Well, that was unexpected: I had the weekend off. I'd been expecting to be cramming to hit deadlines for two different projects, the computer game I've been writing solidly since mid-January, and my last script for Nina and the Neurons, the CBeebies science show for preschoolers. But instead I got signed off on both. Result: free weekend.
So I went into Edinburgh and wandered round some shops, blinking and trying to remember what to do in polite company [it's been a while]. Came home and watched some Six Nations rugby, plus a bunch of new DVDs that turned up in the post: Despicable Me; The Social Network; and the first series of Downton Abbey. Plus the pilot of Hill Street Blues.
Of course, having been working non-stop since xmas, it proved kind of hard to switch off completely. So I commissioned an artist to provide a cartoon visual for a new CBeebies pitch I'm developing. Spent a few amount of time thinking about the new calling card script I resume writing tomorrow. And checked my email far too often [force of habit].
Things I have done since xmas: written five eps of Nina and the Neurons. Vast screeds of text for computer strategy game Fate of the World. Scripted an issue of comic book Fantomen, featuring costumed hero The Phantom. Met with an independent producer to discuss various ideas. Hooked up with a director for a potential short film project.
Agreed to provide text for a new edition of The Complete Inspector Morse, to be published this autumn by Titan Books. Written a new story of the day pitch for Doctors. Been teaching a brand new post-grad module on writing for graphic fiction. And taught MA Creative Writing 2.5 days a week. So it's been reasonably busy.
Having come to the end of both major projects that have occupied most of my time, creative energy and brain space, it's time to think about the path ahead. Whenever I need to ponder the way forwards, I like to look back and see what lessons I can learn from past successes, failures and missteps. Learn from your personal history, it helps.
Five years ago I was still in year one of my part-time MA screenwriting studies. I'd been commissioned to write my first radio play [Island Blue: Ronald, tx June 2006]. Went to my first Adrian Mead screenwriting seminar and learned a lot. Heard how to break in at BBC Scotland's continuing drama River City and decided to have a go.
Four years ago I was nearing the end of my screenwriting MA. I was writing Danny's Toys, a short film script that's opened several doors for me since. Thanks to the Scottish Book Trust, I was being mentored by Adrian Mead in screenwriting for TV. I was also taking every related short course known to man, or so it seemed at the time.
Three years ago I successfully completed a trial script for Doctors, but was told in no uncertain terms it could be months [or more likely years] before I got my first commission - if I ever did. My script Danny's Toys had won an award in Los Angeles, and I was meeting with an animation producer, trying to get it made as a short film.
Two years ago I was still banging my head against the wall at Doctors, trying to get a story of the day pitch banked, let alone commissioned to ep. I'd taken a part-time job with a new creative writing MA at Edinburgh Napier University. And I was part of a team-writing TV drama workshop scheme run at the Lighthouse Arts Centre in Brighton.
One year ago my first TV drama was broadcast, an episode of Doctors called A Pill For Every Ill. Katie Williams at Blake Friedmann became my agent. I was working on my second radio drama commission, Legacy. I was teaching 2.5 days a week. And the executive producer on River City said I had been on her radar for a wee while.
This year? My third ep of Doctors will be broadcast on March 18. One more ep and I'll have two hours of TV drama credits, which elevates me [contractually, at least] to the level of experienced. I'm under no such illusions and am painfully aware of how much I've still got to learn and develop. Like all writers, I'm a work in progress.
I've got five eps of Nina and the Neurons on the go for broadcast later this year. Writing for a younger audience is new for me, something that's only arisen thanks to a writers' lab run by the Scottish Book Trust and CBeebies Scotland run last summer. One thing led to another and now I'm exploring the world of children's TV writing.
I'm still knocking on the door at River City, five years on from my first attempt. Every now and then I feel like I'm getting close, but regime change sweeps through the production offices at Dumbarton and I'm back to square one. Nevertheless, it's an area I'm still pursuing. Sheer bloodymindedness triumphs eventually, that's my policy.
When I chose to study for an MA in screenwriting, I knew it would be expensive. Not so much the course fees [though I was entirely self-funding], but the loss of income from setting paid work aside to study. But it felt necessary. I wanted to write for TV, I knew I could tell a story, but I didn't have the craft skills or contacts to succeed.
