Workday montage, if only!
Today has been such a hectic day at work so far. I really can't believe that I've decided to start writing for a blog in the midst of this day I'm having, the irresponsibility! I disgust myself! But that's the way it is sometimes. Busy busy busy and then stupid.
Wishing your life away
I just wanted to share one thing, though. Do you think you would like to have a 'montage' option for busy days at work? Put it like this: would you like to get through a busy day in an exciting dream-like state, with motivational music playing in the background, with the whole day lasting ten minutes maximum, and all your work done at the end of it?
Sometimes in the morning I think I would just love this! The whole 'I wish somebody else would go into work for me' sort of feeling. But I'm going to step out and say it: no, I don't want this, because I would never wish my life away, even for one day. But, I wouldn't begrudge anyone the odd fantasy.
So here's something from the fabulous Team America World Police to contemplate while you're being a busy little bee around the office. Anyone have any others to share? Now back to work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIi0vFyqWAc
The Prisoner: 1 gem, 1 ITV show and some very strange 80s rock
Portmeirion in less weird times
I've finally managed to watch The Prisoner (the new one). Did you see it? What did you think of it? Hmmmm, I hated it at the start, then got over my prejudice a little and finally was caught up in the action through the second half. All they had to do was pull a Lost, a 'polar-bear-in-the-jungle' moment, 'Korean-man-who-can't-speak-English-suddenly-speaking-English', 'unexpected-coconut-in-your-bed', whatever unusual, freakish combination works. The prisoner had 'massive-anchor-in-the-desert', and from then on the hairs were raising on the back of my neck even though I didn't like it all that much. A little touch of the weird is all it takes.
The use of the endless desert in the 2009 remake of The Prisoner with no sea or any places besides 'the Village' that anybody's ever heard of is reasonably good in terms of creepy (there was also something a little League of Gentlemen about it, but that's the Prisoner for you). It obviously doesn't match the brilliance of the original Prisoner of 1967 for sheer bizarre surreality and the strange-fest that is the real Welsh village of Portmeirion at the best of times.
But let's not be too hard on it: it's not as if the markers of this new Prisoner took all copies of the old and burned them, or added stupid CG elements that we all hate. We still have the classic and it remains untarnished. So let's view this new one's spurious connection to the classic as an opportunity and nothing more. The makers of the 2009 Prisoner were out to remake something famously weird, and so they had license to make something weird-ish. And weird-ish is okay. A start. Better than Lark Rise to Candleford!
But enough of that! The real reason for mentioning all this was to share two good recollections besides the original Prisoner, both tributes to it. The second is better than the first, but it takes a little more effort.
1. Iron Maiden, The Prisoner
A classic metal track from the 1982 Number of the Beast Album; a classic NWOBHM tribute to a classic. Love it.
2. Devil Doll, The Girl Who Was... Death
Bear with me on this one; there's a gem on the way, I promise!! Back many years ago before there were shops, I used to spend a lot of time as a nerdy teenage musico, browsing distribution lists of CDs, tapes and vinyls other nerds made available for nerds like me to swap or order through the post. This postal method did not normally carry the technology to facilitate listing to a sample (although some of the nerds used to make mixtapes for their nerdy pen-friends for this precise reason). What I'm trying to say is that you ordered most of your music blind! (Or deaf?) Whichever. Possibly the best result I ever got from this gravy train was the intriguingly Italian-Slovenian band Devil Doll and the album was The Girl Who Was... Death.
What was immediately bamboozling was that the entire album was on a CD with only one track! Furthermore, the band had eight members lead by the memorably named Mr Doctor. And there was the sound of the thing! To be honest I'm disappointed that the youtube reproduction is split into sections, contra the original spirit off the low-budget CD, but there you are. Here is how the moody, atmospheric album starts (not as important as the next part, though):
Reasonably conservative stuff, I assure you. If you think that was in any way odd, AT ALL, forget about it!! It's just about to get interesting, and excellent! Listen if you dare:
I love it. I can't fault it at all! So weird, so good! "...the ironic waters of the cosmos"?! And was that Eddie Van Halen with a fiddle?! Weird.
