Rob Wickings's Blog, page 33
October 16, 2020
The Cut
We had a link from Wired as the opener this week, on how the work/life balance has become irretrievably skewed (https://www.wired.com/story/how-work-became-an-inescapable-hellhole/ if you’re interested) but we realised you all know this already. So let’s put that nonsense to one side and instead centre up the nonsense you have come to know and love over the last several months.
This week, scary sound effects, an iconic bus route and a really rather funky musical instrument you can all play.
Now is the time, here is the place. This is The Cut.
Some towns have that one bus route that seems to tie the whole place together. For our home town of Reading it’s the number 17, running right through the middle. In Birmingham it’s all about the circular route taken by the number 11. An interesting bit of psychogeography awaits as Jon Bounds of Paradise Circus takes us up to the top deck…
Rob writes: most of my professional life has been spent working with archive film of all gauges and conditions, from spotless to falling apart. It’s all part of the restoration process, opening a window into times past. Digital techniques have given us opportunities to make the view clearer, moving on from repairing scratches and splices to colouring black and white footage. The question is how far can you take the work? At what point do we move from restoring footage to making up things that were never there in the first place? It’s a complex and fascinating issue speaking to notions of how we view, interpret and use archive material…
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/history-colourisation-controversy
In a tastier revisit of old-time technique, we were fascinated by this Atlas Obscura report on a very special circumnavigation of the globe by Spanish sailing ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano—and the even more special cargo she’s carrying…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wine-aged-at-sea
We’re sliding deeper into spooky season, so we loved this Vice article on how skilled Foley artists create the sounds that add so much to moments of horror in your favourite scary movies. You’ll never look at a stick of celery the same way again…
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7j5wa/horror-movie-foley-artist-sounds
Food delivery services like Just Eat and Deliveroo have banked it big over the months of The Situation. But most of us are cooking much, much more. It’s not just about sourdough bread. For everyone, getting good, nutritious and varied grub on the table every day can be a challenge—which is why the big cube riders have done so well. There are a ton of tips and tricks around to help the newer home cooks out there to make something delicious in a hurry. This New York Times article gives you the framework to get organised and build your own menu!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/dining/cooking-foundations.html
We have alway been big fans of the worlds of Supermarionation. From Thunderbirds to Joe90, the minds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson brought us an exciting vision of a possible future. It was a stylish vision too, largely thanks to the design skills of Sylvia. She gave Tracy Island and W.A.S.P HQ a modtastically chic feel, with every detail considered. MessyNessyChic has more…
https://www.messynessychic.com/2018/09/05/the-marvellous-mod-world-of-sci-fi-supermarionettes/
A note from the Ninth Art Desk: Comics guru and hedge wizard Alan Moore poked his hirsuit features over the parapet, ostensibly to talk about his new film project The Show. Of course, all the interviewers wanted to know about was how pissed off he was with the comics world he was this week. No-one should have been surprised by the reaction or the headlines it generated. It feel to Alan’s daughter Leah to provide some much-needed context.
We were more interested in this Comics Journal chat with artist Jacen Burrows, whose collaboration with Moore on the dense exploration of Lovecraftian mythos, Providence was viewed by many as a high point for both creators. Burrows has carved a niche as an uncompromising artist who does not flinch from depicting some very dark stuff. But his clarity of visual storytelling and sharply observed characterisation make him much more than a gore hound.
We’re going to finish with a couple of online music links. Tim Burgess of The Charlatans has built a community around his Twitter Listening Party. It’s a brilliantly simple idea—he picks an album and a time to start playing it, and everyone is encouraged to listen and chat along. It’s a lovely, inclusive way of using social media and hugely popular. Tim’s just pushed out a Spotify playlist featuring one track from each album that’s been at the party, which gives an idea of the broad range of music on offer. For more, check out https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/
Virtual and soft synths are all over the place nowadays. You no longer need ton of cash and a big back room to build up a fine collection of classic squelches, squawks and beats. They can still, however, be a bit tricky to get your head around. Some are as ferociously complex as the hardware they emulate. We therefore really dig Roland’s new 808303.studio, which places the iconic sounds of their classic drum machine and bass synth in an super-easy to play but authentic-sounding package. But don’t take our word for it. We now hand you over to A Guy Called Gerald.
https://www.musictech.net/news/make-free-acid-beats-in-your-browser-with-rolands-808303-studio/?amp
With the man himself on deck, there can only be one choice for our Exit Music. Old school ravers, front and centre. Get out your big and little fish and also your cardboard boxes. It’s time to get on one. Sorted.
See you in seven.
The Cut
We had a link from Wired as the opener this week, on how the work/life balance has become irretrievably skewed (https://www.wired.com/story/how-work-became-an-inescapable-hellhole/ if you’re interested) but we realised you all know this already. So let’s put that nonsense to one side and instead centre up the nonsense you have come to know and love over the last several months.
This week, scary sound effects, an iconic bus route and a really rather funky musical instrument you can all play.
Now is the time, here is the place. This is The Cut.
