It is the first Friday of a new month, a New Year, so please come in, help yourself to the leftover cheeses and oatcakes, pour a glass of whatever you like (we always seem to have port left over, or there’s sparkling water, too).
Please tell us – what have you been listening to, reading, watching, and – have you made any resolutions for the year ahead?
All best wishes to everyone for a better and brighter 2024
Colin H says
That time already?
HEARD: Knocked out with the new Shock Treatment album ‘Exclusive Photos’ (reviewed elsewhere on the AW), which is released at a launch show in Bangor, NI on January 26th but available ahead of that via chief ST man Dave ‘The Hat’ McLarnon. Classic late 70s punk/power-pop in the Blondie, Sham, Rezillos, SLF tradition. Also enjoying the 2CD Aztec Records expanded edition of the ‘1972’ album (yes, that’s the title) by Australian jazz/proggers Sun – more than my pal/gift-giver Trev in Oz imagined I would. The Anthony Toner covers album ‘Ghost Notes Vol.2’ is superb – a masterpiece of late-night troubadour vibes. One constant in recent months has been Martin Simpson’s 1990s instrumental albums, made for various labels while he was in the US. ‘Cool and Unusual’ is probably the best – and the only one easily available on digital platforms, should anyone be interested. It’s a shame that Martin has focused on vocal albums in recent years. At the time of typing, I’m listening to the latest mix of a forthcoming Brian Houston album – Bri being a kingpin of NI troubadours since the 90s, and something of a studio wizard in recent years. The challenge is knowing what set of mixes / arrangements of a body of work is going to hit the sweet spot for listeners. Brian has the songs, no doubt about it – and I’ve heard several versions of some of the songs/mixes. Having your own studio and an overflowing of talent and ideas can be a curse as well as a blessing! He has a new opportunity with a Dublin label on this one – hope he gets it right.
READ: Currently reading the latest Jim Eldridge mystery set in London during WW2 and also the splendid new edition of ‘The Letters of JRR Tolkien’ – restoring the complete set of letters/extracts that were selected by editors Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien in 1981, which were reduced by around a third at that time by the publishers. Once again, I am in awe of the man’s industry, compassion and the precision in his use of language – the newly restored content adds to our appreciation of him as a person, especially.
WATCHED: Re-watched the 2022 Doc Martin Christmas special/finale yesterday – wonderful stuff. There must have been other dramas that I watched recently but none stick in the mind much. Still, I’m glad that the cost crime shows ‘Madame Blanc Mysteries’, ‘Father Brown’ and ‘Beyond Paradise’ (though I don’t care much for the lead character) are back – I find myself feeling a significant sense of persistent underlying despair about the world these days; cosy distractions can only help.
AOB: I’m the subject of a one-hour doc, being made by Horslips legend Barry Devlin and my recording studio pal of long standing Cormac O’Kane, for BBC NI. It’s a fairly surreal experience. I’m immensely grateful and relieved that a first-time (CH studio band) Legends of Tomorrow concert I was asked to put on last month (Dec 7) – with 25 musicians involved – went remarkably well, with tremendous goodwill in the room. A fair number of AW-friendly musos / personalities will be in the doc – people whose involvement, to be honest, I’m stunned about. I won’t get to see the thing before broadcast. Scary.
Anthony Toner did an amazing job of being MD at the Dec 7 concert. Here’s his cover of Randy Newman’s ‘Kathleen’, from ‘Ghost Notes Vol.2’:
Rigid Digit says
re: Shock Treatment – where can it be heard / bought from?
I’m guessing direct from the band
(any links? I can see possibly Spit Records)
I know I could look myself, but I’ll ask the question first just to be lazy
Colin H says
As I said in the post, Rij… “released at a launch show in Bangor, NI on January 26th but available ahead of that via chief ST man Dave ‘The Hat’ McLarnon”.
