Rob Wickings's Blog, page 20
February 12, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 7
Plans are afoot. Savings, so carefully squirreled away in the quiet years behind us, are about to be counted out and handed over. Changes to Cut Central have been ordered and will be complete by the summer. We’ve been thinking about this work for over a decade. Now, suddenly, it’s really happening. Nothing for you to worry about, Readership. The smooth sailing of this operation will be unhindered by upcoming upheavals. But we’re excited in a gentle middle-class suburban way about the improvements. Let’s hope it’s a tiny precursor of better times ahead (although we appreciate the brass neck in allowing domestic building work at our gaff to stand as a metaphor for hope in the face of a wildly uncertain global future).
This week: quiet places, playing at government and an actual plug for actual Excuses And Half Truths product.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
(The feature image was generated by WomboDream with the prompt ‘Further Excuses’. Another fun web toy to play with if you haven’t already.)
It’s 25 years since Brass Eye first slashed across UK TV screens, and the most brutal of news satire shows still holds an edge today. In celebration the documentary about the show, Oxide Ghosts, is going out on tour. This is a rare opportunity to see the film—it’s only ever shown in theatres, with director Michael Cummings in attendance. He explains the reasons for this deliberately awkward approach to The Quietus, and tells us how Brass Eye resonates even more strongly in today’s sociopolitical climate…
We refused to put a best of 2021 list up this year, but if we had, The French Despatch would have probably been our Film Of The Year. It showed Wes Anderson doubling down on his quirks and particular eccentricities to spectacular effect. It’s not a film for everyone, but it sat quite comfortably in our front yard. Here’s more on the clever structure of the film. We’re raising a SPOILER WARNING if you haven’t seen the film (why not?) and wish to (you should).
Many of you may think things have been a little too darn quiet over the past two years. If you’re like us and crave solitude and silence, here’s a quick guide to the quietest places on earth. They also seem to be some of the most beautiful, which only firms up our thoughts on the matter. Silence is golden…
Our favourite internet toy of the week is SHFL, a venture which delightfully randomizes the simple pleasures of music discovery. Lots to read and listen to, with articles about a track or album pick accompanying links to streaming services (including Spotify, on whom we have Complicated And Contradictory Opinions). It’s good fun and might just end you towards your new favourite band. Get SHFLing!
The furore on American schools banning books went up a few decibels this week following the news that one board had refused to allow Art Spiegelman’s Maus onto library shelves. This, of course, spiked demand for the book and it became the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon for a time. Let’s look at four cartoonists discussing their most memorable banned tomes. Of course, Maus is on the list. Its power can’t be so easily contained…
We absolutely love these metal art takes on soft rock bands, and would cheerfully own all the T-shirts. Yes, even the Phil Collins one.
There are those of us who believe the current incumbents of Parliament are playing a role and frankly not doing a very good job at it. The members of the Reddit group who are playing at government would, we feel, make a better job of it with less all-round drama and wildly unbelievable plot twists.
It’s coming up on Flower And Gift Shop Appreciation Day. We are delighted to present AI Queen Janelle Shane and her pet neural networks as they take on the cliches of the season and show what they can make of them. The results are, of course, tea-snorting funny and close enough to usable to sling onto a card should you feel the urge to well and truly freak out that special someone…
As part of our pledge to showcase more short fiction in 2022, Editor Rob feels it our duty to remind you, o Readership, that he has two anthologies available for purchase. You could have both for less than the price of a basic Barstucks latte. If you like what you read, tell yer friends. If you don’t… quiet, please.
And finally. The idea of a good night’s sleep as eight hours of uninterrupted slumber is a very modern invention, dating to industrialization and the invention of artificial light. Before then, night life was very different. If you’re one of those types who pop awake in the early hours—don’t worry. It’s natural.
Exit Music this week is provided by the mighty Superchunk, whose upcoming album is filled with bangers and guest stars. We like On The Floor, featuring Mike Mills, ex- R.E.M., on backing vocals. His contribution gives the song that particular Athens, Georgia shine. Let this one shake the rafters!
See you next Saturday, ‘chunkers.
February 5, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 6
A twelfth of the way through the year. Did you Veganuary? Dryanuary? Tryanuary? Or, like the Cut Crew, did you decide that the dark doldrums days of the new year are no time to be mucking about with fads you’ll start half-heartedly before abandoning two weeks in? We hope one habit you’ve kept up is your weekly fix of linkeration with us. If you enjoy it, why not tell a friend? That’s a resolution we can happily agree with.
This week: The Archies, the greatest film review ever and the Ninth Art Desk goes for a full takeover.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Antony Amardoux was a baker in the 2018 series of the Great British Bake Off, leaving the tent in week three. Frankly, anyone who makes it in there in the first place is a hero in our eyes. He shares some fascinating insights into his short time in the spotlight and dishes the goss on what Paul Hollywood is really like…
Three Weeks In The Bake-Off Tent
Peg Bracken wrote recipes to suit her life rather than the writers of the cookbooks she loathed. Her output, including The I Hate To Cook Book, brought practicality and common sense to the kitchen—along with a heaped helping of dry humour. Her style reminds us of Cut Crush Jack Monroe, although the budget constraints are somewhat different.
Marie Le Conte is an excellent political writer and sharp commentator on modern English life. She’s also, when she puts her mind to it, a clever cook, putting her particular skill sets to very good use. There are a few recipes in this list of super-fast weekday meals we fancy trying.
