Hi, I’m the blogger formerly known as Irant.
As of tonight that pseudonym Immanuel Rant has kicked the bucket, shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.
The main reason to kill of Ranty was that I felt the pseudonym had runs its course. I was fond of the moniker but was starting to feel that pseudonymity was becoming confining. Tim Dunlop has been discussing the validity of pseudonyms recently. And that did get me thinking. Not in a you are either for pseudonyms or against pseudonyms manner but as to why I was blogging under Immanuel Rant. And I decided that it was time for a change.
Another factor was a struggle, not so much with ideas, but putting the ideas down coherently (well as coherent as I can get) onto paper. The past few weeks has seen many attempts at posts but nothing that has gelled and hence remain unfinished on my hard drive. So this is definitely part of a reinvention to get the ‘ol creative juices flowing.
Also unmasking myself would put paid to certain speculation regarding why myself and Immanuel Rant were never seen in the same room at the same time and why we shared the same address. I am so over that question.
Mark still kindly allowed me to keep the keys to the plush, purple velvet confines of LP so for now, I shall make my home here. The email address I was using for Irant will soon be no more and if anyone desires, shaun.cronin at gmail.com will work just as well.
Now if only I could convince Mark to give me the keys to the LP liquor cabinet.
Welcome out of the closet into the land of the named, Shaun.
I don’t know how the LP liquor cabinet works but judging by the colour, it probably involves grenadine, creme de menthe and kerosene.
And merlot. The most purple of wines.
Nice to meet you Shaun. Sad to hear Irant is no more, I hope you keep posting here regularly though.
I’ve already met Shaun over a few wines (more me than him!) - the LP liquor cabinet is always open for visitors to Brisvegas - and in fact I’m accumulating quite a nice cellar!
Currently enjoying a Ninth Island Pinot Noir. From Tassie would you believe. The Pinot Grigio is also tops!
any absinthe in there?
I can get you some of the wormwood stuff!
Welcome Shaun. It’s strangely nice to peek under the covers and find out someone’s true identity.
Ninth Island Pinot Noir is the goodness. Currently working through a Cooper’s dark ale, myself.
Indeed, welcome to the land of the named.
Many ordinary Sunni Arabs would be heartily sick of the insurgency and, now that they will be “allowed” to vote, may very well accept the constitution.
The Coopers dark ale is by no means the badness, Andrew!
Im sure theres some purple food colouring for the vodka somewhere. That’ll keep me happy.
Sorry hit the paste button instead of copy for a crashing Explorer
Shaun, welcome, may I call you AJ when you are being exceedingly clever?
Liam, I trust the LP cabinet is not a liquid version of ‘a pint of kerosino’ magic pudding.
Ninth Island Pinot Noir is a fine drop indeed. Tassie pinots are usually quite good. I do like the NZ pinots a lot. They are great wines. And for the cheap drinkers, you can’t go past Illuminati Riparosso. A great Italian red at only $9 in most stores.
And next time I hit Brisvegas I hope to be flying solo if on business again (I only had time for a few drinks with Mark before my boss, as nice guy as he is, insisted I go to dinner with him and his mates).
And thanks for the welcome everyone (though I have been here for a while). It does feel weird to have ended Irant and emerged as myself. And I do intend to blog regular basis here.
Hahn Premium tonight. Left over from the weekend and helps kill the pain of a bruised big toe (copped a yorker at Sunday practice).
Any truth to the rumour, Shaun, you are being flown over to England to be the new opening batsman replacing Hayden? (Speaking of yorkers?)
Stellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Shaun! Just saying…
[It’s a beer comment in case I’m being too obscure…]
Hahns Premium and Light, Shaun, are cat biscuit beers. Just find a friend or relative who owns a cat, have a sniff of its food and you’ll see what I mean.
Does anyone own our resident pussycat? He’s been wandering off course - into feminist waters. Time to make sure that the feed isn’t from every house in the blog street… Just saying…
Test. Comments are not showing up.
That one did.
Hmm, but three others have disappeared into the ethernet.
Email Rob Corr with the details, Shaun, we’re still trying to pin down a mysterious commenting problem.
If you don’t have Rob’s address, email me.
shauney shauney shauney it take a lot to laugh but a train to cry. I’ll miss your site and you’ll always be ranty to me - no matter how mainstream you get or how much you sellout. Anyway this generally well educated latte blog is well in need of some country licks. Play it boys - Big Balls In Cowtown
Mmm mmm Ninth Island Pinot Noir
Coopers Stout last night which as stouts go is second only to Swan Stout.
And congrats Shaun on your nym.
Umm, not wishing to piss in the eccie-fizzing hot tub here but how do we know Shaun Croinin is not just another level of misdeception?
For all we know he could be really named Marmaduke Saintclair de la Nicrosis, on the run from ripping off SLORC, packin’ an artificial crystal leg full of rather giddy Siamese fighting fishes - with the pegleg bit weighted down by a tightly stacked stash of emergency krugerrands.
Trust me. I’ve seen this kinda shit before.
As long as he drinks beer. And forgives us when we occasionally lapse and call him Ranty. And Cooper’s Stout is second to…um…Guinness. But not after two.
Oi, Nabs, do you think that those of us with artificial legs always conceal something in them?
Shucks, did I really say that? I mussed ave bean tissed out of my miny tittle bind.
Forward to the future!
It is possible Nabs. It is possible. But how would you ever know?
I am somewhat bemused at all this fuss about pseudonyms, not using full names etc. Irant, Shaun, I still wouldn’t know you if I fell over you. So nothing has changed AFAIC. But if it makes you feel better, more power to you.
Well as must be obvious I for one am all in favour of pseudonyms. Speaking as a musician (not my day job) I have credits under about 6 or 7 different personal names (not counting band names). Rex Bellator, Dread King, Dr. Frank Poole, Hamburger Anus Death, and plenty of variations of my real name in between. I can’t see what the fuss is. The royalty checks still make it to my bank account.
Admit it Ranty, you only did that last post as an excuse to get in the AC/DC reference.
Of course Amanda. How could I resist?
T - you didn’t mention Kinky Boot Beast. And shouldn’t that be Dr Jean Poole?
Oh no … FX Holden has rumbled my identity … Aaaaiiiieeee!!! Perhaps I shouldn’t link my website to it eh?! But how did you know the kinky boot beast reference?
It’s Dr. Frank Poole the name of the astronaut that HAL kills in 2001.
The power of google T-Rex. You’ve got the tooth of the hydra upon you….
L.E. If that’s the case FXH also missed Metal Hurlant and Now Zero but they were both band names. Not a lot connects this stuff together even in Google (but it does connect to my real name easily enough). FXH is operating from the terrain of some sort of first hand experience, I think.
FXH is operating from the terrain of a wily Jesuit secret operative, as always!