Monday 28 June 2010

the lack of a Glastonbury gallery 2010



this year's Glastonbury was too hot for creative thinking

that is the reason that i do not have much in the way of visual evidence to share on my blog

what i do have for my own personal memories are some great snapshots of great times spent with great people


and as we managed to make it back in good time this year i have spent a good length of afternoon just chilling, dozing off, drinking milkshake, enjoying a real wash with something other than baby wipes, finishing reading the Superman 'One Year Later' story, starting reading The Beach, and uploading my photos.

but i won't starve you of visual stimulation entirely...


Monday 21 June 2010

pelvic floor exercises



i'm sat around trying to satisfy my wandering mind with a variety of things including peanut butter on crumpets, Superman CBRs from way back in '06 and compiling a road trip mixtape that needs to get us to Somerset on wednesday.  and also giving this blog a breif update.

despite the fact that i think i am the most prepared that i have ever been for Glastonbury (including making dozens of lists that have infuriated my girlfriend) i still feel a little wayward and unprepared.

i have a habit of leaving things to the last minute no matter how forward thinking i have been so tomorrow (or more likely the early hours of wens) will be the real decider as i rush around cramming a few extra things that i have decided i've forgotten into my backpack despite having days when i could have meticulously planned the whole operation.

and this dread sense that has crept over me also relates to the quest for a house that my girlfriend and i embarked on and seemed to be never-ending, for an end may be in sight, it's just a shame that the whole process of surveys and solicitors and the like is all coming together at around about the same time as this year's Glastonbury Festival! what hideous and teasing timing.

my life has revolved around more than just packing and planning for the future but for now these are the things on my unfocused mind....

Thursday 17 June 2010

geronimo watch 2



back in april i voiced my disdain for Matt Smith's Doctor Who yelping 'Geronimo'

i was waiting with teeth gritted for this to be a regular occurence, thankfully Alan Yentob or Steven Moffat seem to be paying attention to my lowly blog and henceforth withdrew any further utterance of the word from The Doctor's lips for fear of alienating me completely

how stupid it was then, of me not to mention how much i honestly cannot stand James Corden.  i won't get too deep into this, we are all allowed our pet hates and James Corden is one of mine, he irritates me. end of.

so how would BBC bosses know that they needed to re-film all of James Corden's scenes for an episode of Doctor Who with another actor.

it was too late for such a drastic measure by the time i realised what had happened, and so i had to watch and regret my foolishness.


but it is with great surprise that i must admit that the episode was not ruined, and in fact Corden didn't irritate me at all, i presumed we would be in for some ridiculous showboating but Corden kept the performance reigned in, played it straight in the face of a rather daft, cutesy and entertaining little jaunt and in fact done a far better job as a guest star on the series than most other comics have fared when compared to Simon Pegg, Mark Gatiss and Lee Evans.

and to test me even further 'Geronimo' made a return, exclaimed by James Corden.  And i didn't actually mind.


but let's lay it to rest now, ok?

as far as my opinion of Matt Smith goes, he hardly seems to have blazed a trail creating a persona differing too far from Tennant, but with each passing episode i grow a little fonder of him.

and now we only have two more episodes of this series left?! already?

aah yes, daleks and cybermen the TV mag promise me, and presumably all this business with the pesky crack will also come to a head...

Monday 14 June 2010

'it keeps me safe when i'm jogging at night'



after spending the first half of this month delving headlong into my own creativity it is again time for a change around here as i once again get geeky.

now while i tend to find myself over at NME.com for my fix of music news, when in need of a slightly lengthier distraction i while find myself perusing their long list of blogs, mostly music related, but also featuring a well informed movie blog.

and i can't believe this one had escaped my attention for so long, for published at the end of april was 'The Five Rules Of Comic Book Sequels'

honestly, go check it out, for the most part it is a rather spot on overview of a genre i have an extreme geeky passion for, i've read very few Marvel comics ever, but even i cannot ignore the appeal of their movies, especially as they tend to boil the characters down to what they should be, instead of following curent comic continuity that will have been mired by years of plot complications and discrepancies.


i do have afew disagreements with the blog, i was particularly fond of Iron Man 2 despite my initial fears that it would be a complete let down as Spiderman 3 was, but i thought the new characters added were handled well, unlike the affore mentioned Spidey 3 and Batman and Robin.


and i do still have a lot of love for Batman Forever, with hindsight it didn't quite live up to everything it should have been after scenes were cut but i do find it a hugely enjoyable film and not just a vehicle for Jim Carrey, admittedly Joel Schumacher did send the whole thing off the rails with the bloated and ridiculous Batman and Robin, a film in which Arnold Schwarzeneger actually took top billing over Batman himself.

with time i have found that the hurt has healed and can see it for the amusing family-aimed romp it ended as instead of the film i hoped it would be, but i still find the characterisation of Bane in the film as unforgivable.

so here is hoping that proposed reboots of X-men, Spiderman and Superman can erase the pain of some lack lustre attempts and that if a third Nolan Batman movie appears it can keep the momentum so far, but i don't think i could ever forgive my favourite gay director, Bryan Singer for dropping X-men in favour of Superman when he was doing such a good job building up compelling characters and plots only to leave us with Brett Ratner's shoddy abomination and a fairly mediocre Superman flick.

