Sunday, January 01, 2006
6Music mysteriously turned into Trent FM last night
Before Cloud and I ventured to neighbours for mucho food, wine and excessive silliness, we had been enjoying listening to Andrew Collins and the 6Music countdown of the albums of the year. Predictably but delightfully The Arcade Fire was at No. 1. Brilliant.
Then, without us really spotting how it happened, the programme turned at 6pm into the New Year's Eve Party...
Suddenly, we realised that not only were we being regaled with bad 70s music and cheesy anecdotes, but they were also making copious references to places like "The Black Orchid" in Nottingham - a very bad, warehouse building of a nightclub for dancing round your handbag-ness, calling pints "poofs", and sockless boy wonders who felt you were obligated to "cop off" with them... My God! 6Music had turned into Trent FM, local Nottingham radio station 'famous' for giving Dale Winton one of his big breaks into showbiz. Think Smashey and Nicey on Radio Local.
ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then, without us really spotting how it happened, the programme turned at 6pm into the New Year's Eve Party...
Suddenly, we realised that not only were we being regaled with bad 70s music and cheesy anecdotes, but they were also making copious references to places like "The Black Orchid" in Nottingham - a very bad, warehouse building of a nightclub for dancing round your handbag-ness, calling pints "poofs", and sockless boy wonders who felt you were obligated to "cop off" with them... My God! 6Music had turned into Trent FM, local Nottingham radio station 'famous' for giving Dale Winton one of his big breaks into showbiz. Think Smashey and Nicey on Radio Local.
ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Casyn's back, but with sad news
Awh, I really loved spotting this "Who's-That-Guy?" and proudly outlining his CV as Jenny's uncle (Buffy: Season 2) and Lanny (X-Files: Humbug) and the subway ghost (Ghost) and enjoying how well-employed he was.
And now he's dead. Shucks.
And now he's dead. Shucks.
Clare's Christmas
Read all about it. Awh, bless, I hope she's feeling better now (but is the Tardis still whirring...?)
Stickers and bookshops
Psst... new bookshop blog that's really good.
And says wise words about book stickers.
And while I'm on a rant, please can someone recommend how in bookshop starved Nottingham I can actually visit real life INDEPENDENT bookshops without having to hire long-distance travel facilties? We have H20Boulders, WHSugar-selling-books-for-a-lark, copious remainder stores, barely a couple of non-antiquarian 2nd-hand shops within just-about trekking distance, and perhaps at a push non-chain stores who STILL only sell the mainstream pap that Waterstones do. Oh yeah, and a couple of Oxfam book stores. There are the specialist stores like the glorious Page 45 for all my graphic novels needs, but sometimes a girl needs more...
I'm sorry, but for a city the size of Nottingham that is just CRAP and I want to know if I am just ignorant and stupid or if the bastards are hiding the bloody decent bookshops or if they just do not exist and I must find ways to get out of the sort of place where clearly there is a Bill Hicks sketch mentality to life:
And says wise words about book stickers.
And while I'm on a rant, please can someone recommend how in bookshop starved Nottingham I can actually visit real life INDEPENDENT bookshops without having to hire long-distance travel facilties? We have H20Boulders, WHSugar-selling-books-for-a-lark, copious remainder stores, barely a couple of non-antiquarian 2nd-hand shops within just-about trekking distance, and perhaps at a push non-chain stores who STILL only sell the mainstream pap that Waterstones do. Oh yeah, and a couple of Oxfam book stores. There are the specialist stores like the glorious Page 45 for all my graphic novels needs, but sometimes a girl needs more...
I'm sorry, but for a city the size of Nottingham that is just CRAP and I want to know if I am just ignorant and stupid or if the bastards are hiding the bloody decent bookshops or if they just do not exist and I must find ways to get out of the sort of place where clearly there is a Bill Hicks sketch mentality to life:
I'm eating and I'm reading a book. Fine. Right. Waitress comes over to me (chewing), "What you reading for?" Now, I said, "Wow, I've never been asked that. Goddang it you stumped me. Not what am I reading, but what am I reading for? I guess I read for a lot of reasons, but one of the main ones....is so I don't end up being a fucking waffle waitress. That's pretty high on the list." Then, this trucker in the next booth gets up, stands over me and says, "Well, looks like we got ourselves a reader"....Please, someone, make my 2006: find me the LOCAL bookshop that is staffed by people who actually LIKE books and are happy to order me stuff and recommend me goodies... I want to support small providers as I do for music. Make my 2006 an Indie BookShop Happy Year.
