This pivotal post comes from Andrew. He has been a regular source of inspiration and support for the GANTOB movement since August 2023. This piece takes a nice spin on a couple of konversations that Andrew and I have had over the months. And it involves another Scottish band which, going by the name of the record label they established at the start of their kareer, have a kurious affinity with a certain letter. And it’s an unwelcome return for TB, an irregular visitor to the GANTOBverse recently.
Over to you Andrew before I give too many hints…
GANTOB loved The Delgados. Today was Saturday 12 August 2023, a day she thought would never come. It was a long time since the activities of the “thin men” – and woman – had ceased in 2005.
She was sitting, shivering, poncho-less in the pouring rain, but that wouldn’t dampen her spirits. As the first strains of No Danger rang out, she forgot about other distractions and found herself transported out of the bandstand in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow and into another world altogether.
As the thunderous applause died down, she tuned into a conversation to her right. A young couple were debating the meaning of a pamphlet they had found folded into a paper plane earlier. GANTOB chuckled and shuffled a bit closer as it dawned on her whose writings they were discussing. Perhaps her efforts were slowly paying off.
At the end of the concert the band returned for an encore. They thanked the fans for their enthusiasm in the face of some atrocious weather, going on to say that there was someone they needed to thank for the push that got them back together. “Could everyone put their hands together for The Benefaktor”, they announced in unison…
GANTOB’s heart missed a beat. Had she heard that correctly? Surely not. The Benefaktor had said he was putting all his efforts into supporting her writing. She had shared her wider influences to keep him engaged, but how he had stumbled upon The Delgados? What did this mean for her and Little Grapefruit? Had he moved on to bigger things? And hadn’t The Foundation Doktor called him “the thin man”?
She was itching to tell the couple beside her it was her pamphlet. If The Benefaktor was shifting his attention and funding, she would need all the support available. However, she knew that would risk blowing her kover, ripping the fabric of everything she was trying to achieve.
She was bursting for a pee but dreaded the chemikal toilets. She also worried that she had missed the subway home.
Suddenly, light flooded in, and she sat bolt upright, warm in bed. No poncho required. She knew The Benefaktor was somehow influencing her daily decisions, but this was something new. She had not even known The Benefaktor (or TFD) back in August 2023! His subterfuge was infiltrating her memories now, playing on her sleeping mind. Time to get on the front foot…
ANDREW
20 December 2023
Demokratisation is the process of handing the blog over to you, the reader. There needs to be a link back to characters from the GANTOBverse, or at least mentioned in previous GANTOB writing.
If you have 400 words to submit, please get in touch. Ignore the deadlines, but please remember to provide an excuse for being late.
If your blog is used in December 2023 you will receive a copy of the forthcoming book: GANTOB’s 2023: A trilogy, including your contribution. Good luck!
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