Weird like The Prisoner? Well, as it happens, the freak-show that is The Girl Who Was...Death indeed has a lot to do with The Prisoner, because just when you think you've finished, when you've seemingly reached the end of that single 60-minute-plus track, there's a bonus track! (All on the same, single CD track of course.)
Devil Doll took that one step Iron Maiden didn't dare: they recorded a strange rock version of the theme music from the 60s classic! And here we are. Enjoy the hell out of it.
This week is payday week, thank Christ!
Image: British Museum
Eek, it's been a five-weekend pay month! Holidays have to be booked, passports have to be renewed (I'd rather gouge my own eyes out), work has to be done, and above all we've had a fairly beautiful weekend in Edinburgh. Okay, Sunday wasn't amazing all day, but generally there was plenty to draw one towards a beer garden. Despite this, one persevered with cans of Tennents in the flat with the window open. But we needn't despair, Wednesday (like, right at the beginning of Wednesday, like Tuesday at midnight), one's misery will end.
But it hasn't been misery, really, just a touch of end-of-the-month frugality to soften the hedonism of the first couple of thirds. Here are a few things I enjoyed.
1. Walking around outside. You can't beat it. It's free, normally healthy, and pretty in this city.
2. While doing same, popped into Leo's Beanery on Howe Street for a gorgeous cup of coffee (one of a couple of indulgences which flew in the face the emergency budget). I fully intend to comprehensively review this place as I think it's a hidden gem.
3. Doctor Who, The Time of Angels. The new series of the Doctor has been a little touch and go if you ask me - it's teething. This might well have been my favourite episode so far. You can't fault those weeping angels. They were bound to bring them back. They're like the Borg of Doctor Who. Awesome, intimidating villians who are seemingly indestructible. If you're not a fan, these are statues who only remain statues as long as they're being watched; at all other times they're totally murderous and absolutely moving around. So basically they turn to stone when you look at them. But they never tell you what material they're made of otherwise. It could be paper for all we know! But an original take on a familiar form, which is a strong feature. Looking forward to seeing where that goes. Here's a clip from the last series:
4. Yojimbo. I'm going through a mini Akira Kurosawa movie season at home with no strict order to it. Ran was recently watched and enjoyed. Samurai King Lear works. Yojimbo? Many people would say this is a masterpiece and subject it to careful criticism and analysis. For now, I'd rather just say I enjoyed it. I have to admit I fell asleep a few times trying to watch it last week, but that was entirely the week I had rather than the film. Finished it this weekend. Happy to recommend it. It's a good, short, snappy film with a great soundtrack. I had been wondering what film to start my Kurosawa season with and Ran happened accidentally. Yojimbo would have been a better kick-off.
5. 500 Days of Summer. The Comely Banking Crisis does Lovefilm and this one was on the Icy Penguin's list, with the former, Yojimbo, being on mine. We're still digesting it but I think we both enjoyed it. We were both frustrated by the female character, but that's kind-of the point of the film. A sort-of romantic comedy with a twist. It thinks it's Amelie a little bit, without all the magic or Paris. Los Angeles is the setting and one of the things I enjoyed was the fact that the the male lead character is an architecture graduate who discusses LA and its architecture regularly. This led me to think about another film set there, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, a better film actually, also portraying a brief-ish relationship and very much referencing its Californian backdrop.
But aside from these small mercies, we wait for the money!
My Own Private Michael Sheen Season
I love Michael Sheen. I can't get enough of the man. His little face, his brilliant acting, that cheeky grin that can say 'I'm a champion' one moment and 'I'm in misery' the next. The man is a chameleon, a vessel for weird and wonderful Britons of the last hundred years. His deployment in so many iconic roles recently has been inspired. A truly great British actor.
So it follows that I should host my own Michael Sheen Season! I'd like to call this my Sheen Season but that could be confusing (not that I'd begrudge anyone a Charlie or Martin season). I have to admit this wasn't planned very carefully. It's rather been an organic exploration testifying to the addictive property of the actor's presence and work - you just want to go back for more.