You've got a lot of grovelling to do, Singer!!

Thursday 10 June 2010

an ice cream cone accident


so i think attempts to make recent blog posts more focused on myself and my attempts at creativity have been rather succesful.

but one thing that does seem to be lacking around here is my own photography which i very much intended to rectify by posting up afew odd shots and returning to the stray sofas.

lucky you though, you got a brand new photo AND a brand new poem in that last post, completely and utterly unplanned and unbelievably inspired

and for today...

an ice cream accident.


Tuesday 8 June 2010

a starbucks coffee cup in the rain


It's coming down heavy,
it's all umbrellas and
sheltering under soggy
newspapers or just
accepting that you'll
get soaked through

And as it comes down
heavier still
it drums a solemn
discordant refrain
on the crushed plastic
of a starbucks coffee cup
in the rain

Monday 7 June 2010

what does it all mean, Basil?

i've had the weekend off of blogging for yet another family wedding and my still tempestuous computer isn't exactly making things easier for me, but while i can grab afew minutes online now let's get things moving on here as we cast our mind back to the start of May....

you see, the Enfield Advertiser have just followed up my Deadmau5 article with one a little closer to home, so i'll post up the article for you here for those that haven't had the good fortune to read it yet

and remember you can always view the Advertiser online too (page 26 of the 2nd june edition)


you may notice that it has been edited slightly when it went into the paper, entirely glossing over any mention of the bank holiday, probably so it didn't seem so out of date...


The Fetts, Enemy Planet and Worst Case Scenario @ The Hollybush, 01.05.10

or as the paper entitled it
Between rock and a soft place
(seriously, what does that mean?)


Bank holiday weekend in Enfield Town and music fans seem spoilt for choice.


Friday at Bar Form kicked the whole thing off with a Hacienda styled weekender starting with an evening of live bands while Saturday night was choc full of DJs playing a broad spectrum of dance sub-genres to brighten up what had turned into something of a wash-out weather wise.


But those still looking to get their live kicks for a second night in a row had descended upon The Hollybush in Lancaster Road.


Three local bands were brought together that, although stylistically were not a million miles apart, showed a real diversity of experiences within the Enfield music scene.


Worst Case Scenario are alumni of the Enfield Music Project that has been nurturing and supporting young musicians and has been turning out a number of talented bands and running regular gigs of it’s own.


Their opening set was a pleasing slice of acoustic Katie Tunstall with a Tabasco style splash of mariachi stirred in to spice up their soft rock inclinations, played out before  a receptive crowd of youthful friends and family.


Not only are they talented, but they are also troublingly young – despite the fact that the band has already been performing together for five years – and are only likely to improve as they mature.


Enemy Planet and The Fetts are more recent additions to the Enfield school of rock, both formed within the last couple of years, but having roots in bands that have already forged themselves locally in Partners In Justice and The Kases respectively (give or take a role call change or three).


Kicking everything up a notch, Enemy Planet impart on us a heavier sound with radio friendly polished edges, something similar to Paramore, with big riffs and ballsy female vocals.


Headlining the night were The Fetts, fronted by Ben Evans who has been in bands since his teens and ploughing a style that is steeped in 90’s rock influences.


Shades of Stereophonics, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Feeder permeate every chord and ring through the gathered backroom crowd as enough drinks are sunk to see everyone through the long weekend.

Thursday 3 June 2010

death arrived late



and once again, curious clicking and boredom of the same ol' internet sites inspired new poetry.

somebody died quite a while ago, over two months ago actually, and i only found out about it the other day.

that somebody was Dick Giordano, which won't mean an awful lot to many people.

i'm not realy sure how much it means to me, but after clicking links from Neil Gaiman's blog to a short memorial piece written by Karen Berger it just made me feel like i was a little bit emptier.

i can hardly claim to be the world's hugest Dick Giordano fanatic, but it was a name that stood out and used to crop up on so many comic books i used to read.  it is doubtless that Dick Giordano contributed to my life as i've grown up and has likely somehow shaped who i am today and i am saddened by the loss.






31.05.10


death arrived late


like it had been held up


locking the keys in the car
or missing the last coach heading out of town


but slowly, but surely and eventualy




death arrived










smirking
an over the shoulder glance through a rear window
as your friend is lead away


no kicking
no screaming
just an emptiness
when you didn't even know that it was full before






(i'm not sure if that was one poem or two, please decide for yourselves)