Rob Wickings's Blog, page 12
August 12, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 28
Summer’s back! Well, at least for a bit. We’re maybe two weeks away from the August Bank Holiday, then all of a sudden the days will start closing in and the leaves will drop and you take a breath and it’s Autumn. Some of the pubs near me are already advertising their Christmas menus. Who knows where the time goes…
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Shipping Out by David Foster Wallace, also known as A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again. One of the great pieces of longform journalism, recently alluded to by Lauren Oyler in her extraordinary article on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Cruise (linked in a previous Swipe).
Rob is watching…
A ten minute film on how Hokusai Pencil Co in Japan mass-produce their stock. Calming, restorative, fascinating.
Rob is listening…
To Kieran Hebden’s never-ending Spotify playlist. You may know him better as Four Tet. This thing is 171 hours long and still growing. Think of it as a kind of musical diary/scratch pad. Dip in and out as you choose, or leave it running in the background as the soundtrack to a long weekend. There’s a lot of goodness in here…
Rob is eating…
Bean-hole beans, like a Canadian logger at the dawn of the 20th century.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Orange cars. They just seem to be everywhere this week, cheering up my commute. The low-slung sunshiny wedge of the MG4. That citrus pop from the rare but gorgeous version of the Ford Focus. I even saw a motor that looked very much like a Tango-flavoured Lamborghini. I don’t understand why people refuse the allure of a brightly-coloured car. Why just settle for battleship grey when you can own a ride which you can always spot in the car-park?
I love a wander in the Lake District. I love a well-made sandwich. This lovely piece by Craig Mod combines the two. Honestly, it’s laser-targeted at my interests.
Turn-on was, for a long while following its abortive launch, a myth—the great white whale of TV comedy. Too wild to survive in the mainstream, in an era where it was the networks or nothing. The e discovery of a lost episode has archive buffs (like me) buzzing with excitement. Let’s flip the switch!
UPA was one of the great animation studios, and its influence continues to echo down the decades. Modern cartoons still owe a debt to innovators like Robert Cannon and John Hubley. Their stripped-back, vibe-heavy style still looks contemporary. Take a look!
The TARDIS is, I’d argue, the star of Doctor Who. Home, transport, refuge, companion. It also changes costume as often as the Time Lord, changing to fit the times. The new interior is, according to returning show-runner Russell T. Davies, the biggest and best yet. I can’t wait.
This is a neat little distraction. See if you can find all 13 crime novels hidden in this short tale of detection. I did it, but it took me a while…
The Swipe is, as I’ve often reminded you, a product of lockdown boredom. My pal Ryan Morris took the same need to create in a void and built his own Taskmaster. It took him two years to make two episodes. They are both worth your time. I’m linking to the second one—I think it’s the better of the two (Ryan agrees) and for SEO reasons, it has less than a fifth of the views of the first. Also, there’s a special surprise guest to watch out for…
Chris Godfrey in The Guardian attempts eight recipes from The Bear for a dinner party. Needless to say, he’s over-reaching. It looks like a great idea, and TLC is keen for me to try it. Just… not all at once, eh?
In the ‘comics do it better’ corner, a fine example of the healing power of the Ninth Art. Burned out with reading? Try a comic or two!
Swans have a new album out. The Beggar is their usual flavour of Zen noise epicness. Michael Gira has done plenty of press in support of the record, but I was drawn to this interview for Guitar World, which focuses on his approach to the creation of the music. Typically, Mr. Gira does not make it easy on himself.
Last up, check out this brilliantly-made overview of cooking videos, from James Beard and Julia Child to today’s hyper-speed TikTok breakdowns. As with written recipes, your mileage will vary as to how much your dinner will look like theirs. Nevertheless, it’s cleverly done.
I cannot get enough of this new track from Dan Auerbach. There’s some sly bits of musical appropriation going on—from the sitar drone you hear at the start of Canned Heat’s ‘On The Road Again’ to the fuzz riff that Norman Greenbaum would like a word about, to the central riff which is certainly in the neighbourhood of ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’. Doesn’t matter. It all works beautifully in the support of an easy-struttin’ groove which is the perfect soundtrack for summer. This is a good one, I can feel it in my bones.
See you in seven, true believers.
August 5, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 27
Our greenhouse full of tomatoes is starting to bear fruit. I go out every morning now, checking to see if the little sweethearts will detatch neatly from the vine, or if they need a little longer. The scent on my fingers as I dig and pull is amazing: heady, heavy, dense and bright all at once. I’m growing four different varieties, including a dark purple plant called Chocolate Cherry which is a flavour bomb. Wish I could say the same for the cucumbers, which are all flower and nothing for the salad bowl. Blame the weird weather.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Aconie’s Bees by Jessica Reisman, an Analog Analytical Laboratories finalist. When in doubt, pay attention to the bees.
Rob is watching…
This extraordinary clip of interviewees in a pub on the night before drink-driving rules come into play. Attitudes change after seemingly restrictive legislation is enacted, and quickly, as people realise simple common sense is at the core of the rule change. You’ll always get pushback, though. ULEZ and LTN advocates should take heart. You’re on the winning side.
Rob is listening…
to Biffy Clyro. I first came across them in 2005 at my first Reading Festival, when they opened the main stage with fire and thunder. They pop on and off my radar with metronomic regularity, but a deeper dive this week showed me there’s a lot to like about the feisty Kilmarnock-born threesome.
Rob is eating…
Hot dogs, Chicago style. We don’t do ketchup round here. Still not clear on what constitutes a sport pepper, though. Or how you’d get hold of them in the UK.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
The logo for South Western Railways, which strongly features an arrow pointing north-east. I get that design is a tricky and convoluted business, but why would anyone sign off on branding which has a key element directly opposite to the name of your business? Please, someone, explain it to me…
I’m wary about throwing a piece as dense, complex and thoughtful as Brian Phillips’s piece for the Ringer on Oppenheimer into pole position. But it’s just so good. A wide ranging amble around quantum physics, storytelling and the cinema experience which plays its own little game with narrative structure. Pay attention to the numbers. They’re important.