Front/Nixon
Most recently for us it's been Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon. This has been one of those big films that everyone cool says is great - a bit like Good Night and Good Luck - critically accclaimed, intelligent, big. It always takes me a while to get round to watching these. Maybe it's War and Peace syndrome except on a small scale with movies: a big committment for a Friday night! Anyhow, we watched it and loved it.
Sheen was great as hedonistic David Frost. We felt that Frank Langella's Nixon was something of a caricature, but maybe this role demanded a bit of overplaying. Nixon has been caricatured so many times since his presidency that it's the caricature that everyone remembers anyway. It was the right choice, because we forgot about Langella quickly and focused on his Nixon instead. A great, entertaining film that gives you just enough information on the background so that you can learn and enjoy. And Sheen? Perfect! The role doesn't stretch him hugely, but that's the role.
Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa
Before Frost/Nixon it was Fantabulosa. Aired by BBC4 (I missed it and rented the DVD - worth it!) this drama depicting the adult life of Kenneth Williams is stunning. The writing felt just a little slow and clumsey at the very beginning, but the story unravels fantastically and manages to be dark, tense, uncomfortable and funny, like the man. Playing both the young man and ageing Williams, Sheen is camp, delerious, mentally and physically ill, and miserable. This finished on BBC iPlayer but it's all over youtube. Here's one of my favourite sections (it's worth waiting until around 5 minutes in to see the brilliant, hideously awkward 'love' scene - be warned, not one for the kids). In my opinion this is Sheen at his very best:
The Deal; The Queen
Sheen has played Tony Blair twice. I would summarise these as Nasty Ambitious Blair in the 2003 TV drama The Deal and Great Guy Blair in The Queen. He's best known for the latter, but I prefer the Nasty Blair of The Deal because its focus is on Blair himself and it's a more thorough exploration of the man. And he's portrayed as a nasty git! In any case, Sheen gets quite the accolade from me for doing two different Blairs, each one great.
The Blair character promises a lot more screen time. We're still waiting for War Criminal Blair, but I suspect that can only be done once the outcome of the current Iraq Inquiry is known and Blair is retired and we have a little distance from it. Perhaps Pierce Brosnan's ex-Prime-Minister in Polanski's The Ghost will take us part of the way there. I haven't seen it but I don't think a character played by Brosnan who merely alludes to a Blair-type figure is a sufficient third part of this trilogy. There's a great movie in the Blair story yet.
Wilde
And last but not least in my Season, we must revisit Wilde (1997). Sheen in a love scene with Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde? Must be done! Ealier roles such as this promised just what we have now: a fantastic, developed actor with a great CV, screen presence and versatility. And tonnes of potential yet. Look at him there, snogging Fry! (Again, NOT for the kids!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mTcelHf5s&feature=related
Anyone have any other recommendations? I still haven't seen The Damned United due to my football-schmutball attitude, but I must get over that!
Diane Arbus and RSA New Contemporaries, or Seeing Putin in Jesus
RSA New Contemporaries - a mixed bag (of treats)
Omar Zingaro Bhatia
As mentioned here earlier this month, the Royal Scottish Academy brought together highlights from fine art and architecture degree shows across Scotland at this exhibition, which is running until Wednesday 21st April. (That's this Wednesday, so hurry hurry hurry if you want to catch it!)
We thought it was good overall, a mixed experience in places, but then it promised art and architectural projects from those at early stages in their careers, so we should be understanding, especially at £2 per person!
It's interesting in some ways to see how architects present and propose projects, and we could all learn a lot from some of the impeccable work here in terms of design and presentation, but I do tire of purely theoretical architecture after a point, and find that despite the artistry of it all and the possible brilliance of the proposed building or urban space, it just doesn't deliver the profound reflection and unbridled aesthetic pleasure we get from art.
