More employers victimise bloggers
Very sad to report that in the last week I have had emails from different people who have had trouble from their employers over their personal blogs - hard to believe that employers will search online and then use information gathered in a deliberate attempt to fire people, even when they have not mentioned the company or named anyone who works there. If you haven't mentioned any of these identifiers than how can any employer claim their reputation could be harmed? More likely their reputation will be harmed by an subsequent exposure of their disgusting acts. Some employers are simply bullies who seem to think they can treat workers in any way they see fit, tramples over their rights and invade their private lives too. You'd think no matter how stupid they were they would consider how badly such actions can backfire on them and their public image. Jenny here is the latest sad example of such blatant bullying and misuse of power. I hope she takes the bastards to an industrial tribunal and shames them for their blatant abuse.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Screw-On Head
I posted this on the FPI blog a while back and realised I forgot to mention it here - SciFi have made the test episode of Mike Mignola's The Amazing Screw-On Head available on line and are actively asking folk's opinion to help decide if they should comission a whole series. I thought it rocked - the art is very similar to Mike's distinctive look (as seen in Hellboy) and it has a lovely steampunk feel to it, with the Screw-On Head himself a mechanical agent of Abraham Lincoln's, with different heads for different tasks (a bit like Wurzel Gummidge in that respect!). Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce provide voice talent.
I posted this on the FPI blog a while back and realised I forgot to mention it here - SciFi have made the test episode of Mike Mignola's The Amazing Screw-On Head available on line and are actively asking folk's opinion to help decide if they should comission a whole series. I thought it rocked - the art is very similar to Mike's distinctive look (as seen in Hellboy) and it has a lovely steampunk feel to it, with the Screw-On Head himself a mechanical agent of Abraham Lincoln's, with different heads for different tasks (a bit like Wurzel Gummidge in that respect!). Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce provide voice talent.
Reviews list of links
I've set up a very basic blog, Joe's Reviews, which is essentially a list of links to various reviews I've posted. I've done a lot of reviews over the years, some of which were in print of broadcast media and I no longer have, but I thought perhaps I would list some of the ones available online. I may spruce it up a bit later on, but for now its just a blog with a big list of links to reviews, split up into SF books, Fantasy, Horror, Younger Readers, Non Fiction, Graphic Novels, Movies & DVDs (I hadn't realised how many movies I had reviewed on the Alien Online) and some other material (mostly interviews).
Some are drawn from the FPI blog and Emerald City, but most are from The Alien Online reviews; there are also some much earlier reviews on my old (first) site The Library of Dreams, which although I can't access it anymore to change it, is still up there, but due to the basic layout (it was an early site from the 90s) I can't link directly to each review, so you have to scroll down each page. Also on the reviewing front the third FPI podcast from myself and my two colleagues Paul and Crowbar is now available to stream or take as an MP3.
I've set up a very basic blog, Joe's Reviews, which is essentially a list of links to various reviews I've posted. I've done a lot of reviews over the years, some of which were in print of broadcast media and I no longer have, but I thought perhaps I would list some of the ones available online. I may spruce it up a bit later on, but for now its just a blog with a big list of links to reviews, split up into SF books, Fantasy, Horror, Younger Readers, Non Fiction, Graphic Novels, Movies & DVDs (I hadn't realised how many movies I had reviewed on the Alien Online) and some other material (mostly interviews).
Some are drawn from the FPI blog and Emerald City, but most are from The Alien Online reviews; there are also some much earlier reviews on my old (first) site The Library of Dreams, which although I can't access it anymore to change it, is still up there, but due to the basic layout (it was an early site from the 90s) I can't link directly to each review, so you have to scroll down each page. Also on the reviewing front the third FPI podcast from myself and my two colleagues Paul and Crowbar is now available to stream or take as an MP3.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Drinking bloggers
Yvonne of the excellent Nemeton blog and her other half were in town on holiday so last night the Silvereel and I met up with them and had a lovely chat in Rutherfoard's Howff, one of the favoured pubs of Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Not exactly a sparkling location, it has to be said (we had two seperate gadgies approach us to offer to sell us good ranging from shampoo to joints of meat - I shall refrain from casting aspersion on the providence of these goods) and not one I have been in for years, but the booze was cold and the company good. It is one of the things about the digital age, knowing people, sometimes for a long time, but never having actually met them - I know a raft of people all round the world who I keep in touch with online, bloggers, writers, publishers and others, some of whom have become good friends - I'm sure plenty of others have similar online friendships. Still, it is always nice to actually get a chance to meet some of them from time to time and sit down in a real-world pub (if indeed real world this is) and enjoy a drink and a natter.
Yvonne of the excellent Nemeton blog and her other half were in town on holiday so last night the Silvereel and I met up with them and had a lovely chat in Rutherfoard's Howff, one of the favoured pubs of Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Not exactly a sparkling location, it has to be said (we had two seperate gadgies approach us to offer to sell us good ranging from shampoo to joints of meat - I shall refrain from casting aspersion on the providence of these goods) and not one I have been in for years, but the booze was cold and the company good. It is one of the things about the digital age, knowing people, sometimes for a long time, but never having actually met them - I know a raft of people all round the world who I keep in touch with online, bloggers, writers, publishers and others, some of whom have become good friends - I'm sure plenty of others have similar online friendships. Still, it is always nice to actually get a chance to meet some of them from time to time and sit down in a real-world pub (if indeed real world this is) and enjoy a drink and a natter.
The (im)morality of war
One of the most intelligent writers I know (and an all-round good egg) Ken MacLeod discusses the lie of attempting a moral justification for killing civilians, as well as noting uncomfortable similarities between current events and the manuscript he has just handed into his publisher (which I can't wait to read). Ken sometime picks up a reputation for using his novels as a sopa box for left-wing politics, but this simply isn't true. Yes he often does have politics, especially left-wing politics in his work, but he doesn't preach at folks and any political/social system is a part of the novel, not a mere device to push his own beliefs. Besides, his material is intelligent, erudite, inventive and elegant and he is genuinely a writer who I look forward to with each publication.
One of the most intelligent writers I know (and an all-round good egg) Ken MacLeod discusses the lie of attempting a moral justification for killing civilians, as well as noting uncomfortable similarities between current events and the manuscript he has just handed into his publisher (which I can't wait to read). Ken sometime picks up a reputation for using his novels as a sopa box for left-wing politics, but this simply isn't true. Yes he often does have politics, especially left-wing politics in his work, but he doesn't preach at folks and any political/social system is a part of the novel, not a mere device to push his own beliefs. Besides, his material is intelligent, erudite, inventive and elegant and he is genuinely a writer who I look forward to with each publication.
Fish catches man
Saw this story about a Marlin who got its own back on a sports fisherman; serves the bugger right for getting his jollies by killing a striking looking creature just to make him look like a big man, laughed my arse off.
Saw this story about a Marlin who got its own back on a sports fisherman; serves the bugger right for getting his jollies by killing a striking looking creature just to make him look like a big man, laughed my arse off.
Talbot
As part of British Comics Month over on the FPI blog I've set up a number of interesting interviews, but yesterday I posted up a Q&A with one of the best writer-artists in the land and the man generally credited with the first 'proper' UK graphic novel, Bryan Talbot, who talks about the brilliant Luther Arkwright, the incredibly powerful Tale of One Bad Rat and his forthcoming work based around the work of Lewis Carroll, Alice in Sunderland, which sounds utterly brilliant. He also talks a bit about the French-Japanese artist Veronique Tanaka who he is helping to get published; her work sound fascinating, I hope a UK publisher picks it up, I'd like to see more of it.
As part of British Comics Month over on the FPI blog I've set up a number of interesting interviews, but yesterday I posted up a Q&A with one of the best writer-artists in the land and the man generally credited with the first 'proper' UK graphic novel, Bryan Talbot, who talks about the brilliant Luther Arkwright, the incredibly powerful Tale of One Bad Rat and his forthcoming work based around the work of Lewis Carroll, Alice in Sunderland, which sounds utterly brilliant. He also talks a bit about the French-Japanese artist Veronique Tanaka who he is helping to get published; her work sound fascinating, I hope a UK publisher picks it up, I'd like to see more of it.
Laurel and Hardy
Glen Mitchell has terrific piece on BBC Radio 4 covering the live tours of two of my all-time favourite performers, Laurel and Hardy. In our modern society fame has become a rather cheap commodity - some achieve it for great works and achievements but there seems to be a never-ending river - or perhaps sewer would be a better term - of interchangeable, disposable 'celebrities' who pick up some form of fame for the most pathetic of reasons.
However even those who achieve fame deservedly for a great piece of music for instance, just don't come close to L&H at their height. Beatlemania doesn't come close; so many people turned out to see the pair in Glasgow a stone ballustrade broke while their arrival in Ireland was greeted by church bells mimicking the sounds of their famous 'Cuckoo' theme tune, peels rolling out across as most of the population came to greet them off the ship. There's a nice bit in Garth Ennis' excellent Preacher series where the hard-drinkin' Irish vampire Cass is talking about L&H to Jessie and recounts the same story, how the two of them were apparently in tears as they realised how much they meant to people. It must have been something else to have been a part of that crowd.
I loved L&H as a young kid watching repeats onTV during school holidays; I still love them and watch them on DVD today. The Cuckoo theme makes me smile right away while Stan still reduces me to tears of laughter with a few simple expressions. I loved watching Paul Merton's recent BBC series on the early comedians of the silver screen recently and when the Filmhouse had their Buster Keaton season I was there, laughing away and quite delighted to see that a man my age had his young boys with him and they were also in hysterics. These performers just had something timeless; they are still loved and adored today, their craft still admired but mostly we just still like to laugh at their films. Oscars and BAFTAs for the heavyweight categories of Best Director, Best Actor and so on are so over-rated; now the people who can make films which make us laugh and laugh and laugh? That's difficult and that's worth ten times the most magnificent dramatic performance.
Glen Mitchell has terrific piece on BBC Radio 4 covering the live tours of two of my all-time favourite performers, Laurel and Hardy. In our modern society fame has become a rather cheap commodity - some achieve it for great works and achievements but there seems to be a never-ending river - or perhaps sewer would be a better term - of interchangeable, disposable 'celebrities' who pick up some form of fame for the most pathetic of reasons.