Some towns have that one bus route that seems to tie the whole place together. For our home town of Reading it’s the number 17, running right through the middle. In Birmingham it’s all about the circular route taken by the number 11. An interesting bit of psychogeography awaits as Jon Bounds of Paradise Circus takes us up to the top deck…
Rob writes: most of my professional life has been spent working with archive film of all gauges and conditions, from spotless to falling apart. It’s all part of the restoration process, opening a window into times past. Digital techniques have given us opportunities to make the view clearer, moving on from repairing scratches and splices to colouring black and white footage. The question is how far can you take the work? At what point do we move from restoring footage to making up things that were never there in the first place? It’s a complex and fascinating issue speaking to notions of how we view, interpret and use archive material…
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/history-colourisation-controversy
In a tastier revisit of old-time technique, we were fascinated by this Atlas Obscura report on a very special circumnavigation of the globe by Spanish sailing ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano—and the even more special cargo she’s carrying…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wine-aged-at-sea
We’re sliding deeper into spooky season, so we loved this Vice article on how skilled Foley artists create the sounds that add so much to moments of horror in your favourite scary movies. You’ll never look at a stick of celery the same way again…
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7j5wa/horror-movie-foley-artist-sounds
Food delivery services like Just Eat and Deliveroo have banked it big over the months of The Situation. But most of us are cooking much, much more. It’s not just about sourdough bread. For everyone, getting good, nutritious and varied grub on the table every day can be a challenge—which is why the big cube riders have done so well. There are a ton of tips and tricks around to help the newer home cooks out there to make something delicious in a hurry. This New York Times article gives you the framework to get organised and build your own menu!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/dining/cooking-foundations.html
We have alway been big fans of the worlds of Supermarionation. From Thunderbirds to Joe90, the minds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson brought us an exciting vision of a possible future. It was a stylish vision too, largely thanks to the design skills of Sylvia. She gave Tracy Island and W.A.S.P HQ a modtastically chic feel, with every detail considered. MessyNessyChic has more…
https://www.messynessychic.com/2018/09/05/the-marvellous-mod-world-of-sci-fi-supermarionettes/
A note from the Ninth Art Desk: Comics guru and hedge wizard Alan Moore poked his hirsuit features over the parapet, ostensibly to talk about his new film project The Show. Of course, all the interviewers wanted to know about was how pissed off he was with the comics world he was this week. No-one should have been surprised by the reaction or the headlines it generated. It feel to Alan’s daughter Leah to provide some much-needed context.
We were more interested in this Comics Journal chat with artist Jacen Burrows, whose collaboration with Moore on the dense exploration of Lovecraftian mythos, Providence was viewed by many as a high point for both creators. Burrows has carved a niche as an uncompromising artist who does not flinch from depicting some very dark stuff. But his clarity of visual storytelling and sharply observed characterisation make him much more than a gore hound.
We’re going to finish with a couple of online music links. Tim Burgess of The Charlatans has built a community around his Twitter Listening Party. It’s a brilliantly simple idea—he picks an album and a time to start playing it, and everyone is encouraged to listen and chat along. It’s a lovely, inclusive way of using social media and hugely popular. Tim’s just pushed out a Spotify playlist featuring one track from each album that’s been at the party, which gives an idea of the broad range of music on offer. For more, check out https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/
Virtual and soft synths are all over the place nowadays. You no longer need ton of cash and a big back room to build up a fine collection of classic squelches, squawks and beats. They can still, however, be a bit tricky to get your head around. Some are as ferociously complex as the hardware they emulate. We therefore really dig Roland’s new 808303.studio, which places the iconic sounds of their classic drum machine and bass synth in an super-easy to play but authentic-sounding package. But don’t take our word for it. We now hand you over to A Guy Called Gerald.
https://www.musictech.net/news/make-free-acid-beats-in-your-browser-with-rolands-808303-studio/?amp
With the man himself on deck, there can only be one choice for our Exit Music. Old school ravers, front and centre. Get out your big and little fish and also your cardboard boxes. It’s time to get on one. Sorted.
See you in seven.
The Cut
We had a link from Wired as the opener this week, on how the work/life balance has become irretrievably skewed (https://www.wired.com/story/how-work-became-an-inescapable-hellhole/ if you’re interested) but we realised you all know this already. So let’s put that nonsense to one side and instead centre up the nonsense you have come to know and love over the last several months.
This week, scary sound effects, an iconic bus route and a really rather funky musical instrument you can all play.
Now is the time, here is the place. This is The Cut.
Some towns have that one bus route that seems to tie the whole place together. For our home town of Reading it’s the number 17, running right through the middle. In Birmingham it’s all about the circular route taken by the number 11. An interesting bit of psychogeography awaits as Jon Bounds of Paradise Circus takes us up to the top deck…
Rob writes: most of my professional life has been spent working with archive film of all gauges and conditions, from spotless to falling apart. It’s all part of the restoration process, opening a window into times past. Digital techniques have given us opportunities to make the view clearer, moving on from repairing scratches and splices to colouring black and white footage. The question is how far can you take the work? At what point do we move from restoring footage to making up things that were never there in the first place? It’s a complex and fascinating issue speaking to notions of how we view, interpret and use archive material…
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/history-colourisation-controversy
In a tastier revisit of old-time technique, we were fascinated by this Atlas Obscura report on a very special circumnavigation of the globe by Spanish sailing ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano—and the even more special cargo she’s carrying…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wine-aged-at-sea
We’re sliding deeper into spooky season, so we loved this Vice article on how skilled Foley artists create the sounds that add so much to moments of horror in your favourite scary movies. You’ll never look at a stick of celery the same way again…
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7j5wa/horror-movie-foley-artist-sounds
Food delivery services like Just Eat and Deliveroo have banked it big over the months of The Situation. But most of us are cooking much, much more. It’s not just about sourdough bread. For everyone, getting good, nutritious and varied grub on the table every day can be a challenge—which is why the big cube riders have done so well. There are a ton of tips and tricks around to help the newer home cooks out there to make something delicious in a hurry. This New York Times article gives you the framework to get organised and build your own menu!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/dining/cooking-foundations.html
We have alway been big fans of the worlds of Supermarionation. From Thunderbirds to Joe90, the minds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson brought us an exciting vision of a possible future. It was a stylish vision too, largely thanks to the design skills of Sylvia. She gave Tracy Island and W.A.S.P HQ a modtastically chic feel, with every detail considered. MessyNessyChic has more…
https://www.messynessychic.com/2018/09/05/the-marvellous-mod-world-of-sci-fi-supermarionettes/
A note from the Ninth Art Desk: Comics guru and hedge wizard Alan Moore poked his hirsuit features over the parapet, ostensibly to talk about his new film project The Show. Of course, all the interviewers wanted to know about was how pissed off he was with the comics world he was this week. No-one should have been surprised by the reaction or the headlines it generated. It feel to Alan’s daughter Leah to provide some much-needed context.