Mike_H says
Nice clip.
thecheshirecat says
My second Lankum gig of the year, in Liverpool, enjoyed from just a couple of yards from the stage. They are majestic, commanding. They have clearly achieved crossover, with the audience very young, hip and urban, yet they are definitely, uncompromisingly, a folk band, playing folk material. How do I justify that? Multiple concertinas, that’s how. Both here and at Band on the Wall earlier in the year, it was striking just how good the sound was. Let’s face it, if the sound was at all iffy, those heavy drones would just sound like dirges, but instead they are sharp, precise, piercing, gut-punching, but the balance of the four voices is just incredible. Then, above it all, Radie Peat’s voice cuts, clear and clean across the top.
More conventionally folky, I got two dances in: one the final gig for legendary Peeping Tom, in Coventry, of course. Something like a dozen callers were there too, each renowned too in their field, each taking turns to lead a dance. My two dancing partners were quite emotional at the moment of the event. Danced in the New Year too.
Otherwise, no time to read anything but online recipes for Christmas festivities.
I may be alone on this site in that Santa blessed me with a compilation of Galician roots music. Let joy be unbounded!
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.
Rigid Digit says
Biggest achievement of the later December period – for the first time ever, I ate all the cheese I bought. Might not sound much, but I’ve never managed it before.
Seen:
* As recommended here, Culprits on Disney+ / Star is indeed a good watch (OK, I cynically noticed some plot holes in the later episodes, but that should not detract from the recommendation to watch it if you can)
* Ricky Gervais: Armageddon – I really don’t get what all the fuss was about. It was funny and thought provoking, and Ricky seemed to keep his ego in check throughout
(I actually like Ricky Gervais – Reading doesn’t have many local heroes – but admit he has been a big head in the past, but think he’s realised and stopped being an arse now)
Read:
Other than takeaway menus, nothing of any substance or interest
Heard:
Been listening to some of the recommendations in various year end lists, but not feeling like I missed anything of major note, except
Got the Johnny Marr Best Of – I knew The Smiths (obviously), I knew of Electronic, enjoyed his autobiography, but until last week had heard nothing of his solo career. It’s pretty good, and I’m probably going to explore further.
Other:
3 people have come to me and said “I’m going digital – do you want a box of CDs”
“Does The Pope shit in the woods?”
First box arrived today – about 200 CDs, about 30 duplicates of stuff I already have and another 30 or so that are going straight to the local chazza (I’m sure they need another copy of the Scouting For Girls album, and the Top 100 Driving Anthems compilation).
The rest will be filling gaps in the collection, or I’ve never heard so have some listening to “new old” to be getting on with
hubert rawlinson says
December is the cruellest month.
My son was coming over at the month’s beginning to celebrate my birthday, death in his girlfriend’s family scuppered those plans. Hied myself away to Portugal for my actual birthday, downloaded stuff to watch on my tablet couldn’t tell you what they were though.
Had a pleasant time in Portugal saw some flamingoes and dolphins. Came home, down to London for a pre Christmas family meal, at a loose end saw that the cinema in Crouch End was showing The Peasants I’d read an article and thought it looked interesting, Polish animated film absolutely stunning. Each frame had been painted in oil each scene flowed.
Got back home the week before Christmas to be woken early the next day, someone had been asked to check on our elderly neighbour only to find she had died in the night. Had to wait for ambulance, police etc luckily my wife took charge. Sad end to the year.
Here’s to a better 2024.
Diddley Farquar says
Today in Stockholm we saw a Banksy exhibition. The best stuff is witty like advertising or political cartoons. A rioter throwing a bunch of flowers instead of a molotov cocktail – that kind of thing is yuk, lame, soppy thinking. No he’s not the Picasso de nos jours, it’s just stencils, spray painted. Nothing to enjoy in the surface, in colour. Just ideas, some mawkish, some clever.
We also saw a photo exhibit on hip hop from the 80s til now. Great photos of New York gangs, break dancing, the stars themselves. Superb images of cool individuals making an art form from nothing.