So I took an MA to hone my craft skills, and a plethora of other schemes, workshops and opportunities to improve my prospects. Slowly, painfully, it's paying off. I was making a healthy living from the media tie-in hackwork before starting my MA. Nearly six years later, my earnings are just about back to where they were in summer 2005.
There are no guarantees. February 2012 could see me reflecting on a barren year during which I got no new commssions - it happens. But it won't be for want of trying part. I don't claim to be hyper-talented, but I put in the effort and pursue a sound strategy. My favourite mantra is simple: talent + effort + strategy = success. Onwards!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Your chance to say thanks to former Tharg Steve MacManus
A few weeks back I was singing the praises of Steve MacManus, editor of iconic British comic 2000AD during its [arguably] most glorious days in the 1980s. Steve is leaving comics in April, after 37 years working in editorial. That blog post attracted a lot of positive comments here, on Twitter and sundry online message boards. Well, now's your chance to make a contribution to Steve's leaving card. Not money - just some message of thanks and gratitude for all Steve's done over the years.Far too many unsung heroes only get the praise they deserve when it's too late. [Witness the outpouring of feeling following the sudden death of great US comics creator Dwayne McDuffie this week, or a few years back when British comics lettering legend Tom Frame died.] Thankfully, people are learning. There was a great gathering of get well messages recently for Judge Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra as he was recovering from cancer. So, let's show our respect for Steve MacManus.
If you want to contribute a note, a message or a wee drawing for Steve's leaving card, this is your chance. It will have to be old school [i.e. on paper!] and, ideally, no larger than A4 in size. Send your contribution to: Steve Mac's Leaving Card, c/o Martin Morgan, Syndication & Production Administrator, Egmont Publishing Group, 239 Kensington High Street , London W8 6SA. Deadline for delivery is Monday, March 28th [2011 - you needed to ask?].
For reasons surpassing my comprehension, I'm currently unable to post on the official 2000AD message boards. So could some kindly reader of Vicious Imagery who can post there please cut and paste this message up for others to see? Spread the word! Do it now, Earthlets.
Clutch Cargo - with his pals Spinner and Paddlefoot Pt. 3
Weirder and weirder. Not sure this is good science, however!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Clutch Cargo - with his pals Spinner and Paddlefoot Pt. 2
Stare at the mouths, Spurrier - the mouths...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Clutch Cargo - with his pals Spinner and Paddlefoot Pt.1
The most disturbing kids' cartoon ever? The mouths... The MOUTHS!!!
Finishing line beckons for marathan writing stint
Feels like I've been writing non-stop since Christmas. Obviously, the reality is a little different. I teach 2.5 days a week, get 5-6 hours sleep most nights and do enjoy a long bath. But I doubt there's been more than a handful of non-teaching days since Christmas when I haven't been writing [plenty of teaching days too, first thing].
Most weekdays and every weekend have been about writing, writing and more writing. What's been occupying all my time? Computer strategy game Fate of the World is a hearty chunk of that. Wrote 6000 words for that last weekend alone, as the final push is on before the game launches its full version. [A beta version is already out there.]
CBeebies science show Nina and the Neurons has also loomed large. I've completed at least a first draft for four of my five eps, and some second drafts too. A more first draft to come, and plenty of rewrites as well. I've little more than a newborn writer when it comes to capturing the preschool style of Nina, but I hope to be crawl soon.
I've also returned to writing comics for the first time in two years. My 41st script for the Phantom is written to first draft and needs a thorough polish before I submit it to my editor, Ulf. Took a while to get back up to speed, but teaching postgrads about writing for graphic fiction every Friday afternoon has been a useful reminder.
All things being equal, I should be signed off on most of these commitments next week. Suspect I'll need a day or two of drooling in a corner before I recall what the outside world looks like. [Most weekends of time the only time I've left the house in daylight have been supermarket trips. Live to shop, shop to live - that's my motto.]
But right now, March is looking relatively deadline free. There are lots of things I need to progress, most of which have been shoved aside to hit deliveries for Fate of the World and Nina. I'm working with a London director on a short film project that needs a new draft, but that's a writing for fun project rather than paying work.