But criticisms aside, at the upper end of the 'mixed' is, of course, the 'great'! And there was a lot of great. I was accused of deciding that I liked Omar Zingaro Bhatia's work before I ever saw it properly, and that's partly true, as evidenced by this blog. However, while his painting may not be as accomplished as some of the other artists' works here, I felt that he emerged strongest in terms of overall concept (the 'junkshop') and he distinguishes himself by integrating his own real-time persona and life into that concept. His junkshop is not as random as it first appears and a closer look reveals that the assemblage of bits and bobs is actually carefully considered so as to reflect relationships, places, thoughts and memories from his life to the present.
Only until Wednesday, so quick!
Diane Arbus, Dean Gallery Artist Rooms
This exhibition of the photography of Diane Arbus runs until 13th June so feel free to indulge your procrastination glands. It's a little self-indulgent of me to blog about this because a) it seems as though most people I know in Edinburgh have already seen it and made their own mind up about it; and b) you can do an image-search for Diane Arbus (give it a go) and lots and lots of her photography will appear before your eyes in an instant so that YOU TOO can make up your own mind without my whimsical intervention.
So I'll limit myself to a couple of brief observations. We had the pleasure of my parents' company on this particular outing and we all agreed that the photography is great. And there is a lot of it, giving you a fantastic, broad idea of the photographer's interests. These tend to focus on strange, unique and just bizarre individuals, often on the edge of society - epitomised by her Eccentrics series - or unique perspectives on ordinary people. But here's my perspective (thanks to Arbus) on a world leader: did you know that Vladimir Putin occasionally masquerades as Jesus? Have a look at Arbus's Christ in a Lobby!
Do you remember what other interesting character, not so popular with religious leaders, looks like Putin? Find out here.
The gloriously cheeky WePad, and how I know about it
We've had a morning TV revolution at home. Rather than inflict the tragically boring BBC Breakfast or the pure tabloidish hell of GMTV upon ourselves, we've elected to watch Euronews over our toast and coffee every day. You might find this boring, too Euro-ish, meandering and yet somehow also repetitive (on a short loop) for you to be bothered with watching. But look, if you do we're just going to have to differ on that. My life is better with Euronews in it, and I know it. You get the news in loads of different countries with little bias other than Eurocentricity (and why not? It's Euronews after all), and you get an interlude with art gallery listings across Europe, and a pretty funky weather section that tells you the temperature in Azerbaijan. AND I know that Baku is the capital of that country - I might have found this out otherwise but I like to be reminded - every day, in the morning!
So today, my friend Icey Penguin and I were watching same, this time over our Friday boiled eggs (yes, every Friday), and we were delighted to see that a German company with a mere 200 staff called Neofonie have challenged the mighty Apple, not with another random laptop or PC that's trying to be like a Mac by having some coloured cover or religious-cult-vibey marketing campaign, but with the WePad!
The WePad has been making headlines for a few weeks now and yes, it is very like an iPad, looks like one, functions like one, is a similar size, and is clearly aiming at the same market. The prices look broadly similar, too. You can check out more detailed specs and comparison over on CrunchGear.
As you've probably noticed, the WePad beats the iPad with the inclusion of USB ports, so, like a lot of gizmos that rival Apple products from mp3 players to phones, it promises the freedom and utility of the Apple product without as many restrictions. It also boasts a webcam and a bigger screen than an iPad. Will it dazzle us with the level of aesthetically pleasing, possibly unnecessary fun-stuff we've become accustomed to from Apple products? Well I don't know anyone who has an iPad, let alone a WePad, so we'll have to wait and see.
A chance to vent your spleen at electoral candidates in Edinburgh
Make-up backstabbing: the Kennedy-Nixon debate
Tonight's prime-ministerial TV debate promises some watered-down, reheasred action (unless you consider joining in our concurrant election drinking game). In the UK we've already reluctantly revisited the famous 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate several times in this morning's dreary breakfast info-entertainment, but what they don't tell you as often is, it will be nothing like that! The days of a) secret make-up, b) being embarassed about TV make-up and c) on-air 4 o' clock shadows are long gone. But as this is a first for a UK general election, no doubt we'll all watch with interest. I can't understand why stammering Brown would agree to face those two handsomer, more articulate chaps, but let's see what happens.