Been hearing a bit of Taylor Swift in the hotel room. It’s quite detached in a way, generic I suppose. That means it doesn’t wear out,,it kind of gradually grows on you, on me at least.
Watched Giri/Haji. An old show now but new to us and quite brilliant I think. Funny and dark. What British TV can do so well with it’s irony and wit plus world weary attempts to make a good life despite all the angry men.
Junior Wells says
Been unwell cold /asthma / covid / asthma. 6 weeks now so a lot of blankly staring at TV.
BLOODLAND second series was v good, ditto Slow Horses and Tehran on Apple
Still wading through the massive Dylan tome Mixing Up The Medicine. Will write something about it when energy returns.
Been flipping through the Afterword Playlist for new stuff. So far Alister Spence and the Vampires, both Aussie , Ian Hinter and Jeff Goldblum have piqued my interest.
Been listening to a lot of the Necks and Roger Eno and a recent high rotation of a twofer cd of Gram Parsons. GP and Grievous Angel. Sublime stuff. Oh and Willie Nelson. You can never get too much Willie.
Junior Wells says
And I should add , a rather lot of cricket. Apart from poor catching, Pakistan have been quite plucky.
dai says
The thing with Australia is they have 4 world class bowlers. If one of them has an off day someone else will step up.
Batting is a different matter, apart from Labushagne (who is not playing as well as he was 2 or 3 years ago) their line-up is rather aging and declining.
But yeah, best team in the world but they need to bring in some new blood.
I think Pakistan are improving, but from a fairly low level.
@junior-wells
Junior Wells says
Some good players left out, a change of captains and litany of fielding errors but remained competitive. They arrived as easybeats and leave with respect.
There are a bunch of bowlers lining up and Cam Green , Bancroft, Harris are still trying to crack selection so they seem pretty well placed. You mentioned Marnus but Johnson has been the star batter this series. Anyhoo back to books films and music. .
mikethep says
Seen
As usual I can’t remember much of what I’ve seen, but: Slow Horses of course, absolutely epic, best thing on TV until season 4.
Familia (Netflix) – a Mexican movie about an olive farmer, thinking of retirement, who’s received an offer for the farm from a big company. Since the offer involves the family home, his family, especially his three fiery daughters, aren’t keen. Almost the whole movie takes place around an alfresco lunch table.
The Origin of Evil – delightfully twisty French movie about an impoverished young woman who suddenly turns up in her estranged – and rich – father’s life, to the consternation of his family. Starring Laure Calamy, her out of Call My Agent.
Nothing Compares – the Sinead O’Connor doco, excellent and moving.
There will be other things, but can’t remember, must start a list.
Read
Most of the month was taken up with the Booker winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. It’s a deeply unsettling masterpiece, but so gruelling to read that I could never manage more than 5 or 6 pages at a time. Strongly recommended nevertheless.
My Sister gave me David Mitchell’s Unruly: The Kings and Queens of England for Christmas, and I’m halfway through. This is another book to be read in small doses, not because it’s gruelling but because it’s tiring chortling for more than 20 minutes at a time. Mrs thep, whose tolerance for the royals is minimal at the best of times, is getting bored with me reading choice bits out to her. It’s quite a feat to teach me things I didn’t know while making me laugh at the same time, so tiaras off to DM.
Heard
As usual I’ve probably listened to more Coltrane and Miles than anything else this month, though I’ve been listening to a lot of Leonard Bernstein ahead of watching Maestro on New Year’s Day. What an extraordinary genius he was.
The only gig we went to was the divine Alice Night at the Citadel in Murbah. She was magnificent – a huge talent. It would be nice to think that one day she’ll be discussed on t’Afterword in the same respectful tones as Joni Mitchell is now. Well, I can dream… for reasons that remain obscure to me she ended her gig completely naked with nothing but a ukulele to cover (intermittently) her modesty. Nobody complained.