I've got half a dozen ideas for Doctors story of the day pitches waiting to be written up and submitted. Simply haven't had the time to do any of them justice, so have been scribbling ideas into notebooks, thus justifying my stationery fetish/addiction. Found one on the computer yesterday I'd written a week earlier and since forgotten!
Plus there's the small matter of my new calling card script which got shoved aside last August to write my 3rd Doctors ep. It's been sat waiting for my return ever since, but the game and Nina and teaching and everything else have taken priority. I need to get my new script the attention it deserves, so that's a March job too.
One good thing that arises from being so insanely busy: you don't have time to spend much money. I even got a tax refund last month [my first ever, I suspect] and it's been sat in my bank account ever since, waiting for its moment. Come March, I might get to shop for things other than food and essentials. In the meantime - onwards!
Most weekdays and every weekend have been about writing, writing and more writing. What's been occupying all my time? Computer strategy game Fate of the World is a hearty chunk of that. Wrote 6000 words for that last weekend alone, as the final push is on before the game launches its full version. [A beta version is already out there.]
CBeebies science show Nina and the Neurons has also loomed large. I've completed at least a first draft for four of my five eps, and some second drafts too. A more first draft to come, and plenty of rewrites as well. I've little more than a newborn writer when it comes to capturing the preschool style of Nina, but I hope to be crawl soon.
I've also returned to writing comics for the first time in two years. My 41st script for the Phantom is written to first draft and needs a thorough polish before I submit it to my editor, Ulf. Took a while to get back up to speed, but teaching postgrads about writing for graphic fiction every Friday afternoon has been a useful reminder.
All things being equal, I should be signed off on most of these commitments next week. Suspect I'll need a day or two of drooling in a corner before I recall what the outside world looks like. [Most weekends of time the only time I've left the house in daylight have been supermarket trips. Live to shop, shop to live - that's my motto.]
But right now, March is looking relatively deadline free. There are lots of things I need to progress, most of which have been shoved aside to hit deliveries for Fate of the World and Nina. I'm working with a London director on a short film project that needs a new draft, but that's a writing for fun project rather than paying work.
I've got half a dozen ideas for Doctors story of the day pitches waiting to be written up and submitted. Simply haven't had the time to do any of them justice, so have been scribbling ideas into notebooks, thus justifying my stationery fetish/addiction. Found one on the computer yesterday I'd written a week earlier and since forgotten!
Plus there's the small matter of my new calling card script which got shoved aside last August to write my 3rd Doctors ep. It's been sat waiting for my return ever since, but the game and Nina and teaching and everything else have taken priority. I need to get my new script the attention it deserves, so that's a March job too.
One good thing that arises from being so insanely busy: you don't have time to spend much money. I even got a tax refund last month [my first ever, I suspect] and it's been sat in my bank account ever since, waiting for its moment. Come March, I might get to shop for things other than food and essentials. In the meantime - onwards!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Best wishes to all those affected by NZ earthquake
Christchurch Cathedral before the earthquake...
...and Christchurch Cathedral after today's earthquake.There's been another big earthquake near Christchurch, one of New Zealand's major cities. At least 65 people are dead, hundreds more are still trapped as I type these words. It got walloped last September, but that tremor hit in the night and nobody died at the time. Today's shake hit during the day and the results are devastating.
If you want to do something, donate at New Zealand's Red Cross website. If that site's jammed, donate via the Salvation Army of New Zealand site and specify your money is for the ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’. Minimum is a fiver - you can spare that, can't you?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Genius: Masterchef judge's surprising sexual preference
John Torode wants to taste pea. I think he means pea. If not - dodgy!
Love 70s American comics? Then you should be reading...
...The Bronze Age of Blogs, which [rather cheekily] posts big chunks of those cheesy delights online. I grew up reading 1970s comics [yes, I'm that old, stop rolling your eyes, creep], so this is perfect me. It's great. Hell, there's even a chance to savour the Marvel Comics Super Special #1 starring KISS. See Latveria and die, dudes! Enjoy...
Shearman vs Mantel vs Fischer et al: literary cage-match!
Pleased as punch to see the lovely Robert Shearman among 20 scribes up for the 2011 Sunday Time Short Story Award. Apparently the world's biggest cash prize for short fiction, the longlist features some big names from the world of writing like Hiilary Mantel, Susan Hill, Sarah Hall and an old favourite author of mine, Tibor Fischer.
