Rob Wickings's Blog, page 16
November 5, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 41
November has arrived. it has brought storms along just to add to that authentic winter apocalyptic vibe. Yuk, no fun. Why not huddle up under a blankie with something sweet and someone warm, and enjoy this week’s cavalcade of curiousity?
AC/DC! Witchcraft! Ragging on Elon Musk! And several other links!
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Featured image is a still from the 2016 Studio Ghibli film The Red Turtle.
Let’s get a drink in us to start. The Vesper is legendary in martini circles but not drunk that much. The problem: one of the key ingredients is no longer available. Which means some lateral thinking is required from mixologists when they’re asked to make one. The question should be ‘Do you really want a Vesper or, you know, something nice?’
Star Trek has always been a foody show. The cast certainly make a big deal about their hot drinks: Picard’s Earl Grey, Janeway’s quest for coffee in the Delta Quadrant. This is before we get into the questionable delights of gagh (championed by two of our Cut Crushes, Jack Monroe and Nigella Lawson). And of course, Neelix from Voyager was a chef. Of course there are Star Trek cookbooks out there. Which brings the true flavour, and which tastes of badly-replicated tube grub?
Brendan from Semi-Rad is effortlessly knocking it out of the park with his recent writings. This bit on how the soundtrack for a life can form without any real intention is beautifully written and heartfelt, but also incredibly funny. Also it’s about AC/DC, which is always good.
A putter is a craftsperson who makes scissors. Putter is short for putter-togetherer. But, as Jason Watkins says in the excellent BBC 100 promo – there’s more to it than that. This short film going through the process of enscissoration with master putter Cliff Denton will, we think, put you in a better mood than the one you’re in now. It’s a lovely way to spend four minutes.
Our heads are still firmly in spooky season, and we have been thinking a lot about witches. The stereotypical figure, all green of skin and hooked of nose, is many steps removed from the reality for the women who were accused, tried and executed for no good reason. Here’s a handy primer of what it would take to be strapped to the ducking stool…
So you’ve been accused of witchcraft…
You may have heard something in the news about the world’s richest man buying a social network. Most people seem to be in agreement that it is Quite A Bad Thing. The funny bit is, the worst thing about the whole hilarious situation is going to happen to the aforementioned multi-billionaire. Careful what you wish for, Elon…
We’ve spoken in the past about the dying art of film projection. The romance, the glamour, the years spent in a dark sweaty booth with a machine the size of a Buick clattering away right next to your ear. While the age of the cinema may be moving to the closing credits, we should not forget the folks who put the magic on the silver screen. And if we’re talking IMAX, we’re looking at big magic…
A Day In The Life Of An IMAX Projectionist
A lot of graphic designers are deeply unhappy with Pantone. The colour specialist has disabled free access to their palettes which were bundled with Adobe products—leading to the situation where old projects would open with only one colour available. Black.
Stuart Semple, artist and colour revolutionary, makes the very valid point that no-one should claim ownership of a particular shade. He’s come up with a swathe of Pantone-like colours which are and will remain free forever. If you’re in the design trade and finding you’ve gone back to black, this could be a get-out-of-jail-free card.
The Book Desk insists we make this excellent primer to the work of Joe R. Lansdale available to y’awl. The guy is a machine, hugely prolific and influential. His work includes everything from horror to Southern Gothic thrillers to elegiac historical drama. He’s almost certainly written something you’d like. It’s quite possible you’ve seen a film or show based on his work. Get in the truck, Readership. We’re going for a ride.
And finally. Back, momentarily, to the Twitter foolishness. Many users of the service are making loud noises about moving elsewhere. There are options out there, for sure. But here’s another thought. It’s really not that complicated, if you’re prepared to put a little work in, to build and run your own social network for you and a group of pals or family. It won’t make you any money—but then neither has Twitter.
We Exit with Music from The Modified Toy Orchestra. Silfurberg, the band’s first album in twelve years, is filled with eccentric but lovely music. Louder Than War has a bit more detail. We think this could be the soundtrack to the winter. Wind it up and let it run.
See you next Saturday, playmates.
October 29, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 40
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
This week: two Andys, white tigers and EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
But first… Dracula. Well, we’re at H minus 2 at the time of posting, so it’s important to keep the spooky ratio high. Francis Ford Coppola’s wild and lurid 90’s retelling of one of the core horror texts hit a big birthday this year, celebrated appropriately with a shiny new remaster. It’s worth looking into how some of the effects were devised and executed, as they have a major role to play in the theatrical and otherworldly look and feel of the movie.
With that in our back pocket, let’s consider the tricks used to capture a ghost story on screen. Critic and Cut Crush Anne Billson knows the genre backwards. She knows what scares us. And she’s about to share. Those of a nervous disposition may want to locate the back of the nearest sofa…
Cruises. Why? Stuck on a boat for weeks at a time with no way off, surrounded by strange old people? Sure, ok, there’s the bars and the foods and the ‘entertainment’ but on the whole… nope, sorry, too weird for us. And this is us we’re talking about. As an example of the skewiness, we present a report on a recent themed jaunt which promised a murderously good time with an acclaimed author but delivered significantly less…
The X-Men have always carried a thematic burden above and beyond most funny-book groups. They aren’t just mutants—they’re symbols of the oppressed, the despised, the outsiders. As Sara Century points out in The Gutter Review, that’s OK. We all need someone to lean on, to identify with. Even if those someones are completely fictional.