Mousey says
READ
“Squeeze Me” by Carl Hiassen. Some years ago I did quite a binge on his books until they just got a bit ridiculous. This is his latest, and reality has caught up with his crazy imagination. This one is set as usual in southern Florida, where the President (referred to as Mastodon) is in residence at Casa Bellicosa. Someone is setting giant pythons free and the opening chapter describes – well, I won’t spoil it. Except to say that amongst other weird and wonderful characters are a group of wealthy female retirees who absolutely support the President and called themselves the Potussies (POTUS + Pussies…geddit?)
RayX says
I bought the Kindle edition of Squeeze Me’ @Mousey after reading your review, it sounds very entertaining
mikethep says
Me too!
Sewer Robot says
Seen
Had some time over the hols, so I used it to catch up on some films. In order of enjoyment:
Godzilla Minus One
I actually dragged myself to a Cineplex to watch this on IMAX. Obviously the cinema was ghastly, but it was worth it as the imagery and score really benefitted from the scale. More importantly, this is a brilliantly told tale, with characters to root for and a real monster to fear. I’ve seen reviews that criticise the pacing, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. People have also mentioned how the director, Takashi Yamazaki references, in fact, almost “samples” scenes from other films such as Jaws and Dunkirk. (although I thought it was a bit rich when they suggested he copied a scene from Jurassic Park in a Godzilla film!) but he does it with real verve and, I believe, adds to what he’s lifted.
Oppenheimer
With Nolan you’ve got to accept that he’s going to Nolan it. Much of the criticism I see of his work seems to be asking “yes, but why did he have to make such a Christopher Nolan film?”
Once you’re in, the biggest gripe might be the length – did we need so much of his private life? How relevant are the machinations of Robert Downey Jr’s character Lewis Strauss? Couldn’t we just have done this as a prestige tv series?
I’m certainly down with the last question. I watched Oppy at home and was glad to be able to pause a couple of times. Those kids that walked out of this and straight into Barbie have my respect.
Across The Spiderverse
I adored Into The Spiderverse. It was everything I could have wished for in a Spider-Man film and then so much more that I couldn’t have even imagined. And it was a dazzling tour-de-force of animation which, in places, made me giddy.
Across… didn’t work so well on first viewing precisely because I spent so much of it in that dazzled and giddy state and there didn’t seem to be quite so much pausing for reflection or interaction between the characters. Or maybe it just needed more Nic Cage.
Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget
On Netflix. I may have been full of Christmas spirit (and I’d certainly had a drink or two), but I enjoyed this a great deal. You do miss the old thumbprints-in-the-character’s-head style (I re-watched The Wrong Trousers over the hols; has there ever been anything better than the train track scene in that film?) but much of the wit and charm remains. Farmageddon was tighter of script and more inventive, but, as family fun, this will do nicely.
The Killer On Netflix
It’s great to look at and expertly made, but it’s a too-familiar tale. Back in the days when you’d go down the shops to get a video on a Friday night this would be a successful choice.
Elemental
As with Fincher, as with Aardman, the phrase “have done better” is likely to make an appearance when talking about a new Pixar film.
But I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. I think I identified with the main bloke’s goofy/dumb mononmania. And I think we’ve become complacent about how amazing some of this animation is. My eyes felt they’d had a real treat.
Saltburn on Prime Video.
Again, I loved Promising Young Woman, so was excited about this. I made sure I knew nothing beforehand and was surprised, having only seen Brideshead Revisited for the first time last Christmas, to see the first half hit so many beats from Jeremy Irons’ star making vehicle. Even more jarring, having seen Stephen Graham struggle to suppress his Liverpool accent in Bodies so recently, was Barry Keoghan’s attempt at adopting one in this.
(This really is becoming an epidemic in films. It’s almost as though those casting are trying to outdo one another. Oppenheimer: American – Irish guy. Einstein: German – Scottish guy. Neils Bohr: Danish – get Ken from Belfast etc).
Anyway, whether you like Saltburn depends entirely on how you feel about the way the second half plays out and I wasn’t impressed.
As in so many areas of life, Sophie Ellis Bextor is the real winner..
