Shave and a haircut - 2 biiiits

Not a shave in fact, but a risotto from the BEST pizza/pasta in Soho:

Quote of the day

"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans"  Stephen Hawking.

Everyday underbelly.

Stealing food
Jumping trains
Keeping quiet
Sticking to the rule book
Writing songs never heard
Underground thoughts turned
Brown by the every day light
Unwelcome autumn leaves cracking
Underfoot
Months too soon.

Sleepless nights and awake in the daytime
But still always dreaming
While soft hatred remains
Underfoot
At the bottom of your heart.

Your mind singing songs unheard
Dragging the rule book
Like a weight around your neck
Jumping trains
Stealing food
Buying wine
Keeping quiet
Keeping your head above water.

Winter piano keys cover nihilism with
Their gentle snowflake song
And we run towards the moonlight
Resting just over the fairytale horizon.

The white electrical glow
From the corner of the room to
The corner of our minds
Is our only guide along the way.

Holding hands
A baby in
Arms
The black road left behind
Our long ago storybook tale.

And suddenly we hear voices
Swept in on the wind
Promising us the world we deserve.

Towards the moonlight we go
Towards the light
So close to our hands
The voices embrace us as we hold hands
Baby in arms.

Just over the horizon
The ground down metaphor of
Black steel sparks along
Night time white lines
It is the flint with which to begin
Living once again.

Quote of the day

The gravity of necessity, is balanced only by the weight of possibility.

Gentle comedy.

Yesterday I walked past a building, where I once worked for a photographic company. A very important role – but not one I asked for, or wanted to do. As they were all so far up their own asses they didn’t know or care what was happening to the lower mammals who worked there.

And on top of that – the management – bar one – my boss, were so clueless of life in general, that it became pretty unbearable when they reminded me just HOW important both they and the company were.

Among other things, I was expected to – Assist the Managing Directors in all aspects of promoting the business, and -

To manage the office efficiently and undertake any other tasks that may be required of you by senior staff...

That company is now a Starbucks.

Sunny

NASA has unveiled the first images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, which is designed to predict the solar storms that disrupt telecommunications back on Earth.

Quote of the day

'I've been alive nearly 36yrs and I've just noticed that the word saturday has the word turd in it. '
Jamsie Porter III. Snowballer Extraordinaire

RIP Guru

The Elam family wishes to thank the fans of our son/brother/father uncle/nephew/cousin Keith aka GURU for the outpouring of love, concern and support.

Our hearts are broken by the loss of someone we loved so much. GURU was devoted to his young son, who will most keenly feel his absence.

GURU suffered from multiple myeloma for over a year. Accrued complications from this illness led to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. As a result, GURU was in a coma from mid February until his death and never regained consciousness. Early on the morning of April 19th, he became hypertensive due to low blood pressure. He again went into cardiac arrest and slipped away from us.

GURU died far too young but he was, and we are, proud of all his many legendary musical contributions.

 

The last Re-up

Every time I read something about this show – I remember why I love it so much. Everything about it is huge and at the same time subtle. The story arcs, the depth of the narrative, everything just keeps on giving.

HERE you will find an excellent round up of the acting talent that forms the basis of The Wire. The Guardian re-up articles are always a great read – but this one is particularly good, dealing as it does with the cast rather than the plotlines.

''f.l.a.s.h.f.l.o.o.d...''

This made up my 'Monday morning travelling to work music experience'

Forgotten films pt3

''Lets have a bachelor party! With chicks and guns and firetrucks and hookers!'' Tom Hanks' finest hour. This film was quoted daily when we were teenagers.

Simple things

 There’s something so nice about skating through town early in the morning, before everyone is at out and at work. The streets are bare, no pedestrians – just you and the street sweepers and delivery trucks. I don’t know – feels like you’re rolling through the opening scene to a film or something. The smooth ground ahead of you and sun just coming out from behind the buildings, a bit of a chill in the air... and on top of that, it’s Friday.

Jap-eralus

I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly

“I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative. I don't like anything in the mainstream and they don't like me.”

Seeing an ad on the side of a bus for the N-DUBZ edition Adidas made me remember I wanted to mention the current TV spot they’re running. With ‘everyone’ in it. Man – it’s so hot right now isn’t it. Honestly, nothing in recent memory has made me want to be less a part of something than that new Adidas Originals ad. It looks like hell. All those people - all that trend (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit).
They should go back to their old 90’s viral marketing campaigns if you ask me:

So to balance out the karma, be aware that this is being released on May 14th:

 

Quote of the day

'I've done a lot a' things I'm not proud of... and the stuff I am proud of - is disgusting.'  Moe Sizlak.

Malcolm Mclaren

RIP dude. NOW who's going to drop the '...then I saw a laaarge black maaan wearing a Sex Pistols T-Shirt - who turned out to be Afrika Bambaaaata...' story in every other interview?