However even those who achieve fame deservedly for a great piece of music for instance, just don't come close to L&H at their height. Beatlemania doesn't come close; so many people turned out to see the pair in Glasgow a stone ballustrade broke while their arrival in Ireland was greeted by church bells mimicking the sounds of their famous 'Cuckoo' theme tune, peels rolling out across as most of the population came to greet them off the ship. There's a nice bit in Garth Ennis' excellent Preacher series where the hard-drinkin' Irish vampire Cass is talking about L&H to Jessie and recounts the same story, how the two of them were apparently in tears as they realised how much they meant to people. It must have been something else to have been a part of that crowd.
I loved L&H as a young kid watching repeats onTV during school holidays; I still love them and watch them on DVD today. The Cuckoo theme makes me smile right away while Stan still reduces me to tears of laughter with a few simple expressions. I loved watching Paul Merton's recent BBC series on the early comedians of the silver screen recently and when the Filmhouse had their Buster Keaton season I was there, laughing away and quite delighted to see that a man my age had his young boys with him and they were also in hysterics. These performers just had something timeless; they are still loved and adored today, their craft still admired but mostly we just still like to laugh at their films. Oscars and BAFTAs for the heavyweight categories of Best Director, Best Actor and so on are so over-rated; now the people who can make films which make us laugh and laugh and laugh? That's difficult and that's worth ten times the most magnificent dramatic performance.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Down and out Cylon
As computer graphics continue to replace many traditional methods of effects and modelling in film-making there is a cost, as this poor destitute old-model Cylon found out:
As computer graphics continue to replace many traditional methods of effects and modelling in film-making there is a cost, as this poor destitute old-model Cylon found out:
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Film Fest Guide
With one thing and another I've been slow off the mark in grabbing some Edinburgh International Film Festival tickets this year, so today Mel and I made a point of heading down to one of the box offices and using our movie passes to get a nice raft of discounts on some of the movies we'd circled. Of course, one of the first laws of Festival going (Film, Book, Fringe, Jazz, whatever) is that you will never see a fraction of the events you circle, but as any seasoned Festival goes will tell you it is vitally important that you circle many shows in your programme guide. You must then carry this programme guide around during the entire Festival period with you, in order that you can pull it out of your bag in between shows while hanging around in places like the Filmhouse bar.
It is essential that this guide is clearly thumbed and dog-eared - a pristine copy is simply not acceptable if you intend to radiate the image of a cool, sophisticated, cosmopolitan Fest-goer. Forget the hip, expensive clothes or the right sunglasses - you can step out of a Harvey Nicholls dressing room and still fall flat on your face if you sit there with an unmarked programme guide. Of course, you must ensure that you have clearly circled some shows which you frankly have no intention of seeing because you think they sound dreadful and pretentious, but must nonetheless mark so that you can leave the aforementioned, dog-eared programme lying casually on the table in front of you in the bar so anyone else sitting next to you will know that you are a person of great taste.
This is established behaviour at the Festival (similar rituals apply to the Book Festival, Fringe etc) and it is considered the height of bad manners for another Fest-goer to try and call another on circled events which they know that person doesn't really want to go and see. Should someone be so vulgar as to breach this ancient etiquette the standard replies, delivered in short, clipped tones to imply you are being polite but do not wish to mix socially, are usually along the lines of "I really, really wanted to but it was sold out 5 minutes before the box office even opened" (which usually draws knowing nods and muttered "oh, I know what you mean, I tried to book this documentary about the plight of beetrot farmers in Kazikstan but it was so sold out") or "it clashed with another show" (which is a common gambit and also often true).
As you sit there in-between shows in the bar of the Filmhouse, Cameo, Pleasance etc, with your marked, dog-eared programme which clearly denotes your taste and sophistication you must also remember the Fest etiquette regarding celeb-spotting. Over the course of the world's biggest arts festival you will almost certainly bump into someone famous here and there - some performers, some simply there to enjoy the Fest and to be seen. You must at all costs remains totally cool and radiate a glow of being utterly unruffled should you find yourself next to a celeb at the bar, loo, show, curry house (or in the case of some of the more esoteric and 'cutting edge' shows on the Fringe it may be a show in the loo of a curry house). You must never, ever react with delight or awe; instead, should you make eye contact with the celeb you merely nod politely, offer a smile and 'hi' as if they are someone you know well and just happened to spot on your way to a critic's meeting to make fun of the Perrier nominees.
So there you go, folks, if you are a Fest-newbie, follow these tips and you too can still avoid being laughed at as a gauche and unsophisticated yokel dazzled by the flurry of shows and art on offer and istead appear to be hip, cool and fashionably jaded. Oh, and you should also actually ty to book some shows to go and see as well, that's almost as important as the tips above :-)
On which subject I've followed my usual Film Fest pattern, which is Mel and I circle a bunch of films we both fancy (and as noted above we won't see half of them), then we see which ones coincide and then run through which screenings clash with others we want to see. Finally we have the First List and off we go (as we did today) to buy a bunch of tickets (still utterly broke, thank the gods of commerce for credit cards). Then I start of the Second List; this is my personal list because I take time off to go enjoy the Film Fest, where Mel will only be off the odd day here and there so she's restricted to evening and weekend shows for the most part, so these shows are the ones I want to go to myself, so if I want to see a film about Korean hit-men from the 22nd century who kill each other using electric eels while one hitman reforms his soul and tries to protect a school girl with psychic powers developed because she wears the pants of a dead telekinetic friend (not Mel's sort of thing at all) then I can.
So today we grabbed a bunch of 2 for 1s on movies we both want to see, then since I am a bit behind I jumped into the second phase and bought some I was going to take in during my time off as well (at the discount rate, bless that movie pass, means I can see more movies). The third phase is when I then look at the Fest calendar, take in the gaps and then decide what to go see those days (or of it should be a slob day reading a book under a tree in the Meadows). Annoyingly I've missed the boat on a couple of flicks I really wanted to see, so I'll need to play the watch for returns/extra screenings thing I suspected Clerks II would sell out, especially since Kevin Smith will be over, but I was surpised to see Wristcutter: a Love Story was sold out as well. The story of a jilted lover who commits suicide and wakes up in a diner in purgatory sounds interesting and also sounds remarkably like the story for an acclaimed Israeli comic Pizzeria Kamikaze I added to the site a while back, although the programme guide doesn't mention it being based on the comic (perhaps they don't know or perhaps it sin't anything to do with the comic, although if it isn't it seems awfully similar); hopefully there will be some returns or it will appear on the last Sunday's Best of the Fest re-shows.
Al Gore's An Inconvenient truth has sold out (now he proves popular!!!! Too late!) but I did get tickets for the other Al - Franken in this case. I love Al Franken, although a lot of folks in the UK don't know who he is, but when you tell them he is the guy who wrote Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right Wing Media and that Murdoch's Fox news tried to sue him with their batallion of Monty Burns-style lawyers for using their motto ('fair and balanced') and failed, in the process propelling his book to number one status in the US everyone goes, oh, that guy, yeah, he's great. Strangely I've yet to meet someone who says, oh that sod who ruined the good name of Fox News...
Oh, and I did get tickets for Art School Confidential, another partnership between cool cartoonist Dan Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff; they made the excellent adaptation of Dan's Ghost World ( acomic book movie folks who don't read comics books can enjoy; actually a comic book folks who don't read comics books can enjoy too come to think of it) a few years back, which I remember getting a freebie from the publisher to go to see (free goody bags, free drink, free movie - viva life!) and as a bonus Zwigoff and Crumb were there for the show, although regrettably the stars Thora Birch (who everyone thought after American Beauty would be the new Christina Ricci) and an unknown actress called Scarlett Johanssen (who did go on to be the Next Big Thing and is utterly gorgeous) weren't with them. More planning to do, more deb to run up on the credit car, more shows to book. Meantime Film Four is going freeview tonight, so I can watch some cool movies on there to warm up; coincidentally the first free one they are showing is Lost in Translation with the luscious Scarlett.
Only a few weeks to go then a whole fortnight off to relax and see some goddam brilliant movies, hang around in bars (with my dog-eared programme); even the fact the city is packed with tourists and Festival goers (the population almsot doubles this time of year) doesn't bug me as much when I am off - it can be annoying when you are working and trying to get about town but when you are off and in no hurry it can be fun. Actually this is the first time I've taken two weeks off back to back in nearly two years, so its going to be cool. The only thing wrong is it feels odd to have a Film Festival and know I won't be bumping into Shiona as I amble around between screenings, although I'm sure she will be there in spirit.
With one thing and another I've been slow off the mark in grabbing some Edinburgh International Film Festival tickets this year, so today Mel and I made a point of heading down to one of the box offices and using our movie passes to get a nice raft of discounts on some of the movies we'd circled. Of course, one of the first laws of Festival going (Film, Book, Fringe, Jazz, whatever) is that you will never see a fraction of the events you circle, but as any seasoned Festival goes will tell you it is vitally important that you circle many shows in your programme guide. You must then carry this programme guide around during the entire Festival period with you, in order that you can pull it out of your bag in between shows while hanging around in places like the Filmhouse bar.
It is essential that this guide is clearly thumbed and dog-eared - a pristine copy is simply not acceptable if you intend to radiate the image of a cool, sophisticated, cosmopolitan Fest-goer. Forget the hip, expensive clothes or the right sunglasses - you can step out of a Harvey Nicholls dressing room and still fall flat on your face if you sit there with an unmarked programme guide. Of course, you must ensure that you have clearly circled some shows which you frankly have no intention of seeing because you think they sound dreadful and pretentious, but must nonetheless mark so that you can leave the aforementioned, dog-eared programme lying casually on the table in front of you in the bar so anyone else sitting next to you will know that you are a person of great taste.
This is established behaviour at the Festival (similar rituals apply to the Book Festival, Fringe etc) and it is considered the height of bad manners for another Fest-goer to try and call another on circled events which they know that person doesn't really want to go and see. Should someone be so vulgar as to breach this ancient etiquette the standard replies, delivered in short, clipped tones to imply you are being polite but do not wish to mix socially, are usually along the lines of "I really, really wanted to but it was sold out 5 minutes before the box office even opened" (which usually draws knowing nods and muttered "oh, I know what you mean, I tried to book this documentary about the plight of beetrot farmers in Kazikstan but it was so sold out") or "it clashed with another show" (which is a common gambit and also often true).
