Rev Stan's other stuff

First gig o' the year

Off to see Seasick Steve tonight. It will be the second time I've seen him and of course it's a bigger venue which means the odds are stacked against it being better.
Bought his new album last week and although I've not listened to it a great deal some tracks already stand out for good reasons and bad. The latter are the ones that are a little over produced. In the same way that transfers to bigger venues tend to kill the initial joy of seeing certain artist or group, later albums inevitable just can't help feeling like they've been tweaked and fiddled with a bit too much.
The charm of Seasick Steve is the raw simplicity his past as a hobo brings to his music and music making. It's just him and his guitar singing about what he knows and has experienced. A number of tracks on the new album have a backing singer and other musical accompaniments in which it feels like he's forgotten what it was the gave it charm in the first place.
It will be interesting to see how he performs tonight, will he feel compelled to put on more of 'show' because its a bigger venue? I do hope not.
There are still a number of tracks on the album in which he goes back to his roots. The irony is the more successful he is, the further away he moves from what made him in the first place.

QotD: Gung Hay Fat Choy

Yesterday was the first day of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese year 4707 is the year of the ox. What's your Chinese zodiac animal and what does it say about you?

The Pig...er that I'm good sliced and fried for breakfast?

This is the real definition:

"The Pig is a fun and enlightening personality blessed with patience and understanding. People born under the sign of the Pig enjoy life and all it has to offer, including family and friends. They are honest and thoughtful and expect the same of other people. Pigs can be perceived as oblivious or gullible because they do care about others so much that they will do just about anything for a friend in need."

I certainly like to enjoy life and feel the enjoyment of life. I'm honest and definitely like honesty in others but sometimes I'm a little blunt with it and so maybe not as thoughtful as I could be. The rest can only be judged by others.

QotD: I'll get around to it one day...

What do you always say you will do but never actually get around to doing?
Submitted by Beautifully Broken.

Visiting relatives.

Entertainment QotD: Golden Globts

Which award was the most deserved at Sunday's Golden Globes? Who was robbed?

Whoever was up against Mickey Rourke.

Indulgence

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro you both need a slap to bring you back to reality. OK so Jackson did mess around a little bit with the LOTR film deviating here and there from the book but bringing back cast members ie the four hobbits that don't even appear in The Hobbit book for the film version just seems bonkers.
I mean it's not like they can even appear in a flashback.
It was the fact that Jackson caught the essence of the much loved books that appealed to the fans and this particular path whiffs just a little bit of personal indulgence. It's certainly putting me off seeing the film.

Entertainment QotD: Movies - Best & Worst of 2008

What was the best movie of 2008? The worst?

Worst is easy: Incendiary

Best is more tricky because I liked different films for different reasons so I'm going to give three in no particular order:

The Dark Knight

In Bruges

The Orphanage

Facebook friendliness

Someone I went to school with 'found' me on Facebook recently and it seems to have opened a minor deluge of old school 'chums' getting in contact. Most I have only a very vague recollection of. I hated school and have only kept in contact with one person I shared the experience with.
If only we could have all been this friendly towards each other when we were actually at school.

Good reasons for be a short-arse

Went shopping for my soon-to-be-nine nephew at lunch time and picked up a stack of bargains in the Gap Kids sale (it infuriates my sister if I get him trendy, adult-style kiddie clothing). It was only when I was back in the office showing a colleague my haul that I realised that a rather cute hoodie looked vaguely big enough for me. Tried it on and yep Gap officially make clothes for obese 9-year olds. Either that or I really am a short-arse because it fitted.
I'm hot footing it back their tomorrow to pick some bargains up for myself.

Sunday afternoon cinema: The Wrestler

I'm not sure what this film is trying to say. Mickey Rourke's character has spent his life devoted to wrestling but his glory days are long gone - the adulation of the crowd keeps him in the ring - to the detriment of those around him. When a heart attack forces him to quit he tries to make amends but his attempts are clumsy, ill-equipped as he is to deal with life outside the ring.

Mickey Rourke a has been wrestler plays a has been wrestler

After these failures, the call of the ring is too strong so he goes back. He tries, he fails, he gives up. Am I missing something?
And as to Rourke’s Golden Globe winning performance? He plays a has-been very well. But there is a reason for that.
I don’t particularly like wrestling but thought this would be more of a character piece. I’ve never had to leave my seat under the ruse of going for a pee just to have a break from a film. There is one scene that is particularly grim if grown men twatting each other with barbed wire covered pieces of wood and stapling dollar bills to their foreheads isn’t your thing.
On reflection perhaps I should have ignored the critics and given it a wide berth.

