The Alternative Christmas Tale

This wonderful claymation short film is based on a short story by William S. Burroughs. The author narrates, and Francis Ford Coppola directs. It tells the story of Danny, a down on his luck drug addict at Christmas time. Find the subsequent parts on Youtube. While at times bleak, the overall message is in the spirit of the season. Even a junky can come good at Christmas time. There's hope for us all.

A Christmas favourite.

A bit early getting into the Christmas spirit, I know. While I don't want to be the bloggers version of those shops that insist on playing holiday songs weeks before Christmas, I feel that 'Arthur McBride' by Paul Brady is worth the risk.



This is the one song that my family plays every Christmas morning, without fail. A traditional Irish anti-recruitment folk song, the content is perhaps a little more gory than most Christmas tunes.

An early Christmas present to myself.

This year, I decided to get my Christmas presents for family and friends early. This, combined with the fact that I have taken on a second job for the holidays, meant that I had quite a bit of extra cash this month. The money was burning a hole in my pocket, so I decided to splash out on a new gadget.



Behold, the Sony eReader Touch edition. At just over £200, it wasn't a purchase I rushed into. However, after carrying out a lot of research into the readers on the market, I elected to go for Sony's offering. Why? Mainly because of the device's compatability with a number of common file types (.txt, pdf, rtf etc) The 'Touch' element, while a cute feature, is a far way off the technology available in mobile phones at the moment. However, I have thus far been able to find great copies of many new books for free. What else could you ask for? Lets just hope the eReader doesn't break down.

A rap tribute to Bob Marley

While perusing this week's Guardian Guide, I came across this Youtube clip of amateur rapper Shaun Boothe. He has produced a series of these 'Unauthorized biographies', other similar songs celebrating the lives of figures like Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.



The idea seems to have originated from rapper Nas and his song 'Unauthorised Biography of Rakim.'

The Garden of Forking Paths

A friend recently recommended Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges to me, so I picked up the short story and essay collection 'Labyrinths' from my local bookstore. I was not disappointed.


While initially the scope and detail of some of the writer's stories proved a bit overwhelming (see Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius), what one can't deny is the originality of his ideas. The fact that these complex tales are told in this condensed form is a testimony to his skills as a writer. Here is a link to the full text of my favourite of his short stories, The Garden of Forking Paths. http://courses.essex.ac.uk/lt/lt204/forking_paths.htm

Blair Witch Project, Part 2(3)?

No, this isn't a post about a sequel to the 1999 film. To my dismay, I found that there actually was a sequel made in 2000, hence the bracketed three in the title. Paranormal Activity seems to be enjoying similar word of mouth success to the Blair Witch 'documentary'. It also had a shoe string budget, and to date has grossed around $100 million in America.

So, what's the big deal? The film was made for $15k in 2006. The plot goes like this. A guy buys a camera and hooks it up in his bedroom to monitor strange activity his girlfriend has been reporting. Sounds pretty boring, huh? Talk of the film is all over the internet and the press. Hyperbolic claims are being made about Paranormal Activity being the scariest movie ever. The scariest movie ever? It's about ghosts, people.

Still, I may be wrong. Some people are even claiming that they haven't been able to sleep for a week after seeing the movie. There would have to be some pretty wild stuff happening in that room to keep me from sleeping. To add to all this, director Steven Spielberg was scared by it. And then he found a door in his house locked from the inside. Spooky. Anyway, it's unclear when or if Paranormal Activity will ever be released in cinemas here. Below is the trailer.

Interesting fact stolen from this week's (Guardian) Guide : director Orenn Peli encouraged the male and female leads to act like Basil and Sybil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers

New Hot Chip - Take it in

Hot Chip are due to release a new album in February 2009 called One Life Stand. Although there were a couple of memorable songs on last year's Made in The Dark, I found it disappointing in comparison to 2006's The Warning. This song, a new take on a previously released song, shows some promise. The foreboding sounding synths sound a bit like Depeche Mode, while the more upbeat chorus is more what we have come to expect from Hot Chip.

No official video available yet unfortunately.