A better experience on Prime, for me, is the new series of Fargo. Having dropped out of series four during Covid when I had loads of time and was itching for something good to watch, I’m glad to report that the new series is proper tv.
I’m not sure about some of the choices made by Jennifer Jason Leigh, an actress who, when she’s on form, is excellent, but isn’t always on top form, but everyone else is really good and there is that very rare thing a (day)dream sequence which has a point and carries great emotional weight. In fact, after all the quirky characters, the wit, the pyrotechnics and audacious narrative tricks have got you all Cohen-comfy*, it’s in the dream sequence we find the true heart of the story.
I also watched Pete Holmes’ stand up set I Am Not For Everyone on Netflix. There was one particularly delicious joke, which he credited to his wife:
Stars are the ultimate hipsters. They’re up there twinkling saying “Oh, you’re only seeing this now?. We were doing this billions of years ago..”
Heard
So many posters mentioned, after the AW best albums poll, that it had thrown up records that hadn’t known had come out and I was no different, as it took @peanuts-molloy’s vote to inform me that Allison Russell had a new album out and very good it is too.
Exploring other people’s choices, I have enjoyed When Will We Land? by Barry Can’t Swim, Come Around And Love Me by Jalen Ngonda and – well outside my comfort zone – Kaf Afrit by Praed (only 622 monthly listeners!).
All that watching, poll stuff and spending time with my friends and family means I have
Read
pretty much nothing, despite receiving more for my “to read” pile from Santa.
AOB
I’d like to salute the mods for their groovy but tasteful holiday period site decoration.
*Yes, pedants, I know the tv show is a Noah Hawley joint, but its Cohenesque stylings and Minnesota voices remain from the OG movie..
Tiggerlion says
And I like the new strapline’s nod to Trump’s top knobbery.
salwarpe says
I’m glad Praed’s mix of Arabic street music, electronic trance and honking clarinet found another welcoming ear. It’s not for everyone, I’m sure, but I really enjoy the hypnotic building of costing sounds – it’s symphonic!
mikethep says
I bailed out of Saltburn after 10 minutes. Annoyingly formulaic. Plus, I didn’t go to Oxford, but I’m sure they turned the lights on occasionally.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Somehow we thought it was going to be a Thursday evening after supper spend two pleasant hours Downton Abbey kind of thing. Instead it was nasty, pretentious and annoyingly silly.
Gary says
I liked it. Basically, Brideshead with Tom Ripley instead of Charles. Nowhere near as good as Brideshead or The Talented Mr Ripley, obvs, but a silly, fun film and Rosamund Pike had some very funny lines.
Locust says
Read:
Finished part two of the books on life in Stockholm between 1850 and 1950; unfortunately nowhere near as brilliant as part one, but still quite interesting.
Then read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, but wasn’t enjoying it much. Too many characters and not enough Medusa, and I didn’t like the writing style. I think the only “myth retelling” novel of later years that I’ve wholeheartedly loved is Circe (by M Miller, but I haven’t liked her other ones much either). Not going to pick up another one in this sub-genre.
After that one I read the essay collection Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, which was a mixed bag. Parts of it were very interesting, others dull and full of repetitions. It’s OK.
The best read of the year occured, as always, on Christmas Eve and a few days following, when I per tradition read Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol aloud to an audience of me, myself and I, playing all of the parts with hammy voices and crying buckets/blowing my nose constantly.
God, I love it so much!
Then finished a novella called “Stargate – A Christmas Story” by Norwegian author Ingvild Rishöj that I’d started a month earlier, but put aside as it was too depressing. Still was, but I needed to finish it before the new year.
I like starting a new year with all new books, so it’s always a race to finish the ones I’m reading in time, but I managed to get through that one on the last day, and could start afresh on the first day of 2024.
Heard:
Bought a few final albums in December. Swedish favourite Anders F Rönnblom released Underground Vol. 3, which is where he’s rounding up stray songs he’s written and never recorded before, or rewritten and rerecorded, or written all new lyrics to and recorded – no songs left behind!