We were more interested in this Comics Journal chat with artist Jacen Burrows, whose collaboration with Moore on the dense exploration of Lovecraftian mythos, Providence was viewed by many as a high point for both creators. Burrows has carved a niche as an uncompromising artist who does not flinch from depicting some very dark stuff. But his clarity of visual storytelling and sharply observed characterisation make him much more than a gore hound.
We’re going to finish with a couple of online music links. Tim Burgess of The Charlatans has built a community around his Twitter Listening Party. It’s a brilliantly simple idea—he picks an album and a time to start playing it, and everyone is encouraged to listen and chat along. It’s a lovely, inclusive way of using social media and hugely popular. Tim’s just pushed out a Spotify playlist featuring one track from each album that’s been at the party, which gives an idea of the broad range of music on offer. For more, check out https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/
Virtual and soft synths are all over the place nowadays. You no longer need ton of cash and a big back room to build up a fine collection of classic squelches, squawks and beats. They can still, however, be a bit tricky to get your head around. Some are as ferociously complex as the hardware they emulate. We therefore really dig Roland’s new 808303.studio, which places the iconic sounds of their classic drum machine and bass synth in an super-easy to play but authentic-sounding package. But don’t take our word for it. We now hand you over to A Guy Called Gerald.
https://www.musictech.net/news/make-free-acid-beats-in-your-browser-with-rolands-808303-studio/?amp
With the man himself on deck, there can only be one choice for our Exit Music. Old school ravers, front and centre. Get out your big and little fish and also your cardboard boxes. It’s time to get on one. Sorted.
See you in seven.
The Cut
We had a link from Wired as the opener this week, on how the work/life balance has become irretrievably skewed (https://www.wired.com/story/how-work-became-an-inescapable-hellhole/ if you’re interested) but we realised you all know this already. So let’s put that nonsense to one side and instead centre up the nonsense you have come to know and love over the last several months.
This week, scary sound effects, an iconic bus route and a really rather funky musical instrument you can all play.
Now is the time, here is the place. This is The Cut.
Some towns have that one bus route that seems to tie the whole place together. For our home town of Reading it’s the number 17, running right through the middle. In Birmingham it’s all about the circular route taken by the number 11. An interesting bit of psychogeography awaits as Jon Bounds of Paradise Circus takes us up to the top deck…
Rob writes: most of my professional life has been spent working with archive film of all gauges and conditions, from spotless to falling apart. It’s all part of the restoration process, opening a window into times past. Digital techniques have given us opportunities to make the view clearer, moving on from repairing scratches and splices to colouring black and white footage. The question is how far can you take the work? At what point do we move from restoring footage to making up things that were never there in the first place? It’s a complex and fascinating issue speaking to notions of how we view, interpret and use archive material…
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/history-colourisation-controversy
In a tastier revisit of old-time technique, we were fascinated by this Atlas Obscura report on a very special circumnavigation of the globe by Spanish sailing ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano—and the even more special cargo she’s carrying…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wine-aged-at-sea
We’re sliding deeper into spooky season, so we loved this Vice article on how skilled Foley artists create the sounds that add so much to moments of horror in your favourite scary movies. You’ll never look at a stick of celery the same way again…
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7j5wa/horror-movie-foley-artist-sounds
Food delivery services like Just Eat and Deliveroo have banked it big over the months of The Situation. But most of us are cooking much, much more. It’s not just about sourdough bread. For everyone, getting good, nutritious and varied grub on the table every day can be a challenge—which is why the big cube riders have done so well. There are a ton of tips and tricks around to help the newer home cooks out there to make something delicious in a hurry. This New York Times article gives you the framework to get organised and build your own menu!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/dining/cooking-foundations.html
We have alway been big fans of the worlds of Supermarionation. From Thunderbirds to Joe90, the minds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson brought us an exciting vision of a possible future. It was a stylish vision too, largely thanks to the design skills of Sylvia. She gave Tracy Island and W.A.S.P HQ a modtastically chic feel, with every detail considered. MessyNessyChic has more…
https://www.messynessychic.com/2018/09/05/the-marvellous-mod-world-of-sci-fi-supermarionettes/
A note from the Ninth Art Desk: Comics guru and hedge wizard Alan Moore poked his hirsuit features over the parapet, ostensibly to talk about his new film project The Show. Of course, all the interviewers wanted to know about was how pissed off he was with the comics world he was this week. No-one should have been surprised by the reaction or the headlines it generated. It feel to Alan’s daughter Leah to provide some much-needed context.