Linda Jildmalm is a film editor who has just finished work on Hatching, an indie horror getting lots of attention after its premiere at Sundance. She invites us into the editing room and tells us about the special challenges which come with cutting a film when you don’t know the language…
This, from the recently appointed Junior Film Critic of I Might Be Wrong, may just be the greatest film review of the year. We’ll say no more, but recommend you read to the very end.
https://imightbewrong.substack.com/p/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth
Legendary author Toni Morrison only ever wrote one short story. But boy howdy it’s a good one. An absolute masterclass of the form, Recitatif shows what can be done in a piece of short fiction and, probably more importantly, what to leave out. Zadie Smith examines the story and teases out what makes it such a core part of Morrison’s oeuvre…
As part of our pledge to bring you more short fiction in 2022, here’s the story. It will be available in a lovely new edition this month which, if budget allows, you should consider as an investment for your bookshelf.
https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/1073/Morrison_recitatifessay.doc.pdf
Vigon is one of those stars who shone brightly but very briefly. A stalwart of the French soul scene in the 60s (yes, there was such a thing) he shook the rafters than vanished before the dust had a chance to settle. Miles Marshall Lewis chronicles his search for the mystery soul man in a great piece that’s part social documentary, half crate-digging celebration.
On the other side of the musical spectrum, The Archies were as manufactured as you could get. A confection stirred up by music execs and crewed by animators and session musicians. The Archies might not have been real. But the music… well, that brought the whole shebang to living, colourful life.
Pour A L’il Sugar On Me, Baby.
On the other, other side of the musical spectrum stands Poison Ivy, Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Matriarch of The Cramps. She brought both the glamour and the filth, strutting the stage in glitter and heels while grinding out some of the dirtiest riffs ever heard. This rare interview with Ivy makes it clear just how influential her sound is to modern rock, and why everyone should bow down and worship.
Poison Ivy: The Queen Of Rock N Roll
The Ninth Art Desk is live! Buckle up, buttercups, we have a lot to get through. First up, an examination via the ever-excellent NeoTextReview of Glyn Dillon’s incredible 2010 graphic novel The Nao Of Brown. Now better known for his film design work (Kylo Ren’s look in the latest batch of Star Wars films? That’s Glyn), his skill as a comics storyteller is unparalleled. The Nao Of Brown is worth seeking out, as its themes are highly relevant to the current discourse on mental well-being.
The Observer/Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize announced winners this week, with first prize going to Astrid Goldsmith for A Funeral In Freiburg. This darkly humourous tale of the hard work involved in a Jewish funeral skews from tragedy to laffs in the space of a couple of panels. The link also leads to the two runners-up, both of which are equally excellent. Go read!
And finally. A big week in the Ninth Art world as Substack announced a big push in big names launching big works on their platform. Substack’s support for questionable authors is well documented, but we’re fully behind an initiative which allows comic creators the freedom to stretch out and do something different. The main hoop-de-la has focussed on sexy wizard Grant Morrison’s first foray onto the platform. For our money, the best value is to be found with Tom King and Elsa Charretier’s Love Everlasting, a wild reimagining of that most sidelined of comics genres—romance. The strip will be free for the duration of the run although subscription gets you process and art perks. The first episode is up now. Go check it out!
The Cut’s Custom Musical Algorithm coughed up this slice of delight which left the whole office swaying along with a slightly dreamy look on their faces. Utter gorgeousness, bruised romanticism, melancholia in full effect. The song to take us properly into February.
See you next Saturday, sweethearts.
January 29, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 5
It’s kind of difficult to try and sum up a week when everything is happening all at once and it’s only (checks watch) teatime on Thursday. Let us offer you a refuge from the madness. Fair warning, though, there’s a little bit of economics and politics in amongst the usual cruft and hoohah. We’ll try not to make a habit of it, honest.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
I think we’ve all figured out that when a big-name restaurant critic sits down to lunch somewhere, he or she is not going to get the same service as the rest of us. You have to wonder how high the blood pressure of the chef spikes just on the rumour that Jay or Grace or Marina might be popping in for a bite. The Fence decided to make the whole process a bit more transparent, and managed to point out a few home truths about the game along the way…
There Is Such Thing As A Free Lunch
Cut Crush and food writer extraordinaire Jack Monroe is rightly all over the news this week after she saw the abstract figure on cost-of-living rises and decided to present them in a more people-friendly way. From this brilliant start she’ll be heading up a new metric to look at the hit your weekly food bill is taking with the creation of The Vimes Boots Index.
Wondering what the reference means? Here’s some context, with a further update on how things are going.
We mentioned Jay Rayner earlier. We’re fans of his work and pay attention when he has a recommend for us. This little internet tool, which pings up pics from random restaurants around the world, has eaten up more of our time over the past few weeks than we’d care to admit. Sometimes it’s good to dream of a meal from somewhere totally new…
Random Restaurants Around The World
In 1977 a guy called Snoopy, deep in the joy of his favourite music, published a list of the 125 best dub reggae albums of all time. 45 years later, the list is still relevant, vital and sparking robust discussions among fans of the genre. Here’s an interview with Snoopy, still fannishly enthusiastic after all this time. We guarantee you’ll want to wind up some tunes after reading this.
We hear so much about ‘cancel culture’ without ever being sure what the term actually means. There are elements of misunderstanding, miscommunication, generational issues and frankly bewildering storms of anger over things that seem trivial to some and desperately important to others. We believe you should know what you’re talking about before lobbing an opinion-bomb into someone’s time. So let’s define our terms.
We remember a short animation as part of the seminal BBC TV show Big Train which featured an extreme staring contest. It turns out such competitions actually exist and the ‘sport’ has fans worldwide. Not only that, the process of staring intently and with utter focus on an object can have unexpected benefits. If you’ll excuse us, we have to go and watch some paint dry.
