From: fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes)
Newsgroups: alt.peeves
Subject: Re: Drug testing and welfare
Date: 27 Jul 92 19:38:28 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

dourish@EuroPARC.Xerox.COM (Paul Dourish) writes:

>In article <5wPkoB14w165w@mantis.co.uk>, mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>> People receiving welfare cheques might be spending the money on stolen goods,
>> did you think of that?

>Hey, it goes deeper than that. They might be buying tacky furniture,
>for instance, with horrible flowery patterns which us honest
>tax-payers might violently object to. Or Hawkwind albums, even. Or
>worse (if there *is* worse).

There isn't. And it's addictive. At first I just listened to a couple of
tapes that my room-mate at university had. I figured "I'm an adult now,
I can handle it". Then I recorded all Hawkwind albums that anyone in the
hall of residence had. I knew I was breaking the law, but it's not like
it was becoming a habit or anything. Then I ran a minibus to a Hawkwind
concert. I mean *lots* of people go to rock concerts, it wasn't anything
serious right? Then I found myself hanging around record shops, hoping
to score another Hawkwind album. I just couldn't stop myself. And when
things were dry, and I couldn't get an album, I'd buy a single, just to
tide me over. By then I was going to two gigs on each tour.

Four years later, I had around a dozen Hawkwind albums, as many singles,
and some tapes that the band were selling to fans. I'd fallen in with a
group of hard-core Hawkwind fans. My old friends didn't want to know me
because I'd always play Hawkwind when they visited. I knew I was in
trouble when I found myself at Stonehenge Festival watching Hawkwind on
the day I was supposed to be graduating. The University were good about
it though and graduated me "in absentia". I was so ashamed.

It all went downhill from there. I started collecting Hawkwind videos.
I'd scour magazines like "Record Collector" hoping to find a foreign
single or two. I even placed an ad in an American magazine. By then I
was going to four or five Hawkwind gigs every year.

Fortunately I'm now in a self-help group of people who have the same
problem. We meet, errr four or five times a year. We're really dedicated
to helping each other and will often send live recordings of Hawkwind
concerts if someone gets it really bad. I've now got around 100 live
tapes and I'm sure that by the time I get 500, I'll be cured.

So that's my story. So if there's anyone out there maybe just trying a
little Hawkwind.....could you send me your live tapes list?

>I think it's about time this was stopped. Where might it all lead?

Well, in the absolutely desperate cases, they finally end up as Prime
Minister. Yes folks, CircusBoy was once on the dole, as seen in a film
of him prior to the General Election.

Actually, to be controversial, instead of the Guvmint deciding how we
spend money it gives to us, how about *we* decide how to spend the money
we give to them. Give us a line-item veto on our income tax.

>--
>Paul Dourish, Rank Xerox EuroPARC, Cambridge, UK   <dourish@europarc.xerox.com>

FoFP

"Marijuana monster is stalking the streets
 You know what he's after, you know what he eats
 Devours your body and spits out your mind
 If you don't believe it then you must be blind"  -- Hawkwind "Reefer Madness"
Newsgroups: alt.peeves