Because of this it’s a very mixed bag, and I haven’t yet had time to really get into this compilation. On first listen it’s clear why they didn’t quite make the cut for the “proper” albums, but then I listen again and hear something that makes me sit up and take notes. A grower, I suspect.
I don’t get that sense from the latest Madness album, I’ve tried but I really don’t like it.
But a lovely surprise was the posthumous release from Swedish rock hero Pugh Rogefeldt, an EP called Guds finger (“God’s Finger”) where he interprets five well-known hymns, gospel and blues, in Swedish (then it finishes with an instrumental track called “Funeral Song” that was played at his funeral, apparently, which was moving the first time I listened to it, but I’ve now ended up skipping whenever I listen to the CD). The arrangements, musicians and his vocals are great, and it’s incredibly moving – much more than I would have thought – due to his death this year and the subject matter of the lyrics. But it’s also just a great groove!
When I found out that my Canadian favourite Andy Shauf had released an album in 2023 that I’d completely missed, I had to buy it. It’s called Norm, and it’s good, but slightly unsettling if you listen to the lyrics…Norm is a guy who’s obsessed with a girl who he stalks and fantasize about. Umm, yes. Add to that a few tracks where God is the narrator. The music is so calm and unassuming that the lyrics really take over, and when you realise the story that is being told, the experience begin to feel weird! It’s interesting as an idea, but not an album you’d put on to lighten the mood…
AOB:
Christmas was great, but I fear that a shit storm is brewing at work, and that 2024 could turn into a financial nightmare…so I can’t say that I’m feeling quite relaxed just yet. Will get some more information in the weeks to come, and right now all I want is to find out how everything will work out, or not – but then at least I can make some plans for how to deal with it.
Hopefully I’m just pessimistically overreacting to signs and whispers…!
mikethep says
I have a Facebook friend who watches eight (I think) different versions on A Christmas Carol in the run-up to Christmas. Wearing a Christmas jumper…I much prefer the thought of you declaiming it loudly while occasionally blowing your nose! Can you film and share next year?
Locust says
I guess that would be one way to learn Swedish, listening to someone reading a story you know inside out… 🙂
salwarpe says
*Tedious and convoluted Dad joke alert*
Would that mean starting from the middle of the book and alternating forwards and backwards until you reach the end and the start of the story simultaneously?
Bingo Little says
I absolutely love the bit above about A Christmas Carol. One of the best things I’ve read on here; I have been doing this book all wrong!
retropath2 says
A quiet old December, really, in which I see no harm. The only gig planned got wiped out by grandfather duties the day and night before and leading up to showtime. I was too bloody knackered…..
Listening was mainly around end of year lists, here being the main source of interest, looking out for stuff what I missed, and getting em lined up for this years listening. The two newbies from the National top my list of to be added to my shelves, having given them a few test streams.
I got a kindle for Christmas! First out the blocks was Sinead’s pot pourri of memoirs, Rememberings, a poignant read that reveals quite what, and why, a troubled soul she was. And probably, unlike the cuddly obits, what an impossibly erratic and challenging personality circumstances and psyche made her. Victoria’s book on Shane is next.
TV was largely dross. Mark Gatiss’s Christmas Ghost story was slightly below par for him, I thought. Otherwise it was all the usual triumphs mentioned already: the wonderful Slow Horses for one. Yes, the action scenes seem progressively ludicrous, but are offset by the wonderfully Machiavellian discourses between protagonists, mainly the verbal joust between Kristin Scott-Thomas and Sophie Okonedo. A recent discovery has been Loudermilk, which we hoovered up over a long weekend. A Peter Farrelly production, qv Farelly Bros Dumb and Dumber etc, so full of scatologically filthy dialogue, set in and around an Alcoholics Anonymous style group of goofs and oddballs, the group led by the wondrously acerbic eponymous Loudermilk. A “retired” rock critic, he has some gloriously AW views on the modern world. It helps to know his mindset: think Rolling Stone magazine 1970- 1990, and his targets and opinions are well rehearsed to nerds like us. Worth a punt.
seanioio says
A busy old December & then my busiest time of the year at work in Jan, so I am looking forward to checking out some of the wonderful recommendations on this thread.