We feel this list of the strangest roadside attractions in America, organised by state, would make an excellent starting point for a truly epic road trip. What are you waiting for, adventurers? Get itinerising!
This long piece on magicians and animal lovers Siegfried And Roy is just lovely. It takes us back to a time when it was OK for magic to be big, brash and unapologetically showbiz. The world seems a little less wild without these two in it.
XTC were one of those bands which should have been bigger. They had the songs. They had the ideas. Sadly, head X Andy Partridge also had crippling stage fright, which scuppered the American tour intended to put them on the global map. Somehow, though, that failure seems appropriate for this most English of bands. And the music is utterly gorgeous.
Here’s another Andy. Comedian, subject of one of REM’s biggest hits, source of some wild conspiracy theories (he was Trump in disguise at one point) and of course, a huge wrestling fan. Here’s the story of how he turned a massive ass-kicking into a moment of pure comedic genius.
Andy Kaufman In A Wrestling Match Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
We couldn’t resist a bit of kitchen process. Nothing fictional this time (although we’ll again make the point that if you’re not watching The Bear YOU SHOULD BE) but there are some delicious moments in this dig into chef Hillary Sterling’s hot take on live-fire cooking at her New York restaurant. If you’re not hungry yet, by the end of this vid YOU WILL BE.
Some films hit the right chord at the right time. They sum up a moment or a universal mood. So it is with the brilliant multiversal comedy Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is still cleaning up at the box office and the awards shows. The film of 2022? The evidence would suggest so?
And finally. It’s important to make a good start. A great title sequence will bring a film to life. Here’s a top five from director Leigh Wannell, who knows a bit about how to set a table.
In ‘I thought he’d died years ago’ news, word came down the pipe as we were in our final assembly of the passing of Jerry Lee Lewis. The original rock ‘n’ roll troublemaker, the one guy guaranteed to bring a gun to a knife fight. He was, objectively, a monster. But he knew how to shake up a party. We ain’t fakin’.
See you next Saturday, rocker and rollers.
October 22, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 39
Whatever drugs the Conservative Party are on need to be shared around, that’s all we’ll say. There is no way they’re riding the wild rocket that will lead to a third Prime Minister imposed on the British public in six weeks without chemical help. No fair. We want some of that sweet sweet loony juice.
There, that’s the politics out of the way. This week, we’re keeping it as real as locally possible, reading the cue cards and rocking out with Count Crowley!
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
First an article which, if you can keep up with it, will spin your head like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. The Nobel Prize for Physics has just gone to a team of scientists who have proved that reality is not the clear and simple state of affairs we believe it to be. This may explain the current state of the Conservative Party.
We are obsessed with The Bear. We’ve always had a thing for cooking shows and movies—Jon Favreau’s Chef is a long time favorite. The crew of The Original Beef Of Chicagoland have our attention, as the latest in a long line of tales set in that most peaceable and easy-going of work environments…
Staying on the subject, we were fascinated by the details of how The Bear is shot—particularly the interior of the Original Beef. It’s an article on the Panavision site so gets a bit geeky about lens choice in places, but you know, hey, it’s us. Geeky is what we do.
We can’t resist. A final blast of behind-the-scenes craziness. We believe there’s only one show which is so committed to write and perform a Live show every Saturday Night. The methods the crew and writers use to squeeze the best out of the onscreen talent can be a little old school—which adds to the charm, in our eyes. Cue Wally!
One more poke at the Parliamentary rat’s nest. Truss and her crew tanked the UK economy in the pursuit of growth. There’s more than one way to define the term of course, and we wonder what this country would look like if she’d tried to apply a few of the suggestions included below.
Oh Lordy, we loves us a control panel. You know this, we keep bleating on about it, as in the Used Future post recently. Here is a particularly fine selection of big dials and proper Bakelite switches. We need more like this in the office! Initialize the fenangulator!
The next time we’re in Amsterdam, we’re making a beeline for the greatest museum in the city. No, not the ones on the usual tourist trails. The Kattenkabinet is far more special, catering exclusively to those of us who understand it’s a feline world and they merely tolerate our existence in exchange for food and skritches…
We’re into peak Spooky Season, which calls for a bit of a dance. The soundtrack comes courtesy of David Dastmalchian, who you may know as an actor popular in genre and action movies. His Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad is a triumph. David is also a comics fan and writer, and has come up with a killer playlist for his monster-hunting character Count Crowley. There are some stone bangers in here. Crank it up!
We can think of no more mindful activity given the state of the world right now than quiet time spent with a pen or pencil and paper. You could just doodle. Or you could apply yourself a little and learn how to draw an iconic figure from the Studio Ghibli stable. It’ll take two minutes. Go on, what have you got to lose?