As you sit there in-between shows in the bar of the Filmhouse, Cameo, Pleasance etc, with your marked, dog-eared programme which clearly denotes your taste and sophistication you must also remember the Fest etiquette regarding celeb-spotting. Over the course of the world's biggest arts festival you will almost certainly bump into someone famous here and there - some performers, some simply there to enjoy the Fest and to be seen. You must at all costs remains totally cool and radiate a glow of being utterly unruffled should you find yourself next to a celeb at the bar, loo, show, curry house (or in the case of some of the more esoteric and 'cutting edge' shows on the Fringe it may be a show in the loo of a curry house). You must never, ever react with delight or awe; instead, should you make eye contact with the celeb you merely nod politely, offer a smile and 'hi' as if they are someone you know well and just happened to spot on your way to a critic's meeting to make fun of the Perrier nominees.
So there you go, folks, if you are a Fest-newbie, follow these tips and you too can still avoid being laughed at as a gauche and unsophisticated yokel dazzled by the flurry of shows and art on offer and istead appear to be hip, cool and fashionably jaded. Oh, and you should also actually ty to book some shows to go and see as well, that's almost as important as the tips above :-)
On which subject I've followed my usual Film Fest pattern, which is Mel and I circle a bunch of films we both fancy (and as noted above we won't see half of them), then we see which ones coincide and then run through which screenings clash with others we want to see. Finally we have the First List and off we go (as we did today) to buy a bunch of tickets (still utterly broke, thank the gods of commerce for credit cards). Then I start of the Second List; this is my personal list because I take time off to go enjoy the Film Fest, where Mel will only be off the odd day here and there so she's restricted to evening and weekend shows for the most part, so these shows are the ones I want to go to myself, so if I want to see a film about Korean hit-men from the 22nd century who kill each other using electric eels while one hitman reforms his soul and tries to protect a school girl with psychic powers developed because she wears the pants of a dead telekinetic friend (not Mel's sort of thing at all) then I can.
So today we grabbed a bunch of 2 for 1s on movies we both want to see, then since I am a bit behind I jumped into the second phase and bought some I was going to take in during my time off as well (at the discount rate, bless that movie pass, means I can see more movies). The third phase is when I then look at the Fest calendar, take in the gaps and then decide what to go see those days (or of it should be a slob day reading a book under a tree in the Meadows). Annoyingly I've missed the boat on a couple of flicks I really wanted to see, so I'll need to play the watch for returns/extra screenings thing I suspected Clerks II would sell out, especially since Kevin Smith will be over, but I was surpised to see Wristcutter: a Love Story was sold out as well. The story of a jilted lover who commits suicide and wakes up in a diner in purgatory sounds interesting and also sounds remarkably like the story for an acclaimed Israeli comic Pizzeria Kamikaze I added to the site a while back, although the programme guide doesn't mention it being based on the comic (perhaps they don't know or perhaps it sin't anything to do with the comic, although if it isn't it seems awfully similar); hopefully there will be some returns or it will appear on the last Sunday's Best of the Fest re-shows.
Al Gore's An Inconvenient truth has sold out (now he proves popular!!!! Too late!) but I did get tickets for the other Al - Franken in this case. I love Al Franken, although a lot of folks in the UK don't know who he is, but when you tell them he is the guy who wrote Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right Wing Media and that Murdoch's Fox news tried to sue him with their batallion of Monty Burns-style lawyers for using their motto ('fair and balanced') and failed, in the process propelling his book to number one status in the US everyone goes, oh, that guy, yeah, he's great. Strangely I've yet to meet someone who says, oh that sod who ruined the good name of Fox News...
Oh, and I did get tickets for Art School Confidential, another partnership between cool cartoonist Dan Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff; they made the excellent adaptation of Dan's Ghost World ( acomic book movie folks who don't read comics books can enjoy; actually a comic book folks who don't read comics books can enjoy too come to think of it) a few years back, which I remember getting a freebie from the publisher to go to see (free goody bags, free drink, free movie - viva life!) and as a bonus Zwigoff and Crumb were there for the show, although regrettably the stars Thora Birch (who everyone thought after American Beauty would be the new Christina Ricci) and an unknown actress called Scarlett Johanssen (who did go on to be the Next Big Thing and is utterly gorgeous) weren't with them. More planning to do, more deb to run up on the credit car, more shows to book. Meantime Film Four is going freeview tonight, so I can watch some cool movies on there to warm up; coincidentally the first free one they are showing is Lost in Translation with the luscious Scarlett.
Only a few weeks to go then a whole fortnight off to relax and see some goddam brilliant movies, hang around in bars (with my dog-eared programme); even the fact the city is packed with tourists and Festival goers (the population almsot doubles this time of year) doesn't bug me as much when I am off - it can be annoying when you are working and trying to get about town but when you are off and in no hurry it can be fun. Actually this is the first time I've taken two weeks off back to back in nearly two years, so its going to be cool. The only thing wrong is it feels odd to have a Film Festival and know I won't be bumping into Shiona as I amble around between screenings, although I'm sure she will be there in spirit.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Please get out of the way
I love the notes Israel is dropping on Lebanese villages: "please not that the Israeli army and air force will be conducting surgical strikes in your area this week, so please, no parking on the road and we apologise for the inconvenience of blowing up your homes and slaughtering your children. If you could be so kind as to remove yourselves along the highways we have so thoughtfully cratered with bombs and routinely strafe this would be the best way to protect yourselves. Oh, and this message is backdated two weeks to when we first started bombing the hell out of your towns. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible."
I have no time for these Hezbollah numpties who clearly have little regard for the safety of civilians on either side, but we know they are terrorists. Israel is a democratically governed nation yet it is committing wanton acts of terror while Blair and Bush sit by and let them, slaughtering hundreds of civilians including children. What is even scarier is that the bulk of Israeli opinion seems to think that hundreds of innocents being killed by them is acceptable. And they wonder why so many people hate them so much. Of course you have the right to defend yourselves from lunatics firing missiles into your towns, but the Israelis seem to be shocked that they get hit back after bombing Lebanon.
Even if you are the most gung-ho hawkish Israeli surely you should be a bit more pragmattic about this - bombings of large areas of Gaza failed to return the solider kidnapped there and instead killed many innocents, ruined the land's infrastructure and pushed even moderates into hating Israel. So what is your strategy in the North - why do exactly the same again, but do it on a bigger scale. Oh, and bomb large parts of one of the few democratic nations in the region which is still recovering from a dreadful civil war. Yeah, that will really secure peace for your country and won't lead to more instability and a whole new generation of traumatised kids who will grow up with a burning hate of Israel. As far as increasing security this is about as successful as the 'liberation' of Iraq was in securing peace and stability.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just put a big chunk of country aside for those fools who are utterly convinced that the only way to settle anything is with big explosions, well away from everyone else, and just let them duke it out there, leaving civilians out of it. How ironic that Israel should now be re-creating the terror of Guernica, repeating the awful crimes against civilians that an evil regime that they above all other people should despise, yet here they are committing similar acts.
And before anyone gives me that tired old argument that saying anything against Israel amounts to anti-Semitism, don't bother - that's the biggest load of cobblers. I'm not anti-Semitic, or anti-Muslim or anyone for that matter. I'm just anti bloodthirsty barbarians who think killing hundreds of innocent civilians is acceptable. Bush and Blair don't dare criticise Israel because their own records in this regard are less than spotless - actually, let's face it, they should be in the War Crimes court in the Hague. Maybe if we hauled more so-called world leaders off to the Hague to answer for their crimes then politicians would become less enamoured with warfare as a tool of policy. As ever it is ordinary folks on both sides who get caught in the middle. Oh, and wasn't it amazing what Boing Boing and other news sources published this week, that the American government made their citizens being evacuated from Lebanon sign a promissary note agreeing to reimburse the state for the cost of saving them? Isn't that what your taxes are for?
I love the notes Israel is dropping on Lebanese villages: "please not that the Israeli army and air force will be conducting surgical strikes in your area this week, so please, no parking on the road and we apologise for the inconvenience of blowing up your homes and slaughtering your children. If you could be so kind as to remove yourselves along the highways we have so thoughtfully cratered with bombs and routinely strafe this would be the best way to protect yourselves. Oh, and this message is backdated two weeks to when we first started bombing the hell out of your towns. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible."
I have no time for these Hezbollah numpties who clearly have little regard for the safety of civilians on either side, but we know they are terrorists. Israel is a democratically governed nation yet it is committing wanton acts of terror while Blair and Bush sit by and let them, slaughtering hundreds of civilians including children. What is even scarier is that the bulk of Israeli opinion seems to think that hundreds of innocents being killed by them is acceptable. And they wonder why so many people hate them so much. Of course you have the right to defend yourselves from lunatics firing missiles into your towns, but the Israelis seem to be shocked that they get hit back after bombing Lebanon.
Even if you are the most gung-ho hawkish Israeli surely you should be a bit more pragmattic about this - bombings of large areas of Gaza failed to return the solider kidnapped there and instead killed many innocents, ruined the land's infrastructure and pushed even moderates into hating Israel. So what is your strategy in the North - why do exactly the same again, but do it on a bigger scale. Oh, and bomb large parts of one of the few democratic nations in the region which is still recovering from a dreadful civil war. Yeah, that will really secure peace for your country and won't lead to more instability and a whole new generation of traumatised kids who will grow up with a burning hate of Israel. As far as increasing security this is about as successful as the 'liberation' of Iraq was in securing peace and stability.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just put a big chunk of country aside for those fools who are utterly convinced that the only way to settle anything is with big explosions, well away from everyone else, and just let them duke it out there, leaving civilians out of it. How ironic that Israel should now be re-creating the terror of Guernica, repeating the awful crimes against civilians that an evil regime that they above all other people should despise, yet here they are committing similar acts.
And before anyone gives me that tired old argument that saying anything against Israel amounts to anti-Semitism, don't bother - that's the biggest load of cobblers. I'm not anti-Semitic, or anti-Muslim or anyone for that matter. I'm just anti bloodthirsty barbarians who think killing hundreds of innocent civilians is acceptable. Bush and Blair don't dare criticise Israel because their own records in this regard are less than spotless - actually, let's face it, they should be in the War Crimes court in the Hague. Maybe if we hauled more so-called world leaders off to the Hague to answer for their crimes then politicians would become less enamoured with warfare as a tool of policy. As ever it is ordinary folks on both sides who get caught in the middle. Oh, and wasn't it amazing what Boing Boing and other news sources published this week, that the American government made their citizens being evacuated from Lebanon sign a promissary note agreeing to reimburse the state for the cost of saving them? Isn't that what your taxes are for?