The Marble Index is one of those albums which has built a reputation over and above its disappointing initial release. It is angular and uncompromising, angry and unsettling. For fans, it’s arguably better than anything Nico did with the Velvet Underground. We love deep dives like this, although we’re still chewing on the grist of the music itself…
Early 19th Century Reading was home to The Gentleman Danes, prisoners taken during the Napoleonic Wars. They settled here and, moving freely among the populace, became upstanding members of our town. One of the Danes, Jørgen Jørgensen, would have a life less ordinary. Rather than settling quietly in Tilehurst, he chose adventure and conquest becoming, for a short while at least, the king of another island nation…
We were saddened to see the end of one of the greatest science-fiction shows this month. The Expanse is a solid recommend from all the Cut Crew—a show about family and boundaries and discovery and conquering demons of all types, shapes and sizes, from prejudice to giant interstellar energy-monsters. Let’s look at how it began, ended and what’s next.
The Expanse: Endings and Beginnings
Life becomes a little simpler when you simply accept that William Gibson has written our future out and all we have to do is pay attention. In this searingly incisive bit of political commentary and critical theory, Cory Doctorow looks at how London is already becoming closer to its corrupt 23rd century Jackpot iteration.
The Kleptocracy And The Jackpot
And finally. Editor Rob’s day job is tangled in the discussions had in this next article about how films look different in the 21st century. He thinks some of it is bang on, some a little off. Buy him a beer and he’ll dig into it for you. In the meantime, we’re sorry to report turning up the brightness on your telly won’t really help the situation.
On Colour (or the lack of same)
We’re going out Detroit-style this week. We dug this Alt Press rundown on some iconic Motor City rock, filling in the gaps between MC5 and The White Stripes. If you’re in the mood for snotty, wiry and propulsive bangarangs, step this way. We’re featuring an EP from Cinecyde, who are still banging out the grooves but trust us, there’s plenty more strut and snarl to enjoy.
See you next Saturday, punks.
January 22, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 4
We’re over the hump of the month, and the day we no longer call Blue Monday is receding in our rear-view mirror. The first Wolf Moon of 2022 has howled across the sky. The Cadbury Creme Eggs and Valentine’s Day cards are in the shops. That new car smell is off the year now, y’all. Let’s dig in for the long run to springtime.
This week: a rocketgirl, the Residents and hey, we need to talk about Bruno.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Who remembers We Are The Physics? Raved abut the NME for a brief spell in the 90s? Touted by some as the most perfect new band ever? Anyone? Beuller?
You’re not alone, of course. We Are The Physics burned brightly and for a very short time. Even Michael M, who was in the band, can barely remember his moment in the spotlight. But there are some things he can recall. Like their tour manager, the extraordinary and eccentric figure known simply as Gary…
Gary in Japan With The Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of
We’re a little twitchy abut posting this next link. It talks about the way Hollywood casts its films and populates its writer’s rooms in 2022. It asks questions without really offering answers but could easily be misconstrued as offering commentary in a way your loudmouth boomer uncle would cheerfully agree with. The ongoing culture war is a difficult subject, and it’s all too easy to get mired in an argument you didn’t start and don’t quite understand how you got tangled up in it. See? We’re tied up in knots already. Just read the darned thing and make up your own mind.
Right, let’s move swiftly on. Encanto has become a hit beyond all expectations, largely because it (mostly) subverts the traditional story path of a Disney film. The highlight song in the film, We Don’t Talk About Bruno, has become more popular than Let It Go amongst that all important pre-teen demographic. Author Laurie Penny explains what makes the movie and how it handles themes of family and politics so special…
The Family And The Casita And Everything Unspoken.
We talked a couple of issues back about the works of fiction moving into the public domain this year, including the real-deal old-school Winnie The Pooh. One film not making it out into the sunlight any time soon is Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, which has had a torrid time in and out of the courts…
How Metropolis Went In and Out Of The Public Domain
Right, brace yerselves, The Ninth Art Desk is ready for action. First, Vanessa Thorpe outlines the reasons so many of our best-loved superhero characters seem to be orphans, while bigging up a new must-visit exhibition on the subject.
Next, take a peek at this excellent strip at The Believer on how art transformed the prison life of one inmate, and taught him some very useful lessons on knowing the value of your skills…
Step By Bloody Step is going to be a highlight of the comics scene this spring. A wordless but gorgeously realised work of narrative fiction, the book aims to transcend barriers of language to bring us a tale with universal appeal. Creators Simon Spurrier, Matías Bergara, and Matheus Lopes tell us more in a preview for Screenrant.
Hunter S. Thompson knew little about the arcane arts of political reporting when he took on the onerous task of covering the 1968 Presidential campaign for, all all outlets, Rolling Stone. He should have been trampled underfoot. Instead, he fired out Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail and cemented a fearsome reputation. There are lessons to be learned from his exploits, Readership. Strap in. Let’s get gonzo.
Five Lessons (on writing) from Hunter S. Thompson
We loved this set of pics of Mia Rovenko, taken by her photographer dad Andrew. We felt as if we were joining her on a mission of exploration, even if it was mostly in her head. There’s no sense of exploitation here—the story is clearly Mia’s, guided by her obsessions and imagination. Reach for the stars!
…Mia…wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. “She’s obsessed with space, particles, molecules” he says. The family live in Melbourne. Her ambition grew after watching the music video for ‘Intergalactic’ by the Beastie Boys….
Dave Haslam
The Residents were always a band into which you had to grow to enjoy. They are not an easy listen but, like Frank Zappa or Captain Beffheart, once you’re in and the trapdoor closes, there’s no easy way out. The roots of their curious toy box in a funhouse approach are dug deep in the rich soil of East Texas, fed by some darkly delicious nutrients…
And finally. There’s a place in the Midlands which is home to the strangest stockpile you ever did see. If mannequins make you nervous, you might want to skip the next link.