And finally. A little spooky something from ND Stevenson, who is absolutely killing it with his Substack comics. The quality of writing and art is top-notch. It may look rushed, but every line pulls at your heart. This is a seriously well-crafted bit of comicery.
We were delighted to see Little Simz win the Mercury Music Prize this week for Her Album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. We know the feeling. Let’s celebrate her win with the epic video for Introvert, for which Editor Rob is proud to announce a small measure of involvement. It’s a powerful film for a powerful track.
See you next Saturday, intros and extros.
October 15, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 38
Brrr. There was nothing else for it this week. After five months of inactivity, we got out the spanners and wrenches and gently persuaded the crotchety old boiler* running the even older heating system back to life. Even in austerical times there comes a point where you can only have so many layers on. And typing in gloves is hard. The office smells of burning dust and hot metal, but at least we’re warm enough to put this issue to bed.
Mmm, bed. Lovely snuggly bed.
Before we all decide to give up completely and hibernate under a duvet, check out a guide to autumnal films, a couple of new ventures worth your attention and an invitation to get the Camparty started.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Image taken at the hilariously-named Temperance Arms in Ambleside, Cumbria.
We may whinge and moan about the drop in temperature, but after reading this piece on the challenges facing foodies in Alaska, we clearly have no idea. A freezer full of elk and reindeer sounds like fun. The struggle to get hold of fresh produce? Less so.
Comics legend Frank Miller may be considered a bit of a spent force nowadays—his glory days overshadowed by far-right lunacy triggered in the aftermath of 9-11. His work thereafter became ugly and cartoonishly lurid. It was a wild whiplash turn from his earlier, more liberal viewpoint. There are fadingly few of us who remember his absolute high point, a collaboration with fellow funny-book legend Dave Gibbons which brought into being one of the great female comics characters of all time. With thanks to Ganzeer for the reminder, allow us to introduce you to Martha Washington…
Everything Is Amazing keeps coming up with the goods, and this is a particularly cool article. Consider, if you will, the heights of human ambition, hubris and the ceaseless quest for more, higher, bigger. Look on our works ye mighty, and despair…
Chloe Maveal is back! Well, actually she never went away, as denizens of Comics Twitter will happily note. We mourned the closure of her brilliant nexus of graphical nerdery, The Neo-Text review. Now Chloe has pointed her many talents at a new project—The Gutter Review. The aim? To celebrate comics culture, especially the forgotten or ignored aspects (like Give Me Liberty in the link above). In short, Chloe and her merry band offer fresh perspectives on the wild world of funny books. You know we’re on board.
Once, there was a podcast called Tea And Jeopardy, hosted by the silken-voiced Emma Newman. She talked to a huge roll-call of SF authors, using humour and charm to tease out their innermost secrets before cruelly despatching them. Fictionally speaking. Emma’s back after a bumpy few years with a new show, Tea And Sanctuary, which aims to be nothing less than a balm to your weary soul. Trust us, this is going to be a very safe space.
As the leaves begin to fall, carpeting the ground in shades of flame and gold (what, we have to sweep up again?) the time has come to close the curtains and watch a few movies. This listicle from the BFI has some fine films on offer, all of which promise to evoke the season of the witch/mellow fruitfulness (delete as applicable).
Joel Morris takes his comedy very seriously. Some would say a little too seriously. Case for the prosecution—this breakdown of the opening two minutes of an episode of The Simpsons. The show may be long past it’s golden age, but as an object lesson of how to get your audience up in the saddle, there’s a lot to take from Joel’s hard work. Work, we should stress, which didn’t even make it into his upcoming book on the subject…
There is a particular kind of science-fictional aesthetic to which the old duffers of The Film Desk are strongly drawn. Not for us the hovering animated displays and glassy touchscreens of most modern cinema. No way, hose. We like our surfaces to be spackled with big chunky buttons and clattery analog readouts and glitching CRT monitors. The Star Wars televised universe is, happily, on board with the look, but we’d like to see more of the Used Future…
Speaking of the future, what’s the best way to predict it? Let’s put it another way—how can you best sound like you have a hotline to the times beyond? Nostradamus is still quoted as the great prophet but other seers and visionaries are available. The key, apparently, is to be as vague and coded in your predictions as possible…
And finally. It’s the weekend. Booze is on the agenda. As fans of both beer and our bitter buddy Campari, we are excited to dive headfirst into the world of beer spritzes. Best not to experiment with stouts, though. Could get messy in every sense of the word.
Let’s Get This Camparty Started
Know what? You folks have been very accommodating towards all of our foolishness this week. You deserve a little treat through the medium of Exit Music.
You deserve… Something Good.
See you next Saturday, party people.
*insert 1970s-style mother-in-law punchline here.
October 8, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 37
Guardian columnist Marina Hyde has a new book out, and is doing press to promote it. She is, to our mind at least, the funniest and sharpest political commentator out there and the book, a collection of her best columns, should be on your Christmas list. She makes one point in interviews extremely well—how the pace of events seems to have escalated to such a point and level of absurdity that her job and that of her peers has been made almost impossible. There’s just too much going on all at once. It’s like trying to drink out of a hosepipe.