Contrary to the urgings of my warped imagination, the winner will not be settled by bouts of naked wrestling in front of a roaring fire. Instead five judges [Melvyn Bragg, AS Byatt, Will Self and two more] are choosing their favourite from the 20 stories on the longlist. Shame, I think my version would definitely make the evening news.
Best of luck, Rob!
Contrary to the urgings of my warped imagination, the winner will not be settled by bouts of naked wrestling in front of a roaring fire. Instead five judges [Melvyn Bragg, AS Byatt, Will Self and two more] are choosing their favourite from the 20 stories on the longlist. Shame, I think my version would definitely make the evening news.
Best of luck, Rob!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
That Dunedin Sound: She Speeds by Straitjacket Fits
Straitjacket Fits were part of Flying Nun's second [or possibly third] wave. A less low-fi sound, but still great melodies. The band helped inspire my first comic strip series, for which artist Roger Langridge never gets enough praise. Anyway, enjoy the tune!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
That Dunedin Sound: Pink Frost by The Chills
Yet another Flying Nun band, The Chills had their first NZ hit with this uptempo yet mournful single in the mid-80s. They had some success on the UK indie scene too. Other top tunes by The Chills: Rolling Moon, Doledrums, I Love My Leather Jacket. Enjoy...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
That Dunedin Sound: Pyromaniac by The Verlaines
Another 1980s favourite from New Zealand's rightly revered Flying Nun label. Another great Verlaines track is Death and the Maiden, all about sundry philosphers. Strangely, the chorus sounds like a Bad Manners song. [No, me neither.] Anyways, enjoy.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
That Dunedin Sound: Tally Ho by The Clean
I sometimes mutter that new bands resemble the Dunedin Sound to my ears. That was the catch-all name slapped on New Zealand bands from the South Island in the early 1980s, mostly signed to Flying Nun Records. Here's a classic example, The Clean's Tally Ho.
Monday, February 14, 2011
It's Iolaus from Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess!
Much loved early 1980s NZ anthem, featuring appearance by actor Michael Hurst, now best known for starring as Iolaus in the his TV series Hercules, and Xena: Warrior Princess. He now does lots of directing, including various episodes of Spartacus.
A Valentine's Day treat for you...
Love Cake trailer from Aldo Palumbo on Vimeo.
This is the trailer for a forthcoming short film written by a fellow Screen Academy Scotland alumni, Mandy Lee. Seems to feature half the cast of last week's River City. Directed by the lovely Eleanor Yule. Enjoy...Friday, February 11, 2011
NSFW: Captain America - F**k Yeah!
Marvel Comics hero Captain America will be coming to a multiplex near you this summer. Some scamp has put the theme tune from distinctively blue puppet movie Team America over the top of the Captain America trailer. Very NSFW, but near Genius Video status too.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Genius: Playmobil Joy Division perform 'Transmission'
Shame this doesn't manage to replicate Ian Curtis's unique dancing. Otherwise, feckin' ace.
NSFW: Help the Mutha****in' Aged, Jarvis Cocker & Ali G
Not exactly Glee, but here's a classic mash-up. Keep off the crack!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Guns have a lot more bullets these days...
Superbowl trailer for my new favourite US TV drama, Justified. Second season starts any day across the Atlantic. Round here we'll be waiting for the box set. In the meantime - you show 'em how it's done, Raylan!
Groovin: Charles Bradley, The World is Going Up in Flames
You can download this song, free and legal, from here.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Peel's Festive Fifty: 27 years of No. 27 [well, almost]
Every year the great British radio DJ John Peel broadcast a rundown of his listener's favourite tracks, known as the Festive 50. Mostly it was the favourite tracks of that year, on a few occasions it was their all-time favourite tracks. Peel complained about the dominance of white boys with guitars, but that's British rock and pop for you.
In classic work avoidance mode, I decided to compile a playlist of 27 tracks from the rundown, all of which got voted in at number 27. [In case you hadn't guessed, 27 is my lucky number.] I found a website with comprehensive listings and set to work. Peel was right - even down at number 27, there's a lot of white boys with guitars on this list.