More cows
Some more cow parade pics from sunny Edinburgh, including the mini-cows.
If you don't want to look like a total tourist wandering round town with an A-Z you can go check out the Cartographical Cow instead
The 'Three Grazer', which takes the mickey out of the incredibly over-priced and frankly second rate Three Graces statue the national Galleries (behind this statue) insisted on spending millions on a few years back. I prefer the cows.
Slightly blurred because I snapped it quickly from a moving bus, but this was the open-air stage for some summer Shakespeare in the West Princes St Gardens. I wish I had known about it earlier (and not been so broke) because I'd have loved to go and watch A Midsummer Night's Dream on a midsummer's eve, right in the shadow of the Castle as twilight fell. Kind of reminds me of he award-winning Sandman short story by Neil Gaiman which had Shakespear'e troupe performing Dream on a chalk hillside on the South Downs for the real Titania and Oberon.
Good kite-flying weather!
Time to head for the cooler breezes of the beaches at North Berwick
The Blair Beach Project...
Some more cow parade pics from sunny Edinburgh, including the mini-cows.
If you don't want to look like a total tourist wandering round town with an A-Z you can go check out the Cartographical Cow instead
The 'Three Grazer', which takes the mickey out of the incredibly over-priced and frankly second rate Three Graces statue the national Galleries (behind this statue) insisted on spending millions on a few years back. I prefer the cows.
Slightly blurred because I snapped it quickly from a moving bus, but this was the open-air stage for some summer Shakespeare in the West Princes St Gardens. I wish I had known about it earlier (and not been so broke) because I'd have loved to go and watch A Midsummer Night's Dream on a midsummer's eve, right in the shadow of the Castle as twilight fell. Kind of reminds me of he award-winning Sandman short story by Neil Gaiman which had Shakespear'e troupe performing Dream on a chalk hillside on the South Downs for the real Titania and Oberon.
Good kite-flying weather!
Time to head for the cooler breezes of the beaches at North Berwick
The Blair Beach Project...
Avast!
Well shiver me comics timbers, me hearties, it has been a hard week's sailing on the Quantum Pig's Revenge, also known as the Good Ship FPI, as me and me buckoes Crowbar and Paul (fellow F P Irates, if you see what I mean) labour away at the mainsail of comics and cult booty. Lots of new titles from big publishers to go on, catalogue titles to plan out and the third week celebrating UK talent for British Comics Month on the work blog. More British independent comics folk signed up and onto our site as well, which is terrific - probably not a huge-selling area compared to say marvel or DC titles, but is good to give them a chance on the site; besides I've been really surprised with the diverse nature of what is on offer from the self-publishing lot.
It varies from very roughly done to work which looks very professional, but they all offer something a bit different and as many of them offer webstrips of their work on their sites its well worth checking them out, especially as they are pretty low-cost so you can afford to take a chance - we're doing free postage on them to encourage readers (the Indy folks signed up so far all have their sites listed under British Small press in the FPI blog's links section). I think more folks would take a chance on the Indy titles if they were aware of them, so here's hoping it does raise their visibility. When I am a bit less broke I think I am going to have to have a look at some more of them myself.
As part of British Comics Month we've been running articles on that theme on the FPI blog each working day, which as you can imagine, is a pretty heavy load but also fun. So there is quite a bit of postings on there, from personal reminiscences of comics past from myself, top British SF author James Lovegrove, articles on creators (my chum Padraig did a good one on Alan Moore) and interviews, including an interview I did with Euan Kerr, head honcho of the Beano (how cool was that? Talking to the man who is on first name terms with Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids!), an unusual ‘discussion’ with several of the British Indy comics folks and just this week a Q&A with Leah Moore and John Reppion about the brilliant Albion series (thanks guys!) - you can see more of what writers and artists say by checking the interviews category on the blog.
All of which has been tiring and frantic on top of the regular stuff, but enjoyable (plus it is good to be in a post where you can do different things and innovate); however we had a visual highlight of the week in the form of this fantastic ad we had for the FPI blog and podcast in the new issues of Comics International, drawn by one of the best cartoonists in the UK, Hunt Emerson. I’ve had this pic for a while and been dying to show it to you all, but obviously had to wait until it appeared in the journal first. How cool is that? I’ve always wanted to be a cartoon character and now I am one! Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of… er, well don’t care much for rum, think I’ll stick to the Bowmore single malt (even pirates have a palette you know). If you check the work blog you can see some of the rough drafts of the ad as well.
Well shiver me comics timbers, me hearties, it has been a hard week's sailing on the Quantum Pig's Revenge, also known as the Good Ship FPI, as me and me buckoes Crowbar and Paul (fellow F P Irates, if you see what I mean) labour away at the mainsail of comics and cult booty. Lots of new titles from big publishers to go on, catalogue titles to plan out and the third week celebrating UK talent for British Comics Month on the work blog. More British independent comics folk signed up and onto our site as well, which is terrific - probably not a huge-selling area compared to say marvel or DC titles, but is good to give them a chance on the site; besides I've been really surprised with the diverse nature of what is on offer from the self-publishing lot.
It varies from very roughly done to work which looks very professional, but they all offer something a bit different and as many of them offer webstrips of their work on their sites its well worth checking them out, especially as they are pretty low-cost so you can afford to take a chance - we're doing free postage on them to encourage readers (the Indy folks signed up so far all have their sites listed under British Small press in the FPI blog's links section). I think more folks would take a chance on the Indy titles if they were aware of them, so here's hoping it does raise their visibility. When I am a bit less broke I think I am going to have to have a look at some more of them myself.
As part of British Comics Month we've been running articles on that theme on the FPI blog each working day, which as you can imagine, is a pretty heavy load but also fun. So there is quite a bit of postings on there, from personal reminiscences of comics past from myself, top British SF author James Lovegrove, articles on creators (my chum Padraig did a good one on Alan Moore) and interviews, including an interview I did with Euan Kerr, head honcho of the Beano (how cool was that? Talking to the man who is on first name terms with Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids!), an unusual ‘discussion’ with several of the British Indy comics folks and just this week a Q&A with Leah Moore and John Reppion about the brilliant Albion series (thanks guys!) - you can see more of what writers and artists say by checking the interviews category on the blog.
All of which has been tiring and frantic on top of the regular stuff, but enjoyable (plus it is good to be in a post where you can do different things and innovate); however we had a visual highlight of the week in the form of this fantastic ad we had for the FPI blog and podcast in the new issues of Comics International, drawn by one of the best cartoonists in the UK, Hunt Emerson. I’ve had this pic for a while and been dying to show it to you all, but obviously had to wait until it appeared in the journal first. How cool is that? I’ve always wanted to be a cartoon character and now I am one! Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of… er, well don’t care much for rum, think I’ll stick to the Bowmore single malt (even pirates have a palette you know). If you check the work blog you can see some of the rough drafts of the ad as well.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Jan's vid
Boing Boing posted a link to the man the Brothers Quay referred to as the Prague Alchemist of Film, Jan Svankmajer and some uploads of his Food series, which combines claymation and live action (as much of his work does, such as his feature films Faust or his amazing Alice in Wonderland). Svankmajer has long been one of my all-time favourite animator for his astonishing and often disturbing work.
Boing Boing posted a link to the man the Brothers Quay referred to as the Prague Alchemist of Film, Jan Svankmajer and some uploads of his Food series, which combines claymation and live action (as much of his work does, such as his feature films Faust or his amazing Alice in Wonderland). Svankmajer has long been one of my all-time favourite animator for his astonishing and often disturbing work.
Sleepy kitten
Between tsunamis and one bunch of nutters having a go at another bunch of nutters and managing only to kill civilians I thought instead of commenting I'd just post some nice pictures to remind us there are still good things around.
Window open so she can go out, now she'd rather curl up in her little window bench and enjoy a quiet nap. After playing for 20 minutes any cat needs a good lie-down on a hot day.
Love the way she covers her face with those dainty little paws - damned paparazzi, no more pictures! Or perhaps she is doing her "I vant to be alone, darlink" thing.
Meanwhile her equally sleepy cousins catch a nap, with Cassie using her sister Pandora as her personal pillow/teddy bear and snuggling into her.
Ohhhh, warm sunbeam to lie in, perfect... If only I remembered where my sunglasses were...
And now for something completely different...
Some space hopper fun at a recent BBQ - I didn't know you could now get adult-sized space hopper racing sets with three hoppers and even a whistle to start the race!
Short of deck chairs at your barbie? Use space hoppers! Oh, and nice legs :-)
Trust Mel's cousin Sharon to end up in a rude pose...
Ready, steady... And they're off! Forget the Cheltenam Gold Cup, the Garden Beer Bottle is a far more enjoyable race.
Badoing, badoing!!!! Does this make my bum look big?
"Girl, I want too bounce with you, all day and all of the night..."
Between tsunamis and one bunch of nutters having a go at another bunch of nutters and managing only to kill civilians I thought instead of commenting I'd just post some nice pictures to remind us there are still good things around.
Window open so she can go out, now she'd rather curl up in her little window bench and enjoy a quiet nap. After playing for 20 minutes any cat needs a good lie-down on a hot day.
Love the way she covers her face with those dainty little paws - damned paparazzi, no more pictures! Or perhaps she is doing her "I vant to be alone, darlink" thing.
Meanwhile her equally sleepy cousins catch a nap, with Cassie using her sister Pandora as her personal pillow/teddy bear and snuggling into her.
Ohhhh, warm sunbeam to lie in, perfect... If only I remembered where my sunglasses were...
And now for something completely different...
Some space hopper fun at a recent BBQ - I didn't know you could now get adult-sized space hopper racing sets with three hoppers and even a whistle to start the race!
Short of deck chairs at your barbie? Use space hoppers! Oh, and nice legs :-)
Trust Mel's cousin Sharon to end up in a rude pose...
Ready, steady... And they're off! Forget the Cheltenam Gold Cup, the Garden Beer Bottle is a far more enjoyable race.
Badoing, badoing!!!! Does this make my bum look big?
"Girl, I want too bounce with you, all day and all of the night..."