We, by comparison, are like the dog at her feet, catching the odd drip. Frankly, we wouldn’t want Marina’s job—although we’re very happy she’s around. No thanks, we’ll stick with being the funny distraction away from the chaos and horror.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Let’s kick off with a little clarity and wisdom. Brendan at Semi-Rad offers up a single bit of advice that, taken to heart by all, would change discourse on social media overnight. It should get printed on t-shirts.
We’re into spooky season, and times like these need a playlist. Seth Abramson at Retro has a great list of the songs you should be queueing up to blast out all the way through to Halloween and beyond!
Or, you know, write your own. Start with a great beat. Use this brilliant recreation of the legendary Roland TR-909 drum machine. You know the sounds. They’re part of the fabric of dance music. Now go poke around and make something cool.
You know what else is cool? Slaves To Siren, a metal band pushing all the boundaries along with the buttons of the haters. When love for music and the belief in your gang and their abilities can push you over the hurdles these ladies face, you can have nothing but respect and awe. Fire it up!
For the creative soul, habit and repetition are hugely important. Finding that ritual or place or time which will allow you to access the inner voice and get your art into the world is vital to the process. Take David Lynch, whose most fecund period was based on daily visits to an unassuming LA diner and fuelled by waaaaay too much coffee.
It’s Best Not To Go Around Back
Here’s a gallery of some extraordinary images taken during the attempt to douse and cap flaming oil wells lit by retreating Kuwaiti forces during the Gulf War in 1991. The firefighters involved called it Operation Desert Hell. Looking at the photos, you can see why the name is well chosen.
We are long-time admirers of Brummie writer Danny Smith. His work blends gritty social commentary with an embrace of the strange. He also has a very big heart. This report on his summer spent volunteering at a number of music festivals is sharp, honest and endlessly compassionate. All the tales are true, only the names have been changed…
Mirrorshades was the anthology which brought cyberpunk roaring into the mainstream. A science-fictional ethos which, like all good skiffy, reflected the time in which it was created. Long out of print, author and cyber-pioneer Rudy Rucker is hosting a version on his website. There are some seriously good stories in there. Check it out before some overstuffed copyright lawyer gets it taken down.
What is a sword? Weapon? Symbol? Rallying point? Element of identity? Token of loyalty? Author Angus Donald digs into the history of the implement and how, in the society of the Dark Ages, owning and using a sword could mean all sorts of things.
And finally. Our Feline Affairs Desk insists we include this piece which will honestly boggle your brain. If you own a cat you may have noticed how they can somehow sleep with one half of their body in a different orientation to the other. That’s only the starting point to a potentially physics-breaking phenomenon…
This week’s Exit Music is a very cool collaboration between guitarist George Benson, Drummer Jo Jones and tap-dancer Jimmy Slyde. Filmed in Paris in 1972, it’s such a joyful piece of film, filled with light and colour and life. Hope it gets your feet tapping too.
See you next Saturday, hep cats and kittens.
October 1, 2022
Up On Irish Row
The track up the valley is not for the faint-hearted—or if you have a fancy car. It’s a set of inclines which quickly hike in gradient, a loose gravelly surface riddled with potholes and larger rocks. As you progress steep, fern-cloaked limestone walls give way to steep drops with rushing waterfalls seething twenty feet below. Your tentative progress will be watched and judged by Herdwick sheep, unblinking and endlessly curious. Wheel-spin is inevitable. You will almost certainly have to slow to a crawl at some point for walkers.
Just at the point when the terrain starts to level, and a clear path comes into view, you realise the map is pointing you uphill again, to an even narrower and rockier track. ‘This can’t be right,’ you say. ‘We must have gone wrong.’ Visions of the car stuck in a ditch and the prospect of a night in the wilds dance through your head. But you find the nerve and the lowest gear you have, grip the steering wheel a little tighter and take the right.
More sheep. A tumble to the valley floor is barely two feet from the passenger-side door. The car shimmies around on creaking springs. The nerves kick in again, all logic dictating that you’re about to tip off the trail and end up roof-down in a sheep pen.
And then you come round one last inclined bend, and Coppermines Valley opens up before you and everything makes sense.
Welcome to Coniston, jewel of the Lake District. A little town curled snug as a snoozing cat around the bottom end of a five-mile straight shot of glass-clear glacial water. Famously, that water held the remains of the Bluebird, Donald Campbell’s record-breaking boat, which imploded after an engine failure sent it spiralling into a 300+mph impact with the surface of the lake. Campbell is buried in the local cemetery. Some parts of the Bluebird and other paraphernalia from his extraordinary run are on display at the town museum. A full-fledged reconstruction of Campbell’s last ride remains mired in legal wrangling.
On the western shore sits Brantwood, home to Victorian critic, thinker and artist John Ruskin. He was a champion of Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites at their most unfashionable. His thoughts on the value and dignity of labour still inform progressive theory on the way we should treat working men and women. He is surprisingly contemporary in his views, and bracingly opinionated.