In The Loop

Ok. So, I may be coming to this a bit late, but I only just got around to watching it on DVD last night. This is probably because I can barely tolerate politics in real life, never mind on the screen. I have been a fan of Armando Iannucci since The Day Today, but I couldn't bring myself to watch this. I assumed that the film would be preachy and would explore technical elements of politics that would go over my head.


How wrong I was.

The film follows the government officials behind the scenes and their attempts at promoting or preventing the war which the American President and the Prime Minister plan to launch in the Middle East. It is a spin off from Armando Iannucci's program The Thick Of It, which I am only now beginning to watch. Here is a selection of Malcolm Tucker's (played byPeter Capaldi) best bits from the film.

Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

"Why am I here, says the silence, what have I done, echoes the emptiness, why have I ruined myself ..."

This novel came to my attention while researching my novel idea. Because the novel explores the concept of addiction, my research turned up the typical works. Hunter S. Thompson, James Frey, Irvine Welsh etc. Then somebody suggested Under The Volcano. I researched Malcolm Lowry, and found that the subject of the book closely mirrored his own life. Finding Lowry intriguing, I bought a copy.

Geoffrey Firmin, the British Consul to Mexico, wants to write a book. His endeavours are thwarted by his alcoholism, a problem which affects all areas of his life, not least his relationship with ex-wife Yvonne. Yvonne arrives in Mexico on the Day of The Dead to try and start anew. This is easier said than done however. The presence of Jaques, Geoffrey's childhood friend, and Hugh, his brother who had an affair with Yvonne, only serves to complicate matters.

At first, I struggled with the book. This was mainly because I read about 50 pages and nothing of any consequence had happened. About a week later, I picked it up again and was soon blown away. The book is packed with beautiful imagery and Geoffrey's stream of consciousness. He is a man in a desperate situation, he knows that the drink is killing him but simply can't stop. This exploration of a man on the edge of the abyss is incredibly moving, all the more so when you consider Lowry's own tragic death. Below is the epitaph he wrote for himself.

Malcolm Lowry

Late of the Bowery

His prose was flowery

And often glowery

He lived,nightly, and drank, daily,

And died playing the ukulele.

Selected Poems of Malcolm Lowry

Bob Dylan has 'Christmas in the Heart'

About a month ago, I saw news popping up on certain music sites and blogs suggesting that Dylan was to release a Christmas album. I laughed at the very idea and put it to the back of my mind. He's Jewish for God's sake.It seems I was wrong to laugh. Dylan's official website has confirmed that he is releasing a Christmas album. This worries me. I am concerned that the poor man may have lost it. Advertising cars, lingerie and releasing an album through a coffee store were all bad moves as far as I am concerned. But a Christmas album? This must put a considerable dent in his credibility. However, it is for charity. And man does he look and sound like he's having fun in this video.



Only Dylan could pull this off so well.

Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come

I hadn't heard about The Mountain Goats until reading Pitchfork's review of their new album The Life of the World to Come. Although the review was favourable, I was sceptical. This was due to the fact that each song appeared to be based on a passage from the bible. Immediately, alarm bells started to ring. Reluctantly, I set about looking for a few songs from the new album (their 17th) on YouTube. And I'm glad I did.



Hostages, heroin and the end of the world. Needless to say, my fears about the album being a glorified lecture on why God is great were quickly allayed.

Interesting fact: The video for this song is directed by the writer/director of the film Brick.

Death and The Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

This is another novel which was suggested by a tutor from my Masters course. Again, it features an aspiring author. Viktor wants to write novels, but instead ends up writing obituaries for the local newspaper. The strange thing about it is, the obituaries are for people who haven't died yet. When the subjects of his writing start to die under mysterious circumstances, Viktor becomes aware that a criminal organisation is using his obituaries as a hit list.
Throughout the book, Viktor interacts with a number of other people including a young girl who comes to live with him after her father disappears, and her maid who he has a sexual relationship with. However, the only character apart from himself that he ever seems to care about is the titular penguin. Viktor adopted Misha the penguin from a zoo that went bust (this is based on a true story) and throughout the book, Misha mirrors the mood of his owner. Much comedy is derived from Viktor's avatar, with his dodgy heart and mood swings, and the humour is essential to the novel. This is definitely a book I plan to reread. My only negative comment would be that the English translation leaves a little to be desired.