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Slow blood, slow day
Right after I got a reminder card to say I could come in to donate again in a couple of weeks I got a letter from the Blood Donor folks saying they were extremely short of my group and could I come in ASAP, which is pretty much what happened a few months back when I last went in. Nice to be popular for something, I suppose :-). Since the clinic is open late on Thursdays I thought I may as well drop in on the way home and donate a pint; imagine my surprise at finding it absolutely full of people. I don't think I've ever seen so many folks in at the same time to donate blood and obviously that is terrific. Although it did mean that I was there for ages because of the amount, then my blood kept coming out very slowly, setting off the alarms on the machine. After much fiddling with the damned big needle in my arm (ouch) to no avail the older nurse comes over, makes one adjustment and presto (no substitute for experience); guess it is like tapping a keg, got to do it just right to get it to flow. Thus endeth my good deed for the week. And despite how busy it was that night, I'd still encourage anyone who has been thinking about it to give it a try, they always need more donations (especially when the Transylvannian tourists come to town). Plus you always get a Tunnock's Teacake at the end of it :-).
On Saturday Mel and I piled into Gordon's car along with Bruce and his happily wagging tale, headed out over a sparkling Forth, across the bridge and into a very sunny Fife (as you can see from the pic, it looks like half of Edinburgh was heading over for the day as well). Mel's brother Alan had a loan of a big caravan for the weekend and since we were heading over into Fife to make the most of an incredibly hot summer day and to let Bruce run about daft on a beach we thought we may as well go visit him. We knew he was staying near one of the small towns near the sea so we thought we'd take the coast road, which is a lot slower but we knew it would go pretty close to his site and besides it's just a lovely route, especially on such a bright, summer day.
Up and along the coast of Fife, through Burnt Island and keep going, following that coastal road which goes up large hills with drops on one side and fabulous views of the sea sparkling away below and then down again into valleys, sea still on one side, just beyond soft, golden-sandy beaches, on the landward side fields rich with summer crops, hay gathered and stacked. After meeting Alan we headed down into nearby Lower Largo, past the 'birthplace' of Robinson Crusoe and a good walk on the beach, some splashing around and, of course, ice creams (hey hot summer day on the beach and no ice creams just wouldn't be right, would it now?). In the pub carpark we spotted an utterly gorgeous Harley; immaculate, its chrome shining like mirrors in the sunlight. Harleys may be very slow and handle terribly compared to European and Japanese bikes, but by god they look fantastic and they sound like real motorbikes.
The big caravan had a large open deck on the front, raised up to take in the view, so we we parked our butts out there, right under a big, 'ole tree with a view across the fields and trees right out to the sea. Sun slanting through the leaves, cool jazz playing on the radio, sea breeze cooling us; the long grass in the fallow field swaying gently, birds darting in and out of the trees. And us just sitting back, sipping a cold one and utterly relaxing. A long outdoor meal and more to drink with that view there; hours slip past as we chat and drink and chill. Ten o'clock comes and goes and it is still light here; the shadows had grown until they stretched the length of the field in front of us - at this time of year the Scottish twilight lasts for hours. The sky had been a pure arc of light blue, now the sunset added bands and splashes of colour, reds, pinks, oranges, like an Impressionist painting while the cooler air of evening and the last of the sun created gossamer mists out across the sea, while the water went from a sparkling blue to a copper mirror. Utterly beautiful and just what we all needed after a long, hard week.
By the time we headed home to Edinburgh the sky was mostly a dark blue but still with the light blue glow in the northern sky which never gets dark. Back across the Forth, looking over to the nearby Rail Bridge, a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, standing floodlit across the estuary like an iron sea monster; the river was so millpond-calm it made an almost perfect dark mirror, reflecting the bridge and the lights of nearby Queensferry (and the pub where our young hero is taken in Kidnapped) on the black surface. I'm suddenly distracted from my view by a cold, wet nose next to my ear as Bruce wakes up and needs some attention, big doggy head resting on my shoulder. Beach, ice cream, dining al fresco, booze, gorgeous views, good chums and a big friendly mutt, what a perfect day. Why don't we have more days like that?
Right after I got a reminder card to say I could come in to donate again in a couple of weeks I got a letter from the Blood Donor folks saying they were extremely short of my group and could I come in ASAP, which is pretty much what happened a few months back when I last went in. Nice to be popular for something, I suppose :-). Since the clinic is open late on Thursdays I thought I may as well drop in on the way home and donate a pint; imagine my surprise at finding it absolutely full of people. I don't think I've ever seen so many folks in at the same time to donate blood and obviously that is terrific. Although it did mean that I was there for ages because of the amount, then my blood kept coming out very slowly, setting off the alarms on the machine. After much fiddling with the damned big needle in my arm (ouch) to no avail the older nurse comes over, makes one adjustment and presto (no substitute for experience); guess it is like tapping a keg, got to do it just right to get it to flow. Thus endeth my good deed for the week. And despite how busy it was that night, I'd still encourage anyone who has been thinking about it to give it a try, they always need more donations (especially when the Transylvannian tourists come to town). Plus you always get a Tunnock's Teacake at the end of it :-).
On Saturday Mel and I piled into Gordon's car along with Bruce and his happily wagging tale, headed out over a sparkling Forth, across the bridge and into a very sunny Fife (as you can see from the pic, it looks like half of Edinburgh was heading over for the day as well). Mel's brother Alan had a loan of a big caravan for the weekend and since we were heading over into Fife to make the most of an incredibly hot summer day and to let Bruce run about daft on a beach we thought we may as well go visit him. We knew he was staying near one of the small towns near the sea so we thought we'd take the coast road, which is a lot slower but we knew it would go pretty close to his site and besides it's just a lovely route, especially on such a bright, summer day.
Up and along the coast of Fife, through Burnt Island and keep going, following that coastal road which goes up large hills with drops on one side and fabulous views of the sea sparkling away below and then down again into valleys, sea still on one side, just beyond soft, golden-sandy beaches, on the landward side fields rich with summer crops, hay gathered and stacked. After meeting Alan we headed down into nearby Lower Largo, past the 'birthplace' of Robinson Crusoe and a good walk on the beach, some splashing around and, of course, ice creams (hey hot summer day on the beach and no ice creams just wouldn't be right, would it now?). In the pub carpark we spotted an utterly gorgeous Harley; immaculate, its chrome shining like mirrors in the sunlight. Harleys may be very slow and handle terribly compared to European and Japanese bikes, but by god they look fantastic and they sound like real motorbikes.
The big caravan had a large open deck on the front, raised up to take in the view, so we we parked our butts out there, right under a big, 'ole tree with a view across the fields and trees right out to the sea. Sun slanting through the leaves, cool jazz playing on the radio, sea breeze cooling us; the long grass in the fallow field swaying gently, birds darting in and out of the trees. And us just sitting back, sipping a cold one and utterly relaxing. A long outdoor meal and more to drink with that view there; hours slip past as we chat and drink and chill. Ten o'clock comes and goes and it is still light here; the shadows had grown until they stretched the length of the field in front of us - at this time of year the Scottish twilight lasts for hours. The sky had been a pure arc of light blue, now the sunset added bands and splashes of colour, reds, pinks, oranges, like an Impressionist painting while the cooler air of evening and the last of the sun created gossamer mists out across the sea, while the water went from a sparkling blue to a copper mirror. Utterly beautiful and just what we all needed after a long, hard week.
By the time we headed home to Edinburgh the sky was mostly a dark blue but still with the light blue glow in the northern sky which never gets dark. Back across the Forth, looking over to the nearby Rail Bridge, a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, standing floodlit across the estuary like an iron sea monster; the river was so millpond-calm it made an almost perfect dark mirror, reflecting the bridge and the lights of nearby Queensferry (and the pub where our young hero is taken in Kidnapped) on the black surface. I'm suddenly distracted from my view by a cold, wet nose next to my ear as Bruce wakes up and needs some attention, big doggy head resting on my shoulder. Beach, ice cream, dining al fresco, booze, gorgeous views, good chums and a big friendly mutt, what a perfect day. Why don't we have more days like that?
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Super radio
I'm going to be on BBC Scotland's Radio Cafe programme, some time between 1 and 2pm (same programme I did the V for Vendetta piece for back in the spring, should be archived for a few days) to talk about Superman Returns. I caught the press screening last weekend (why did we have to wait ten days longer than the US???) and absolutely loved it. That John Williams theme from the Chris Reeve's era movies (surely one of the most recognisable pieces of film music, up there with the Star Wars and Godfather themes) came up, the 70s style titles and I was just in fanboy heaven - this was a film that pleased the ten year old me who remember those older films and pleased the grown up me now, something Lucas so badly failed to do with the newer Star Wars movies.
And the good thing is that you don't have to be a fanboy - this a big budget, summer blockbuster with spectacular effects (as it should with that budget) but it also has a great emotional core and you don't need to know about the older films and comics to get it all. I will be going back to see it again. I've posted a short review over on the FPI blog the other day.
I'm going to be on BBC Scotland's Radio Cafe programme, some time between 1 and 2pm (same programme I did the V for Vendetta piece for back in the spring, should be archived for a few days) to talk about Superman Returns. I caught the press screening last weekend (why did we have to wait ten days longer than the US???) and absolutely loved it. That John Williams theme from the Chris Reeve's era movies (surely one of the most recognisable pieces of film music, up there with the Star Wars and Godfather themes) came up, the 70s style titles and I was just in fanboy heaven - this was a film that pleased the ten year old me who remember those older films and pleased the grown up me now, something Lucas so badly failed to do with the newer Star Wars movies.
And the good thing is that you don't have to be a fanboy - this a big budget, summer blockbuster with spectacular effects (as it should with that budget) but it also has a great emotional core and you don't need to know about the older films and comics to get it all. I will be going back to see it again. I've posted a short review over on the FPI blog the other day.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Paul's mobile blog
My mate and colleague Paul has just started his own blog, but being a fancy tech-geek is doing a mobile blog from his cell phone. Ohhh, get him! Paul is also one of the hard-rocking dudes from the Jet City Rednecks, who I've mentioned on here several times. As well as their main site JCR now have a MySpace site where you can check out their rock music and also got featured on Channel 4's site recently (nice!).
My mate and colleague Paul has just started his own blog, but being a fancy tech-geek is doing a mobile blog from his cell phone. Ohhh, get him! Paul is also one of the hard-rocking dudes from the Jet City Rednecks, who I've mentioned on here several times. As well as their main site JCR now have a MySpace site where you can check out their rock music and also got featured on Channel 4's site recently (nice!).