Coniston is dominated by the bulk of The Old Man, 800m of towering rock which has provided a challenge to walkers for thousands of years. The hill and the lake make Coniston a popular choice for those of an active bent and an ideal base to explore the area. If the best you can manage is a wander round a museum, then fans of Beatrix Potter and Wordsworth are in for a good time.
But let’s head back up the unmarked track from the town (which hopefully hasn’t torn the undercarriage out of your car) and look at the other reason people came to Coniston—copper. The valley was—probably still is—a rich source of the ore. A wander around the slopes instantly reveals rock stained with rusty hues and the remains of mine workings. Great slope-sided cairns of slate, tunnels carved deep as dwarf-holds into the hillsides. The local council have tried to make more of a sense of the history of the place, reconstructing water mills and contextualising the workings with carefully placed signage.
That history thrums through the bones of the valley in a stone-slow heartbeat. Mines operated here from the 1500s to the 1950s, until cheap exports closed the operation down.
Ruskin would have been well aware of the conditions of the workers on the hills, of the women and children forced into eleven-hour days of backbreaking work in all conditions. I’m sure that informed his theories on labour and the plight of the working class. Especially when you realise the valley can be a hard place to get to, and live.
The landscape, luminous in summer weather, becomes harsh and unforgiving once the weather closes in. And the weather will close in. The Lake District has a reputation for the way the skies will darken and rain wash in with little warning. People die on the hillside every year, taken by surprise as a storm closes its jaws around them.
But there are rewards. Even in the foulest of conditions the valley has a raw beauty, wild, shaggy-haired and bright-eyed. The colours, muted in the rain, shining in the sunshine, are purer than any painting or photos can do justice to. More importantly, at least for TLC and I, the relative inaccessibility make the valley a perfect retreat for those times when we need to really get away. All the facilities are in Coniston. If you want food and drink, or wood for the fires, you have to bring them up the track. It’s very easy to leave the world behind.
In fact, it can feel like big life-changing events happen at a remove when you’re here, in the little line of ex-workers cottages locally known as Irish Row. We were in the valley for the announcement of the Brexit result. It was very tempting to simply stay put and let the world collapse into lunacy below us. Similarly the implosion of the new Tory government has, at a distance, felt less like tragedy than farce, the implications like witnessing a supernova. A terrible conflagration up close. From far enough away, just a pretty light show. Crank up the log burner. Crack open a bottle. Let the clown-show play out to a lunatic crescendo back in the world.
And with isolation comes inspiration. Up on Irish Row, the air and the light and the quiet life sink into your head, unkink your shoulders, un-knot your brow. Like Ruskin (because of course I shall compare myself to one of the greatest minds of the last two hundred years) Coniston and the Lakes have the potential to free your thoughts from care and let them fly. I cherish and guard the times spent in the cottage on the hill.
Some day I’ll just rent the place out for a month and write a novel up here in splendid isolation. You’ll have to drag me back down the track in chains.
September 24, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 36
It’s been a week where everything feels—off. Monday’s weird spectacle of pomp, circumstance and forced mourning set the tone for five days when routine was disturbed, plans went askew and life in general seemed to be vibrating in the wrong modulation. The word we’re reaching for is discombobulated. We’re through it now, hopefully. A little less drama going into the beginning of Spooky Season.
We’re off on retreat from today, so look out for something different from Excuses And Half Truths next week. Possibly archive, maybe a fresh piece. The road trip leads us up a gravel path to a very inspiring place, so who knows what you’ll get?
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We’ll take one quick look at the Mournfest before putting the whole thing behind us, because one of our favourites, Laurie Penny, chose to join The Queue. Over fourteen hours she would explore the people and motivations behind this most British of phenomena.
Right, we’re done. Let’s talk Batman. Or rather, his arch-nemesis. The Joker has always been a fascinating, divisive character. Like the Bat, he is cloaked in a fog of contradictions, his simplicity enabling creators to map all sorts of stories about sickness, twisted morals, revenge and identity onto those purple-clad shoulders. Of course Prince, doing promo for the ‘89 Batmovie, would choose to dress as Mistah J.
The People’s Joker, a hilarious fan-film which takes the character to a whole new space, is a brilliant next step. There’s one problem. Its cheerfully piratical stance towards copyright could mean no-one ever gets to see it…
Let’s stick with the Bat for a moment and celebrate the best example of the franchise outside the comics. The ‘66 Adam West series? It has goofy charm, but nah. Christopher Nolan’s run? Bloated and self-important. The recent Matt Reeves Year One attempt? Bitch, please. The consensus is clear. The Best Bat is animated!
One reason for our getaway next week is to calm the noisy world and find a little inner peace. Sometimes, solitude is the only way to go. We liked this bit from Psychology Today on useful tools to employ when you need a serious dose of me-time.
Eight Ways To Embrace Solitude
The cinema projectionist is a dying breed. You could argue cinemas themselves are fading from public interest. The double-hit of Covid and streaming services, alongside the lack of big-draw movies, has seen ticket revenue drop through a big hole. This is a shame, as there really is nothing like sharing a great movie with a bunch of like minded individuals in a dark room. Let’s celebrate the people who make that happen every day.