A Serious Man Trailer

The Coen Brothers new black comedy is set for release in the UK in November. The plot is a modern day retelling of the story of Job. It also apparently involves the quantum mechanics thought experiment, Schrödinger's cat (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat). The trailer looks promising.

A couple of interesting new artists

I am utterly fed up with the music charts. Music channels on tv seem to show more reality shows than music, with the odd Girls Aloud song thrown in for good measure. Even last month's P2K post by Pitchfork (http://pitchfork.com/p2k/) has left me unfulfilled, as well as sick of hipsters.
In this musical wasteland, the only two new artists that I have managed to appreciate in the the last month sing in languages that I don't understand. Doesn't say much for the lyrical prowess of today's chart toppers does it?
Issa Bagayogo is a Malian musician who I stumbled across on Youtube. This song, Toroya, is apparently about the struggles and suffering of the Malian people.



The second band is called Staff Benda Bilili, a group of disabled Congolese street musicians who live around a zoo in Kinshasa. I remember seeing them mentioned in an article in the Observer way back in January (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/18/best-new-acts-2009) and decided to finally have a look. The playing and singing in this song has a really soulful quality to it.

P2K - Pitchfork's review of the 2000's

Earlier today, I was very excited to find out that Pitchfork had produced a review of the decade in music.

In 2009. Ok, so they're a little premature. I guess 2000-09 is ten years. Anyway, I'm certainly not complaining.

There are articles on the rise of the mp3, the decade in news and the top music videos of the 2000's. Most exciting of all though is their top 500 tracks of the last ten years. So, if you feel like the last decade in music has passed you by, or if, like me, you just fancy listening to some new artists, here is the link http://pitchfork.com/p2k/

With thanks to Pitchfork.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Motherless Brooklyn was suggested to me by a tutor on my writing course, and I am eternally grateful. This is the most exciting discovery I have made in a long time. The book was published in 1999, and in 2005 Edward Norton announced that he would direct and star in a film adaptation. Let's hope they hold on to Lethem's wonderful writing.
Lionel Essrog and a few other young boys are taken from their orphanage by Frank Minna, a small time crook. They start of moving boxes, but the nature of the 'odd jobs' they do for Frank soon becomes more obviously criminal. When Frank is stabbed to death, Lionel decides to find his killer.
The murder mystery plot line works well in the novel, with a series of intimidating suspects including a Polish giant and a group of Japanese businessmen. While there are wealth of interesting characters in the book, including Frank Minna himself and Lionel's companions, the protagonist outshines them all. Lionel suffers from Tourette's syndrome, a condition which makes him stand out even amongst his group of misfits. There is a certain childlike quality to Lionel even though he is investigating a murder. He is frequently hilarious without the intention of being so. Lionel is in pursuit of the truth, and while other characters see him as little more than a freak show, he proves his bravery in the end. Lethem could easily have cheapened the character by trying to get too many laughs from the Tourette's. Luckily, he avoided this. Lionel Essrog is the most endearing character I have encountered in a long time.

Ask The Dust by John Fante

I first came across John Fante while reading an article about Charles Bukowski. Fante was said to influence Bukowski significantly. So, I decided to pick up a copy of his most popular novel, Ask The Dust.
Arturo Bandini is an Italian immigrant and a struggling author living in poverty, surviving at one point on orange peels. The novel explores this poverty, along with Bandini's approach to writing. There is also an exploration of the protagonist's religious guilt. Arturo meets Camilla, a waitress in a local LA restaurant, and falls in love with her almost instantly. The relationship that develops is a strange one, involving mental abuse and drugs. Eventually, we find out that Camilla is love with Sam, a dying writer.
The novel is much more concerned with character and themes than with plot, and the approach works well because the characters are so fully rounded. Arturo (narrator of the piece) in particular is a very identifiable character, and his reactions to the various ups and downs he encounters make him seem more human. Even when he becomes a successful published writer, Bandini still can't get what he truly wants. He tries to get together with Camilla again, but it is not to be.
It is strange how closely the novel mirrors the manuscript that I am developing for my Masters. A group of young boys travel to a different country and encounter struggles with money, addiction and women. Ask The Dust was also fascinating from a technical point of view as the protagonist provides detailed accounts of his struggles with the writing process. I found the book more impressive than much of Bukowski's output and will certainly read more of Fante's work. If only I could get a copy of Arturo Bandini's The Little Dog Laughed.

