Tangents, A History

A major shock tonight when I made a regular jaunt to the Tangents website and saw that Alistair has packed up, and it’s with a kind of numbed feeling that I try to write some tributary words. A million questions get thrown up in the psyche of someone who wants to write, and that quest for eloquence and honesty in expression can often leave you feeling like shit. I think Alistair mentioned a while back that we maybe all do it for a sense of belonging and when it comes down to it, to find empathy and actually be liked, and for me the narrative that Tangents has provided over the past few years has gone a long way towards justifying this whole existence. Reading along with Alistair’s mix articles and John Carney’s 50,000 Reasons and Shivers Inside series’ I’ve found not only my tastes being defined before my eyes in a way that puts everything in its right context within the huge realm of Pop, but also a broadening of horizons that could only have been achieved through being constantly exposed to such informed and passionate writing. It just all made sense. Alistair says it’s the feeling of doing it more out of habit than love that’s led to the decision, but I for one can assure him that it was some of the most educative and moving habitual literature I’ve read. Maybe - hopefully, it’s a case of recharging the batteries for a while and finding that easy energy with which to plough on again, but, if not, Tangents has left a formidable narrative of the Pop underground, and for anyone who feels themselves disenfranchised as I did a while ago, it’s a sure path back from industry hell and self-doubt into a world of genuine insight and feeling. All the best from us Alistair.

www.tangents.co.uk

© Miwsig