The following piece is about food, and also about horror. If there’s another article around which is more attuned to The Cut’s particular set of interests, we’d like to know about it. This one fits as perfectly as a warm sweater on a chilly day.
Here’s a collection of book covers which truly define the wild vibes and crazy feels of pulp fiction. Lurid, confrontational, sensational, unapologetic. If you’re drawn to these images, you’re our people. The best thing about them? They tell and inspire stories with no further effort needed!
Daydreams For The Frustrated And Sick
We love us an infinity room. Let’s take a closer look at a prime example of the form—the cover of the 1973 Robert Fripp and Brian Eno collaboration, (No Pussyfooting). Science-fictional, psychedelic, strangely unsettling. Where the hell did they put the camera so you couldn’t see it in all those reflective surfaces?
Eric Idle. Python, musician, polymath. Still perhaps best known for the singalong moment which ended The Life Of Brian. Should we be surprised, then, when he took the diagnosis of terminal cancer with grace and humour? This is well worth a read if you need something life-affirming to set your thoughts and feelings back on track after this emotional roller-coaster of a week. Spoiler alert—there’s a happy ending…
If, after that, you still need to scream into the void to make yourself feel better, then do we have the website for you. We can confirm its usefulness. Aaaand breathe.
This week’s Exit Music comes from Kyshona and acts as a bit of gentle advice. Hecks know, we need to look after ourselves right now. We’ll leave it there and head up a mountain for a week. Be kind to each other and don’t let the world drag you down.
See you next Saturday, lovelies.
September 17, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 35
Leave the park. OK, stay in the park but don’t leave your lodge. Prepare to be judged if you hold hands in public. See that queue? The really big one? Join it. And for goodness’ sake, whatever you do, do not hold up a blank piece of paper in view of the police. It’s a breach of the peace, apparently.
One thing’s for sure. When we Britons drop our usual reserve and lose our marbles, we really go for it. We could all do with a good long sit down and a think about what we’re doing. Not in the queue, of course. The queue must always be moving.
This week, in the place which feels increasingly like a rare refuge for the sane on this loony-balls planet: Ducks! Swordfighting! Uncle Roger! Anal beads!
See? Sanity.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We begin with a farewell. Jean-Luc Godard finally got sick of it all (honestly, we’re not sure if we can blame him at this point) and chose to punch his own ticket at an assisted exit lounge in Switzerland. Ever the smart film-maker, he knew when to say cut. Godard was incredibly important—he helped to reinvent cinema in the 60s, allowing film to become a more complex and ambiguous medium. Writers and directors across the globe mourned his loss. If you have an interest in cinema, you should be a little bit sad too.
Last time, we linked to a Cory Doctorow piece on how to squirrel out time for writing. His heart’s in the right place. For many, though, the notion of a spare fifteen minutes is a wild and improbable dream. Won’t somebody think of the mothers?
Cooking is a joyful, creative enterprise with a delightful end game. But sometimes you just want someone else to do the work for you. Especially when it comes to pizza. Especially if you live in Rome. This, from Rebecca May Johnson in The London Magazine, is another fine example, after Ganzeer’s ode to Mexico City which we linked to recently, of travel writing which takes you places while also making you hungry.
If you do want to cook, there’s increasing pressure to turn the whole thing into a performance. Editor Rob shamefacedly admits to Instagramming moments at the hob or sexy oven-opening reveals. Yes, we know, pathetic. But look, you don’t have to show off. Dinner can just be dinner. And the ‘Gram will never let you taste the food you’re showing off. That’s for you and the loved ones for whom you get in the kitchen in the first place.
We’ve mentioned Uncle Roger before. The mischievous food critic and bane of Jamie Oliver is gleefully insulting to any TV chef who dares to muck around with his beloved fried rice or ramen noodles. He’s filthy, funny and frequently absolutely right on how the simple stuff should be done. He may have met his match though, when he travelled to New York to meet up with chef Esther Choi. She knew just how to deal with him…
Right, this one’s a deep dive. Writers Venkatesh Rao and Ian Cheng tag-team a wide-ranging discussion on world-building, and how it relates to more than just the setting of your story. Worlding hooks into every part of your narrative. The conversation gets quite serious but there are gems in every short chapter. Venk and Ian are not afraid to poke fun at themselves, either. We were utterly immersed and enlivened by the discourse. We hope you will be as well.
Evil Twins Vs. The Worlding Raga
Kate Beaton is one of our favourite cartoonists. Her loose, profane and hilarious Hark, A Vagrant! strips were the products of a brain gorged on knowledge and fizzing with the need to play around with it. Her latest work is no less remarkable. Ducks is a memoir of her time spent as a worker in Canadian tar sands. It’s possibly the best graphic novel of the year. Read her chat with the New York Times, then go grab the book. You will not regret it.