We were more interested in this Comics Journal chat with artist Jacen Burrows, whose collaboration with Moore on the dense exploration of Lovecraftian mythos, Providence was viewed by many as a high point for both creators. Burrows has carved a niche as an uncompromising artist who does not flinch from depicting some very dark stuff. But his clarity of visual storytelling and sharply observed characterisation make him much more than a gore hound.
We’re going to finish with a couple of online music links. Tim Burgess of The Charlatans has built a community around his Twitter Listening Party. It’s a brilliantly simple idea—he picks an album and a time to start playing it, and everyone is encouraged to listen and chat along. It’s a lovely, inclusive way of using social media and hugely popular. Tim’s just pushed out a Spotify playlist featuring one track from each album that’s been at the party, which gives an idea of the broad range of music on offer. For more, check out https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/
Virtual and soft synths are all over the place nowadays. You no longer need ton of cash and a big back room to build up a fine collection of classic squelches, squawks and beats. They can still, however, be a bit tricky to get your head around. Some are as ferociously complex as the hardware they emulate. We therefore really dig Roland’s new 808303.studio, which places the iconic sounds of their classic drum machine and bass synth in an super-easy to play but authentic-sounding package. But don’t take our word for it. We now hand you over to A Guy Called Gerald.
https://www.musictech.net/news/make-free-acid-beats-in-your-browser-with-rolands-808303-studio/?amp
With the man himself on deck, there can only be one choice for our Exit Music. Old school ravers, front and centre. Get out your big and little fish and also your cardboard boxes. It’s time to get on one. Sorted.
See you in seven.
October 9, 2020
The Cut ⚔️ Issue 22
“But he had spent so much of his life insisting that he was right that to admit he was wrong then would have been to raise the terrible shadow of what else he was wrong about. A strong man can’t be wrong.” (from “The Pursuit of William Abbey” by Claire North)
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
If you’ve ever wondered why your cheeseburger looks nothing like the one on the poster, then you have been drawn in by the art of the food stylist. While there’s an argument that the tricks pulled by these clever and artistic people amounts to false advertising, it’s fair to say that the field invites creativity and innovation. Let us, therefore, introduce you to Janice Poon, whose work in film and TV will genuinely have you wonder whether that leg Hannibal’s carving can really be what it looks like…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/food-styling
If any article was custom-built for inclusion in The Cut, it has to be this one from Mental Floss. A brief history of mashed potato? Say no more. Welcome, stranger, have a seat at the table!
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/627023/mashed-potatoes-history
Normally, Bon Appetit would be launching their Hot 10 list of the best new restaurants in America about now. In what has proven to be the most challenging year ever for the sector (and Bon Appetit itself, which has scrambled to regroup after a battering to its reputation) the countdown was always going to be a little different. This year it has become a rallying cry and celebration of those restauranteurs who have grabbed the challenge and made the best of a really crappy Situation. A list like this for the UK would be very welcome indeed.
https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/restaurants-will-never-be-the-same
We loved this profile of trickster and thorn in the side of Richard Nixon, Dick Tuck. His relentless dragging of the Sweatiest President contributed to Nixon’s paranoia to the point where he was a regular mention on the Watergate Tapes. If we ever needed a figure like Tuck to drip poison into the Presidential ear, it would be now.
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/7/21/1219740/-NIXON-AND-TUCK
We are into Spooky Season now—well, more so than usual. As the night draw in and the spirits begin to stir, it’s the perfect time to settle down in your chamber with some snacks, a drink and a scary book. If you’re unsure what to go with, this Reddit thread has some excellent recommendations. We’d recommend the work of Anne Billson, in particular ghost story The Ex and gloriously OTT vampire yarn Suckers.
https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/j4gev6/the_most_terrifying_books_15_titles_not_for_the/
The Music Desk is always delighted to welcome a new album from speed demon and punk-daddy Bob Mould. Blue Hearts is the work of an artist raging from a tower of noise—angry, urgently vibrant and ready to rain fire on all the monsters below. It’s frankly glorious. Fans of Hüsker Dü and all that they influenced are going to love this. Stevie Chick talks to the man and shows us why he’s still such an important musician.
A couple of links courtesy of the fine folks at WFMU, a regular lock on The Cut’s office radio. If you like it freeform and ferociously independent, the sound of Jersey City is going to float your boat right out to the Hudson River. Consider this the closest we ever get to a promotional message.
Anyway. Let’s start with a visit to the house of the man many consider to be the inventor of jazz—trumpeter Buddy Bolden. His reputation is based purely on legend and word of mouth. He left behind no recordings or personal effects. His family home remains the only true element of legacy, and it’s quietly rotting away. This article in Oxford American looks at the history of a near-forgotten legend and what is being done to ensure Buddy’s name is better known…
https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1958-silence-at-buddys-house
John Carpenter is becoming as well-known for his music as his films nowadays. He was touring regularly before The Situation rose, and our sources report he puts on one heck of a show. His influence is long-ranging. It’s a no brainer that hip-hop would use his loping, percussive beats, although it may be surprising to find out just how prevalent his atmospheric electronica, and one iconic tune in particular, has become…
https://microchop.substack.com/p/john-carpenters-halloween-theme-was
Little and often is the key to building up a habit in any creative endeavour. Write a couple of hundred words a day. Take one photograph every twenty-four hours. Dan Blank was frustrated with his inability to learn the guitar until he embraced the habit of playing every day, even if it was the act of strumming a single chord or set of changes for a couple of minutes. There’s a lot of insight into the work going into the creative process in his piece. Now, if you’ll excuse us, there’s a dusty acoustic in the back office which needs a little love.