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Another one from Jeff
Jeff has posted another video (he's getting more and more excited about the forthcoming Shriek movie, as indeed am I). This one is by way of a learning experiment as Jeff explains, rather like a book on tape with illustrations, taken from the City of Saints and Madmen collection, which regulars here will remember me extolling last year (think on a book somewhere between Jorge Luis Borges and Mervyn Peak, absolutely brilliant, sometimes disturbing and often funny).
Jeff has posted another video (he's getting more and more excited about the forthcoming Shriek movie, as indeed am I). This one is by way of a learning experiment as Jeff explains, rather like a book on tape with illustrations, taken from the City of Saints and Madmen collection, which regulars here will remember me extolling last year (think on a book somewhere between Jorge Luis Borges and Mervyn Peak, absolutely brilliant, sometimes disturbing and often funny).
Beano
Busy, busy, busy as we celebrate British Comics Month at FPI; we've been making a big effort to add independent UK talent to a nice new British Small Press section - put several on this first week and more look set to come onboard, so it will be filling up. There's not really a huge amount of money in this area, but we decided we wanted to give it a good push anyway and give some of the homegrown indy talent a chance; I'm already finding a hell of a lot more going on than I knew in the UK comics scene and I'm not exactly ignorant of graphic novels and comics.
For instance I didn't know Manchester had its own superhero in Queen of Diamonds, a superhero who just happens to be a raging great queen!Creating material for the blog each day to go along with the theme and contacting folks to talk about it is a heck of a lot of work. But then again, this week I got to talk to the man who edited the Beano. How bloody cool is that?
Busy, busy, busy as we celebrate British Comics Month at FPI; we've been making a big effort to add independent UK talent to a nice new British Small Press section - put several on this first week and more look set to come onboard, so it will be filling up. There's not really a huge amount of money in this area, but we decided we wanted to give it a good push anyway and give some of the homegrown indy talent a chance; I'm already finding a hell of a lot more going on than I knew in the UK comics scene and I'm not exactly ignorant of graphic novels and comics.
For instance I didn't know Manchester had its own superhero in Queen of Diamonds, a superhero who just happens to be a raging great queen!Creating material for the blog each day to go along with the theme and contacting folks to talk about it is a heck of a lot of work. But then again, this week I got to talk to the man who edited the Beano. How bloody cool is that?
Scary WMDs
New Scientist carries a quite frightening report on the possibility of accidental or terrorist-inspired radiation leakages or even detonations from nuclear warheads being transported to and from military bases. This disturbing story reminds me too much of worries expressed back during the Cold War when it was known secret convoys bearing nuclear warheads would pass along the motorway right through the middle of Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland, on the way to the large submarine base as Faslane on the west coast.
Not surprisingly a lot of people - not just CND campaigners - were somewhat alarmed by this and worried about either an accident or terrorist attack (from the IRA in those days). Of course, everyone was told by the government that there was no risk and of course there was no need to move warheads by ship instead (imagine transporting to a naval base by ship, what an obviously bizarre idea...). Now it looks like yes, there always has been a risk and the buggers knew it all along. Amazing what you can get away with in the name of security of the realm...
New Scientist carries a quite frightening report on the possibility of accidental or terrorist-inspired radiation leakages or even detonations from nuclear warheads being transported to and from military bases. This disturbing story reminds me too much of worries expressed back during the Cold War when it was known secret convoys bearing nuclear warheads would pass along the motorway right through the middle of Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland, on the way to the large submarine base as Faslane on the west coast.
Not surprisingly a lot of people - not just CND campaigners - were somewhat alarmed by this and worried about either an accident or terrorist attack (from the IRA in those days). Of course, everyone was told by the government that there was no risk and of course there was no need to move warheads by ship instead (imagine transporting to a naval base by ship, what an obviously bizarre idea...). Now it looks like yes, there always has been a risk and the buggers knew it all along. Amazing what you can get away with in the name of security of the realm...
Monday, July 3, 2006
Evil Monkey Speaks to the Nation
Courtesy of Jeff VanderMeer; now his rabid monkey puppet posting becomes clearer:
Courtesy of Jeff VanderMeer; now his rabid monkey puppet posting becomes clearer:
Sunday, July 2, 2006
Football more important than lives and world events according to BBC
I've mentioned before how annoyed I am that the BBC often tends to forget the news is being broadcast to the whole of the UK and assumes that everyone wants to know about the English football or cricket teams and that these stories are so important they put them in the headlines as well as in the sports segment. I'm not interested very much in Scottish results either, which is why I like to watch the news part of the news and go and make a cuppa when the sports piece comes on, but now I have sports stories pushed at me. World cup football has exacerbated both problems.
Today the BBC went even further. Today they went from annoying me to disgusting me. The main BBC TV news throughout today had the headline top story of David Beckham resigning. Relegated to second story was the death of two British soldiers in action in Afghanistan. Yes, it is official - the BBC considers the death of British soldiers not as important as some braindead footballer. The day after the BBC gave coverage to the moving events for the 90th anniversary of the awful slaughter on the Somme they consider a man more famous for his hairstyles than sports ability more important than fallen soldiers in current misadventures abroad. Nice message to send to the relatives of people with family members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, BBC. Whichever editor picked this running order then stuck with it all day for each broadcast deserves to have his or her arse kicked and feel utterly ashamed of themselves.
I've mentioned before how annoyed I am that the BBC often tends to forget the news is being broadcast to the whole of the UK and assumes that everyone wants to know about the English football or cricket teams and that these stories are so important they put them in the headlines as well as in the sports segment. I'm not interested very much in Scottish results either, which is why I like to watch the news part of the news and go and make a cuppa when the sports piece comes on, but now I have sports stories pushed at me. World cup football has exacerbated both problems.
Today the BBC went even further. Today they went from annoying me to disgusting me. The main BBC TV news throughout today had the headline top story of David Beckham resigning. Relegated to second story was the death of two British soldiers in action in Afghanistan. Yes, it is official - the BBC considers the death of British soldiers not as important as some braindead footballer. The day after the BBC gave coverage to the moving events for the 90th anniversary of the awful slaughter on the Somme they consider a man more famous for his hairstyles than sports ability more important than fallen soldiers in current misadventures abroad. Nice message to send to the relatives of people with family members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, BBC. Whichever editor picked this running order then stuck with it all day for each broadcast deserves to have his or her arse kicked and feel utterly ashamed of themselves.
What the Author Says
It was another good week on the FPI blog for author pieces as I had several writers who kindly took time out to write for the What The Author Says feature. The terrific Neal Asher scored a two-for-one, writing about his latest novel Voyage of the Sable Keech (not to be confused with Stacy Keach) and his forthcoming Polity Agent. I love Neal's work - it is strong stuff and not for everyone, but I think it will appeal to folks like me who love Richard Morgan's Kovacs novels since Neal builds an absorbing future society, gripping narrative and also some tremendously violent scenes which could easily be simple action-porn but, as with Richard's work, are underpinned by intelligence rather than simple action for the sake of it (although you still get the guilty pleasure and thrill from reading those parts).
A debut Scottish novelist who Neal has praised highly was another willing victim for WTAS; Alan Campbell, one time game programmer (he was involved in the jiggly hookers for GTA he tells us), talks about his first novel, Scar Night. The first of the Deepgate series, the main location of Deepgate is a dark, religious town suspended by endless chains over a yawning abyss, where their dark god is supposed to dwell. The setting is as effective a location as I've read in fantasy since Jeff's Ambergris or China's New Crobuzon (although Cheryl Morgan and I were joking the whole thing was a cunning pastiche of the dour ultra-protestants on the Western Isles of Scotland). You probably remember me this time last year endlessly singing the praises of Glasgow author Hal Duncan's Vellum; well, Hal also praised Scar Night and with the second part of Hal's tale running late I recommend those who enjoyed Vellum have a look at Scar Night if you need a good, dark, intelligent fantasy for reading this summer.
The third WTAS victim this week was more unusual - Michael Reccia is one of the guys behind what is essentially a journal, but a journal which he is treating more as a book, SciFi and Fantasy Modeller. Partly a fan publication exploring the age-old craft of model building for SF shows and movies (not everything is CGI even today) it has some incredibly in-depths looks at contemporary and classic material which a lot of fellow geeks who are interested in special effects will enjoy. As you might guess from the title is also showcases creations by amateurs and gives ideas and tips for doing your own - check out Michael's post on the FPI blog, it's worth looking at just for some of the pics of finished models he sent me, I'm jealous I'm too handless to ever make something so intricate. The second has one of the most in-depth articles around on the new Cybermen from Doctor Who, which is rather timely since they cropped up again last night in the first of the two-part season finale.
It was another good week on the FPI blog for author pieces as I had several writers who kindly took time out to write for the What The Author Says feature. The terrific Neal Asher scored a two-for-one, writing about his latest novel Voyage of the Sable Keech (not to be confused with Stacy Keach) and his forthcoming Polity Agent. I love Neal's work - it is strong stuff and not for everyone, but I think it will appeal to folks like me who love Richard Morgan's Kovacs novels since Neal builds an absorbing future society, gripping narrative and also some tremendously violent scenes which could easily be simple action-porn but, as with Richard's work, are underpinned by intelligence rather than simple action for the sake of it (although you still get the guilty pleasure and thrill from reading those parts).
A debut Scottish novelist who Neal has praised highly was another willing victim for WTAS; Alan Campbell, one time game programmer (he was involved in the jiggly hookers for GTA he tells us), talks about his first novel, Scar Night. The first of the Deepgate series, the main location of Deepgate is a dark, religious town suspended by endless chains over a yawning abyss, where their dark god is supposed to dwell. The setting is as effective a location as I've read in fantasy since Jeff's Ambergris or China's New Crobuzon (although Cheryl Morgan and I were joking the whole thing was a cunning pastiche of the dour ultra-protestants on the Western Isles of Scotland). You probably remember me this time last year endlessly singing the praises of Glasgow author Hal Duncan's Vellum; well, Hal also praised Scar Night and with the second part of Hal's tale running late I recommend those who enjoyed Vellum have a look at Scar Night if you need a good, dark, intelligent fantasy for reading this summer.