 

Ink Sweat and Tears

Charles over at inksweatandtears.com has again very kindly published a piece of my work.

Check it out HERE.

Everything has changed/Absolutely nothing's changed

So I’m starting a new job next week and I have that new boy anxiousness.

The work isn’t rocket science, so I know I can do it, but still, new people and a new environment make me a little uncomfortable as I’m a creature of habit. Also when you think that you spend half of your week at work – the same amount of time you’re at home (or wherever else you may be doing the things you actually enjoy in life) it kind of makes you wonder how much you become your job, or how much your chosen work affects your identity.

Keats said ‘A poet is the most unpoetical of anything in existence, because he has no identity - he is continually informing and filling some other body.’

Now I don’t call myself a ‘poet’ but if you replace that word with ‘artist’ you can see what he means. So maybe it’s even more difficult for someone who willingly embraces differing personas to feel anything but unsettled when having to introduce ‘himself’ to new people. Especially those to whom a good first impression is so important.

This counts even more for those who have been in the same job for maybe 4-5 years. It must inform part of your personality without you even realising until you stop and consider it for a moment.

‘I am interested in madness. I believe it is the biggest thing in the human race, and the most constant. How do you take away from a man his madness without also taking away his identity?’ Saroyan.

Again if you think of ‘madness’ in this context as artistic or creative expression of some kind, you can see what I mean. It’s a tough balance – and at this point - even at my age and with all my experiences, I don’t know if it ever ends.

Quote of the day

“my father warned me about men and booze but he never said anything about women and cocaine.” Tallulah Bankhead.

Genius (literally)

Grigory Perelman, the maths genius who said no to $1m... Perelman cracks a century-old conundrum, refuses the reward, and barricades himself in his flat... Read more

Historical Kitten

 

So, about 6 years back I did a telephone interview with Kitten Natividad that I was trying to get into Bizarre magazine. Suffice to say they didn't use it but I just came across the interview itself and thought I may as wellpost it up here. There is a bit of 'blue' language - just in case I have any younger viewers...

Films like ‘Beyond the Valley of the Ultravixens’ and ‘Up!’ were like nothing else released at that time, with the extreme humour and cartoon-like dialogue. Were they received with some confusion? Oh no! People loved them baby, no one had EVER seen films dedicated to big titties like those before! They were freaked out but they loved them!

Do you don’t think there’s enough humour in adult films at these days? No way, it was all Russ, he was a genius! That’s why he's still here! That’s why I’M still here! Kicking butt! My fans are keeping it cult! Kitten interview at MySpace.

I need to be Columbo

Because if I was - while keeping one eye out for the STP/PJ double as reported below - I would have seen that these dudes are also playing that very same week. DAMN.

Countdown to 1996 Begins

Add these guys...


To these guys...


and it makes this coming June the best month of 2010.

O

To lexicographers it's just the 15th letter of the English alphabet. To designers it's a perfect shape for treatment: a world, a ball, a ring, a sun, a moon, a clock, a compass, a face. It's not even just a letter; it's a number, too – if zero counts as a number. It's a solid sphere or an empty circle... Read more

Amazing

I can almost guarantee I'm the only one who finds THIS SITE funny.

in my heeeeead!

Your favourite song comes on the radio. You hum the tune; the lyrics remind you of someone you know. Is your brain processing the words and music separately or as one? It's a hotly debated question that may finally have an answer.

People with aphasia, who can't speak, can still hum a tune, suggesting music and lyrics are processed separately. Yet brain scans show that music and language activate the same areas, which might mean the brain treats them as one signal. Read more

On a more positive note

 

I got some free wheels yesterday (cheers Jake) 

and this book came in the post, and will be on my person at all times.

Forgotten films PT2:

‘Pointy birds – a pointy pointy, anoint my head, anointy nointy.’

Hey – everyone remember when Steve Martin was funny? No me either – well ok, with the exception of this and maybe the one with Michael Caine where they’re hustlin’.ALTHOUGH - Man With 2 Brains does have a girl flash her boobs then sing Duke of Earl. And that was sampled for a Cypress Hill tune – so...

Forgotten films Pt1:

Not many people will have seen or maybe even remember this movie. It’s now 27 years old and I remember seeing it when I was around 14 and it being something that really blew my mind and actually with hindsight, made me ask a lot of the questions I still do today. It’s kind of hokey in places but the basic premise and way the film is handled is pretty amazing, and a few ropey effects aside it would still stand up today – at least story-wise.

I am genuinely surprised that in these days of lazy Hollywood remakes, no one has taken it onboard to fuck this up with a new version. I’d like to see it remastered maybe with some up to date CG replacing the 1980’s effects – but that aside it is a really good watch. One of Walken’s best of that era in my opinion, along with the Dead Zone. You can go find the trailer youself. What am I, your dad?

We Are Skateboarders