And finally. Our Exit Music this week has to be from Eddie Van Halen, who sadly travelled to Valhalla this week. Innovator, inventor, genius and showman, he built a whole new language from his Frankenstein guitars that is still widely spoken today. But he was never a wrinkle-browsed miso, writing and performing with a pop sensibility and always embracing the fun. One commentator this week described Van Halen’s music as sounding like dogs wearing sunglasses.
With that image in mind and in tribute to Eddie, The Cut presents this bonkers live version of Unchained, from a gig at Oakland Coliseum in 1981. A couple of things to note. Only one of the four band members is wearing a shirt. David Lee Roth’s spandex strides leave nothing to the imagination. And much as we love Eddie’s fretboard pyrotechnics, we’re more impressed with the way drummer Alex Van Halen finishes the song—banging on a flaming gong with a flaming beater.
Sometimes, all you need is a dog wearing sunglasses.
See you in seven.
October 2, 2020
The Cut
Michaelmas has come and gone. The nights are starting to draw in. We are heading into spooky season… like things weren’t freaky enough already. Oh well. Draw the curtains, pull up to a bottle and join us as we flag up the pings on our radar this week. We have a metal god, a robust response to some poorly-judged street art and a song that could well be the anthem of 2020.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We rather enjoyed this listicle of the best meals in the movies, especially as it shuns some of the obvious choices (anyone bothered with Babette’s Feast lately?) but has the wisdom to mention Miyazaki. Some tasty picks here. Dig in!
Sometimes, Twitter can be a force for good. Case in point: a warm and lovely thread which recast the Lord Of The Rings entirely with Muppets. Well, nearly all. If you could keep one human actor in the whole shebang, who would it be?
https://news.avclub.com/twitter-bands-together-to-fancast-the-muppets-into-lord-1845182743
Long-time X&HTeammate Dom reached out to us after last week’s issue and said ‘it sounds like you want the whole thing to be over.’ Yes, I think we can all agree with that, although what shape we’re in when and if that occurs is yet to be determined. We are living, as Nick Couldry and Bruce Schneier point out in this excellent piece on CNN, in horizonless times. The world is so unsettling now because we simply can’t imagine what the future is going to look like.
One more depressing bit and then we’ll be back to the fun stuff. The release of Donald Trump’s tax returns has unsettled many while leaving most of us under-surprised. It’s the extent and brazen nature of the cheating that amazed us. There’s been plenty of analysis on this slow-motion bomb blast, but we particularly enjoyed this dose of truth serum from author and burrito-sensei John Scalzi.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/09/28/what-we-knew-what-we-know-and-why-it-matters/
Phew. Right, relax. Let’s enjoy some conversation. More specifically, a chat that Melvins boss-man Buzz Osborne had recently with Metal God Rob Halford, the leather-clad driving force behind Judas Priest. Rob is about to release his autobiography, which promises to be a balls-out thrill-ride. Buzz is an obvious fan of Rob and his music, and the whole conversation has a warmth and enthusiasm which gives the old rockers amongst the Cut staff a pleasing glow.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/melvins-buzz-osborne-interviews-judas-priests-rob-halford
We make no excuses about our continuing and ever-enduring love of all things R.E.M. This deep dive into the creation of one of their more esoteric deep cuts gives us big happies. And of course we dug out Dead Letter Office, the album in which it appears. A must!
We are hardcore font-heads and typography nerds, as well as massive Trekkies. Find a post that mixes the two and boy howdy step back cos you just lit our touch paper. Typeset In The Future is a particular favourite website for us, and this type-heavy nose into the design of Star Trek – The Motion Pictures gave us much pleasure. Much to enjoy here, even if you’re not into the differences between Eurostile Bold Extended and Microgrammatica…
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2020/08/17/startrek/
While we’re on the subject, Reagan Ray’s clever extraction of artist names from jazz album cover art really lays bare how well designed they were. Plenty of great ideas here if you need a band logo.
https://reaganray.com/2020/09/22/jazz-lettering.html
As we move into the spookiest of months, what better way to whet the appetite for shadows in moonlight than this Dangerous Minds overview of the French obsession with those of us who are hairy on the inside? We see a bad moon risin…
Meanwhile in Whitechapel, the historic stomping ground of the most infamous serial killer of them all, a piece of spectacularly ill-conceived street art had the locals enraged. Then one man took on the task of setting things right with a simple but very clever retort…
And finally. Our Music Desk is exceedingly excited by the prospect of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Letter To You, out later this month, sees The Boss reunited with the E Street Band in a blast of joyful noise that was apparently down on tape in five days. To celebrate, the Desk has put together a Spotify playlist of songs in the key of Springsteen—from artists that have inspired or been inspired by the man from Freehold, NJ. We call it From The Fireroad To The Interstate. Hope you like it.
