Anybody know the artist of this rather lovely gem? I hate to infringe their copyright by reproducing it uncredited here - but it's such a joyful piece of sweariness that I can't resist. All info appreciated on who created the original.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
501 Days of Summer [warning: contains swearing]
Anybody know the artist of this rather lovely gem? I hate to infringe their copyright by reproducing it uncredited here - but it's such a joyful piece of sweariness that I can't resist. All info appreciated on who created the original.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Happy birthday, Kate Bush
To celebrate Kate's birthday, here's a selection of Kate Bush covers, ranging form the sublime to the ridiculous [or vice versa, depending on your POV]. Plus there's a song constructed from two different sources, and a cover by Kate herself. Enjoy...
Wuthering Heights by frommelxp
Wuthering Heights by frommelxp
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Talking about comics in Edinburgh tomorrow
The Oxfam 2011 Edinburgh Comic Event will take place in the city’s McDonald Road Library from 11.30 am tomorrow, Saturday July 23rd. Confirmed guests include Andy Diggle, Gary Erskine, Colin McNeil, and me - amongst others. There will be discussions, signings and books on sale, with proceeds going to Oxfam; tickets are available on the door on the day or ahead of time at Oxfam on Nicholson Street or Morningside Road in Edinburgh. See you there!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Want to know more about writing for Doctors?
Oftentimes I'll burble here about writing for the BBC medical drama series Doctors. One of my fellow scribes on the show has started a blog about writing. I met Denise on the Doctors shadow scheme three years ago. Her sixth ep is on soon [double what I've managed!]. Check out her blog for a fresh perspective on writing and the like. Onwards!
More knob, vicar? When church renovations go awry
I've seen some lovely renovations of former churches. However, you never know when the addition of a new feature - like, say, a mezzanine floor halfway up a triptych of stained glass windows - will create. This Scarborough flat's a snip at £124,950. And it comes with a very particular conversation piece in one of the rooms...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Mashup: Cars 2 vs Clockwork Orange [yes, really]
How some parents feel about having to watch kids' movies...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday Night Lights gets some Emmys love
Very happy to see one of my favourite US TV dramas get some recognition when the Emmy nominations were announced today. Friday Night Lights is up for best drama, best actor [Kyle Chandler] and best actress [Connie Britton] in a drama series, and best writing in a drama series [for the series finale, 'Always']. To celebrate, here's an affectionate video capturing all the times Tami Taylor called people 'y'all' in the show's 76 episodes. Enjoy, y'all.
Best. Movie Poster. Ever?
As opposed to, you know, wittingly training a dolphin to kill the President of the United States. Which would be even worse, I guess. This poster appears in a short Den of Geek feature about terrible movie taglines, including such gems as 'Slam Evil!' from The Phantom and 'Titans Will Clash' from... you do the math. Onwards!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Scotland's Amazing Comic Book Heroes
A while back I was interviewed for a documentary about Scotland's comic creators, and why they're so big in the world of superheroes. The show featuring Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Frank Quitely [and me] was on BBC Scotland last night, part of the Artworks strand. If you're in the UK, you can watch it via iPlayer for the next six days. Onwards!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A bunch of stuff that happens
It's been a helter-skelter, action-packed fortnight since returning from New Zealand, hence the paucity of fresh blog entries round here. Vicious Imagery often has bursts of feast and famine, much like the career of any freelance creative. Sometimes you're so slammed life takes a back seat; other times you can gather your thoughts.
Do I have any news to report? Let me have a look round... Ahh, yes. While away in New Zealand I got word from my script editor at Doctors that I had a story of the day pitch banked. That should eventually lead to a commission for my fourth episode, which will bring my total amount of TV drama writing credits up to two hours in total.
Why is this significant? The BBC contracts department will consider me an "experienced" writer thereafter, and my rate goes up 25%. You needed two hours under your belt before hour-long cop drama The Bill would consider you. Alas, The Bill is no more, but two hours of credit will still show I'm past absolute beginner status.
I've no idea when my banked story pitch might go live. It's a case of waiting for my script editor to be commissioning an ep whose story of the day requirement chimes with my pitch. That could be weeks, months or even years. Writing for Doctors is not for the impatient. You have to play the long game to achieve your ambitions.
It was a relief to get my pitch banked. I'd had four rejections in a row, including one I thought was an absolute cracker. [Unfortunately, someone had a too similar idea and gotten their story commissioned first - such is life.] My batting average on Doctors is .200, with about one in five of my story pitches getting banked.
What else? Had an exciting meeting on Tuesday past, which opened the door to another opportunity. You'll forgive the lack of specificity, but I'm superstitious and don't want to put the curse on it. Hopefully I can spill the beans in a few weeks. In the meantime, blog posts might be bit sparse round here, so apologies for that.