Theory Will Only Take You So Far
Heartbreaking and cheering all at once, this portrait of guitarist Vini Reilly will hopefully send you down a streaming hole to check out some of his music. I discovered him when he was working with Morrissey for Viva Hate. Yeah, I know. Back then it was OK. Play Suedehead, then move on.
The Best Guitarist In The World
A piece about obsession, the urge to collect and getting in over your head. Sometimes you choose the task, sometimes the task chooses you. I love the images. They’re miles away from your average PowerPoint presentation.
Design, as I pointed out with the South Western Railways logo above, is a tricky business. A product or campaign which seems like a total win in the office will have every flaw and weak point mercilessly exploited as soon as it’s released into the wild. Any plan lasts as long as first contact with the enemy. That great quote from William Gibson comes to mind.
The Street Finds Its Own Uses For Things
Another long one. Look, it’s a rainy weekend, I’m just trying to help out here. Jamie Brooks takes a hard look at the future of music and the end of the era of the recording artist. I often wonder where we go from here—so much modern music sounds like rehashes of material I was familiar with when I was a youth, and the cycle seems to be tightening. There’s a resurgence in nu-metal, ferchrissakes.
Let’s have a quick lesson in film theory, helpfully illustrated with examples from the master of the low angle, Quentin Tarantino. Trust me, this is more accessible than I’m making it sound.
The fonts and typefaces of Akira. That’s it. That’s the link.
It seems I can’t post a link about Oppenheimer without including one about Barbie—the two films are entangled at the quantum level. This one is a doozy, though. The Pink Movie has become a litmus test for relationships, based on the boyfriend’s reaction to it, and in particular America Ferreira’s big speech.
I think you’re all aware of my political and moral stance by now. To the list of crimes I’ve committed as a tofu-eating, Guardian reading wokerati, you can now include my cocktail of choice. Who knew I was such an open book? Maybe I should just leave it all behind and have a Love & Murder instead…
Dan Amira is a striking writer trying to find tasks to fill his time. He has chosen a very special rabbit hole down which to disappear. The whole thread just gets funnier the longer it gets. Five Guys, of course, does not count.
Just when you thought I’d run a whole chapter without any Ninth Art content, I pull it back at the last minute. I insist you read this interview with indie comic creator Dean Haspiel, and urge your participation in his latest Kickstarter. I really wanna read Billy Dogma And Jane Legit.
I’m certain I’ve wrapped things up with the stunning voice of Minnie Riperton before. But dammit, Les Fleurs is a song which gets me every time it pops up on the stream. As the garden goes into overdrive with the hard dose of rain we’ve had lately, the tune seems even more appropriate.
See you in seven, true believers.
July 29, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 26
Lurgy central at Swipe Manor this week. Probably a viral load delivered while being amongst crowds of people in That London. Oh well, a price worth paying for a great weekend—Diamond League athletics, an incredible meal at The Ivy in Canary Wharf (don’t listen to the haters, the Ivy Collection does great, affordable food with lovely service) and, although we didn’t Barbieheimer, it was cheering to see all the pink-clad youth out in force at the Vue in Westfield Stratford. Let’s hope the actors and writers can get the studios back around the table before this rare green shoot of growth chokes out.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Azimuth in 2000AD. The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic is on a creative roll right now, playful and experimental in a way you can only really try in a weekly format. The strip in question, by Dan Abnett and Tamil Bettin, seemed to be a baroque, dense exploration of a post-human future. Then last week it took an abrupt heel turn and revealed its true intentions, reintroducing a fan favourite. A beautifully crafted bait-and-switch.
Rob is watching…
Instructions on how to build a fractal chair. This is the sort of YouTubery which will happily eat up an afternoon if I let it. Any video featuring meticulous drilling and precision saw work is my jam (perhaps because in real life I’m so very bad at it). Kudos for the huge amount of time and effort spent building a ridiculously over-engineered, cumbersome and not very comfy looking piece of furniture.
Rob is listening…
To Sinéad O’Connor. We never deserved her.
Rob is eating…
Nigella’s Lasagne Of Love. Not just because it’s a great recipe, or because pal Kelly did such a great job of making it this week.
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/lasagne-of-love
But also because of this…
Can confirm a fanboi squee happened.Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Hotel buffet toasters, which take no longer than domestic versions to brown and crisp a slice of white sliced, but somehow feel absurdly slow and painful to use.
If you’re sick of what your country is and seems to stand for, you can complain, agitate, become an activist—or you can just go sod it, and start your own micro-nation. In some ways it’s extremely easy, although upkeep can be an effort.
More film geekery, based around that most combustible of artistic materials—nitrate film. I sometimes come across the stuff as part of my day job. I can confirm it will go up in flames pretty easily and needs careful handling. Luckily, I don’t have to project it—that would be a stress-point too far, frankly.
Comics, sadly, suffer from the same levels of exploitation and abuse as other creative industries. When art rubs against commerce, there will always be friction and sparks. Joseph Illidge lays out the situation, and starts the conversation the Ninth Art has needed for decades.
A great, long interview with Howard Chaykin, a true one-off in the comics field. Even if you’re not a fan he’s worth listening too. Howard has a really distinctive voice. His fast-talking patter could have come straight out of a novel by Runyon or Chandler. He takes no prisoners and suffers no fools.
You need a break. Take five minutes. Have a look at this beautifully presented bit from the New York Times, pick an exercise and let the world go. Trust me. You’ll feel better.