We lost Meat Loaf this week. His remarkable mix of rock and roll excess mashed together with theatrical and operatic bombast made for a heady mix. At his best and in full flow, frequently in fiery collaboration with writer Jim Steinman, there was no-one who could touch the man. Here’s a performance for The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978 which gives the floavour of what he could do in a live setting. Holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it.
See you next Saturday, rocketeers.
January 15, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 3
It’s cold and foggy here in Reading this morning. The damp low air brings a sense of quiet and mystery, as if there’s something waiting for us just out of sight. We feel strangely positive about things today—the Covid numbers are starting to drop, the ugly and entitled have had a kicking as their hubris is revealed and the world sees them for the monsters they truly are. The fog has lifted there, at least.
It’s a nice peaceful moment to settle in with a cup of tea and put the finishing polish on this week’s Cut. Enjoy with us a wild story about how an architect became a bargaining chip in the acquisition of his own archive, the crazy world of fake bourbon and how Mad Max Fury Road channels Shakespeare.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
First up, an amazing story of hope and music in the harshest environment of all. Redemption is possible even when you’re facing the ultimate punishment. Everyone involved in this story seems able to see past the awful crimes of the past to a future with possibilities beyond the cruelest answer.
One from the Ninth Art Desk. This story on cartoonist Zerocalcere is a great example of how, outside the English-speaking world, comics easily transcend the normal bounds of what’s deemed sellable and popular. Who’d have thought a strip about a guy haunted by his conscience, anthropomorphised into an armadillo, would get a Netflix adaption?
Zerocalcere and The Armadillo of Conscience.
Late in his career, Charles Dickens went on a tour of America. Downcast and lacking in inspiration, it took the simplest of exercises to bring him back up to speed. We at The Cut can recommend a little gentle exercise to get the idea engines steaming. As author Mike Sowden mentions:
…I reckon the walking bit is important, because it’ll excite your body and get your blood pumping around, and since your mind is part of your body it’ll also get worked up, yet have nothing to feed on except itself. Allow it to get to work on things that have been quietly bugging you for ages. Let interesting insights bubble up, as they always seem to do when you’re doing nothing much at all.
Mike Sowden
Let it all happen, and don’t let anything else get in the way.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
The most mind-boggling bit of the week is the story of what happened to architect Luis Barragán after he died. A tale of art, death and magical realism, it’s a long read but totally worth it. Hey, it’s cold and damp out there. Save the walk for later.
Magid and Zanco’s correspondence became friendlier—either because Zanco now appreciated Magid’s work or because she realized that anything she wrote could end up as material in future shows. “Thank you for your company,” Zanco wrote at one point. “I feel definitely less lonely down in the archives.” The tone of their letters became familiar but measured. At no point did Magid mention her plan to make a diamond out of Barragán.
Common knowledge states that monosodium glutamate should be avoided. It’s supposed to be bad for us in ways we’re somehow never quite able to articulate, and many foods on sale proudly advertise as ‘MSG Free’. The truth is very different to the accepted narrative and the reason we think otherwise may be nothing more than a racist prank.
How We We Told To Mistrust MSG
People really do seem to take a lot at face value these days. There’s almost no examination of a given text, allowing folk to become quickly offended at material which is obviously satire. We present The Trevor Bastard Extended Universe, and how it got kicked off Twitter.
The Trevor Bastard Extended Universe
Another one from the Ninth Art Desk (yes, we’re scattering those stories around this week to stop you just skipping a chunk of content). Lee Stringer is a skilful and intelligent cartoonist who’s worked for British publications over many years. He knows his stuff and has little time for the attempt to stoke a new front in the culture wars over, of all things, the renaming of one of The Bash Street Kids…
Before The Situation, we took a road trip to Northumberland and stayed in a lovely little village called Allendale. Four nice pubs, a neat little cafe and arts hub, a properly vintage Co-op and of course The Museum Of Classic Sci-Fi. Run on a shoestring by superfan Neil Cole, we are delighted to report it has survived the challenges of the past couple of years and the brilliantly named Allendalek waits to greet you. If you’re in the area, please drop in. It’s a bizarre and brilliant treat.
We like a wee tipple on occasion, and Editor Rob is partial to a good bourbon. However, the collector’s market for rare bottles is a little outside the range of our petty cash tin, and with stories of expensive fakes abounding, we’ll stick to good old Woodford Reserve, thanks. At least you know what you’re paying for…
Nice Bottle, Shame About The Bourbon.
Film criticism can often uncomfortably jam a writer’s opinion or pet theory onto the framework of a movie whether it fits of not. Subtext can be important, but there are times when it’s clear a movie is about what it seems to be about and nothing more. However, we enjoyed this bonkers treatise on the villain of Fury Road, and have to admit we see what author Adam Roberts means when he asks: Is Immortan Joe the Mad Max version of King Lear?
This week’s short story is ‘What Remained’ by Morgan Omotoye. We found it skewed and unsettling, with a central concept close to an experience we had with an old laptop—although Morgan takes the notion to a very odd place indeed.
Say goodbye to Ronnie Spector, who’s hit the long road and left us all behind. One of the defining voices of rock, her magic touched a huge range of musicians, from the Ramones to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and of course, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Our Exit Music features a collaboration between Ronnie and the E Streeters, on hiatus while Bruce worked through a legal battle which shuttered his operations for a few years. Say Goodbye To Hollywood was written by Billy Joel as a tribute to Ronnie and her music. Once she heard it, she insisted on recording a version. The result is magnificent, and a fitting tribute to Spanish Harlem’s favourite daughter.
See you next Saturday, rockers.