What else? Went to the second BBC TV drama writers' festival in Leeds this week. It built on the success of last year's event, and - to me, at least - the mood seemed more positive and upbeat. Managed to overcome nerves and introduce myself to one of my writing heroes, Jimmy McGovern. He was thoroughly friendly - result.
I've got a pad full of notes from the sessions I attended, but won't get the chance to transcribe and post them up here for a while. Also got to catch up with three other writers from the Doctors mini-academy I take part in three summers back. It's always good to compare notes, see how we're getting along with our writing.
Like all writers, I get frustrated by rejections and the things that don't happen. But the truth is I've made some big strides forward in three years. I now have an agent. three eps of Doctors on BBC1 to my credit, five eps of CBeebies show Nina and the Neurons, a second radio play, and 2.5 years of postgraduate teaching experience.
Not a bad effort. There's more I want to write - much more - but one a quiet Sunday morning, it's worth pausing to reflect on the journey so far. To enjoy the successes and contemplate the road ahead. As a creative individual, it's easy to focus too much on the destination. You need to enjoy the scenery along the way, too. Onwards!
Do I have any news to report? Let me have a look round... Ahh, yes. While away in New Zealand I got word from my script editor at Doctors that I had a story of the day pitch banked. That should eventually lead to a commission for my fourth episode, which will bring my total amount of TV drama writing credits up to two hours in total.
Why is this significant? The BBC contracts department will consider me an "experienced" writer thereafter, and my rate goes up 25%. You needed two hours under your belt before hour-long cop drama The Bill would consider you. Alas, The Bill is no more, but two hours of credit will still show I'm past absolute beginner status.
I've no idea when my banked story pitch might go live. It's a case of waiting for my script editor to be commissioning an ep whose story of the day requirement chimes with my pitch. That could be weeks, months or even years. Writing for Doctors is not for the impatient. You have to play the long game to achieve your ambitions.
It was a relief to get my pitch banked. I'd had four rejections in a row, including one I thought was an absolute cracker. [Unfortunately, someone had a too similar idea and gotten their story commissioned first - such is life.] My batting average on Doctors is .200, with about one in five of my story pitches getting banked.
What else? Had an exciting meeting on Tuesday past, which opened the door to another opportunity. You'll forgive the lack of specificity, but I'm superstitious and don't want to put the curse on it. Hopefully I can spill the beans in a few weeks. In the meantime, blog posts might be bit sparse round here, so apologies for that.
What else? Went to the second BBC TV drama writers' festival in Leeds this week. It built on the success of last year's event, and - to me, at least - the mood seemed more positive and upbeat. Managed to overcome nerves and introduce myself to one of my writing heroes, Jimmy McGovern. He was thoroughly friendly - result.
I've got a pad full of notes from the sessions I attended, but won't get the chance to transcribe and post them up here for a while. Also got to catch up with three other writers from the Doctors mini-academy I take part in three summers back. It's always good to compare notes, see how we're getting along with our writing.
Like all writers, I get frustrated by rejections and the things that don't happen. But the truth is I've made some big strides forward in three years. I now have an agent. three eps of Doctors on BBC1 to my credit, five eps of CBeebies show Nina and the Neurons, a second radio play, and 2.5 years of postgraduate teaching experience.
Not a bad effort. There's more I want to write - much more - but one a quiet Sunday morning, it's worth pausing to reflect on the journey so far. To enjoy the successes and contemplate the road ahead. As a creative individual, it's easy to focus too much on the destination. You need to enjoy the scenery along the way, too. Onwards!
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
See me in trailer for Scottish comics heroes show
Next Monday BBC Scotland screens an Artworks special about Scottish comic creators. Above is a trailer for the show, featuring major talents like Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. I'm in the trailer too, but that's because I give good soundbite. Be interesting to see what the finished show's like. Onwards!
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Rosy Tin Teacaddy perform 'Pretty as a Picture'
This is a track from the new Rosy Tin Teacaddy album, All Mountains Are Men.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Rosy Tin Teacaddy perform 'Crosswords'
Having lived away from New Zealand for so long, I've gotten woefully out of touch with my home country's current music. So I made a determined effort to re-educate myself, aided and assisted by the New Zealand Herald making 20 tracks from different bands available as free downloads [first five here] during May for NZ Music month.
Once I got to NZ, I bought two fistfuls of Kiwi CDs for listening in the car while driving round the country. Being winter, most bands weren't touring or else their dates and locations didn't coincide with my itinerary. But Rosy Tin Teacaddy was on the road too, and I was lucky enough to catch them performing near Nelson last week.
The clip above shows them performing Crosswords, the opening track from their first album. I filmed this with my dusty old Canon PowerShot A460 digital camera, so you'll have to issues with sound and picture quality. The actual song starts about a minute into the clip, as the duo do like to banter on stage. Enjoy...
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