Meditations For Uncertain Times
I hang onto clothes for a very long time, my time working for a fast fashion blog (yes, really) making me realise it was sensible to buy less but wisely, purchasing pieces which last. Recently, I finally had to clear out some cruft, taking a couple of bags to my local charity. The right thing to do, yeah? Well, maybe not…
The problem is that, with the onslaught of fast fashion, these donations are too often now another means of trash disposal—and the system can’t cope. Consider: around 62 million tons of clothing is manufactured worldwide every year, amounting to somewhere between 80 and 150 billion garments to clothe 8 billion people.
Brendan at Semi-Rad is a father now. In this hilarious bit he unpacks what that means and how things have changed for him. Spoiler—a lot.
I wake up most weekdays at 5:45am. Make of that what you will.
I’m fascinated by the conversations had around the new season of The Bear and how they have curved round to talk less about food and more about fashion. Now, I’m no clothes horse (despite the fast fashion beat mentioned above) and for the most part the simple, elegant t-shirts everyone seems to be losing their marbles over just look like t-shirts to me. The one exception—Richie’s mis-spelt Original Berf top. I want me one of those.
To finish, let me introduce you to the world’s most obnoxious academic. Yes, I know, it’s a broad field. But this guy is something else.
A rough week for popular music, as we lost both Sinéad and Tony Bennett. Tributes have been flowing, often smoothing over the rough edges of their personalities, the grit and bite which made them who they were, beginning the process of sainthood. It is, however, an excuse to indulge in the music. Here’s a show featuring Tony with one of his key collaborators, Bill Evans. It’s all the tribute he needs.
See you in seven, true believers.
July 22, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 25
A short one this week. TLC and I are off to That London for a significantly-adjacent anniversary treat. The Gods of Transit were kind and stalled a potential tube strike on the day itself. Hail to The Gods of Transit, may their fast lanes be ever free-flowing.
Anyhoo. Join NYT restaurant critic Pete Wells for lunch, get a little worried about fish and chips and yes, we have items pertaining to Barbieheimer. Finger firmly on pulse, yo.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
A Great And Terrible King by Marc Morris. I’ve become increasingly fascinated by the formative centuries of The United Kingdom. It’s an era of cruelty and creation, brutality and bravery. The struggle which gave birth to this nation was great and terrible indeed, and Marc Morris’ depiction of a key player is unflinching and clear-eyed. Edward Longshanks is just one in a line of uniquely British bastards.
Rob is watching…
The Bear Season 2. Like, duh.
Rob is listening…
To Panda Bear and Sonic Boom. Their 2022 album Reset takes the sound of The Beach Boys and fires it through a glitter cannon into the future. Heady stuff.
Rob is eating…
at The Bull on Arborfield Cross. One of those local pubs which went through rocky times over The Lockdowns, nearly closed, then came back strong. A young and enthusiastic staff and a kickass kitchen make this joint a must-go. If you’re in Reading and can drive, that is (or grab the No. 3 bus). Order the chicken wings to start, but plan to share. You get a stupidly generous portion for the price.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
The Women’s World Cup. I suspect it will become less low-key as the competition progresses. Go, Lionesses, go!
Pete Wells is the restaurant critic for the New York Times. His reputation is fair and objective reporting, which involves a certain level of anonymity. He uses credit cards which don’t have his name on them and tries to keep his face out of the press. I rate his work, fascinated by the beat he covers—one of the most culturally diverse food cities on the planet.
We pretend humans are the masters of the planet on which we live. This is absolutely not the case. There are times when it’s blatantly apparent we are being trolled.
I have on occasion run a low-key version of a perpetual stew, over the period of a week or so. The problem is not nerves at hanging onto food for that long. The problem is it all gets eaten. In an era of food poverty, as we confront the lie of the best-before date, this ancient approach feels more sensible than ever.
Speaking of food poverty. Tom Lamont’s elegy for the good old fashioned Scottish chippy fills me with sadness and a kind of dread. Fish and chips is, after all, one of my favourite meals. But the cold economic facts make it plain—it’s not a sustainable business model when energy prices and commercial rent keep spiking.
I should address the big cultural event of the weekend—the opening of two big weekend movies on opposite ends of the snob scale—Barbie and Oppenheimer. I’m not entirely convinced I want to see either (off to see Mission Impossible this weekend, which is genuinely exciting me) but you can’t deny the pull of the marketing machine pulling both films along.
Barbie, of course, contains multitudes, so I was amused by Katie Pennick’s thread of comparisons between her life and that of one very special version of the doll.
Film geekery alert! How will you be watching Oppenheimer? More precisely, how much of Oppenheimer will you be watching? Most of us, it seems, will not see the whole picture…
Last up, I am very on board with the Spanish idea of The Vermouth Hour. After last week’s post on amaros, it’s becoming clear how my tastes are skewing towards the continental. A sip of something cold and complex and a little snackie to start off the evening seems like a mighty fine habit to slip into. Who’s going to join me?
The Tiny Desk Concerts have always toyed with the notion of performance, and the way they cram major artists into a wee space is fascinating to behold. I toast whoever decided to stuff the greatest horror-monster-metal band in the universe GWAR behind the desks. It’s an utterly delightful 20 minutes, and weirdly adorable. Enjoy this. I heckin did.
And that’s it! I beg forgiveness for the truncated nature of this week’s chapter, but life has this habit of getting in the way. Hopefully, back up to full ABV next week.
See you in seven, true believers.
July 15, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 24
I’m writing this on a rainy Friday afternoon in July. It’s damp and cool, and the garden is so lush with the heavy dose of sun and water it’s received that it’s almost sagging with the weight of life. I could spin this into gloom—‘I too feel the weight of life on my shoulders’—but no-one needs that jive on the weekend. We’re off to see loved ones and celebrate being here and alive and able to dance and sing, even if it is in the rain. I hope you all get a dose of that feeling this week.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
I raved last week about John Allison’s Giant Days. A supporting character from the series, girl detective Shauna Wickle, has been given her chance to shine in a spin-off four-parter, The Great British Bump-Off. High drama and poisoning in a very familiar tent-based location. I highly recommend this.