Heard
I am very taken with the new album from Maple Glider which is called I Get Into Trouble that I discovered in December. The track Dinah is wonderful & well worth checking out.
As it was the end of year, I had a lot of listening back to songs of the year & have concluded that 2023 was a damn fine year for music. Some great albums & songs released. Particular excitement here for a new Underworld album after the sublime Denver Luna, a track I had on constant repeat during December & definitely one of the standouts of the year.
Read
Code of Conduct by Chris Bryant (MP).
An interesting read about parliamentary standards (or the lack of) in recent years & how this should be addressed. The number of corrupt MPs discussed is quite sickening & this hammers home the need for major change if we want to have MPs with integrity and who we can trust.
Next up was Tomorrows Here Today by Ian Broudie. A decent read about the life and career in music of Ian Broudie from the Lightning Seeds. I’m not a huge fan of the band (although I do love ‘Pure’) so was more interested in his work as a producer and solo career which was covered. A pretty run of the mill music bio, but enjoyable.
The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus (The Mathematics of Christmas) by Hannah Fry.
A book which covers the application of some common and uncommon mathematics to Christmas. Very easy to read with great humour whilst also covering some complex mathematical problems in a very easy to understand way (I think I understand Markov chains a bit now as applied to the Queens/Kings Christmas Day speech). A perfect book to read in the build up to Christmas.
A Christmas book I received was Karma (My Autobiography) by Boy George.A book that covers his career so far with some decent anecdotes, although it gets a bit tiresome & did become a bit of a slog towards the end. I’m not a huge Culture Club fan, but I do like a lot of his solo stuff (King of Everything by him is a great tune!) & he is very outspoken as a celeb whilst also having a bit of a chequered past. I thought this would be an interesting one & in some ways it is. Descriptions of London in the seventies/eighties whilst his fame was growing was fascinating as were some of his encounters with famous people of the time. However, after reading (for the 50th time) about the star signs of people he loves/hates and this being the sole reason for his relationship with them, it did start to grate somewhat. Pretty low down on my list of books I enjoyed in 2023.
Last up was a short book to read on my day off on the 28th Dec. ABBA Gold by Elisabeth Vincentelli.
This is part of the 33 1/3 series of books from Bloomsbury publishing, short books about popular music, focusing on individual albums by artists ranging from James Brown to Celine Dion. I have quite a few of these and it is a gorgeous series with some really interesting takes/essays on albums I love.
This one is focused on possibly the greatest compilation of all time & details how on release in 1992, it changed the perception of ABBA as a band and finally gave them their defining album which until this (10 years after their break up), had eluded them. This short book concentrates on how the album was put together & how they were the purveyors of 5 minute slices of perfect pop. The main argument is that this album (despite being a compilation) deserves the same adulation as a Pet Sounds, Sgt Peppers or Rumours & it’s not something I would argue against. If you need convincing on this point, then this book will change your mind
Seen
Just the one gig to round off 2023 which was Slow Pulp at Yes, Manchester I really enjoyed this gig & this venue is fast becoming a favourite. Their last album Yard was on my albums of the year list (but did not trouble the top 100) & is well worth a listen if you like SubPop / early 90s Seattle sounding bands.
Trips to the cinema to see both Wonka & the new Disney offering Wish was clearly influenced by having a 6 & 8 year old. I loved Wonka & thought it has repaired some of the damage done by Depp & Burton. This was definitely more in line with the Gene Wilder version & was a great watch. I also enjoyed playing a game of ‘who from Peep Show can I spot’.
The other end of the spectrum was Wish. I really disliked this as it felt like it was written by committee. Lots of lovely callbacks to Disney classics, but at the cost of a decent story.