Edinburgh hustings
But moving off the national and on to the local, this morning the GuardianEdinburgh blog reports that a general election hustings event is being hosted tonight by The English-Speaking Union Scotland at its Atholl Crescent gallery in the West End. Candidates have been invited from the four main parties in Scotland, but alas, it will be to an invited audience only that they will be giving their excuses, making the same old accusations, saying the oil would pay for independence, saying it wouldn’t be enough, etc.
If you’re absolutely gutted and disgusted by this closed-door policy, don’t despair! GuardianEdinburgh will be tweeting and recording the debate. But better still, there’s another hustings event with more parties represented and an OPEN-DOOR POLICY!
Look no further than to the Edinburgh University Students Association to deliver when it matters. Their event takes place on Monday 26th April at 6.30 p.m in the George Square Lecture Theatre, George Square. The panel consists of Neil Hudson (Conservatives), Ian Murray (Labour), Fred MacKintosh (Liberal Democrats), Sandy Howat (SNP) and Robin Harper (Green candidate for Edinburgh East). Apart from Robin Harper, all candidates are contending for Edinburgh South and the event will be chaired by Dr Mark Aspinwall, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations.
Questions will be taken from the audience, but should be emailed in advance to: anna.maciulewicz@eusa.ed.ac.uk. A higher education agenda will likely dominate the discussion, so if you want to ask about anything else, like "What the f*ck is going with Trident?", then get in touch. No doubt tonight's leaders' TV debate will give you a few ideas.
Supergrass officially split but is it really the end?
The Bad News
Oh dear, well first of all it's absolutely official: we got the sad news on Monday that Oxford rockers Supergrass have finally decided to call it a day after 17 years and six studio albums. And we have two official reasons to contend with: a "17-year itch" and - hey presto! -"musical differences". But I'm told by an insider that it's "all good": the breakup was amicable and the members of the band will no doubt continue with their musical careers in different directions.
The Memories
You'll have difficulty finding anyone of a certain age who doesn't have some fond memory of the band and their cheeky, kick-arse sound. I for one associate their earlier Caught by the Fuzz/Alright stuff from the I Should Coco album with teenage angst (that's not their fault!) and developments in songs like Richard III, Late in the Day, and Moving, like many others, with my university years. I had the pleasure of seeing them play three times, the last of which was in the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh (oh, double grief!) in March 2008. It's a testament to the band's enduring quality and appeal that this gig rocked and so did Diamond Hoo Ha, their final allbum which they were plugging at the time.
And let's not forget about their interesting foray into the world of the folksy, bluesy, string and melodic whatever-you-call-it music in Road to Rouen. While many saw this as an unexpectedly somber album which reflected a difficult period in the band's career and personal lives, you can't help respecting their ability to change and experiment, nor can you deny that their cheeky, edgy sound breaks through on this record and complements its contemplative edge.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Is this really the end? First things first, let's focus on the immediate future, which promises a brief farewell tour, with the band playing gigs in Glasgow, London, Manchester and finally Paris on the 11th June. I'll tell you now: I'm in the market for a Glasgow ticket, but what a fantastic reason to go to Paris!
And further ahead? Well, for two reasons I'm very optimistic that we'll see some of the old magic before too long. Firstly, judging by what the band have been doing image-wise (i.e. fecking around with alternative identities like Diamond Hoo Ha Men and The Hot Rats), it's clear that some of the boys' creative juices are flowing strongly and they're evidently poised to develop new ideas, and indeed have already been toying with them. Secondly, I look to the Coombes brothers, three of whom were on the line-up on the last tour. You might call it quits on the band, but family is family! Have a listen to Charlie Coombes and the New Breed for a taste of this.
My bets? I'd look out for more from the likes of the Hot Rats, but I suspect there'll be considerably more still.
The Obama Westminster Election Drink Off
Between the Scottish National Party's minimum pricing and Labour's possibly more canny/sleazy, but now dropped tax plans for strong, cheap booze, alcohol policy has been bandied about a lot recently. While this area will not match in prominance economic and military issues in the upcoming Westminster elections, the debate will surely continue nevertheless.