Rob is watching…
Celestine Garcia making 3000 bagels in a normal day shift across three shops. The skill and sheer effort involved is remarkable, but as the top comment notes, Cele is very well compensated. And so he should be.
Rob is listening…
Rock Bottom by Kevin Morby. Last week’s doodoodoo lalala from Fontaines D.C. has been replaced by his neat, to-the-point BOP-BOP. Sometimes you just need a little pop of musical punctuation to break up the day.
Rob is eating…
After the link above, an everything bagel with lox and scallion cream cheese, please.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
The Thai Burger King 20-slices-of-cheese sandwich. Clickbait fodder, yes. Inedible foolishness, also yes. But the urge to find out what the darn thing tastes like is nearly unbearable. One bite. That’s all I ask for.
As we hit the final weekend of Wimbledon, I thought I’d share this brilliant bit in The Washington Post on the long rivalry-turned-friendship which evolved between two legends of the sport–Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Twists and drama aplenty, with a properly heartwarming conclusion.
There’s a bit too much truth in this short piece from Warren Ellis on time, memory and the weight of years. Again, it would be easy to slip into melancholy but hey, no, not today. Perspective is important, as is experience, and you don’t get those in the callowness of youth. Enjoy the memories—they’re souvenirs of time well spent.
Can’t say the whole Yellowstone Televised Universe has pinged my radar much. I do admire the tenacity and drive of show-creator Taylor Sheridan, who has created a huge cultural edifice from little more than sheer force of will. The shows may not be for me, but the dude gets props for what he does and how he does it.
This, in essence, is why you get The Swipe every weekend. You might think I’m just an attention-seeking narcissist with an internet addiction, (and to an extent yes, fine, rumbled), but ultimately I do this out of love. For every single one of you. Also, a very neat explanation as to why I’ve stuck with a blog. This is my gaff, with my rules, and I share love in the way I choose.
What We Blog About When We Blog About Love
A website is an act of demanding space for yourself and the people you love and constantly tending that space. It’s a way of naming: to take on a URL and courageously ask to be witnessed, visited. I understand certain sites that I frequent as continuous labors of love, whether they’re directed to a specific person or something broader. I see making websites and making in general as nothing more than a way of asking to be loved.
Chia Amisola
If this post from Scientific American doesn’t put a glimmer of starlight into your eyes then you, my friend, need to get out and look at some more art. Give yourself a reason to shine.
In which your resident negroni-head considers ways in which to up his amaro game. I always fancied trying Malōrt, even if it’s a one-and-done shot. I have tasted the fiendish liquorice concoction Salmiakki Koskenkorva, also known, for very Finnish reasons, as Grandma’s Slippers. It is as advertised. Approach with caution.
I still look back fondly on my old Motorola RAZR phone – a stylish, Star Trek adjacent flipper phone. It suited my style, and the software was lean and friendly enough to be wrangled to my liking. I really like the idea of a device you can call your own, from design to interface to personality. A machine made for you, rather than one to which you have to adapt.
Have some eye-candy. Here’s a great thread of infrastructure which looks as if it should belong in an SF movie. Or feel free to use as pics to slap in your evil genius lair moodboard.
As mentioned previously, I’m a big fan of Dave Hutchinson’s Europe books, which are set in a continent fractured by balkanisation, and the semi-legal Coureurs who carry packages through the tangled thorn-patch of borders and regimes. It turns out his vision is rising increasingly into the real world. Be careful what you imagine.
This week’s Swipe was, for various reasons, swerving towards a kind of self-indulgent dolor. Whether I’m really feeling that way or the links and songs the universe has offered up have slid the chapter into that direction is a matter for further contemplation. It’s been a bumpy few weeks, that’s for certain. But I think it’s important to recognize a signal from the aether. In this case, though, the right decision is not to take it too seriously. It’s all too easy to get gloomy. It’s more sensible to acknowledge the feeling and the reasons for it and take the lesson you need from it. This week’s Outro makes the point more clearly than I’m apparently able to. Take a load off.
See you in seven, true believers.
July 8, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 23
I joined Threads this week, along with, at the last count, 70 million other people. It’s kinda fascinating to see a new social media vector take off quite so quickly. Sign up is incredibly easy (which helps the speed of adoption), and it’s a lot of fun being around a lot of new folks, all finding their feet at the same time. I guess it shows how sick a lot of us have got with Twitter.
What sort of place will Threads be? Well, that largely depends on us. The keyword a lot of the app-runners are using is kindness. We as users have to facilitate that in our interactions. Resist the temptation to yell at complete strangers if they say something we don’t agree with. It takes a tiny bit more effort to be nice—but it’s worth that few seconds of thought. Take your thumbs off the keyboard momentarily and think. If you wouldn’t say it to someone in a pub, don’t say it on the socials. Trust me, we’ll all have a much better time of it.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Medea of Euripides, as part of the summer schedule at Reading Writers. I vetoed Watership Down for this. Would do so again.
Rob is watching…
This remarkable short, featuring special effects guru Simon Weisse, on the enduring popularity of miniatures in movie-making. Keeping it real!
While we’re on the subject, Adam Stockhausen, production designer on Wes Anderson’s latest, Asteroid City, breaks down the process of how the beautifully detailed environments in the film came together. It’s a lot of work, to put it mildly.
Rob is listening…
to The Dictators. Sadly sidelined proto-punk outfit who, frankly, slap and continue to do so. The definition of rock and roll survivors who played with everyone back in the day. They should have been massive. They still can be. Submit.
Rob is eating…
Courgettes. Oh gods, so many courgettes.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
The cosplay at this year’s Florida Supercon in Miami. The invention, imagination and craft on display is utterly mind boggling. Hit the slideshow and scroll baby scroll. 141 is my personal favorite.