The third WTAS victim this week was more unusual - Michael Reccia is one of the guys behind what is essentially a journal, but a journal which he is treating more as a book, SciFi and Fantasy Modeller. Partly a fan publication exploring the age-old craft of model building for SF shows and movies (not everything is CGI even today) it has some incredibly in-depths looks at contemporary and classic material which a lot of fellow geeks who are interested in special effects will enjoy. As you might guess from the title is also showcases creations by amateurs and gives ideas and tips for doing your own - check out Michael's post on the FPI blog, it's worth looking at just for some of the pics of finished models he sent me, I'm jealous I'm too handless to ever make something so intricate. The second has one of the most in-depth articles around on the new Cybermen from Doctor Who, which is rather timely since they cropped up again last night in the first of the two-part season finale.
Meme time
Got this via my mate Jeff - feel free to copy and stick in your own repsonses:
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope, although I had an asshole of a motorbike cop tell me off for cycling past a bus which had just cut me up. When I angrily asked him why he was picking on me and ignoring the bus driver’s dangerous actions he told me he could make a warning into an actual charge; presumably his helmet was too tight and constricting his small brain.
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
No way! I love roller coasters - rode my first one, the Cyclone at Morecambe when I was about 5 or 6 with my dad and rode many more white knuckles rides thereafter, often with dad. Not sure if it’s the roller coasters I love more or the fact that I have so many memories of enjoying them with dad.
3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
Ohhh, a good while ago, probably back in my 20s, while at a ski resort.
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Like my own space in bed, but there’s nothing like snuggling up to someone. And the cats like to make themselves comfortable on top of the duvet as well of course.
5. Do you believe in ghosts?
I am haunted by my disbelief. If someone can prove their existence properly, fair enough, but hearsay and conjecture isn’t proof. A friend of mine has investigated ghosts for years (he has a book out this winter on it) and only came across one case he can’t find an explanation for.
6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Of course - why, anyone who decides to mix Baileys into the blender with ice cream and choccy milk shake is clearly creative.
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Surely you are not suggesting our Western system of justice for all equally could be corrupted by people who are rich and famous???
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Can I have both, please? No? Oh. Well, probably Angelina - not only incredibly foxy but barking mad and you just know she’s be inventive and downright dirty.
9. Do you stay friends with your ex's?
Not especially, but I have good relations with my Zs and my Qs.
10. Do you know how to play poker?
I refer you to the Goon Show: “This is Minnie Bannister, the world-renown poker player. Giver he a poker and she’ll play any tune you want.”
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Not sure how long it was, but do recall working on some college projects all day, through the night on the computer then off into college next morning to print it all out, bind it and hand it in. Also recall being kept awake by friends like Leonie using my computer at home since it was the early 90s and most folks didn’t have a PC at home, so if you did you were very popular.
12. What's your favourite commercial?
Right now the Tango pastiche of the Sony Bravia ad with the coloured superballs bouncing down a San Francisco hill street, redone as apples, lemons, oranges etc bouncing down steep English village hill street, splattering, smashing windows, all to the same Jose Gonzales track
13. What are you allergic to?
Thumbscrews and Nazis.
14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?
Generally no, partly in case I just haven’t noticed someone crossing in the dark or something like that, partly because a lot of main junctions have cameras on them.
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Hmmm, I have a couple of Deep Dark Secrets, but the other folks involved know too, so not really. Not that they will talk now, oh no (wipes dirt from hands, locks away shovel and laughs).
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Ah, baseball - almost as boring as cricket but at least they get matches over somewhat more quickly. Other than Charlie Brown’s team, all baseball bores the hell out of me.
17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Yup, was taken several times to the wonderfully monikered Crossmyloof rink in Glasgow.
18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Quite often and sometimes dream events which happen, although those dreams only come back to me just as the events are happening, so that’s pretty useless. Picked up the occasional short story from good dreams.
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
All the time. I’m easily amused and believe in totally surrendering to hilarity. Humour is one of the best defence mechanisms we have for coping with life.
20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Lucy in the Sky with Carbon C-60,
She Loves Me Longtime, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Corporal Condiment’s Heart Condition Band,
I Saw Her Standing There (the stalker’s song),
Yellow Deep-Sea Submersible
21. What's the one thing on your mind now?
Trying to get stuff together for British Comics Month on the FPI blog.
22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?
Never heard of her, but I did see a Lois Lane Barbie at FPI recently, does that count?
23. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Not always, only when in the car. Wearing it the rest of the time is just being silly.
24. What cell service do you use?
I carry a loudhailer.
25. Do you like Sushi?
Yep, some American friends told me about the non-fish Sushi which I could eat as a veggie.
26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
No, it actually killed me, I just haven’t stopped moving yet because I am a stubborn bugger. And Enoch Root gave me a nice pick-me-up.
27. What do you wear to bed?
My smooth and creamy Celtic skin and an attitude.
28. Been caught stealing?
Nope, I learned from Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat - call me Slippery Joe.
29. What shoe size do you have?
7.
30. Do you truly hate anyone?
“I don’t believe in hate anymore, I hate to think on how I felt before” as Edie Brickell put it. Hate leads to the dark side. I do loathe what some folks do, like Bush and Blair, but I try not to let hate into my soul, the stains it leaves just don’t come out.
31. Classic Rock or Rap?
Wouldn’t that make the an acronym ‘CRRAP’???
32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Hmm, would have to choose between my top three celeb’s I’d like to snog list, which consists of Audrey Tautou, Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Think it would have to be Audrey Tautou. Unless I can pick someone from any period of time, in which case probably Audrey Hepburn or Louise Brooks.
33. Favourite Song?
Can’t really answer this, depends so much on my mood. Some days I want to listen to John Lee Hooker, other days Schubert, other days Velvet Revolver. Tori Amos’ “Crucify” would be way up the list though and right now loving pretty much everything Regina Spektor sings (plus her name makes her sound like a 60s Bond villain!).
34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?
‘Singing’ may be too grandiose a title for it.
35. What food do you find disgusting?
Eating animals.
36. Do you sing in the shower?
Oh yeah, my Don Giovani in the shower is amazing. Of course you just have to take my word for that.
37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"?
Took it one step further - my first ‘girlfriend‘ and I had our Action Man and Syndey doll snogging and ‘doing it‘. We had no idea what ‘doing it’ actually was of course, but it was fun.
38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
All the time! One of the hallmarks of good, solid friendship is you can slag each other off comfortably and laugh about it because even when joking about aspects of each other’s habits which annoy you know you still love each other.
39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Of course. It’s not just about standing up for someone you don’t know, it’s about defending principles. If you won’t stick to your principles for anyone and everyone then you don’t have any principles. Why do you think I am so opinionated on the blog???
40. Have you ever been punched in the face?
No, but I had a sabre break in a fencing duel and the broken shaft stab into my chest, does that count?
Got this via my mate Jeff - feel free to copy and stick in your own repsonses:
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope, although I had an asshole of a motorbike cop tell me off for cycling past a bus which had just cut me up. When I angrily asked him why he was picking on me and ignoring the bus driver’s dangerous actions he told me he could make a warning into an actual charge; presumably his helmet was too tight and constricting his small brain.
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
No way! I love roller coasters - rode my first one, the Cyclone at Morecambe when I was about 5 or 6 with my dad and rode many more white knuckles rides thereafter, often with dad. Not sure if it’s the roller coasters I love more or the fact that I have so many memories of enjoying them with dad.
3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
Ohhh, a good while ago, probably back in my 20s, while at a ski resort.
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Like my own space in bed, but there’s nothing like snuggling up to someone. And the cats like to make themselves comfortable on top of the duvet as well of course.
5. Do you believe in ghosts?
I am haunted by my disbelief. If someone can prove their existence properly, fair enough, but hearsay and conjecture isn’t proof. A friend of mine has investigated ghosts for years (he has a book out this winter on it) and only came across one case he can’t find an explanation for.
6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Of course - why, anyone who decides to mix Baileys into the blender with ice cream and choccy milk shake is clearly creative.
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Surely you are not suggesting our Western system of justice for all equally could be corrupted by people who are rich and famous???
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Can I have both, please? No? Oh. Well, probably Angelina - not only incredibly foxy but barking mad and you just know she’s be inventive and downright dirty.
9. Do you stay friends with your ex's?
Not especially, but I have good relations with my Zs and my Qs.
10. Do you know how to play poker?
I refer you to the Goon Show: “This is Minnie Bannister, the world-renown poker player. Giver he a poker and she’ll play any tune you want.”
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Not sure how long it was, but do recall working on some college projects all day, through the night on the computer then off into college next morning to print it all out, bind it and hand it in. Also recall being kept awake by friends like Leonie using my computer at home since it was the early 90s and most folks didn’t have a PC at home, so if you did you were very popular.
12. What's your favourite commercial?
Right now the Tango pastiche of the Sony Bravia ad with the coloured superballs bouncing down a San Francisco hill street, redone as apples, lemons, oranges etc bouncing down steep English village hill street, splattering, smashing windows, all to the same Jose Gonzales track
13. What are you allergic to?
Thumbscrews and Nazis.
14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?
Generally no, partly in case I just haven’t noticed someone crossing in the dark or something like that, partly because a lot of main junctions have cameras on them.
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Hmmm, I have a couple of Deep Dark Secrets, but the other folks involved know too, so not really. Not that they will talk now, oh no (wipes dirt from hands, locks away shovel and laughs).
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Ah, baseball - almost as boring as cricket but at least they get matches over somewhat more quickly. Other than Charlie Brown’s team, all baseball bores the hell out of me.
17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Yup, was taken several times to the wonderfully monikered Crossmyloof rink in Glasgow.
18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Quite often and sometimes dream events which happen, although those dreams only come back to me just as the events are happening, so that’s pretty useless. Picked up the occasional short story from good dreams.
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
All the time. I’m easily amused and believe in totally surrendering to hilarity. Humour is one of the best defence mechanisms we have for coping with life.
20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Lucy in the Sky with Carbon C-60,
She Loves Me Longtime, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Corporal Condiment’s Heart Condition Band,
I Saw Her Standing There (the stalker’s song),
Yellow Deep-Sea Submersible
21. What's the one thing on your mind now?
Trying to get stuff together for British Comics Month on the FPI blog.
22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?
Never heard of her, but I did see a Lois Lane Barbie at FPI recently, does that count?
23. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Not always, only when in the car. Wearing it the rest of the time is just being silly.
24. What cell service do you use?
I carry a loudhailer.
25. Do you like Sushi?
Yep, some American friends told me about the non-fish Sushi which I could eat as a veggie.
26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
No, it actually killed me, I just haven’t stopped moving yet because I am a stubborn bugger. And Enoch Root gave me a nice pick-me-up.