Passion Pit - Manners

Just a quick note. Passion Pit released their new album 'Manners' a few days ago. The album is great. Comparisons have been made to MGMT, and I can understand why. The difference here though is that while MGMT's album 'Oracular Spectacular' had a few great singles with quite a few filler songs, Passion Pit seem to have cut out anything which might be considered imperfect. One of my top albums of the year thus far. Below is my favouite song from 'Manners' (at the minute). Enjoy.

The Knights Of Leon

My latest gig experience didn't go quite as well as the Bob Dylan concert for a number of reasons. Firstly, the band in question didn't really appeal that much to me. They were the Knights of Leon, a Kings of Leon cover band. Another problem was the venue: the Irish National Forresters, or INF as it is known in my town. My only prior experiences of the bar were as a youngster. The INF was/is a bar frequented by adolescents who couldn't/can't get served alcohol elsewhere. From the somewhat hazy nights that I spent there, I reacalled that it was quite tiny. It was unclear where a band would even set up in the venue. Lastly, I had already seen the Kings of Leon themselves live a couple of years earlier. I hadn't found them overly impressive, so what were the odds that I would enjoy a cover band? I was however obligated to go as it was for a friends birthday.
That's the last time I step inside the INF. The place was packed to the rafters. From the off, it was obvious that the bar was not designed for such a gig. The acoustics were terrible. Although the band were technically proficient at playing their instruments, they lacked any sort of charisma or stage presence. The lead singer's interpretation of Caleb Followill's singing voice was also somewhat suspect. Apart from this, the concept of cover bands never really sat well with me. Most of the time they don't come close to replicating the musicianship of the original artists. When they do, the suspension of disbelief is just too much for me. At the end of the day, they are a group who practice another musicans songs day in and day out. Where is the creativity in that? Having said this, the band would undoubtedly appeal to hardcore Kings fans. Personally, I'm tired of hearing them every time I turn on the radio, tv or walk in to a shop.

May 2009. O2 Arena, Dublin.

It is fitting that my first blog post is about my favourite performer of all time. I became fascinated by Bob Dylan at fifteen or sixteen years old. I had just been dumped for the first time and was convinced that nobody had ever felt such pain. My plight seemed unique. The only sensible option seemed to be to lock myself in my bedroom until she took me back or I died, whichever came first. Two days in to my self imposed isolation from the world, my father knocked gently on my bedroom door and sat at the end of the bed. He had a CD in his hand. While handing it to me, all he said was "Listen to this. Everything will be ok." The CD was 'Blood On the Tracks'. From the opening bars of 'Tangled Up In Blue', I was hooked. Here was a person who understood me.
Since that day, Dylan has continued to amaze me. My friends often become irritated with me as I have a tendency to spout Dylan trivia now and again. Unfortunately, I have only seen him play live twice. Once when I was eighteen, and once a couple of weeks ago. The quality of Dylan's live shows is notoriously unpredictable. The first time I went to see him I was very disappointed. He stayed behind the keyboard all night, refused to do an encore, and his singing was, more often than not, unintelligible. I left the gig downcast with a criminally overpriced t-shirt from the merchandise stand.
My admiration for the man endured though, especially with the release of a few excellent recent albums and the stunning film 'I'm Not There'. So, when I heard that he was to play two dates in Dublin, I immediately ordered tickets. Standing outside the venue with a close friend and my uncle, I became somewhat nervous. Nervous that my hero would disappoint again. He did not. Dylan, at age 67, played for well over two hours. The playlist was excellent. Rather than play a lot of songs from the somewhat sketchy new album 'Together Through Life', he played a mixture of classics (Like A Rolling Stone, Stuck Inside of Mobile, Desolation Row) and some great newer songs (If You Ever Go To Houston, Po' Boy). We managed to get quite close to the stage. As any Dylan fan will tell you, it's not often you will see him smile during a concert. On a couple of ocassions, Dylan grinned at his backing band. Good to see he still enjoys it after all these years. I left the arena that night smiling, with a program in place of the expensive t-shirt.