Comics people suffer more than most from imposter syndrome. They put sooo much pressure on themselves and never really feel they got it bang on—that a work was abandoned instead of finished. Getting it done rather than getting it right. So it was a tonic to see this rundown of artists sharing that one page where all the stars aligned. There is some beautiful work here.
Squeals of glee and excited running about from the Book Desk followed the release this week of Tamsin Muir’s Nona The Ninth, the last in her Locked Tomb Trilogy. It’s the perfect book for our slide into spooky season—there are witches and skeletons and wild science-fictional magic and, most importantly, sword fights. Tor spoke to Lissa Harris, who made sure those epic battles had just the right ring of blade on blade…
(The last two links come courtesy of Kieron Gillan’s newsletter, by the way, which you should be reading).
Apparently some people have problems with the casting decisions made on popular adaptations of books or comics to the screen. These problems have little to do with whether the actor in question is good or convincing in the role. You know where we’re going with this.
AAAAnd finally. You can absolutely tell that the moment which made journalist Anugraha Sundaravelu’s week came as this story dropped into her lap. What an opening paragraph. As ledes go, we won’t see better in 2022.
Exit Music time. Jenny Lewis’ Acid Tongue popped into our feed this week and stopped us dead in our tracks. It feels like a tune which could have been written any time since the sixties. A song of universal feelings, of longing, regret and survival. Dunno about you lot, but we’re feeling all of that this week.
We’re not through the foolishness yet, and have the nasty feeling there’s lots more to come. Keep it together and look out for each other, Readership. If you need it, build yourself a fire.
See you next Saturday.
September 10, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 34
Well. That was a week.
In this episode, which chooses to stay waaay clear of anything resembling an editorial opinion, witness the birth of one of Britain’s greatest comics, the power of curiosity and The Chicago Hot Dog Negroni.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Yeah, OK, we can’t just pretend a huge thing didn’t happen. Much as we’d like to. So as a palliative to history, we offer up one of the great feats of modern journalism. In 2017 Sam Knight teased out the plans and rituals which were put in place for the events we are now living through. Rigorously researched, solidly constructed. Take the time. Read this. You’ll understand more about how the machines of state have been bracing for this weeks impact over decades.
Before we move on, let’s have a story, eh? This is from Elizabeth Bear, acclaimed SF and fantasy writer. The Part You Throw Away is about family, loss, grieving and healing. And food, of course. There should always be plenty of food at a time like this.
Ok, let’s get back on our usual bullshit. We have extolled joyfully on the magic and wonder of Britpop’s Official Comics Magazine—the magnificent Deadline. It brought a swagger and cheeky charm to the magazine racks, taking the punk vibes of 2000AD and cranking them up through an overdriven Vox AC30. It could do lifestyle, music and fashion alongside a showcase of some seriously iconic strips. Steven Cook was part of the early Deadline scene, and here he describes how the mag came to life…
You hear the complaint all the time in fandom, particularly in comics-to-film adaptations: ‘it’s not like the book.’ Well, it won’t be. The Ninth Art and moving pictures are fundamentally different disciplines, with different strengths and weaknesses. Of course, what the haters frequently mean is ‘that character is not the same colour and gender as the one in the books.’ That’s a criticism which Neil Gaiman has been fielding with aplomb since his adaptation (and let’s be clear, he’s a producer on the show) of The Sandman hit Netflix. The thing is, accurate to the comics is often a non-starter when it comes to a live-action version, for all sorts of reasons…
We have no time for so-called culture warriors fretting about signs on toilet doors. Access is a more important issue. Many people have restrictions or difficulties in accessing a primary facility which should be available to everyone. Fortunately there are some restaurants and bars who understand this and choose to embrace the need for inclusivity.
We love a negroni here at The Cut. Maybe two. Probably two. Perhaps three on a Friday. However, although we love the bitter and astringent profile of this glorious cocktail, we feel the following recipe may be a step too far. We remain curious, though. If we’re ever in The Windy City…
This Baffler article came out in 2014. Nothing has changed.
The Cut is fuelled by curiosity. It was born from a restless and incurable reading habit which felt like it needed an outlet. There’s an element of outboard brain in there as well, of course—a lot of these posts landed as a way to keep the links in a loosely available place. Not that there’s any sort of index or referencing system, of course. That would be far too sensible. Anyway. This review of a study into the nature of curiosity ticked many of our boxes. We need to know more…
The problem with a restless and incurable reading habit is how difficult it is to get any writing done. The linking text and final tweaks on your average episode of The Cut generally take place early on a Saturday morning, when the world is, at least for an hour or two, able to have its volume dropped. For many writers, it’s near impossible to cut out the noise. Here’s Cory Doctorow, who knows a bit about cranking the word-count while staying extremely online, on finding a balance and getting some work done in a shouty world.
Writing In The Age Of Distraction
Grunge. One of The Music Desk’s favourite genres. If you believe the music press at the time, it was mostly delivered by hairy blokes in thick plaid shirts (a phrase which could easily describe most of the denizens of The Music Desk, if we’re honest). Typically for music journalism, this view is a long way off the mark. It also, inexcusably, erases the voices and music of some really great bands and performers. Let’s try and offset that skew, however minutely. Also, L7’s Pretend We’re Dead is a stone banger.