1978 - Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
1979 – Jam - Strange Town
1980 – Stiff Little Fingers - Wasted Life
Hmm, cracking start. Can't say that Wasted Life is anywhere near the best song by the Stiff Little Fingers [a band perhaps best known now for getting a big fat plug in film of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, starring John Cusack]. Still, that would explain why it was down at #27 on the Festive 50 for 1980. Moving swiftly on...
1981 – Killing Joke - Requiem
1982 – The Clash - Know Your Rights
1982 – Scritti Politti - The 'Sweetest' Girl
In 1982 Peel apparently had both his Festive Fifty for that year, and an All-Time Festive Fifty. I wasn't going to include both, but I remain besotted by Scritti Politti after nearly 30 years so The 'Sweetest Girl' got included on my list. Killing Joke's Requiem is a brilliant dirge. Embarrassingly, I didn't know Know Your Rights.
1983 - Sisters of Mercy - Alice
1984 – Very Things - The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes
1985 – Cure – In Between Days
Alice isn't on iTunes, so I went for #28 - Peppermint Pig by the Cocteau Twins [very Peel-esque]. In-Between Days by the Cure is class, even if New Order did grumble about it sounding a big familiar. As for The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes, what a great title for a song. Or, possibly, an episode of The Archers by David Lynch.
1986 – Age of Chance - Bible Of The Beats
1987 – Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
1988 - The Fall - Kurious Oranj
Annoyingly, Bible of the Beats by Age of Chance doesn't seem to be on iTunes, so my playlist needed its second bit of cheating. I substituted the band's cover of Kiss, which was #2 on the Festive Fifty in 1986. Paid in Full is still great, quarter of a century later. 1988 offers the only track by The Fall on this list [Peel loved them].
1989 - New Order - Vanishing Point
1990 - Lush - Sweetness And Light
1991 - Smashing Pumpkins – Siva
1989 is pretty much the last hurrah for New Order, a 1980s band who always sound futuristic and classic at the same time. I didn't know Lush, but this absolutely sounds like 1990. Apparently the 1991 list wasn't broadcast until years later, as Peel got in a grump about its predictability. Still, Smashing Pumpkins are rocking it.
1992 - Pond - Young Splendour
1993 - Tindersticks - Raindrops
1994 - Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World
Suspect this is when I stopped buying much new music. Pond passed me by at the time, but Young Splendour is okay in a sub-REM way. The Sopranos featured one or two great Tindersticks tracks - Raindrops sounds vaguely Nick Cave to me. Nirvana go unplugged for a David Bowie cover. Far from polished but rather good, none the less.
1995 - Pulp - Disco 2000
1996 - Dick Dale - Nitrous
1997 - Delgados - Pull The Wires From The Wall
Disco 2000 is class in a glass. Can't say I've ever heard of Dick Dale, this sounds like something from a Quentin Tarantino film soundtrack [particularly if he ever does a remake of Surf Nazis Must Die]. After the super-urgent garage band rockabilly of Dick Dale, The Delgados are a bit twee. Is this shoegazing? Mumblecore? It's okay.
1998 - Clinic - Monkey On Your Back
1999 - Super Furry Animals - Turning Tide
2000 – Laura Cantrell – Two Seconds
This is becoming a real journey into the unknown. Clinic? Sorry, never heard of them either. Very Dunedin sound - would have worked fine on Flying Nun Records. Super Furry Animals, are they still going? This is very Pink Floyd [yawn]. On to Laura Cantrell - blimey, it's some actual country [or possibly western]. A nice change of pace.
2000 - My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise
2001 - Lift To Experience - These are the days
2002 - The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
2000 had another All-Time list, but iTunes doesn't have You Made Me Realise so I went for #28, Transmission by Joy Division [another Peel fave]. Can't say I know Lift to Experience, but These are the days isn't bad at all. Never had much time for the White Stripes, but Fell In Love With a Girl certainly doesn't outstay its welcome.
And that's my 27 years of number 27s. In case anyone's still reading, Peel did one more Festive Fifty in 2003, before his untimely death in October the following year. So, what was number 27 in 2003? Porn Shoes by The French, of course [how could you forget that?]. Rather nifty if deliberately twee at the same time. Worth a listen.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should point out Peel did lists in 1976 and 1977. I started my listed of #27s in 1978 because the 1977 list seems to have stopped at number 13, plus Ian Dury got things off with a band. The 1976 list did have a #27 - it was Pickin' the Blues by Grinderswitch [nope, me neither]. So now you know.