Those of us with enough years under our belts will remember Vincent Price not just as a master of horror, but a bon viveur and cook. It was a little jarring to see Dr. Phibes speaking eloquently and passionately about food and wine, but his grace and dry sense of humor soon won us over. The chicken curry described in this bit from The American Bystander sounds properly nurturing.
The Healing Power Of Vincent Price’s Chicken Curry
Thanks to my mum and dad, I am a big fan of prog monoliths Yes, particularly the epic one-two of The Yes Album and Fragile. I can pretty much sing along to all the solos. A key part of their fast rise was keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, who leveraged a burgeoning career as a session musician into massive stardom, creating some of the most delightfully bonkers rock moments of the seventies. He’s still playing, and still a delight. Grab your cloak and skate with me.
The Untold Story Of The Wizard Of Prog
The story of how Oscar-winning animation Monro was made is almost as much fun as the film. Building a cartoon may seem easy compared with the vast military operation that is your average film set, but there is another, equally daunting set of challenges to overcome.
Friend of the blog Kelly made sure this interview with the brilliant Alison Bechdel pinged my radar. It’s slightly annoying that all interviewers want to talk about her titular test. It’s a handy metric to see how a script skews in terms of the simplest level of inclusivity but, as Alison makes clear, it wasn’t intended to be a serious measure at all…
A fine example of how food, or the memory of food, or the depiction of food in a film, can spark memories and nostalgic warm fuzzies. I like how this story veers around a sort of detective story, anchored by thoughts of a very fine-looking sandwich…
I am, as I’m sure I’ve bored you with previously, a big fan of comics man John Allison. He has carved a peculiarly English path which doesn’t really follow any of the well-trodden byways. He does love all aspects of comics culture, though, and somehow has managed to get away with featuring some very well-known characters in his strips. Take Giant Days, the story of three girl students and their shenanigans in Sheffield. A recent story had Esther, Daisy and Susan wrapped up in a snooker-involved plot featuring a certain dark-costumed gentleman from Gotham. More from Comicsfx, annotations for those of you who don’t get all the references, and a chance to sign up and spend a tiny spot of money on the story itself. It’s under a quid. Come on.
Giant Days X Batman annotated
I kinda like this hippy swirly stuff from my pal Xav, who is posting his 60s-light show-inspired organic art on Insta. Worth a look, especially if you’re a fan of The Pink Floyd.
A fascinating peek behind the curtain of online ads and marketing which proves something I’ve always suspected—no-one in the sector really knows what they’re doing, and the algorithm doesn’t do what you think it does.
We need to use more of these unusual punctuation marks, particularly if text-based services are the base of our online interactions. Life would be so much easier if we all had a keyboard shortcut to a sarcasm mark, doncha think?
Another example of the socio-political stance this here blog has always taken. With some extra comics commentary. Cos it’s me, innit.
While we’re on the subject, Nate Stevenson’s Nimona finally got a big Netflix adaptation. Nate, in his usual loose but hilarious fashion, comics about the experience. It’s a fun little scroll, and I’m looking forward to watching the movie.
Jackie Down The Line by Fontaines D.C. nearly made it into this week’s Low-Key Obsession (I’ve been wandering around mumbling doo doo doo la la la to myself all week) but, hey, why not, let’s boost it to The Outro. Snarky Oasis vibes colour a character study of a person you really wouldn’t want to get involved with. Very good indeed. It will slip under your skin.
See you in seven, true believers.
July 1, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 22
The family member I mentioned last week is out of hospital and on the road to recovery. Relief is not the word to describe the way I feel. I know there will be more of this stuff down the line—age has an inevitable end point, and you can’t expect the things and people you love to be around forever. But for now, at least, I can enjoy the reprieve and let the world spin on as normal.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Dave Hutchinson’s Cold Water, the latest in his Coureur series of novels. Cold War tensions meet multiversal strangeness in a fractured future Europe. Dave writes tense, sharp spy stories with genuinely innovative twists. I recommend these books if you’re a fan of Le Carre and fancy something a little different.
Rob is watching…
Rabble Theatre’s production of Henry I, performed in the ruins of Reading Abbey. Where, legend has it, the bones of young Hal are interred. Now that’s what I call site-specific. Delighted to be able to grab ticket’s for tonight’s final performance before the show goes on a short tour. Let’s hope the weather stays kind, there’s no kinda roof on the place.
Rob is listening…
to Johnny Winter. Skinny, albino, half-blind—of course he plays the blues. I’ve always loved the ferocity of tone he strangles out of that Gibson Firebird and his incredible gravelly honk of a voice. Absolutely badass.
Rob is eating…
Home-made ragu over thick ribbons of manfredine pasta. It’s been a while since I spent a couple of hours noodling over a pan of sauce, tasting and tweaking as it murmurs away. Rich, unctuous and very moreish. Of course I made enough for the fridge for an emergency weekday dinner. No point in spending all that time and effort on one meal, right?
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
This. Sorry.
Comics genius Joe Quesada recently launched a newsletter which, to no-one’s surprise, is warm, literate and funny. This edition, on how his dad helped his rise in the world of The Ninth Art, is incredibly heartwarming.
On the same kind of subject, Jeremy B. Jones’ eulogy for his grandpa has a quiet power—mirroring the kind of strength the man he writes about had. Sometimes you can take a long overview of a life and consider it well-spent even if it wasn’t filled with cannonballs and fireworks and wild adventure. Sometimes, peace and contentment is the real sign of success.
Where my calligraphy heads at? You are gonna dig this one. 16th century embellished black letter? Oh myyyy. Also, Fraktur is such a great name for a synth-pop band. BAGSY.
