As to the music itself, I could not suffer a great deal. Most of it is cacophonous. There is a lot of screaming by Nat; a bit scary, but nothing like the primal therapy aberrations, thankfully. Some passages would be unique were it not for a slight fleeting resemblance to the most extreme moments from the canon of that deceased, eccentric English composer Cornelius Cardew. However, it mostly sticks to a rigid and very rapid common-time beat, with Greg and Jim revealed as reasonably competent musicians. Nat just adds volume and bluster with distorted musica in diabola guitar and growling vocals, with the occasional weird whispered overdub: like speaking in tongues, wrought with primitive studio trickery. It is apocalyptic music. This is doubtless why it has had a minor appeal. It is basic, but genuinely eerie.

Nat placed his name at the foot of the small list of credits. (Ah, false modesty.) He once mentioned that there were some “subliminal psychic messages” between the grooves. As a record only has two, long grooves there can only be two such vinyl communiqués. I could not detect anything, but then presumably it would not be subliminal if I could. I am not sure if Nat’s mood was jocular or sincere when he put forward this premise. Schumann held similar “invisible writing between the lines” beliefs. Suffice it to say, Nat is not in bad company.

SUN NOV 22

Nat seems to have been galvanised by the work he has to do for the band, and is happy to rattle on at length about the odd correspondent he tends to almost every day. Interest seems sufficiently sustained in the record that even the laxness of the “depressing plant” cannot quench its underground popularity.

Meanwhile, the group arrange new material but, most inexplicably, have no desire to meet their “fans”. Nat with “groupies”? Unthinkable!

The death wish lingers, but now plays far less of a role in Nat’s life. He is reticent on the matter and I like to think that the good old honest Protestant Work Ethic was all that he needed to banish troublesome emotions and thoughts. After all, isn’t this why most people undertake jobs? However, I simply cannot understand anyone who would rather commit their energy and emotions to ink and paper rather than to other human beings.

SUN DEC 13

Not for the first time, Nat has expressed displeasure with his music. At such times he finds solace in drawing and virtually nothing else.

What is he drawing now? Pretty little flowers? Houses?

No, “things”. He plans to draw these things nonstop through the festive season.

SUN JAN 10

Nat took a break from his art commitment to see me today. He quite enjoyed Christmas and was even coaxed by his family into consuming a little alcohol. Why, his severe abstinence stance is crumbling all the while. What next, I ask myself; sex?