In classic work avoidance mode, I decided to compile a playlist of 27 tracks from the rundown, all of which got voted in at number 27. [In case you hadn't guessed, 27 is my lucky number.] I found a website with comprehensive listings and set to work. Peel was right - even down at number 27, there's a lot of white boys with guitars on this list.
1978 - Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
1979 – Jam - Strange Town
1980 – Stiff Little Fingers - Wasted Life
Hmm, cracking start. Can't say that Wasted Life is anywhere near the best song by the Stiff Little Fingers [a band perhaps best known now for getting a big fat plug in film of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, starring John Cusack]. Still, that would explain why it was down at #27 on the Festive 50 for 1980. Moving swiftly on...
1981 – Killing Joke - Requiem
1982 – The Clash - Know Your Rights
1982 – Scritti Politti - The 'Sweetest' Girl
In 1982 Peel apparently had both his Festive Fifty for that year, and an All-Time Festive Fifty. I wasn't going to include both, but I remain besotted by Scritti Politti after nearly 30 years so The 'Sweetest Girl' got included on my list. Killing Joke's Requiem is a brilliant dirge. Embarrassingly, I didn't know Know Your Rights.
1983 - Sisters of Mercy - Alice
1984 – Very Things - The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes
1985 – Cure – In Between Days
Alice isn't on iTunes, so I went for #28 - Peppermint Pig by the Cocteau Twins [very Peel-esque]. In-Between Days by the Cure is class, even if New Order did grumble about it sounding a big familiar. As for The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes, what a great title for a song. Or, possibly, an episode of The Archers by David Lynch.
1986 – Age of Chance - Bible Of The Beats
1987 – Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
1988 - The Fall - Kurious Oranj
Annoyingly, Bible of the Beats by Age of Chance doesn't seem to be on iTunes, so my playlist needed its second bit of cheating. I substituted the band's cover of Kiss, which was #2 on the Festive Fifty in 1986. Paid in Full is still great, quarter of a century later. 1988 offers the only track by The Fall on this list [Peel loved them].
1989 - New Order - Vanishing Point
1990 - Lush - Sweetness And Light
1991 - Smashing Pumpkins – Siva
1989 is pretty much the last hurrah for New Order, a 1980s band who always sound futuristic and classic at the same time. I didn't know Lush, but this absolutely sounds like 1990. Apparently the 1991 list wasn't broadcast until years later, as Peel got in a grump about its predictability. Still, Smashing Pumpkins are rocking it.
1992 - Pond - Young Splendour
1993 - Tindersticks - Raindrops
1994 - Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World
Suspect this is when I stopped buying much new music. Pond passed me by at the time, but Young Splendour is okay in a sub-REM way. The Sopranos featured one or two great Tindersticks tracks - Raindrops sounds vaguely Nick Cave to me. Nirvana go unplugged for a David Bowie cover. Far from polished but rather good, none the less.
1995 - Pulp - Disco 2000
1996 - Dick Dale - Nitrous
1997 - Delgados - Pull The Wires From The Wall
Disco 2000 is class in a glass. Can't say I've ever heard of Dick Dale, this sounds like something from a Quentin Tarantino film soundtrack [particularly if he ever does a remake of Surf Nazis Must Die]. After the super-urgent garage band rockabilly of Dick Dale, The Delgados are a bit twee. Is this shoegazing? Mumblecore? It's okay.
1998 - Clinic - Monkey On Your Back
1999 - Super Furry Animals - Turning Tide
2000 – Laura Cantrell – Two Seconds
This is becoming a real journey into the unknown. Clinic? Sorry, never heard of them either. Very Dunedin sound - would have worked fine on Flying Nun Records. Super Furry Animals, are they still going? This is very Pink Floyd [yawn]. On to Laura Cantrell - blimey, it's some actual country [or possibly western]. A nice change of pace.
2000 - My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise
2001 - Lift To Experience - These are the days
2002 - The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
2000 had another All-Time list, but iTunes doesn't have You Made Me Realise so I went for #28, Transmission by Joy Division [another Peel fave]. Can't say I know Lift to Experience, but These are the days isn't bad at all. Never had much time for the White Stripes, but Fell In Love With a Girl certainly doesn't outstay its welcome.