What’s It Like To Be A Girl In A Band?
Let’s finish up with warmth and wisdom from cartoonist, educator and all-round cool cat Lynda Barry. Her books are distinctive and hilarious, worlds away from the typical boombangpow of mainstream Western comics. She’s learnt a lot while teaching a lot, and there’s a ton of good stuff to glean from this long NY Times interview. Embrace your inner child!
Lynda Barry And The Importance Of Child’s Play
Along with a couple of thousand savvy subscribers, we have been locked to James McMahon’s Spoook newsletter. A former music journalist, he has decided to showcase the best tunes on his deck a few times a week, and James will always champion something worthwhile. This week’s Exit Music is a triumph of two-culture clash, and a proper booty-shaker to… boot. What happens when techno giants Orbital hook up with The Spice Girls? Something magical. Trust us here. You know we’re for real.
Also, with the week we’ve just gone through, we could all do with a dance and a shout, right?
See you next Saturday, lovers.
September 3, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 33
It’s like a switch has been flicked. We get past the August Bank Holiday and suddenly autumn is at our shoulder. The mornings are mistier, the evenings cooler. Welcome to the last quarter of the year. A season of mellow fruitfulness or the precursor to a winter of discontent? Right now, we’re just enjoying the change and starting our engines for Spooky Season. Let’s face the darkness together, shall we?
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Gene Wolfe was one of science fiction’s great writers. A consummate stylist, his work seemed to be plucked from the highest, ripest branches of the story tree. His fiction was lush yet clean, deeply intelligent but always approachable. We feel he would have loved the idea of his family using AI image generator Midjourney to create a deck of tarot cards featuring some of his characters.
Travel writing done well really can transport you to a place. Comics creator and artist Ganzeer’s pen portrait of Mexico City does that in spades. More, it shines a light on a very science-fictional place, a true mega city. Forget Tokyo, Mexico City is what the future looks like…
Star Trek fans have reacted very positively to Strange New Worlds, the tale of the Enterprise and her crew before James Tiberius Kirk took command. There were some very distinct design challenges in making the sets and costumes look appropriate for a modern audience without ignoring the key cues of the past. We think everyone involved absolutely nailed it.
A quick rundown of how people proclaim a toast around the world. There are some crackers in here. Editor Rob has always liked ‘a willing foe and sea room!’ which may have been stolen from Master And Commander. He’s no sea dog, although there are moments when he can be very salty.
We are on record as loving The Expanse, one of the greatest SF shows of the 21st century so far. One key element of the show’s success is how it stays true to the science while depicting life in space. This doesn’t make events any less interesting—in fact the way our bodies cope in the hostile environment outside planetary boundaries is an important part of the storytelling.
Fan fiction is essential fuel for certain franchises. There’s a strong argument that both Star Trek and Doctor Who survived decades in limbo thanks to committed fans carrying the flag, writing their own stories and creating their own (that phrase again) strange new worlds. A celebration of these tales and characters can take many forms. Let’s check in on chef Iliana Reagan and her culinary celebrations of Game Of Thrones…
Every sentence that ever was or will be has already been written. A bold statement, but true. Researchers are building their own Library Of Babel in the humming hearts of a bank of supercomputers. They have their own pet zoo of infinite monkeys on typewriters and those little buggers have been busy!
We all know the smuggling of illicit substances across national borders is bad. But we definitely understand the reasoning for taking the risk. It’s a simple business decision—supply meeting demand, whether the law of the land allows it or not. Which leads us to the latest haul making headlines as it sneaks across from Mexico into the US. It’s not drugs, but for those with the need it’s worth the effort.
We loved this interview with one of our favourite film-makers—the irrepressible John Carpenter. He rewrote the rules on cinematic horror several times, saw how the game was played and chose to walk away. He’s happy to let other people play in his sandbox, as long as they pay him well. Gives him more time to play synth and watch football.
We were also amused by this take from fellow film maker Paul Duane…
Reading that New Yorker interview with John Carpenter and after the bit where he describes Hawks, Welles and Ford each coming to lecture at his film school I had to stop and just stare into the distance for a moment or two.
— Paul Duane(@paulduanefilm) August 29, 2022
And finally. Jonathan Meades is a British national treasure. His dry, ascerbic takes on culture, food, art and architecture are always challenging but worthwhile. He’s generated a kind of avatar of himself, the shades and sharp suits working as a brand, a silhouette as signifier of a certain kind of programme and commentary. He’s about to publish his first novel in decades, through crowd-funding publisher Unbound. Great news, but we’re more concerned with his televisual body of work, which has been handily compiled at the link below. Go on, dig in. It’ll make you a better person—or at least a slightly better informed one.
Tell you what, let’s have us a bit of punk-ska from The Interrupters to finish off, shall we? With a special appearance from Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Family is a proper bouncer, guaranteed to get you up on your feet this Saturday morning. Dedicated, of course, to The Readership. Every last one of you. Jump with us.
See you next Saturday, fams.