January 8, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Episode 2
Back to work, drones. You’ve had your fun, eaten and drunk your way through a skipful of vittles, slept in till noon, maybe had another nap in the afternoon in front of something on Netflix. Those days are over. Time to pull up the slack and get your noses back on the grindstone. The Prime Minister’s wallpaper bill won’t pay itself, you know.
Of course, we here at Cut Central know nothing of rest. Our ongoing mission to bring you juicy reads and tasty links is a twenty-four-seven operation. Sleep is for the weak. Let’s get to it.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Andy Miller is a man who likes his books. Like the Cut Crew, he is never happier than when he’s buried in an interesting read. He also likes to share his reading list on his long-running blog. Inevitably, in the weird world we find ourselves, that means a lot of people think he’s just showing off.
So many books, so little time for your Twitter beefs.
That first bit may have got your hackles up (it certainly did to the wordhounds on The Book Desk, who hissed and spat at the idea of wholesome reading habits somehow being objectionable). We need a moment of zen. Restore your equilibrium courtesy of French chef Jacques Pepin and his gently persuasive way with an allium.
Starting again after the Xmas break is hard. Getting up a head of steam has been a struggle for most of us. Getting out of bed has been an effort this week. We should be aware how unusual the times we live in are. Faced with a cold damp winter it’s OK to feel a little low in spirit and energy. Take your cue from the natural world and don’t feel you have to be on point all the time.
I’m not languishing… I’m dormant.
Food is still a balm to The Cut Crew, and we regularly gather to cook and eat together. The simple act of preparing and eating a good meal can mean more than simple sustenance. We loved this New York Times bit on how long-distance truckers in the US take the time and effort to put food on a plate that is good for the soul…
One more from The Food Desk. Rice is the simplest of foodstuffs. A base for most cuisines around the world. Easy to cook, easy to flavour. Even if you burn it, deliciousness can be wrought. Many cultures understand and even embrace that apparent dichotomy. The burnt bit is the best bit.
The rice is scorched and that’s OK.
The New Year brings a fresh tranche of art arriving in the public domain. The best known character brought into the fold is A. A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh (not, we stress, the red-shirted Disney version—different rules apply). There’s plenty of other works that are now free for you to play with as you choose. Let’s see what we can do!
The human mind is an incomprehensibly complex feat of biological engineering. We still have little more than a working knowledge into how it allows us to interact so frictionlessly with the world and all its wonders. Should we be surprised, then, that given the right circumstances it can be very easily confused? Check out this list of the Illusion Of The Year award-winners, and prepare to have your mind blown a little.
We were saddened beyond measure at the passing of doyenne of comedy Betty White, a few weeks shy of her hundredth birthday. She packed a lot into a long, rich life. Use that lifespan as a measure of time, and Betty can give us a different perspective into how short humanity’s existence on the planet has been, once we offer up an uncommon metric of scale…
Betty White as a measure of time.
We will continue to honk on about Peter Jackson’s Get Back, to our minds one of the most completely satisfying feats of documentary film-making we’ve seen in a long time. It has so much to offer, particularly if you are of a creative bent. There are lessons to be learned in watching the Get Back sessions, and it’s not just about tea and toast. Although we could do with a serving of both right about now…
More Tea And Toast or Lessons In Creativity taken from the Get Back Sessions
Editor Rob had a cheery exchange of views with Reading’s ninth-most influential media figure, STiR, before Christmas. Ostensibly about the battle for Christmas No. 1 (sadly not won by our favourite, Kunt And The Gang), STiR made an excellent point about the one true punk to make it to the top slot. He’s not alone in viewing a certain pink-and-yellow monster as the real Lord Of Misrule…
And finally. We promised you regular shots of fresh fiction to freshen up your reading list. Here’s the opening chapter to Designated Survivor by Jeffrey Somers. He’s going to post new episodes of the novel weekly on his blog. If you like what you see, keep it locked to his channel.
Some squelchy, synthy, lairy rock and roll for your Exit Music, from Warmduscher. Fatso is the first cut from their new album out in a few weeks. It’s glitter-and-dirt infused stomp which will stir the blood and get you in the mood to—well, get out of bed, at least. We can’t stay dormant for ever… can we?
See you next Saturday, sleepyheads.
January 1, 2022
The Cut Season 3 Premiere!
2021, done. That was a wild ride, right? All the fun of 2020 with an added layer of paranoia, existential dread and looming societal collapse. Who’d have thought we’d become so skilled at the fine art of the Latty Flow, plunging swabs down our throats and up our noses with as much grace and aplomb as such activities can allow?
But here we are in 2022, by the grace of an entirely arbitrary time-reckoning system. Reset count to zero, brush that dirt off your shoulder, face the sunrise. After much discussion amongst the many Desks, we have decided not to offer a review or best-of list for last year. Why should our tastes be any more interesting or relevant than yours? If you’d like to educate us in your favourite music, film, telly or perhaps even comic of the last twelve months, then please do. You know we love to hear from you.
We start 2022 with a positive mental attitude, an eye on the future and a drink in either paw. We hope you can do the same, Readership.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is Season 3 of The Cut.