So to celebrate the ongoing Cameron/Brown rivalry (with a bit of Salmond and Clegg thrown in), I give you the Election Drink Off!!
The game
The rules are simple and flexible. Teams are formed and each must represent a political party. The easiest choice is to have three teams: Labour, Conservative and Lib Dems. Maybe for Scotland you could do SNP, Labour and Lib Dems, it's up to you, but a good choice depends on the next feature of the game.
You must choose a medium through which all parties will represent themselves in real time - the obvious choice is the leaders' TV Debate on this Thursday, 15th April. Offcom and the Electoral Commission will ensure that the game is fair: political parties will be allowed equal exposure time. A referee is required.
And now the twist: once you have your disgusting, strong beverage of choice laid out for armageddon/the debate, all teams will listen attentively for political utterances plucked from the vine of Obama spin! So, for example, drink when you hear any of the following:
change, hope, audacity, audicious.
This blog strongly recommends that your own, no-rules political debate be held in the immediate aftermath of the drinking. The best bit about the game is that whoever is on David Cameron's team will end up sh*t faced.
Some Variations on a Musical Theme
Ever since I first watched it as a teenager, I've been a huge fan of Tous les Matins du Monde. The 1991 film is a dramatisation of the relationship between the French baroque composer Marin Marias (played by the late Guillaume Depardieu and in some scenes by his father Gerard) and his teacher the mysterious Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle).
The plot of the film is framed with a lot of sadness. Sainte Colombe, the master, is sad due to the loss of his wife; Marais is sad because his voice is breaking and he can no longer sing in a boys' choir. Marais pesters Sainte-Colombe for viol lessons and the latter capitulates only because he is touched by Marais's sadness. But Marais is a brat and disrespects Sainte-Columbe's philosophy (and daughters) and makes him angry and sad. But ultimately Marais is sad as a result of his shallowness and misdeeds. And that's pretty much it!!
I would forgive anyone who has seen this film and thought it morose, depressing, and short on dialioge. Indeed it is all of the above! But I like to get past that and enjoy the music, and I find that taking some time to consider and appreciate the soundtrack brings one back into the film's compelling story, whose central character is surely the music itself.
Or perhaps the music forms two characters: one paralleling the sad, regretful and puritalical Sainte-Colombe (this character dominates), and the other the amitious future court composer Marais. Very little is known of the real Sainte-Colombe and this adds intrigue to the experience of seeing him re-enacted as the reluctant teacher and widower.
One of the most popular scenes from the film, however, includes music composed by neither Marais nor Sainte-Colombe. The young upstart Marais visits Sainte-Colombe to audition to be his student and is asked to improvise on Folies d'Espagne (The Follies of Spain), and the hauntingly beautiful result is as follows.
Here Depardieu is miming over the great contemporary Catalan viol player Jordi Savall, whose adaptation and performance of much of the music for the film are highlights. I've always enjoyed this scene and the piece is variously called La Folia/Follia, Les Folies, or Folies d'Espagne.
One of the oldest known European musical themes, Follies' composer is not known and it is thought to originate from Iberia in the late 15th century. More than 150 composers have incorporated it into their music in some way or other, but many baroque composers have focused on composing variations of the theme itself rather than simply incorporating it into something else.
Sound good? Here's a version of the theme arranged by Marin Marais's other teacher (not dealt with in the film), the also-great, Florenese baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully.
This version is fairly conservative, but it's relative simplicity leaves the theme free to be enjoyed on its own terms. For something quite different, have a listen to Antonio Vivaldi's later, punchier, and considerably more expressive variation.
There are plenty of other versions available to listen to on youtube, but I shouldn't push it. If you've been so kind as to listen to the three posted here, I suspected you've had enough of it by now!
Tous les Matins du Monde won seven César awards in 1992 including Best Music Written for a Film for Jordi Savall's arrangements and was nominated for a Golden Globe the folllowing year. Tragically, Guillaume Depardieu died of pneumonia in October 2008 aged 37.