TV wise we have enjoyed the Christmas rush of Only Connect specials. If I had my way this show would be on every evening, it’s just great.
JustTim says
Most of this month was taken up with Christmas with the family, and a trip to Pudsey for grandchildren’s birthdays, so quite hectic.
SEEN
Nothing new in December, but I realised that I completely forgot to mention the stage adaptation of ‘Hamnet’ in London in November. I thought the book was brilliant, so wasn’t sure what to expect, but this really worked well – inevitably not quite the same emotional impact but beautifully and movingly done.
WATCHED
Caught with up with some older films and TV on streaming this month, including Bill Nighy in ‘Living’, which was lovely, and a Channel 4 sitcom from a few years ago called ‘Feel Good’ with Canadian comedian Mel Martin, which I enjoyed. More recent films included Jennifer Lawrence excellent in ‘No Hard Feelings’ and Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan both very good in ‘Maestro’ – about Leonard Bernstein. Over Christmas, I enjoyed the new Doctor Who and the Agatha Christie ‘Murder is Easy’. Half way through the second series of ‘Vigil’ which is compulsive viewing.
HEARD
Santa brought me two of the best from 2023 with the Rolling Stones and Madness. And prompted by comments on here, have been enjoying Boygenius.
READ
Not enough time – as ever – to read as much as I would like, but finished the first volume of Ian Bell’s biography of Bob Dylan, which is certainly one of the best I’ve read. And Thomas William’s ‘Viking Britain’ was fascinating and very easy to read.
AOB
This month’s walk with friends was a lovely one from Farley Mount, near Winchester, to the village of King’s Somborne in the Test Valley. Unfortunately, it took us longer than expected, and it really does get very dark very quickly! And it’s not so easy to follow a country path in the dark – but we made it safely home.
Max the Dog says
Seen: Mick Flannery and Band, Glór, Ennis
A pre-Christmas treat. I brought my youngest who knew nothing about MF, but she says she enjoyed it and I choose to believe her. A little more restrained that his excellent show in Dublin 2022, focusing on Mick at the piano with mostly laid-back support from the band, but it was great to hear the songs from his most recent album ‘Goodtime Charlie’ in a live setting and it may have served to move said album up a notch or two in my year end list. When he did take the handbrake off and allow the band to flow, they were fantastic.
Heard: Nothing that you all haven’t already heard.
Watched (1): Saltburn
Barry Keoghan’s accent was all over the place, there were plot-holes and contradictions you could drive a bus through and I loved every minute of it. Mesmerising with a fantastic cast, especially Barry and Rosamund Pike.
Watched (2): The Crown Season 6
I heard that this had been poorly received but unfairly castigated I think. I like that they tried to introduce some unconventional story-telling. The final episode was excellent and the episode focusing on Margaret (Ritz?) was stunning – one of the best of the entire series – Lesley Manville deserves a gong for that one episode alone.
Read: Very little. Started Fintan O’Toole’s “We Don’t Know Ourselves” as we are of similar age, so there should be some ‘ooh, yeah, I remember that…’ moments. Just a few chapters in at the moment.
AOB: Trying to get my head around The Crucible. Our Drama group intend to put it on in a few months. I have the part of Mr. Danforth but I’ll need to put in a couple of hard shifts to get the lines into my head – I used to record scripts on my phone and go for long 2-3 hour week-end walks with the eponymous dog, but he’s not able for those any more – the best he can do is twenty minutes around the village, and I’m not keen on long walks without him, so I’ll have to find another method. Our production last year was huge success (by our standards) when I gave them my Bull McCabe in John B. Keane’s ‘The Field’
Foxnose says
“A Fart on you Thomas Putnam! ” -I had to deliver this line on stage- no-one ever laughed- alas, alas!
Max the Dog says
There are not many laughs to be raised in The Crucible, though Giles probably has the best chance of doing that. We run the risk of having our audience, however big or small, sit stoney-faced…