So may we start. The opening one-shot sequence to Leos Carax and Sparks’ amazing psychodrama musical Annette took seventeen tries to get right. How come? Well, let’s take a peek at take nine. Perseverance will out. Keep an eye on Ron and his struggle with his jacket…
Book banning is wrong. It feels weird even writing that sentence. It’s one of those self-evident truths, a constant like gravity or the importance of vaccines. It’s unfortunate that some blinkered types view any challenge to their limited world view as one which should be erased. Handily, censorship is self defeating, as a group of American parents found out after trying to purge their local library of problematic titles. It seems that the best way to get people interested in a book is to make it more difficult to get hold of.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/dec/23/us-book-bans-conservative-parents-reading
Hawkeye on Disney+ has been, rightfully, a hit with fans and critics. It’s a perfect mix of drama, comedy and action and the Christmas-in-New- York setting is just glorious. Of course, we need to acknowledge the huge debt the programme owes to the Matt Fraction and David Aja comics run (still one of the Ninth Art Desk’s favourites EVAR) both in terms of visual style and bravura storytelling. Here’s a breakdown of what makes the series so special.
OK, before you start on the hoary ole goats on the Music Desk honking on about grime, a couple of side notes. Editor Rob has roots in the area of East London in which the genre was born. Also, this article is as much about food as music, two of this newsletter’s enduring loves. Thirdly, any opportunity to play the sheer unapologetic joy that is Jaxor’s tribute to cheap street eats ‘Junior Spesh’ has to be grabbed with both mitts. ‘One pound and fifty pence, fifty pence, fifty pence…’
https://www.vice.com/en/article/akgpbp/a-potted-history-of-grimes-love-affair-with-food
Here’s a way to spend January positively, without all that Dry or Vegan self-flagellation. Now is not the time to deny yourself. Instead, grab a drinkie and a snackeroo and spend a little bit of every day with some cracking short films from around the world. You will find something to love in this list, trust us.
Here’s a brilliant short comic on other strategies for the liminal period before the world grinds back into motion from Emily Flake at The Nib. We feel this strip has much value for all of us at this difficult time of year.
https://thenib.com/how-to-beat-the-post-holiday-blues/
Kristine Howard AKA Web Goddess is one of the OG bloggers, dishing up fresh links and news you can use since the year 2000. Like us, she started and just kinda never stopped. We love this recent travelogue cataloguing her trip with husband The Snook to Moominland by train and sea. It almost feels like you’re tagging along. Also, we really wanna go to Moominland now.
https://www.web-goddess.org/archive/22608
We plan to include more short fiction in Season 3 of The Cut. A little light reading is good for the soul. If nothing else, it gives us another vector of interesting material to dig out for your hungry, hungry eyes. So may we start with this lovely piece of SF from Jenifer K. Leigh, looking forward to a future where humans and dolphins co-exist as partners in a world changed for the better.
https://sockdolager.net/share-your-flavor/
The 1954 SF story The Cold Equations is held up as a great example of the genre, highlighting the extreme hazards of space travel. The story is, to be frank, spectacularly bleak. It’s true that space is overwhelmingly hostile to us. Interplanetary travel, let alone interstellar, is so fraught with death traps that we are genuinely better off letting robots do all the work. But, as Cory Doctorow points out, The Cold Equations is unnecessarily cruel, the science based on a very specific set of circumstances engineered by the author. Worth bearing in mind when you’re confronted with any no-good-choice scenario. Screw you, Kobayashi Maru.
https://locusmag.com/2014/03/cory-doctorow-cold-equations-and-moral-hazard/
And finally. It would be foolish of us to simply ignore the ongoing spectre of The Omichron Variant (still sounds like a Star Trek episode to us) as we hop over the kerb and into the traffic stream of 2022. How do we navigate this strange new territory? Comedian Richard Herring has A Modest Proposal which could become government policy. Don’t tell us your anti-vaccer rellies haven’t mentioned something similar over the past few months…
http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/13064/wednesday_29th_december_2021.html
And finally finally. We could turn our back on 2021, damning it as the shittiest of all shit-shows, the clumpiest of clusterfucks. We shouldn’t forget the achievements made in sport, music, art, film, literature and all the other things which bring us joy which were accomplished in the face of and under the constraints of a global pandemic. A lot of good stuff happened in 2021. As Ian Dunt points out, one achievement shines out above all others, and it’s one which will influence how this year goes.
Always a delight when the Cut’s Bespoke Musical Algorithm comes up with the perfect choice of Exit Music for the week. Not only is this a top tune with the perfect title, it’s also a cat video.
Come on. You know we like to spoil you.
See you next Saturday, newbies.
December 25, 2021
The Cut Season 2 Christmas Finale!
So, here it is (at the time of writing this preamble, on Christmas Eve at the Anchor Inn on Henley On Thames, the Slade classic is indeed pumping on the stereo). A second weird Christmas for us all. All you can do is make the most of it and celebrate the little victories—we’re in a pub on December 24th which is an improvement on last year, for example. We hope you’re spending the day with the people you love in the way that you want. However it happens, we wish you merry brightness.
Our X-Day gift to you includes a couple of Christmassy horror stories, a chance to hang with Sarah Millican, the joys of Christmas Ai creatures and some Muppets.
Now is the time. Here is the place. Ho ho ho. This is The Cut.
Let’s start with a song. Rather than a traditional tune, we’ve chosen this perfect slice of power pop from Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe and Rockpile. It’s not at all festive, but in two and a half minutes and from over forty years ago it sums up the spirit of the times rather nicely.
Christmas can be a difficult time for many people even before you factor in the global pandemic and collapse of society as a whole. If you’re on your own and hanging around Twitter, comedian and all-round lovely person Sarah Millican spends her X-Day chatting to folks using the hashtag #JoinIn. The conversations are as warm and friendly as you’d expect. If you fancy a chinwag as a means of escape from the demands of the season, this could be very helpful.
