriously. I can’t see them double-casting (former) main characters.

So we’ll see Martin again, post-escape from Eyepocalypse. Not just an old S1-to-S5-era never-seen-before Magnus Archives tape found by Alice and Sam. Including formerly unrevealed tapes from TMA would be a really nice touch (and I hope we’ll get that too!), but I’m sure Jonny wouldn’t release that particular teaser if he wasn’t solidly planning on following through in some way. Jonny has always been very serious about giving the audience breadcrumb trails with properly viable clues.

Well … what about post-Eyepocalypse Jon? Well, I think Jon is only going to appear in such a way that either fully retains the ambiguity of the TMA ending, or hints/confirms in some way that he is also alive and unharmed (in whatever avatar or semi-avatar form).

In any case, if post-Eyepocalypse Martin (and maybe Jon) do indeed appear (which seems very likely at this point), it will also be implied or shown that they are, indeed, together—in a non-tragic, romantic, bordering on wholesome way.

I say this because confirming their death or separation after the TMA finale would completely ruin the sanctity of the ending. It’s really neatly tied up and beautiful as it is right now. Answering questions to ambiguous events negatively in sequels (eg having formerly surviving main characters simply as side-characters who die in sequels) is really hard to land properly. It borders on being disrespectful of the investment the audience put into the original. Jonny has always been very receptive and sensitive to these things.

However, showing that characters from a previously ambiguous ending are living their best lives as mysterious side-characters that pop in and out—bamboozling the main characters (but delighting the audience)—is a lot easier to execute favourably. It also keeps from taking attention away from the protagonists and the main plot of the sequel.

So my expectation (read: hope) is that we’re going to see Jon and Martin in our world, where the end of TMA implied that the tapes are, and where I assume The Magnus Protocol is set! They will be happy and together (this may be explicit or implied vaguely, I am not sure how they’d keep that completely ambiguous if the post-Eyepocalypse versions of the characters themselves explicitly appear), and nothing worse than TMA finale will happen to them.

I only have this belief because I have incredible faith in Jonny and Alex as writers! I think they subverted insensitive tropes creatively and did just about everything right in TMA, and I can’t say that about most authors I love. Yes, I do generally want my blorbos to be safe and happy, but the above is not just a culmination of my wishful thinking. Jonny and Alex have already said that they certainly aren’t going to try to overshadow TMA, but I’m also hoping The Magnus Protocol will complement TMA while not really trying to step on TMA’s toes. They didn't have to drop so many JonMartin return hints (or even write JonMartin into TMA 2 at all) but they did. Super excited and optimistic for what's to come!

[i-psofacto]

Hi, welcome in! So glad you've visited. Have a seat!

I made some tea, would you like some?

Maybe a bite to eat? I only have canned goods...

Just the tea is fine? No problem, let me get you a cup... here!

You know, it's such a nice day outside, why don't we make it a picnic?

Ahh, isn't the view so nice? I love the beach!

Did you hear something towards the tea?... oh my gosh what is that watch out

[fiendishartist2]

this changed the world btw

[bandcampsnoop]

2/5/24.

Another Bandcamp Friday has come and gone. The best news of that day (for me at least) was the announcement of a new BMX Bandits LP. The "Dreaded Light" soundtrack was an excellent addition to the canon, but it wasn't Duglas' normal pop fare. "Dreamers on the Run" is slated for a late April release, and Tapete Records states that this LP is BMX Bandits' "most musically ambitious so far". Two pop gems are available right now, so it will be interesting to see what the rest of the LP brings us.

You can preorder the 2LP on Tapete's webpage. Their order page mentions Martin Newell, Jonathan Richman and Curt Boettcher as touchstones. Monorail Music is offering signed copies as well (Duglas Stewart is based in Glasgow and has been a friend and collaborator of Stephen Pastel (McRobbie) for years).

Finally, if you find yourself loving BMX Bandits, you should really listen to The Lookyloos.

[eithernich]

sony tc-630