Which brings us to our Exit Music. We present a song featured on our Spotify playlist, which seemed to suit the spirit and mood of the times so well it’s been on rotation in the office ever since. As an anthem of our horizonless, Acadian future, we don’t think you could do better.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Michaelmas has come and gone. The nights are starting to draw in. We are heading into spooky season… like things weren’t freaky enough already. Oh well. Draw the curtains, pull up to a bottle and join us as we flag up the pings on our radar this week. We have a metal god, a robust response to some poorly-judged street art and a song that could well be the anthem of 2020.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We rather enjoyed this listicle of the best meals in the movies, especially as it shuns some of the obvious choices (anyone bothered with Babette’s Feast lately?) but has the wisdom to mention Miyazaki. Some tasty picks here. Dig in!
Sometimes, Twitter can be a force for good. Case in point: a warm and lovely thread which recast the Lord Of The Rings entirely with Muppets. Well, nearly all. If you could keep one human actor in the whole shebang, who would it be?
https://news.avclub.com/twitter-bands-together-to-fancast-the-muppets-into-lord-1845182743
Long-time X&HTeammate Dom reached out to us after last week’s issue and said ‘it sounds like you want the whole thing to be over.’ Yes, I think we can all agree with that, although what shape we’re in when and if that occurs is yet to be determined. We are living, as Nick Couldry and Bruce Schneier point out in this excellent piece on CNN, in horizonless times. The world is so unsettling now because we simply can’t imagine what the future is going to look like.
One more depressing bit and then we’ll be back to the fun stuff. The release of Donald Trump’s tax returns has unsettled many while leaving most of us under-surprised. It’s the extent and brazen nature of the cheating that amazed us. There’s been plenty of analysis on this slow-motion bomb blast, but we particularly enjoyed this dose of truth serum from author and burrito-sensei John Scalzi.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/09/28/what-we-knew-what-we-know-and-why-it-matters/
Phew. Right, relax. Let’s enjoy some conversation. More specifically, a chat that Melvins boss-man Buzz Osborne had recently with Metal God Rob Halford, the leather-clad driving force behind Judas Priest. Rob is about to release his autobiography, which promises to be a balls-out thrill-ride. Buzz is an obvious fan of Rob and his music, and the whole conversation has a warmth and enthusiasm which gives the old rockers amongst the Cut staff a pleasing glow.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/melvins-buzz-osborne-interviews-judas-priests-rob-halford
We make no excuses about our continuing and ever-enduring love of all things R.E.M. This deep dive into the creation of one of their more esoteric deep cuts gives us big happies. And of course we dug out Dead Letter Office, the album in which it appears. A must!
We are hardcore font-heads and typography nerds, as well as massive Trekkies. Find a post that mixes the two and boy howdy step back cos you just lit our touch paper. Typeset In The Future is a particular favourite website for us, and this type-heavy nose into the design of Star Trek – The Motion Pictures gave us much pleasure. Much to enjoy here, even if you’re not into the differences between Eurostile Bold Extended and Microgrammatica…
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2020/08/17/startrek/
While we’re on the subject, Reagan Ray’s clever extraction of artist names from jazz album cover art really lays bare how well designed they were. Plenty of great ideas here if you need a band logo.
https://reaganray.com/2020/09/22/jazz-lettering.html
As we move into the spookiest of months, what better way to whet the appetite for shadows in moonlight than this Dangerous Minds overview of the French obsession with those of us who are hairy on the inside? We see a bad moon risin…
Meanwhile in Whitechapel, the historic stomping ground of the most infamous serial killer of them all, a piece of spectacularly ill-conceived street art had the locals enraged. Then one man took on the task of setting things right with a simple but very clever retort…
And finally. Our Music Desk is exceedingly excited by the prospect of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Letter To You, out later this month, sees The Boss reunited with the E Street Band in a blast of joyful noise that was apparently down on tape in five days. To celebrate, the Desk has put together a Spotify playlist of songs in the key of Springsteen—from artists that have inspired or been inspired by the man from Freehold, NJ. We call it From The Fireroad To The Interstate. Hope you like it.
Which brings us to our Exit Music. We present a song featured on our Spotify playlist, which seemed to suit the spirit and mood of the times so well it’s been on rotation in the office ever since. As an anthem of our horizonless, Acadian future, we don’t think you could do better.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Michaelmas has come and gone. The nights are starting to draw in. We are heading into spooky season… like things weren’t freaky enough already. Oh well. Draw the curtains, pull up to a bottle and join us as we flag up the pings on our radar this week. We have a metal god, a robust response to some poorly-judged street art and a song that could well be the anthem of 2020.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We rather enjoyed this listicle of the best meals in the movies, especially as it shuns some of the obvious choices (anyone bothered with Babette’s Feast lately?) but has the wisdom to mention Miyazaki. Some tasty picks here. Dig in!
Sometimes, Twitter can be a force for good. Case in point: a warm and lovely thread which recast the Lord Of The Rings entirely with Muppets. Well, nearly all. If you could keep one human actor in the whole shebang, who would it be?
https://news.avclub.com/twitter-bands-together-to-fancast-the-muppets-into-lord-1845182743
Long-time X&HTeammate Dom reached out to us after last week’s issue and said ‘it sounds like you want the whole thing to be over.’ Yes, I think we can all agree with that, although what shape we’re in when and if that occurs is yet to be determined. We are living, as Nick Couldry and Bruce Schneier point out in this excellent piece on CNN, in horizonless times. The world is so unsettling now because we simply can’t imagine what the future is going to look like.