Here’s the first of our Christmas stories, courtesy of Charlie Stross. His Laundry novels take a LeCarre/Mick Herron-style realistic approach to documenting the exploits of a department of MI5 dedicated to the fight against paranormal threats. This 2009 tale is a nice intro to the world, as our hero Bob is tasked with a turkey of a job—duty officer at Christmas.
https://www.tor.com/2009/12/22/overtime/
You’d expect comedy legend Larry David to wholeheartedly embrace the festive period with joy and whole-hearted delight, right? Yeah, ok, maybe not. Here’s Larry’s trick-bag of survival tactics that get him through the tail-end of December. Not a strand of tinsel in sight…
If you really can’t stand the thought of all the jollity and need to really get away from it all, we may just have the job for you. The Ship Inn on Piel Island off the Cumbrian coast is looking for a landlord. Added bonus, you get to be the actual King of all you survey. There are, of course, a few downsides. We think Larry David could probably go for it.
The giving and receiving of gifts is a ritual fraught with potential pitfalls. It’s all too easy to say the wrong thing or seem offensively underwhelmed at a battered box of half-price No. 7 aftershave. A sure spark-point for Christmas fights and a merry trip to A&E. Luckily for us, The Onion has a handy guide to help you navigate the moral maze with ease and style.
https://www.theonion.com/if-someone-gives-you-a-bad-gift-do-not-say-these-thing-1848209354
Here’s your other Xmas tale. This one comes from Richard Kadrey, author of the Sandman Slim books. James Stark, the eponymous Sandman, is a demon-hunter and ex-King of Hell. Kadrey’s books are amped-up rock ‘n’ roll horror, blasting along like a brimstone-fuelled Harley. We strongly recommend if you like a fun, fast read with a whiff of the finest intoxicants the nether world has to offer. Here, Stark tries and fails to take a night off just before Christmas. There’s always a vampire around to spoil his fag break…
https://www.patreon.com/posts/sandman-slim-60140416
The tree at Cut Central is well-worn, balding and made entirely of artificial materials—much like some of the staff. However, if you really can’t bear the thought of X-day without a dying fir tree in the corner of the front room, there are things you can do with the thing once the New Year rolls around that don’t include a shredder or a trip to the tip. You can make cocktails, for example.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-turn-christmas-tree-into-cocktails
We are delighted to find Janelle Shane has fired up her pet AIs for the season to bring us a fine selection of brand-new Christmas entities. Think Rudolf or Icelandic prank-elves the Yule Lads, then add the whiff of insanity only a GPT-3 network can bring. The Three Christmas Weasels will be all over cards this time next year, we guarantee it.
https://www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-entities/
We’ve happily championed the output of NeoTextReview this year. Chloe Maveal’s merry bunch of maniacs have just the right mix of geeky enthusiasms to tickle our fancy. The love they show towards British comics is just the cherry on the bakewell for us. For Christmas, Chloe argues that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is the movie we need to close out 2021, speaking as it does so clearly to our shared experience of the year.
Let’s talk about room tone. Actually, we’ll let editor Daniel Reis explain it first…
For those who aren’t familiar with film and video production, “room tone” is the ambient sound of a space typically captured at the end of a shoot. Editors think of it almost like the mortar between bricks: if I’m cutting together different takes, creating an artificial pause, or eliminating a speaker’s “ums” and “ahs,” I need to layer in that sound to make sure the final result is seamless. Room tone is something that can’t really be faked, because each space has its own ambience, and it’s very hard to re-create once you’ve left.
Daniel Reis
He’s put together a lovely short film featuring all sorts of actors, directors and interesting folks enjoying that quiet moment at the end of a chat. How they choose to spend it is a big part of the fun of the piece. The choice of music puts the film squarely in the bailiwick for today’s episode. Seriously, sit and enjoy this one.
https://www.theblackandblue.com/2021/01/01/gift-room-tone-criterion/
And that’s us. We’re off to roast a beast and partake of one too many snifters of booze and fall asleep in front of a movie. All ye greatest hits. We’ll be back in a week for that all important kick-off for Season Three, featuring the many Desks and their Picks of Last Year. Prepare for contentiousness and controversy.
Let’s close out with the Carol Of The Bells, in a Muppet stylee. DING DONG.
See you next year, fellow kids!
December 18, 2021
The Cut Season 2 Episode 50
We’re not noted for our political commentary here at The Cut, so let us just say in response to the events of the last week—hahahahhahahhahhahhhhaaaaaaaa. What a delightful gift the voters of North Shropshire have given us for the season. Anyway. Tis the week before Christmas and all through The Cut, the grindstones are turning cos we never shut.
This week, we talk about mindful gaming, play a game which uses the mind and join many Frank Sinatras for dinner.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Big fans of The Nib here, as you all probably have sussed by now. We loved this collab comic in which four cartoonists talk about family food and the memories they evoke. It’s really nicely done.
https://thenib.com/family-food-response/
Haggard Hawks is a fine source for those esoteric words you never know you needed. As writers, we need new vocabulary on a constant drip feed. It’s not an addiction. Really, we’re fine. HH is celebrating the time of the year with a great little quiz. Let us know how you get on!
https://www.haggardhawks.com/games
We loved this Atlas Obscura bit on how one monk in the seventies managed to breed the best bees in the world. It’s just our level of geeky but a great story about determination and the forthright pursuit of a vision. A lesson we could all use, doncha think?
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/honey-bee-breeding
The bit of the week as far as we’re concerned comes from Airmail News, and concerns the annual get together of a group of Sinatra ‘tributeers’ in a Midtown New York restaurant. Bruce Handy nails the atmosphere and voices. You can almost taste the chicken parm.
https://airmail.news/issues/2021-12-11/linguine-with-a-side-of-sinatra
This is a bit self-indulgent, and serves almost as a bookmark for the Music desk. But we think The Readership will find some great tunes in this breakdown of the best country and Americana albums of the year. We’re cheerfully rolling around in it and really liking what we hear.