If an internet troll insists you ‘debate’ them on their pet issue, the smart move is to block (or better yet, mute) and move on. As the saying goes…
This year is the 45th anniversary of the launch of the Galaxy’s second-greatest comic—Starlord! Home to a couple of iconic strips in Ro-Busters, which would evolve into The ABC Warriors, and Strontium Dog. The Gutter Review examines the hard life and wild times of Johnny Alpha’s comrade-in-arms, vampire bounty-hunter Durham Red. Still appearing in the pages of 2000AD, Red is as unapologetically hardcore as ever. The girl’s gotta boogie…
Still on the Brit comic tip, Nicholas Lezard’s review of Michael Molcher’s I Am The Law reinforces the point made in the book—justice on the streets of the UK increasingly resembles that dispensed by the Mega-City Judges. If you’re not worried, you should be. Rishi Sunak’s invocation of Immediate Justice has Dredd’s fingerprints all over it.
More comics. Not sorry. Here’s a great interview with fumetti master Howard Payton. Chances are you’ve come across his work, especially if you read romance comics back in the day.
Language, as we never tire of mentioning in The Swipe, is an evolving entity, mutating to match the times and needs of the user. Check the way the people of South Florida are mashing Spanish inflections into English. Like it’s not complicated enough to learn already.
The Little Lytton is a celebration of the all-important first sentance in a piece of fiction. More specifically, it’s enjoying the moment when it doesn’t perform as expected. There are some delightful car-crashes on display. Read and learn, people, read and learn by bad example.
Sometimes, it’s worth letting your audience know where you stand on certain hot-button issues. I therefore go on record as offering a strong approve to every line of the following article. Line in sand drawn.
Lastly, let’s ease into the weekend with an hour of easy entertainment from Programme 4. Think a Rat-Packy, Sunset-Strip version of the kind of pastiche Peter Serafinowicz, Robert Popper and Matt Berry do so well. This is how TV should be. See you at Ramon’s Venetian Rooms.
I am well behind the curve when it comes to the world of modern pop. I try to stay informed but end up with a sense of underwhelm-ment. There are exceptions, happily. I’m delighted to see new work from Olivia Rodrigo, who I thought was a standout at Glastonbury last year. The new single is a doozy—great dramatic build and some wild skews in tone. The promo is great too.
See you in seven, true believers.
June 24, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 21
Slightly nervous this week as a beloved family member goes into hospital. I’m assured all is going well but still, yannow, a guy worries. I’ll try not to let the fear of mortality and the ever-ticking clock that counts the seconds of our lives get in the way of a cheery discourse.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
The Book Of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate. A great mix of history, interview and practical instruction. I’m not sure ownership of this one volume would give you all the tools you need to become a working practitioner of magic but it could certainly set you on the path. A fascinating look at some of England’s secret, dark history.
Rob is watching…
This is how different parts of the street kitchen in El Matareya, Egypt work in order to prepare thousands of iftar meals pic.twitter.com/Kv9vwJyLcD
— Insider Food (@insiderfood) June 23, 2023
The thing which hit me about this brilliant bit of foody journalism is the moment you realise all the cooks creating the food for when the Ramadan fast is broken cannot taste their own cooking. They have to go on experience, skill and yes, faith. I found this riveting.
Rob is listening…
to Queens Of The Stone Age. I love Josh Homme and co’s wonky, polka-rhythmed racket and the new album is as solid and vibrant as a bone cage. Let it roar.
Rob is eating…
Jungle curry from Caversham’s excellent Thai Table. Spicy like you wouldn’t believe. In this weather, man’s gotta sweat some to stay cool.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Who are The Churnups? Worst kept secret in music, but still kinda cool when their black-metal style logo morphed into the familiar Foo Fighters roundel. Turns out you give them an hour at Glastonbury and they can push out a tight little set!
Michael Marshall Smith goes all Proustian on us. His madeleine? The humble Indian snack food which has somehow become ubiquitous across the globe. Even thinking about them inspires the memory of flaky pastry giving way to a soft, gently spiced interior. It’s 8 in the morning and I could wolf a plateful right now.
A great piece of writing from Michael Gerber in The American Bystander, perfect for Pride Month—or any other time of the year. Really nice evocation of character, mood and place.
Gods, I could stick a post by Ted Gioia in every episode of The Swipe. He’s that good. I’ve been trying to hold off but this, on how dreams and the subconscious influence art in general and music in particular, is properly mind-expanding.
A lovely use of web tech to inform and entertain. On the surface, we’re shown how innovative hip-hop producer J Dilla built his beats. Underneath, we’re getting a sneaky lesson in music theory and the power of rhythm. Boom bap.
I don’t always nightcap, but when I do, it’s brown liquid in a good, heavy glass with a big chunk of ice. Other drinks to wrap up an agreeable evening are, of course, available.
Everything moves in cycles, often so interleaved that you can lose track of the overlying cog-work spinning away. We know, thanks to Marilyn, about the seven-year itch. Turns out it can apply to more than just the mid-life crisis…
These tiny builds of classic old school computers are simply adorable. I would cheerfully have a line of them along my desk. They hearken back to the time when tech had a bit of personality.
Speaking of which—after the talk about Apple’s foray into AR last week, how’s this for a step change in interface technology? You could strap a clumsy pair of goggles onto your head—but why would you when the option to use your actual desktop as a desktop is available? I think this is very cool.
Synth musician and baby mamma to Elno Muskrat, Grimes has been exploring AI in playful and exploratory ways. Her latest idea? A toolkit by which you can create your own minor deity. This, to me, hearkens back to some of the lessons in the Book Of English Magic. The Art is not hidebound to ancient tomes and artifacts. You can, with the right mindset and through sheer will and determination, create your own system which will do what you want. The lines between ritual, performance and programming have never felt so blurred.
Lastly, another form of art, built through interaction, conversation and community. Mierle Laderman Ukeles has taken the invisible work undertaken by half the population and that stigmatised by its very nature and brought it up to the surface. It’s simple but in terms of scale and commitment to a long-term payoff, devastatingly effective.