27. What do you wear to bed?
My smooth and creamy Celtic skin and an attitude.
28. Been caught stealing?
Nope, I learned from Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat - call me Slippery Joe.
29. What shoe size do you have?
7.
30. Do you truly hate anyone?
“I don’t believe in hate anymore, I hate to think on how I felt before” as Edie Brickell put it. Hate leads to the dark side. I do loathe what some folks do, like Bush and Blair, but I try not to let hate into my soul, the stains it leaves just don’t come out.
31. Classic Rock or Rap?
Wouldn’t that make the an acronym ‘CRRAP’???
32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Hmm, would have to choose between my top three celeb’s I’d like to snog list, which consists of Audrey Tautou, Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Think it would have to be Audrey Tautou. Unless I can pick someone from any period of time, in which case probably Audrey Hepburn or Louise Brooks.
33. Favourite Song?
Can’t really answer this, depends so much on my mood. Some days I want to listen to John Lee Hooker, other days Schubert, other days Velvet Revolver. Tori Amos’ “Crucify” would be way up the list though and right now loving pretty much everything Regina Spektor sings (plus her name makes her sound like a 60s Bond villain!).
34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?
‘Singing’ may be too grandiose a title for it.
35. What food do you find disgusting?
Eating animals.
36. Do you sing in the shower?
Oh yeah, my Don Giovani in the shower is amazing. Of course you just have to take my word for that.
37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"?
Took it one step further - my first ‘girlfriend‘ and I had our Action Man and Syndey doll snogging and ‘doing it‘. We had no idea what ‘doing it’ actually was of course, but it was fun.
38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
All the time! One of the hallmarks of good, solid friendship is you can slag each other off comfortably and laugh about it because even when joking about aspects of each other’s habits which annoy you know you still love each other.
39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Of course. It’s not just about standing up for someone you don’t know, it’s about defending principles. If you won’t stick to your principles for anyone and everyone then you don’t have any principles. Why do you think I am so opinionated on the blog???
40. Have you ever been punched in the face?
No, but I had a sabre break in a fencing duel and the broken shaft stab into my chest, does that count?
Shiona's memorial
It's been over a month and a half since we lost Shiona Wood; yesterday a gratifyingly large crowd of some of her many friends left the bright sunlight behind to squeeze into an auditorium in her base of operations at Edinburgh's wonderful Filmhouse, which has been one of my favourite haunts since my student days. In fact it was in my student days I met Shiona as she guest lectured on one of her favourite topics in film studies, the representation of gender. For that module we were very lucky the organising tutor, Andrew Tolson, thought that it would make for a more interesting course if we had a second lecturer and that it would be good to have a woman discussing gender roles with us for some more balance. I'm very glad he did that or I may never have met Shiona and once you met her you never forgot her. In among the audience yeterday I briefly bumped into some friends from those college days who I rarely see these days, so that was quite lovely too (hello Caroline and Rhiann if you're reading!); funny how some people can be in each other's lives so much for a period then drift slowly apart and hardly hear from one another.
We gathered together to hear film critic and friend of Shiona, Mark Cousins talking. He told us about the funeral, which was good for those of us who learned of it too late to attend; he told us about Shiona arriving in a stylish fashion which was very her, drawn in a beautiful horse-drawn hearse (she liked horses - I bumped into her more than once fresh from a ride still with horse hairs sticking to her clothes) with the horse's traditional black mourning plumes replaced by bright pink feathers and how Abba's Dancing Queen blasted out at the ceremony. We all turned up in bright colours because Shiona's fashion was a bright law unto itself - this was unusual for me since I normally wear black, black and black. In fact I wear so much black kids follow me down the street saying "Mr Cash, I loved you in Walk the Line". But yesterday a bright Captain Bluebear T-shirt and my extremely loud tie-dye bandana, which I suspect Shiona would have wanted to borrow :-).
In fact with us all so brightly attired and the general feeling of goodwill it wasn't a sombre memorial, it was a good-natured celebration, which is what she would have wanted. Obviously sadness remains and, as Mark said, anger too. Anger that this awful thing called cancer claimed yet another good person, something all too many of us have experienced. Well, yesterday proved one thing - cancer, you didn't take Shiona from us. You removed her bodily from our everyday lives but you couldn't match her spirit and yesterday's warm gathering showed that. As V tells Evey in V For Vendetta, there is a face beneath this mask, but it is not me, anymore than the muscle beneath that face is me or the bones - we are all so much more than that and that inner, essential core of our being is something mere illness cannot touch.
And so we sat and watched one of Shiona's favourite movies, Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce. Directed by Michael Curtiz, who of course directed one of my favourite movies of all time, Casablanca, it was made really as a "woman's" movie, but actually its a cracking movie for any gender or age and littered with those beautiful styles of fashion, design and cinematography that you associate with 40s movies, as well as some great lines (Joan appears for the first time in front of her new man in a swimming costume ' "No whistle?" she asks him "I'd need a police siren" he returns, deadpan; Joan's voice over as she bakes to make ends meet "I was always in the kitchen. Sometimes I thought I was born in a kitchen, with just a short time outside to get married. It didn't take long." That line must have really hit a chord with many women in the 40s).
The British Film Institute had donated the print free of charge because many of the BFI folk knew and loved Shiona too, while the money from the tickets went to Saint Columba's Hospice. A nearby hairdressing salon she used to visit gave out cards for a free hair session to everyone who came along, which made me chuckle (not just because I don't have enough hair left for them to style, unless they want to groom my chest) but because how many memorials do you go to and get given an offer of a free styling offer to friends of Shiona??? That kind of summed it up in some ways - irreverent and fun, she's have laughed at that.
Mel had come along with me and afterwards we walked back to her place along the restored canal, which was glittering in strong summer sunlight. We picked up a ton of fresh veg and other food and when Gordon came round to join us we enjoyed a nice bit of al fresco dining and drinking outside in the garden with Dizzy slinking around the garden and attempting to pounce on bees as they visited the flowers (so many blooms this year after all the clearing and pruning we did - for someone like me who is generally useless with plants very gratifying). Drinking and chatting and eating until the sky grew dark (which is way after ten here at this time of year and even then the northern sky remains aglow, never completely dark) then inside to drink more and watch movies. What could have been a sad day had actually been a really good day with friends.
It's been over a month and a half since we lost Shiona Wood; yesterday a gratifyingly large crowd of some of her many friends left the bright sunlight behind to squeeze into an auditorium in her base of operations at Edinburgh's wonderful Filmhouse, which has been one of my favourite haunts since my student days. In fact it was in my student days I met Shiona as she guest lectured on one of her favourite topics in film studies, the representation of gender. For that module we were very lucky the organising tutor, Andrew Tolson, thought that it would make for a more interesting course if we had a second lecturer and that it would be good to have a woman discussing gender roles with us for some more balance. I'm very glad he did that or I may never have met Shiona and once you met her you never forgot her. In among the audience yeterday I briefly bumped into some friends from those college days who I rarely see these days, so that was quite lovely too (hello Caroline and Rhiann if you're reading!); funny how some people can be in each other's lives so much for a period then drift slowly apart and hardly hear from one another.
We gathered together to hear film critic and friend of Shiona, Mark Cousins talking. He told us about the funeral, which was good for those of us who learned of it too late to attend; he told us about Shiona arriving in a stylish fashion which was very her, drawn in a beautiful horse-drawn hearse (she liked horses - I bumped into her more than once fresh from a ride still with horse hairs sticking to her clothes) with the horse's traditional black mourning plumes replaced by bright pink feathers and how Abba's Dancing Queen blasted out at the ceremony. We all turned up in bright colours because Shiona's fashion was a bright law unto itself - this was unusual for me since I normally wear black, black and black. In fact I wear so much black kids follow me down the street saying "Mr Cash, I loved you in Walk the Line". But yesterday a bright Captain Bluebear T-shirt and my extremely loud tie-dye bandana, which I suspect Shiona would have wanted to borrow :-).
In fact with us all so brightly attired and the general feeling of goodwill it wasn't a sombre memorial, it was a good-natured celebration, which is what she would have wanted. Obviously sadness remains and, as Mark said, anger too. Anger that this awful thing called cancer claimed yet another good person, something all too many of us have experienced. Well, yesterday proved one thing - cancer, you didn't take Shiona from us. You removed her bodily from our everyday lives but you couldn't match her spirit and yesterday's warm gathering showed that. As V tells Evey in V For Vendetta, there is a face beneath this mask, but it is not me, anymore than the muscle beneath that face is me or the bones - we are all so much more than that and that inner, essential core of our being is something mere illness cannot touch.
And so we sat and watched one of Shiona's favourite movies, Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce. Directed by Michael Curtiz, who of course directed one of my favourite movies of all time, Casablanca, it was made really as a "woman's" movie, but actually its a cracking movie for any gender or age and littered with those beautiful styles of fashion, design and cinematography that you associate with 40s movies, as well as some great lines (Joan appears for the first time in front of her new man in a swimming costume ' "No whistle?" she asks him "I'd need a police siren" he returns, deadpan; Joan's voice over as she bakes to make ends meet "I was always in the kitchen. Sometimes I thought I was born in a kitchen, with just a short time outside to get married. It didn't take long." That line must have really hit a chord with many women in the 40s).
The British Film Institute had donated the print free of charge because many of the BFI folk knew and loved Shiona too, while the money from the tickets went to Saint Columba's Hospice. A nearby hairdressing salon she used to visit gave out cards for a free hair session to everyone who came along, which made me chuckle (not just because I don't have enough hair left for them to style, unless they want to groom my chest) but because how many memorials do you go to and get given an offer of a free styling offer to friends of Shiona??? That kind of summed it up in some ways - irreverent and fun, she's have laughed at that.
Mel had come along with me and afterwards we walked back to her place along the restored canal, which was glittering in strong summer sunlight. We picked up a ton of fresh veg and other food and when Gordon came round to join us we enjoyed a nice bit of al fresco dining and drinking outside in the garden with Dizzy slinking around the garden and attempting to pounce on bees as they visited the flowers (so many blooms this year after all the clearing and pruning we did - for someone like me who is generally useless with plants very gratifying). Drinking and chatting and eating until the sky grew dark (which is way after ten here at this time of year and even then the northern sky remains aglow, never completely dark) then inside to drink more and watch movies. What could have been a sad day had actually been a really good day with friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)