One more depressing bit and then we’ll be back to the fun stuff. The release of Donald Trump’s tax returns has unsettled many while leaving most of us under-surprised. It’s the extent and brazen nature of the cheating that amazed us. There’s been plenty of analysis on this slow-motion bomb blast, but we particularly enjoyed this dose of truth serum from author and burrito-sensei John Scalzi.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/09/28/what-we-knew-what-we-know-and-why-it-matters/
Phew. Right, relax. Let’s enjoy some conversation. More specifically, a chat that Melvins boss-man Buzz Osborne had recently with Metal God Rob Halford, the leather-clad driving force behind Judas Priest. Rob is about to release his autobiography, which promises to be a balls-out thrill-ride. Buzz is an obvious fan of Rob and his music, and the whole conversation has a warmth and enthusiasm which gives the old rockers amongst the Cut staff a pleasing glow.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/melvins-buzz-osborne-interviews-judas-priests-rob-halford
We make no excuses about our continuing and ever-enduring love of all things R.E.M. This deep dive into the creation of one of their more esoteric deep cuts gives us big happies. And of course we dug out Dead Letter Office, the album in which it appears. A must!
We are hardcore font-heads and typography nerds, as well as massive Trekkies. Find a post that mixes the two and boy howdy step back cos you just lit our touch paper. Typeset In The Future is a particular favourite website for us, and this type-heavy nose into the design of Star Trek – The Motion Pictures gave us much pleasure. Much to enjoy here, even if you’re not into the differences between Eurostile Bold Extended and Microgrammatica…
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2020/08/17/startrek/
While we’re on the subject, Reagan Ray’s clever extraction of artist names from jazz album cover art really lays bare how well designed they were. Plenty of great ideas here if you need a band logo.
https://reaganray.com/2020/09/22/jazz-lettering.html
As we move into the spookiest of months, what better way to whet the appetite for shadows in moonlight than this Dangerous Minds overview of the French obsession with those of us who are hairy on the inside? We see a bad moon risin…
Meanwhile in Whitechapel, the historic stomping ground of the most infamous serial killer of them all, a piece of spectacularly ill-conceived street art had the locals enraged. Then one man took on the task of setting things right with a simple but very clever retort…
And finally. Our Music Desk is exceedingly excited by the prospect of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Letter To You, out later this month, sees The Boss reunited with the E Street Band in a blast of joyful noise that was apparently down on tape in five days. To celebrate, the Desk has put together a Spotify playlist of songs in the key of Springsteen—from artists that have inspired or been inspired by the man from Freehold, NJ. We call it From The Fireroad To The Interstate. Hope you like it.
Which brings us to our Exit Music. We present a song featured on our Spotify playlist, which seemed to suit the spirit and mood of the times so well it’s been on rotation in the office ever since. As an anthem of our horizonless, Acadian future, we don’t think you could do better.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Michaelmas has come and gone. The nights are starting to draw in. We are heading into spooky season… like things weren’t freaky enough already. Oh well. Draw the curtains, pull up to a bottle and join us as we flag up the pings on our radar this week. We have a metal god, a robust response to some poorly-judged street art and a song that could well be the anthem of 2020.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We rather enjoyed this listicle of the best meals in the movies, especially as it shuns some of the obvious choices (anyone bothered with Babette’s Feast lately?) but has the wisdom to mention Miyazaki. Some tasty picks here. Dig in!
Sometimes, Twitter can be a force for good. Case in point: a warm and lovely thread which recast the Lord Of The Rings entirely with Muppets. Well, nearly all. If you could keep one human actor in the whole shebang, who would it be?
https://news.avclub.com/twitter-bands-together-to-fancast-the-muppets-into-lord-1845182743
Long-time X&HTeammate Dom reached out to us after last week’s issue and said ‘it sounds like you want the whole thing to be over.’ Yes, I think we can all agree with that, although what shape we’re in when and if that occurs is yet to be determined. We are living, as Nick Couldry and Bruce Schneier point out in this excellent piece on CNN, in horizonless times. The world is so unsettling now because we simply can’t imagine what the future is going to look like.
One more depressing bit and then we’ll be back to the fun stuff. The release of Donald Trump’s tax returns has unsettled many while leaving most of us under-surprised. It’s the extent and brazen nature of the cheating that amazed us. There’s been plenty of analysis on this slow-motion bomb blast, but we particularly enjoyed this dose of truth serum from author and burrito-sensei John Scalzi.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/09/28/what-we-knew-what-we-know-and-why-it-matters/
Phew. Right, relax. Let’s enjoy some conversation. More specifically, a chat that Melvins boss-man Buzz Osborne had recently with Metal God Rob Halford, the leather-clad driving force behind Judas Priest. Rob is about to release his autobiography, which promises to be a balls-out thrill-ride. Buzz is an obvious fan of Rob and his music, and the whole conversation has a warmth and enthusiasm which gives the old rockers amongst the Cut staff a pleasing glow.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/melvins-buzz-osborne-interviews-judas-priests-rob-halford
We make no excuses about our continuing and ever-enduring love of all things R.E.M. This deep dive into the creation of one of their more esoteric deep cuts gives us big happies. And of course we dug out Dead Letter Office, the album in which it appears. A must!