The New York Sanitation Department’s Artist In Residence
I’d love to say today’s Outro caps off the thoughts we’ve considered today on the unseen patterns, rhythms and people around us, but heck it, John Doe’s Golden State just popped up on The Feed and I had to listen to it three times on the bounce. It’s just a really great love song, clear and honest about the bad as well as the good. You are the lump in my throat, Readership.
See you in seven, true believers.
June 17, 2023
Under Glass
Isn’t it a little late in the day for a hot take on Apple’s Vision Pro AR headset? The thing was announced all of two weeks ago. The news cycle has cast the Eye of Sauron upon it, made pronouncements and swept on in search of the next headline. No time for a thoughtful examination. Everyone else is bloviating, you need to get your voice heard too, quickly. 99 percent of the articles feel the same—a quick spin through the tech specs and an opinion based on, for those with privileged access, a short period of time spent with the device. This would have been a carefully curated, heavily stewarded experience. The last thing Apple want is commentary outside their interests.
Fine, that’s the way the news cycle works. But none of it told us anything about what it would be like to live and work with the bloody thing. And no-one will know until it launches ‘sometime in 2024’. All we have is lightly informed speculation on a beta product which was rolled out to garner research on the Vision Pro, its potential market and what needs to change before it finally hits the Apple Store.
Fine, ok, there was an outlier. Joanna Stern in the WSJ gave a less fanboy take on the device which actually addressed real-world use.
But in my experience, that was about yer lot. One article out of thousands with a different perspective.* So it made sense for me to step back, take a breath and figure out where the immediate, visceral reaction I had to the announcement and presentation of the Vision Pro came from.
Which is why you’re getting this instead of Chapter 21 of The Swipe. I just couldn’t let it lie. Sorry. If you’re already sick of the discourse around a device you probably don’t want and almost certainly can’t afford, please enjoy instead this pick from the archive where I share the story of the two Straight 8 films I never made, and the one I did.
Right. For those of you left, I’ll try to keep this as ungeeky as possible. No point in banging on about chips or cameras or comfort straps. You can get all that on other sites. I have two subjects in mind.
Identity and interaction.
Here’s Exhibit A—Apple’s presentation film on the Vision Pro. It’s worth taking ten minutes to watch the whole thing. I’d be interested to know how many of you had the same instant queasy reaction as me.
This is the moment that really struck me. Apple flag it as two people happily chatting, as if the lady in white isn’t wearing a set of ski goggles.
It’s not a normal interaction. Goggle-girl is looking at her friend through a set of cameras. Even though they’re called pass-through, it’s as if she’s holding a phone up to her face and viewing the girl in black that way.
Then there’s this.
You can just see goggle-girl’s eyes through the mask, right? Nope. You’re looking at an OLED screen with a projection of her eyes, taken using more of the Vision Pro’s internal cameras. Both women, sitting a couple of feet apart in the same room, are interacting with screens, digital approximations of each other. The only way for them to chat like normal people would be if goggle-girl took the damn mask off. And what would be the point to that?
Let’s look a little deeper into the way Apple takes charge of the way we present to the world at large using the Vision Pro. For FaceTime and virtual conferencing, you’ll show up as an avatar, presumably scanned by LIDAR when you buy the device. That avatar should map your facial expressions and accurately lip-sync your speech. But it won’t be you. It’ll be a version. A CGI puppet, and who knows what it’ll look like when it glitches?
I mean, yeah, sure, I understand how slippery identity is in the digital realm. We are not ourselves on the internet. Very few of you know who I am, what I look like (unless you’ve seen that terrible photo of me I posted a couple of weeks back in which case I apologise and hope I didn’t put you off your breakfast), how I speak. What you get on the blog is a representation of me. Again, a digital approximation. But, importantly, it’s an approximation I control. I present to you in the way I want. You don’t get that with the Vision Pro. Apple takes it out of your hands.
There’s already been discussion about whether you’ll be able to tweak the avatar, make it shinier, younger, more cartoony—basically slapping an Instagram filter onto yourself. It’s just as feasible to turn the eyes on the front-facing screen into, say, anime-wide peepers. Which could be fun when you’re trying to engage with your goggled-in kid and all you can see is Naruto’s eyes staring back at you.
In the world of Vision Pro, though, it’s rare to be in a room with other people. In the ten minutes of presentation, there are only two moments where human beings share a space—the aforementioned chat between goggle-girl and her pal in black, and two shots of a guy making videos of his kids which he then, slightly creepily, plays back to himself. Other than that, every actor in the clip is on their own or interacting virtually.
Which, horribly, is sort of the point. Vision Pro is a single-user interface. You can’t share it in any meaningful way. TLC and I will often show each other funny videos and pics on our phones or tablets. It’s a common activity. It’s what people do to humanise their relationship to technology. This has been designed out of the Vision Pro experience. Apple justify its high price by considering it a replacement for a big-screen telly, high-end stereo and laptop. But what if you want to watch Avatar: The Way Of Water with your partner or kids? Will they all have to splash out (sorry) for their own headsets? Would you be able to link them so everyone is watching the same thing and not just slightly time-slipped streams? Amazon and Spotify enable folks around the world to watch or listen in parties no matter how geographically separate. There’s no sign, yet, of whether Vision Pro will be able to do the same. And even if it can, we’re back to the same lonely paradigm. People in different countries, sitting in rooms on their own.
I often see folks walking down the street, headphones on, eyes on their screen and not on the road ahead. We have trouble breaking away from the shiny window in our pocket. It’s the reason for all the guidelines which insist you take regular breaks. Easy enough with a phone or laptop—a simple physical movement while you close a lid or stow it in a pocket. We often talk abut being ‘glued’ to our devices. With Vision Pro we are physically attached. The thing is strapped onto our heads, with the battery in a pocket. It makes accessing screen breaks that bit more difficult, which means people are more likely to skip it. Don’t forget, it’s not just about swiping away from a home page. When you have Vision Pro on your face, you are behind a screen. The cameras are always on.
