WE have a simular problem in Cardiff, but ours is even more dire. Spillers Records (The Oldest Record shop in the world) is having to close because they are building a big new shopping development next door and putting the rent sky high. Its sad because not only is it historically important but it really is the centre of the music scene in Cardiff. Its the only place in Cardiff you can pick up anything obscure.

The Good news is it seems the front of the shop is listed.

I feel a bit hypocritical when it comes to record shops closing. After all, 90% of the CDs I buy are from online stores like Amazon.

I don't think Spillers will be going anywhere for a while. I think the people that control the rent have eased off a little bit as a result of the petition but I guess they will hike the rent up eventually. I wouldn't have thought it would close much before that whole area is redeveloped and that's not due until 2008. It will be utterly, utterly hideous from the look of the plans. I was up in cineworld the other day trying to get a good look at the demolished buildings and it struck me that it would be really ace if the just flattened that whole area and made a huge square like some sort of grand old European city. Instead it will be a shiny shit glass nightmare.

Question for whoever happened to visit camden market recently: do they still have those stalls where you could buy tapes of bootlegs for a fiver?I have a few of those.

It's CDs these days, for 15 quid, I think. And DVDs.

That's sad, i used to find good stuff on them.Fifteen quid for a bootleg cdr?That's outrageous!!!

£15 really is outrageous. Oh the days when you could get a tape of Head of David at the Clarendon for a fiver.

Last time i bought i dvd in camden, it was a velvet underground one and i paid £ 20 for it.The quality is atrocious, though.

is it that one you recorded for me? i still have that tape to send you of ashtray navigations stuff saramkropp. pm me your new address.

Has it got maureen blinfolded on it?

no its just them jamming and a little kid running around. i think its nico's son?

Oh, that's the simphony of sound one.Did you enjoy it?That's a mean performance by them.

i did! it was really great but not long enough. what i really want is some of the epi stuff. does any exist?

If you mean footage, there is little to nothing and you can find some of it on youtube if you look for it.Bootleg-wise, there are a few that do the rounds and the quality is genrally rubbish but if you don't mind that, they are joy to behold.If we all pray together tonight, John Cale might decide to start putting everything that he has on cassette out and be done with it.I'm pretty sure that some unseen footage is out there, but i've never understood why they are being so precious about it.That could also have something to do with The Andy Warhol Foundation people who are an odd bunch.

maybe they are still trying to archive it all. they have had 30 years so you think they would have got round to it by now!

someone told me nico used to fuck her son.

It's not far from the truth that they had a really odd relationship.While living in Brixton Ari would share the squalor of his mother's room sometimes, and that involved watching her doing heroin constantly and stinking like a farmer.Have you ever read 'Songs They Never Play On The Radio'?Great book, very sad but very amusing too.

i prefer not think about that stuff. its hard though when you hear some of the music.

Tell me about it, it'll be as bad as Cardiff Bay soon. They are like any City, trying to tear down everything thats scummy (although I like things scummy) I'm happy about the new library though. It really is about time.

Check out my 'Save Spillers Records' thread...ive posted a Culture Show segment about the shop...

There a new shop in place of Reckless Records, now.