Very proud moment

Just had an email read out by Tom Robinson on BBC 6 music. Am very proud because the sort of music played on BBC 6 just exposes the shallowness of my own collection and knowledge and there is always a very big chance that when I write in I'll make a bit of a tit of myself. But Tom agreed with my point and the musical example I gave!
It probably means they had no one else contact the show but I'm still very proud. So proud.

This probably is my opinion (Humanist ad post no 1)

This story has been rumbling on for a while and continues to irk me. It centres around an ad campaign by the Humanist Society which has appeared on buses and says: There's probably no God, so stop worrying and enjoy your life.
The Humanist Society was made to use the word 'probably' because the advertising standards agency states: "marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims".
Fine. But does this mean that Christian advertising has to insert the word 'probably' when referring to God and making claims about Jesus? I suppose it depends on how far you perceive the bible to be factual, interpretation or fiction. Whatever your beliefs the whole thing just smacks of double standards.

This man is probably a skiver (Humanist ad post part 2)

Saw this story today about a Christian bus driver who refused to drive a bus with a humanist advert on the side. I must remember not to turn up to work the next time my bus turns up with an ad promoting such messages as Jesus saves.

Life QotW: Obsessed.

What do you tend to obsess over?

At the moment its the Twilight series and James McAvoy. But who know what it will be next, that's the joy of life.

2009 the year that...

And so the murk of the first week of January is beginning to clear. Body and soul have been held together and although 2009 is already shaping up to be a bit of an economic cesspit there are a few things to look forward to...

Tickets for 2009

So that's the first half of the year's theatre ticket allocation or possibly more if I can control myself. A few potential gems I'm particularly looking forward to: A View From the Bridge with Ken Stott, Three Days of Rain with the lovely James McAvoy, Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart, The Cherry Orchard with Ethan Hawke and Madam de Sade with Judi Dench.

There are rumours that Dame Helen Mirren will be taking to the stage at the National this year so that will definitely be added to the list.

Music-wise it's a little more barren except for the mighty Metallica in March and Seasick Steve. And as for film well it's got to be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince although I'm not talking about that at the moment in protest of them shoving back the release by eight months. And the next in Twilight series is due out in November, just proving that you can make a film and get it in the cinemas within 12 months, take note Warner Bros.

I'm sure there will be lots of other far more worthy films during the year but they can be the surprise gems.

Entertainment QotD: Rising Star

Which rising star do you think we're going to see a lot more of in 2009?

The new Dr Who, Matt Smith is an obvious one. And I'm hoping Ben Whishaw will do something a bit more high profile but nonetheless interesting and challenging on stage this year.

Culture QotD: Travel in '09

Any exciting travel plans for 2009?

This year I'll mainly be holidaying in the UK. The exchange rate is poo and fuck knows what's going to happen with the economy so thought I'd do my bit to spade on the shit by not spending any money . Will review the situation in the Summer.

Obviously if Uncle C smiles then all bets are off and I'll be going everywhere I ever dreamed of.

Guilty pleasure book

New Moon (Twilight Saga)

Stephenie Meyer

Certainly not a Booker winner, writing style is a little rough in places and Meyer openly admits her literary influences just in case you were sleeping as you read it.  But any book that can make me think of nothing else for three days and have me staying up until midnight reading because I've just got to finish it has got to get five stars*. I'm an emotional and physical wreck and I have felt like I was 14 again. Am going to have a break before I read the next in the series to gather my strength.

* Meyer also cites listening to Muse as one of the big influences on her stories and you can't argue with that.

Ancient Olympia, Greece 2008

Ancient Olympia, Greece 2008, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

This picture has stormed to the top of my most viewed pictures on Flickr and it has only been on the site for a relatively short period of time compared to the previous most viewed.
Almost every day it tops the daily viewed chart. It's not a particularly remarkable picture and I started wondering whether I'd used ambiguous tags (my cockerel pictures are quite popular, ahem) but no the tags are Ancient Olympia and Greece.
Perhaps Ancient Olympia holds a fascination for more people than I think.