Staying with the Music Desk, we are still really enjoying Get Back, the epic documentary on the last days of the Beatles. The one presence always at the studio, a strange kind of wordless Greek chorus on the whole affair, is Yoko Ono. Knitting, painting Japanese calligraphy or simply sitting and watching while Paul wrangles Get Back out of the ether, she becomes strangely compelling to watch. We’re not the only ones to think so…
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/arts/music/yoko-ono-beatles-get-back.html
Serving as a sidebar to last week’s bit on Twitch gamers, you’ll find this piece by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell on how he played games for an audience of one—his dying sister— both moving and strangely life-affirming. We’ll offer up a trigger warning for themes of grief and mourning. But if you feel you can read it, it’s an amazing piece on how gaming works in all sorts of unexpected ways to help us heal and allow us to grow.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-29-playing-videogames-carefully
Once upon a time, when you saw a spaceship on screen it would have been built by a dedicated team of artists and model makers. The love and craft involved can be incredible. Please feel free to have a wallow in the beautiful ‘miniatures’ of The Betty and Auriga from Alien: Resurrection, possibly one of the last big features to use such large-scale models before the industry shifted over to CGI.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/o22Lxq
And finally. We’ve all become used to food shortages this year as supply chain issues from The Situation and Brexit continue to bite. One bizarre offshoot of that has been the shortage of key ingredients from recipes posted on TikTok which have gone viral. If you’re wondering why it was so hard to get hold of feta cheese for a while this year, here’s why…
https://www.eater.com/22832651/viral-tiktok-recipes-food-shortages
We have a request for you attached to this week’s Exit Music. Punk rapscallions Kunt And The Gang have released an updated version of their punt for Christmas No. 1, complete with nods to the KLF. It’s a scorching 70 seconds of pointed commentary which we should all be singing along to. More on how you can help get the tune to the top of the charts at the band’s homepage: http://www.kuntandthegang.co.uk/
See you on Christmas Day, Santa Babies!
December 11, 2021
The Cut Season 2 Episode 49
It’s been a week for news. It’s not our place to comment because if we start we aren’t going to be able to stop and you don’t come to The Cut for unhinged political rants. You know what’s going on. You don’t need us to make smart comments.
Instead, join us as we celebrate the return of Miyazaki, try to talk to Generation Z and enjoy the choicest restaurant review of 2021.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Oh yeah, you heard right. Possibly the world’s greatest animator and founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement in his 80s to helm one more film. We know next to nothing about it. There have been no character sketches or spoilers. Miyazaki is making something. That’s all that matters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/t-magazine/hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli.html
When we talk about comics, we never limit ourselves to the usual superhero fare. Comics is not a genre, it’s a medium, and it contains multitudes. We loved this bit in The Nation about Black editorial comics in Chicago and the neat way they navigate and comment upon racial politics in one of America’s biggest cities. Sometimes a picture and a caption is honestly worth a thousand words.
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/chicago-comics-life-see/
We’ve read a lot about streamers, kids who play games online and hope they’re good enough to attract a viewing (and more importantly, paying) audience. At the peak of the E-Sports industry, players can be worth millions. But it’s not a glamorous life. For many, spending up to eighteen hours a day in a virtual world quickly and brutally takes its toll.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/02/twitch-loltyler1-tyler-steinkamp/
Map makers have often sought to protect their copyright by placing towns and streets that don’t exist on their work. If a competitor includes this so-called ghost town, then it’s a trip to the courts. Sometimes, the story becomes a little more complicated. What if you visit a point on the map that should be empty to find something there?
https://everythingisamazing.substack.com/p/the-imaginary-town-that-refused-to
Communication is key to understanding. The alleged culture wars (don’t get us started on the misuse of the word ‘woke’) are often confusions between what people say and what they mean. It’s been this way for a long time, of course. The older generation have never quite known how to talk to their kids, and slang and jargon can be an impenetrable barrier to comprehension. Dr. Sarah Ogilve explains the problems and offers, if not solutions, then roadmaps to a clearer way to chat…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/20/dr-sarah-ogilvie-generation-z-explained-interview
Complaints have been growing over the past ten years that movie and TV dialogue has become more difficult to understand. The works of Christopher Nolan are prime culprits, but people have been moaning about the words in shows as disparate as Jamaica Inn and Call Of Duty. The causes are manifold and disparate and solving the problem is a task that will need a many-pronged attack.
This list on Messy Nessy Chic on forgotten Christmas specials is, of course, heavily US-centric, but there’s plenty to enjoy if you’re a big fan of festive cheese. From Dolly to Judy and all points inbetween, we think there’s something for everyone here.
https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/12/23/a-brief-compendium-of-forgotten-christmas-specials/
We know some of you have already read this extraordinary takedown of Lecce, an Italian restaurant which has taken the idea of the tasting menu and made it virtually inedible. Rejoice, there’s more. In the second link, the chefs have exercised their right to respond in a truly surreal fashion. Complete with drawings of horses!
https://www.today.com/food/brutal-review-michelin-starred-restaurant-bros-goes-viral-t242696
We are delighted to see the return of Scott Levene, a British artist whose writing and song craft are deeply pleasing to those of us who love both power pop and deadpan poetry. His story is extraordinary, and you can see how his experiences have informed his writing. The article is well worth your time. The album even more so.
Normally, we’d put a track by Scott up as our Exit Music and have done with it. But last night news broke of the passing of Michael Nesmith. He was a member of The Monkees, sure. But he was also a brilliant songwriter in his own right, helping to create the genre of country rock. He was also a film producer and pioneer of music television. His influence goes far and wide. We’re sorry to see him go. Now, listen to the band.
See you next Saturday, monkees.