And that's my 27 years of number 27s. In case anyone's still reading, Peel did one more Festive Fifty in 2003, before his untimely death in October the following year. So, what was number 27 in 2003? Porn Shoes by The French, of course [how could you forget that?]. Rather nifty if deliberately twee at the same time. Worth a listen.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should point out Peel did lists in 1976 and 1977. I started my listed of #27s in 1978 because the 1977 list seems to have stopped at number 13, plus Ian Dury got things off with a band. The 1976 list did have a #27 - it was Pickin' the Blues by Grinderswitch [nope, me neither]. So now you know.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Get Frank Drebin to sing anthem at 2012 Superbowl
Couldn't be any worse [or accurate] than Christina Aguilera's yodelling.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Justified, but not ancient: Elmore Leonard's TV gem
Just finished watching the first season of US TV drama Justified on DVD boxset. [It is broadcast in the UK, but on a channel I can't get. Sigh.] What a great show. Wry, heartfelt, funny, surprising, dramatic, and more. Season two starts next week in America on FX. If you like cop shows, westerns, or good TV drama, I suggest giving Justified a try. Onwards!
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Respect Due: former 2000AD editor Steve MacManus
Photograph © Steve Cook - http://www.alternity.co.uk/Since iconic British weekly comic 2000AD launched in 1977, it's only had nine or ten editors. [One of two found themselves doing the job without ever officially having the title.] Current incumbent Matt Smith [no, not the actor from Doctor Who - another Matt Smith] recently became the longest serving editor in the 34-year history of 2000AD.
But the person his tenure surpassed is one of the most important and unsung heroes of British comics: Steve MacManus. Now, that's merely my opinion and I'm biased because Steve gave me my first job in comics and was my mentor while I learned how to edit sequential narrative. But here's some supporting evidence [your mileage may vary].
Steve took over as editor circa Prog 100, probably around Christmas 1978, where the comic was in trouble. The weekly anthology was under close close scrutiny from the management at its publisher, IPC. A recent merger with Starlord comic had given 2000AD a boost in terms of content and creators, but British comics were struggling.
Over the next eight years and 400 issues the self-proclaimed greatest comic in the galaxy would earn that accolade with a golden age of brilliant stories and stunning art. Many of those elements were already in place when Steve arrived, but the title was misfiring due to behind the scenes power struggles and creative tensions.
Steve brought stability and savvy to the comic. Recognising the talents he had available, Steve adopted an editorial policy of employing the best people available and enabling them to do their best work. The results were stunning, a brilliant array of stories and art that hasn't been surpassed since in my humble opinion.
Writers like Wagner, Mills, Grant and Alan Moore blossomed. New scribes such as Grant Morrison and Peter Milligan emerged. Great artists like Gibbons, Gibson, Bolland and McMahon did some of their finest work in this period on 2000AD. Amazing new talents like Simon Bisley, Glenn Fabry and Steve Dillon were nurtured in the comic.
You want great strips and characters? Try Halo Jones. Rogue Trooper. Judge Death. Fiends of the Eastern Front. Nemesis the Warlock. Slaine. Ace Trucking. DR & Quinch. Bad Company - and many, many more. 2000AD has had its moments since that majestic run that stretched from 1979-1986 under Steve's leadership, but none so long or great.
The fact that 2000AD is still going today, 25 years later, is in no small part due to Steve's time as editor. The creators get the glory for the amazing work they did at the time and have gone on to do since, but editors like Steve rarely get the kudos they deserve for the long hours and commitment they put into their jobs.
By now you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. Such praise normally gets saved for a person's eulogy, when they aren't around to hear how much other people value them. Happily, that isn't the case with Steve, who's still going strong. His direct association with 2000AD ended when the weekly was sold in the year 2000.
Oxford-based games developer Rebellion bought the Galaxy's greatest comic from Egmont. Steve stayed at Egmont, continuing an unbroken stint in editorial that stretched back to 1974. But in April this year he's moving on in pursuit of other opportunities. So I thought it was worth showing Steve some respect for all he did at 2000AD.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
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