Probably the last read of 2005
For Xmas, my lovely Celeste got me a copy of "How I live now" by Meg Rosoff and I finished reading it yesterday with tears in my eyes.
Although some found it irksome that there was a lack of detail about the War that forms the crucial backdrop to Rosoff's novel, for me this perfectly captured the self-absorbed sense of teenagehood and especially of it being the incomprehensible 'thing' that interrupts the relationships of teenagehood.
A beautifully brief read with matter-of-fact horrors and pleasures in uneven abundance. Not the "classic" some have proclaimed it to be (that word should be banned from being offered to anything not yet 10 years past, however well deserved), but nevertheless a touching piece of writing with a magnificent central character in Daisy. Worth reading if you haven't already.
Although some found it irksome that there was a lack of detail about the War that forms the crucial backdrop to Rosoff's novel, for me this perfectly captured the self-absorbed sense of teenagehood and especially of it being the incomprehensible 'thing' that interrupts the relationships of teenagehood.
A beautifully brief read with matter-of-fact horrors and pleasures in uneven abundance. Not the "classic" some have proclaimed it to be (that word should be banned from being offered to anything not yet 10 years past, however well deserved), but nevertheless a touching piece of writing with a magnificent central character in Daisy. Worth reading if you haven't already.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Cloud's shirts
Cloud likes a nice party shirt, so we went to the centre of Nottingham today to meander for a cheap bargain. One of the first stop-off's was at Ark, purveyors of my very fine black fitted Ramones T-shirt (apologies Ark, but there are no pics of your particular version online), where Cloud picked up a stripey BROWN shirt. Admittedly, it was nice but at £40 a bit beyond his purchase range (yes, we are that tight). It also had rather nice double cuffs. Unfortunately, not only was the price enough to make us twitch but Cloud's remark as he picked it up also spurred me to plead 'no' to the purchase:
"Very David Tennant"Cloud, have you any idea how much schtick I would get for agreeing to dress you in clothes that could finely hang off the body of David T....???!!!
"You're like a department for experimental comedy"
As said by George to the lovely Cloud. After Cloud had spotted that George had new glasses, Cloud followed up with this joke/comment/surrealistic humour remark:
Hence the remark about experimental comedy.
So I'm an observ rather than a tenCue Rullsenberg pulling her "huh" face until Cloud adds:
antThink about it folks....
Hence the remark about experimental comedy.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Marie is saved by the prepubescent posse
Just what was ordered: The Doctor...
Phew: we had been worried after her Bro's shout-out in the comments, but it seems that the new target audience for Doctor Who does have its upsides.
And as for this:
Phew: we had been worried after her Bro's shout-out in the comments, but it seems that the new target audience for Doctor Who does have its upsides.
And as for this:
"...there was a point where I really didn't think it could get any better - and then he put his Jarvis Cocker specs on..."...well, you can probably all see my grin from wherever you are in the world! I say again: works for me...
Cloud in work...
... so that must mean that I get to watch "These Boots are Made for Walking"...
Yes, after my gift from Helen Lisette turned into a much needed goat, I opted for the self-Santa technique of present buying.
Yes, after my gift from Helen Lisette turned into a much needed goat, I opted for the self-Santa technique of present buying.
Monday, December 26, 2005
The festive film and music fest at chez Rullsenberg
Xmas Eve was taken very easy after the excitement of Cloud finishing work on the Friday. Rise up and buy some essentials from an all-too-busy local Co-Op store, and then back for a wealth of CD playing (not in order of playing):
Starsailor: Love is Here
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Eels: Electro-Shock Blues
Jam: Compact Snap
Gram Parsons: GP / Grievous Angel
The Trojan Story Vol 2 (2 disc set)
Now Hear This! (Word Collection 35)
John Peel's Festive 15 (from Uncut magazine)
Tortoise: Standards
Born in the USA: Vol 1 The Great American Songbook (from Mojo magazine)
Ben Folds: Rockin' the Suburbs
Brilliant stuff and suitably eclectic.
We then shifted to the TV to kick off Xmas day with the noir classic The Big Sleep. Every bit as good as I remembered and Cloud thoroughly enjoyed it too. Snappy dialogue to die for (as several characters do).
We then treated ourselves to as much of Casablanca as we could squeeze in before vanishing to our neighbours: it was timed just right for me and Cloud to blub furiously at the roulette scene, sharply intake our breath at how Rick tells Laszlo "ask your wife", sob even more dramatically at The Marseillaise, and laugh aloud at Capt. Renault's wonderful chutzpah of "I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked...." and the delivery of his winnings. Beautiful stuff.
