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Ainslie Henderson <ainsliehenderson>

	Gratitude/sticker glue department of Columbia Records	73 days ago
	"Hello, is this Columbia Records?, Yes, I'd like to talk to the person who chooses the glue for the stickers that are stuck on the front of the CD's please." It's been three years since Growing Flowers by Candlelight was released. I don't remember exactly what I was thinking while making it; I remember some pretty magical feelings around it. I'm still figuring out how songs are written. Do you ever try to look straight at a star and it disappears? Sometimes I get scared and I put it all, what I do and how to do it and what I've done and why, under scrutiny and it turns to shit. You have to look just to the side of it to see it. Following is as close as I can get. Sometimes I wonder if art is a therapy in forgiving yourself for not quite managing what you'd like. Maybe it's just like that for me. I like to walk around with half formed ramblings on headphones and sing like a crazy man in the night (oh don't we all love to think we're a bit crazy), now that's got to be a chorus, right? Everyone talks about how they wanted to fit in in high school. Oh how I wanted to be a misfit (that's got to be the second line in the chorus, right?). Anyway, this isn't what I wanted to say, I suppose I wanted to say thank you. Tearing the plastic from a Leonard Cohen CD (one of those incredibly cheap compilations with a mind bogglingly huge number of great songs on), I got to the sticky foil seal that runs along the top edge of the case. Peeling it off leaves that terrible claggy glue, that no matter how much you rub, or clean, it never quite comes off; bit's of hair and fluff will collect there. I'm sure I could use alcohol, or meths or fire or blood or something, but the point is: the stuff is too sticky. I got to thinking about how futile and absurd, (and maybe for these reasons worthwhile and funny?) it would be to try and find out who sources the glue for these stickers, and have a word with them, explain that the glue needn't be so fucking sticky and permanent, use the stuff that they use on the sticky yellow notes! These people obviously aren't buying CD's, and they don't care. it bothers me that you never get to talk to the people who make your things, or disappoint you, or cause the tube to be delayed, or break your pottery in the post. Nothing is personal, and no one is responsible. How much better would you feel if next time you're sitting in an airport lounge and your plane is delayed for hours, someone arrived and said, 'hello everyone, I'm Chris, I'm really sorry, this is my fault, this part of the plane is buggered and I don't know how to fix it, and I've lost the manual, so I've called John, he knows how to fix it, he's on his way, the traffic's bad, but he should be here in an hour.' Anyway, this isn't what I wanted to say, I wanted to say thank you, because all this got me thinking about my own little record making industry. And all you who've bought things from my site, have made what's happening possible and how wonderful it is not to have a record deal, that individuals write to me, and I send things to them. How small and personal it can be, and when people complain, they complain to me, and usually I can say 'well yes, I chose that glue, and yes, the stickers fall off a bit, but I figure it would be better than having bits of dust and flies work their way into the art work.' It's me and a lovely lady who helps me, selling music that I make with friends directly to you. I'm very, very lucky. Thank you all for your support.
	posted by Ainslie Henderson

2 Comments:

	Nicola Topper said...	73 days ago
	And thank you for making and producing Flowers By Candlelight signed and with no 890 written on it (my number, no-one elses!) - I still listen to this album at least once a week and I bought it over 2 years ago - magical indeed!!
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	Mr Independant said...	73 days ago
	Wow. That was awesome. And so right. I wanna get a Copy of the cd now. Got the mug which is so amazin. But i want the cd now. Only got a copy frm itunes.
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