How quickly would it take all-day use of the Vision Pro to become the norm? Research is scarce into the possible physical side-effects of long-term immersion into virtual spaces, but I can imagine headaches, dizziness, nausea have to be expected. You probably know how bad it feels to be at work all day in front of a computer, even allowing for breaks. Sure, Apple have designed apps which simulate natural environments, and studies have shown in the short term there can be some limited cognitive benefits. But all day every day? No-one’s mapped that. Because they don’t have access to the Vision Pro. The only way we’re going to find out is with the device in the marketplace, and consumers as test subjects.
Ok, I know I sound bleak, and I’m as guilty as every other commentator who has written about the new headset. I have no clue what it’s like in use, or how it will or will not transform the work and home environment.
However, despite everything I’ve just said, I believe there is a place for AR and the Vision Pro is a big step towards a world where the virtual and the real blend in surprising and exciting ways. But the form factor, for now, clearly isn’t right and there has to be a way to easily take a break. We need to ensure we can still interact with the world and each other in simple, straightforward and non-creepy ways.
When a device with the Vision Pro functionality and the looks of a chunky pair of Ray-Bans that you can just take off and sit on a table hits the market, you could be hearing something very different from me. We’ll have to see what happens a year or so down the line.
For now, I’m going to take a wander down the garden and take a screen-break in a green space. Feel free to do the same.
Thanks for listening. See you next Saturday.
*There were probably others. I don’t pretend to be a thorough researcher. Feel free to share anything I may have missed.
June 10, 2023
The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 20
Watching the starry-eyed press coverage of Apple’s Vision Pro AR headset this week, I wonder how anyone who isn’t a tech journalist or a fanboy could possibly see any merit in owning the thing. Yes, there are some incredible technical innovations on display. But no-one seems to be asking fundamental questions about its use in the real world. I know we’re a long way off seeing Vision Pro on sale but I believe a lot of work needs to be done to persuade folks to lock themselves behind a pane of glass, however attractively designed.
I’ll have more on this next week. It’s starting to make me quite angry. Anyhoo, how are you? Slap on your hat and sunscreen and let’s dig in!
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
The Handle by Richard Stark. Part of the stash of books we picked up while in Northumberland. It’s a Parker story, so does pretty much what you’d expect. Black as pitch, hard as nails.
Rob is watching…
Videos on music tour logistics. Trust me, this is fascinating stuff. You have no idea how much work goes into the average stadium setup.
Rob is listening…
to Vienna by Billy Joel. Not deliberately, it just seems to be popping up in feeds and timelines. It’s a great song, which clearly seems to be having A Moment. When even Roy Kent describes The Stranger as his one perfect thing, you know the stars have aligned.
Rob is eating…
Home made pizza. Turns out you can do it good on a kamado-style grill. A summer-time game-changer.
I present a new diary heading, for those strange little moments which grab me by the scruffs and cuffs and won’t let go. I call this new bit…
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week!
The way Brendan Gleason pronounces ‘marmalade’ in Paddington 2. There’s an R in there, dude…
We’re going to need to stay fresh as the new wave of hot weather rolls in. New research suggests the best time to do this is not when everyone does. Interesting news for advocates to the return to the workplace—will they decide to invest in shower facilities as a way to lure workers into the office?
Squeals of joy from your boy as he comes across a delicious repository of golden-age comics goodness. So much to see and enjoy. Come dive in with me.
I’m not a big one for ordering cocktails in bars, and anyway my tastes are simple—sort me out a negroni or variant of same and I am a contented bunny. I do feel Jason Diamond’s pain, though. No-one wants to try and guide a barkeep through a recipe when all you want is a simple glass of something tasty and head-spinning.
Jeremiah Tower on sandwiches. That’s it, that’s the post.
This CJR piece on sports website Defector is such a great read, nailing a lot of what’s wrong with modern web-based journalism and why it’s increasingly hard to find the good stuff. There has been a step change as Twitter has imploded—it used to be I could build up a whole newsletter with a quick scroll of my feed. That’s no longer the case, and the content vs. audience paradigm has become trickier to navigate. How do you lure good writers and a loyal readership while still keeping a portion of your soul and conscience intact?
June 23rd is Alan Turing’s birthday. This seems like a nice way to celebrate.
The following is not an interview with White Stripes drummer Meg White. It is, however, a fascinating look at one of rock’s most enigmatic and therefore misunderstood musicians.
TLC and I have become massive fans of Taskmaster and the season which has just ended was a highlight—possibly the best one yet. Why is it so good? A simple idea taken at times to the brink of absurd collapse, famous faces operating well outside their comfort zone and, above all, what the experience does to a disparate set of very clever people, bonding them in unexpected ways. Who’s the daddy?
Music preservation is a vital part of our cultural survival. In a world where physical media is sidelined in favour of streaming media hosted on servers we have no control over (I am as guilty of that as any millennial, although I have at least held onto all my CDs and vinyl), a backup in case of catastrophe is needed. Luckily, there is a plan, and it’s very, very cool.
Hey, you can get involved too! Make sure the tunes you love make it through the end times.
Lastly, we need to talk about smoking. There have been a couple of examples in my feeds recently of commentators waxing lyrical on the forgotten joys of the fag break. As a non-smoker, I never saw the attraction of hanging out in the cold and even on the occasions when I did join in, coffee in hand, it just seemed like idle chit-chat by the bins. Watch out though—there’s a quiet attempt to make the coffin-nail cool again…
We Outro with a glorious collaboration, a spark of lightning which was only bottled once. Jersey Girl, written by Tom Waits, sounded like a perfect song for Bruce Springsteen. The Boss covered it many times but only once, in 1981, with Tom alongside. The recording is a little janky and many of you will view the bar-room choir holler of the song as a godawful racket. Those like me will already be in bits, sobbing along with the chorus. Shalala, shalalala.
See you in seven, true believers.