Then, as mentioned, it was off to our neighbours. It was great fun to spend time with them - despite crying, burping baby dolls (yes, they are that age) - not least because we were given a gingerbread house, a tea spread of delights, and watched Madagascar. By the end, yep, as predicted, we were singing and bopping "I like to move it"...
Then, as the tidy-up after pudding finished and the girls were back with the screaming, crying, burping, rasperberry-blowing dolls, I glanced at my watch: yes, my inner alarm clock must have gone off as my (must be running a couple of mins fast) watch read 7pm! Yikes! Thankfully I had warned my neighbours that I was due to be a really unsociable guest and they grinned as I took off out the door.* Our TV came on just as the pre-comment trailer finished...
Perfect.
What can I say about The Christmas Invasion except that it was funny, touching and exciting. It built nicely on the hints from the CiN special and moved us on from CE's performance in the best way possible. "Missed me?" Oh lordy... sweetie, only the lack of a TV signal would have stopped me from missing you.
[Note: reading the plea from Marie's bro in the comments to this post - another gem btw from her - reminded me of when Gentlemen's Relish was scheduled a few years ago. For some reason the TV signal for the BBC went down and at one point it seemed that I would have to phone around the country to locate someone on another transmitter to tape it for me. It all worked out, but I was having kittens for a while].
After that excitement, we had to find something to watch so it was into the pressies to locate Sneakers, a long-time favourite of me and Cloud, if only for the line in response to wanting "peace on earth and goodwill to all men":
To round things off, we then dropped in on one of our favourite episodes of Black Books: another of our stocking fillers. To those who know the series, it's from season 1 and features "the man in his hair", the arsehole who reads the shipping news on radio 4 ("he confuses me"), and the ever-reliable to make me laugh aloud sight of Dylan Moran as a rather disgruntled red and white striped dwarfish member of staff in a burger bar. BWAH!
And so to bed... today has been mostly loading to i-Tunes day. And repeatedly playing the Calla track. I love my computer perhaps even more than Radio 6. But not as much as Cloud... obviously...
* Of course I wrote a profuse apology for being a poor guest after it had finished, but woah. I'd been waiting since the summer for this!
Starsailor: Love is Here
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Eels: Electro-Shock Blues
Jam: Compact Snap
Gram Parsons: GP / Grievous Angel
The Trojan Story Vol 2 (2 disc set)
Now Hear This! (Word Collection 35)
John Peel's Festive 15 (from Uncut magazine)
Tortoise: Standards
Born in the USA: Vol 1 The Great American Songbook (from Mojo magazine)
Ben Folds: Rockin' the Suburbs
Brilliant stuff and suitably eclectic.
We then shifted to the TV to kick off Xmas day with the noir classic The Big Sleep. Every bit as good as I remembered and Cloud thoroughly enjoyed it too. Snappy dialogue to die for (as several characters do).
We then treated ourselves to as much of Casablanca as we could squeeze in before vanishing to our neighbours: it was timed just right for me and Cloud to blub furiously at the roulette scene, sharply intake our breath at how Rick tells Laszlo "ask your wife", sob even more dramatically at The Marseillaise, and laugh aloud at Capt. Renault's wonderful chutzpah of "I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked...." and the delivery of his winnings. Beautiful stuff.
Then, as mentioned, it was off to our neighbours. It was great fun to spend time with them - despite crying, burping baby dolls (yes, they are that age) - not least because we were given a gingerbread house, a tea spread of delights, and watched Madagascar. By the end, yep, as predicted, we were singing and bopping "I like to move it"...
Then, as the tidy-up after pudding finished and the girls were back with the screaming, crying, burping, rasperberry-blowing dolls, I glanced at my watch: yes, my inner alarm clock must have gone off as my (must be running a couple of mins fast) watch read 7pm! Yikes! Thankfully I had warned my neighbours that I was due to be a really unsociable guest and they grinned as I took off out the door.* Our TV came on just as the pre-comment trailer finished...
Perfect.
What can I say about The Christmas Invasion except that it was funny, touching and exciting. It built nicely on the hints from the CiN special and moved us on from CE's performance in the best way possible. "Missed me?" Oh lordy... sweetie, only the lack of a TV signal would have stopped me from missing you.
[Note: reading the plea from Marie's bro in the comments to this post - another gem btw from her - reminded me of when Gentlemen's Relish was scheduled a few years ago. For some reason the TV signal for the BBC went down and at one point it seemed that I would have to phone around the country to locate someone on another transmitter to tape it for me. It all worked out, but I was having kittens for a while].