Gratuitous post, nearly

Just happened upon this pic and thought others might appreciate it too.

James McAvoy...mmm

And it's not completely gratuitous because I am going to see him in a play in February and that's culture innit so it sort of cancels out some of the gratuitousness.

Sunday cinema: Che part I

Brilliantly shot in a mixture of reportage and 'live' sequences Che part I is immediately engaging. Benicio Del Toro completely inhabits the role of Che, he stands like him, sits like him and even looks enough like him that you soon forget that he isn't actually Che. If he doesn't get at least an Oscar nod for this there is no justice.

Benicio del Toro as Che

The pace of the film has been criticised by some but Fidel's campaign and Che's involvement in it was always considered and well thought through and to have attacked the story at a frenetic pace with, if you'll pardon the pun, all guns blazing would have just felt wrong.
The history in this first part  from the initial landings to Batista fleeing Cuba is so familiar having spent two weeks in Cuba last year including visits to many of the places featured in the film.
Che is portrayed in a very positive light and I don't have a particular problem with that as I do have a bit of a soft spot for the country and it's stance against the American government.
It will be interesting to see how much my familiarity influenced my enjoyment compared to when I see part 2 which moves into unchartered territory post the revolution.

2008: That was the year when

I went to see 51 films and 19 plays, a couple of stand ups and a handful of bands. Although I reckon the film figure might be a little higher as I didn't have anything down for May and I don't believe I went a whole month without seeing anything.

So what were the highlights?

Well film-wise, three jump out (links are to my original reviews):

The Orphanage because it was a brilliantly done scary film with a really tragic twist at the end
Dark Knight because it was thoroughly entertaining and Heath Ledger brought a new dimension to The Joker (and I still don't think he deserves an Oscar)
And In Bruges because it was witty, funny and entertaining and I can't wait to see it again when it hits Sky.

I must just also mention The Duchess because it made me cry the most of any film I've seen all year and that wasn't because it had Keira Knightly in it!

As for the theatre, well there are so many fantastic plays to choose from. All three Shakespeare's I saw: Othello, Hamlet (twice) and Twelfth Night were superb and would definitely be up there. But then I couldn't not mention ...some trace of her, which I had to see again because it just completely blew me away the first time.

And the list wouldn't be complete with Ivanov purely for the brilliance of the acting and The Good Soul of Szechuan which was my first tast of Brecht and has made me determined to see more.

Gig-wise well, there was no Muse (hopefully that means they are working on a new album), but there was Metallica who showed just what you can do in a big venue, Gogol Bordello whom I believe we actually saw three times this year, still not as good as the very first gig but they always get me jumping around and then James for pure sing-along and being so close to the front.

2009 promises to be another bumper year of entertainment but I'll write separately about that.

More pictures from South Bank strolls

This is the sort of Winter weather I can cope with. If it could be like this every day I'm sure I wouldn't find the bitter cold so depressing.

Then, because of the anti-bombing/free Palestine demo in town, my usual bus route home was diverted so I had to walk over the Jubilee bridge to catch it. If the demo hadn't closed the roads I would never have got these sunset shots.
More pics, because the light just kept changing before my eyes, at Flickr

Ben Whishaw is Dr Who?

The actor who will replace David Tennant as Dr Who is going to be announced during a program which starts in half an hour. A story today in the Telegraph mentions lots of names including Ben Whishaw.
It would certainly be interesting and I'd definitely watch it but if he is chosen I will phone my Mum twice a week for the rest of the year.
He always looks really uncomfortable being interviewed and is reported as saying he could quite happily leave all the promotional work to one side. Not the sort of person who's going to be comfortable with being probably what is the most popular TV character currently on British telly.

PS Has been announced and there was a moment when I genuinely thought there might be a chance when they said the new Dr Who was going to be young. Then they said he was 26, two years young that Mr Whishaw so I knew it was safe to carry on watching. The new Dr Who is Matt Smith. No I haven't heard of him either.

First film of 2009: The Reader

Doesn't feel quite right posting a review of my first film of the new year before I had a chance to digest 2008's offerings

Winslet-the-reader

but anyway, it was the first film and what a corker.
Stunning performances from the ensemble although gutted for the actor who plays young Michael as it's Ralph Fiennes who plays the older Michael much later in the film who appears all over posters.
Genuinely moving story that tugs you in different directions and lingers long after you've left the cinema.