After that excitement, we had to find something to watch so it was into the pressies to locate Sneakers, a long-time favourite of me and Cloud, if only for the line in response to wanting "peace on earth and goodwill to all men":
We're the United States Government - we don't do that sort of thing!Hee. Fab entertainment.
To round things off, we then dropped in on one of our favourite episodes of Black Books: another of our stocking fillers. To those who know the series, it's from season 1 and features "the man in his hair", the arsehole who reads the shipping news on radio 4 ("he confuses me"), and the ever-reliable to make me laugh aloud sight of Dylan Moran as a rather disgruntled red and white striped dwarfish member of staff in a burger bar. BWAH!
And so to bed... today has been mostly loading to i-Tunes day. And repeatedly playing the Calla track. I love my computer perhaps even more than Radio 6. But not as much as Cloud... obviously...
* Of course I wrote a profuse apology for being a poor guest after it had finished, but woah. I'd been waiting since the summer for this!
What's not to love?
I love 6 Music: Calla - It Dawned on Me (a favourite on 6 Music for what seems like forever but not yet a "hit"; very baffling, though you can hear it on the band's site); straight into Rufus Wainwright - The Art Teacher (annoying cut short on the last line: you lose marks for that error); and then Cake - The Distance (favourite of the blog-departed Wolf). Well all that works for me.
Friday, December 23, 2005
The West Wing Season 6, Casanova and Marie
Lacking the ability to have Freeview in my house - unless we wish to view the special pixilated version - I do not have to worry about missing out on the West Wing season 6, especially as I smartly purchased it for my friend Helen Lisette for her birthday. I also have a working video recorder and a DVD copy of Casanova (ooh yes).
Thus I do not share Marie's predicament regarding clashes of channels, bad mullet haircuts and not owning the DVD.
Marie: I think you should assume that if your family failed to take the necessary hints for Xmas, me and Rosby will shake tins to raise the cash to buy you a copy of Casanova for you to watch all for yourself...
Thus I do not share Marie's predicament regarding clashes of channels, bad mullet haircuts and not owning the DVD.
Marie: I think you should assume that if your family failed to take the necessary hints for Xmas, me and Rosby will shake tins to raise the cash to buy you a copy of Casanova for you to watch all for yourself...
Hmm... guess what I have been doing tonight?
Apart from drinking wine and being invited by the neighbours to join them to watch Madagascar on Xmas afternoon with their children (NB have already declared need to be back home by 6.55pm sharp)...
well, of course the evening was centred on the need to balance watching "Dead Ringers" against the start of Jonathan Ross...
Hee. DR was worth watching just for the line delivered by 'Christopher Eccleston':
That red velvet suit...
Dude, I don't know how you choose your wardrobe, but it made you look especially Jarvis-esque (again I say, no bad thing!): ultra lanky - man, that's a good crossing of the legs pose ya have there - and though his hair looked a little well-controlled for some people's liking (I doubt I would be the only one to say a good ruffle was crying out to be made), he did, in the words of the texts I received afterwards look "hot".
Somehow requiring mucho laying down now...
That should be lying down...
Nope, think I was right the first time...
well, of course the evening was centred on the need to balance watching "Dead Ringers" against the start of Jonathan Ross...
Hee. DR was worth watching just for the line delivered by 'Christopher Eccleston':
I was intense: you're just Jarvis Cocker in spaceHee hee hee. As a huge Pulp and Jarvo fan I couldn't resist giggling "well, that works for me", recalling the line from the article in the Grauniad last January:
Tennant does admit to one D-list fantasy: Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes. "I'd like to be Jarvis Cocker; he's my karaoke favourite."But swiftly on to the main attraction...
That red velvet suit...
Dude, I don't know how you choose your wardrobe, but it made you look especially Jarvis-esque (again I say, no bad thing!): ultra lanky - man, that's a good crossing of the legs pose ya have there - and though his hair looked a little well-controlled for some people's liking (I doubt I would be the only one to say a good ruffle was crying out to be made), he did, in the words of the texts I received afterwards look "hot".
Somehow requiring mucho laying down now...
That should be lying down...
Nope, think I was right the first time...
Forthcoming releases from the BBC
Not only the glorious recent version of Bleak House, but also the classic drama Mr Wroe's Virgins (featuring the lovely Kathy Burke - one of the first times she was taken as being more than just the Enfield/Whitehouse sidekick: heart-rending), plus This Life...
Find 'em all here for release in 2006.
Find 'em all here for release in 2006.
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