We are hardcore font-heads and typography nerds, as well as massive Trekkies. Find a post that mixes the two and boy howdy step back cos you just lit our touch paper. Typeset In The Future is a particular favourite website for us, and this type-heavy nose into the design of Star Trek – The Motion Pictures gave us much pleasure. Much to enjoy here, even if you’re not into the differences between Eurostile Bold Extended and Microgrammatica…
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2020/08/17/startrek/
While we’re on the subject, Reagan Ray’s clever extraction of artist names from jazz album cover art really lays bare how well designed they were. Plenty of great ideas here if you need a band logo.
https://reaganray.com/2020/09/22/jazz-lettering.html
As we move into the spookiest of months, what better way to whet the appetite for shadows in moonlight than this Dangerous Minds overview of the French obsession with those of us who are hairy on the inside? We see a bad moon risin…
Meanwhile in Whitechapel, the historic stomping ground of the most infamous serial killer of them all, a piece of spectacularly ill-conceived street art had the locals enraged. Then one man took on the task of setting things right with a simple but very clever retort…
And finally. Our Music Desk is exceedingly excited by the prospect of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Letter To You, out later this month, sees The Boss reunited with the E Street Band in a blast of joyful noise that was apparently down on tape in five days. To celebrate, the Desk has put together a Spotify playlist of songs in the key of Springsteen—from artists that have inspired or been inspired by the man from Freehold, NJ. We call it From The Fireroad To The Interstate. Hope you like it.
Which brings us to our Exit Music. We present a song featured on our Spotify playlist, which seemed to suit the spirit and mood of the times so well it’s been on rotation in the office ever since. As an anthem of our horizonless, Acadian future, we don’t think you could do better.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Michaelmas has come and gone. The nights are starting to draw in. We are heading into spooky season… like things weren’t freaky enough already. Oh well. Draw the curtains, pull up to a bottle and join us as we flag up the pings on our radar this week. We have a metal god, a robust response to some poorly-judged street art and a song that could well be the anthem of 2020.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We rather enjoyed this listicle of the best meals in the movies, especially as it shuns some of the obvious choices (anyone bothered with Babette’s Feast lately?) but has the wisdom to mention Miyazaki. Some tasty picks here. Dig in!
Sometimes, Twitter can be a force for good. Case in point: a warm and lovely thread which recast the Lord Of The Rings entirely with Muppets. Well, nearly all. If you could keep one human actor in the whole shebang, who would it be?
https://news.avclub.com/twitter-bands-together-to-fancast-the-muppets-into-lord-1845182743
Long-time X&HTeammate Dom reached out to us after last week’s issue and said ‘it sounds like you want the whole thing to be over.’ Yes, I think we can all agree with that, although what shape we’re in when and if that occurs is yet to be determined. We are living, as Nick Couldry and Bruce Schneier point out in this excellent piece on CNN, in horizonless times. The world is so unsettling now because we simply can’t imagine what the future is going to look like.
One more depressing bit and then we’ll be back to the fun stuff. The release of Donald Trump’s tax returns has unsettled many while leaving most of us under-surprised. It’s the extent and brazen nature of the cheating that amazed us. There’s been plenty of analysis on this slow-motion bomb blast, but we particularly enjoyed this dose of truth serum from author and burrito-sensei John Scalzi.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/09/28/what-we-knew-what-we-know-and-why-it-matters/
Phew. Right, relax. Let’s enjoy some conversation. More specifically, a chat that Melvins boss-man Buzz Osborne had recently with Metal God Rob Halford, the leather-clad driving force behind Judas Priest. Rob is about to release his autobiography, which promises to be a balls-out thrill-ride. Buzz is an obvious fan of Rob and his music, and the whole conversation has a warmth and enthusiasm which gives the old rockers amongst the Cut staff a pleasing glow.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/melvins-buzz-osborne-interviews-judas-priests-rob-halford
We make no excuses about our continuing and ever-enduring love of all things R.E.M. This deep dive into the creation of one of their more esoteric deep cuts gives us big happies. And of course we dug out Dead Letter Office, the album in which it appears. A must!
We are hardcore font-heads and typography nerds, as well as massive Trekkies. Find a post that mixes the two and boy howdy step back cos you just lit our touch paper. Typeset In The Future is a particular favourite website for us, and this type-heavy nose into the design of Star Trek – The Motion Pictures gave us much pleasure. Much to enjoy here, even if you’re not into the differences between Eurostile Bold Extended and Microgrammatica…
https://typesetinthefuture.com/2020/08/17/startrek/
While we’re on the subject, Reagan Ray’s clever extraction of artist names from jazz album cover art really lays bare how well designed they were. Plenty of great ideas here if you need a band logo.
https://reaganray.com/2020/09/22/jazz-lettering.html
As we move into the spookiest of months, what better way to whet the appetite for shadows in moonlight than this Dangerous Minds overview of the French obsession with those of us who are hairy on the inside? We see a bad moon risin…
Meanwhile in Whitechapel, the historic stomping ground of the most infamous serial killer of them all, a piece of spectacularly ill-conceived street art had the locals enraged. Then one man took on the task of setting things right with a simple but very clever retort…
And finally. Our Music Desk is exceedingly excited by the prospect of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Letter To You, out later this month, sees The Boss reunited with the E Street Band in a blast of joyful noise that was apparently down on tape in five days. To celebrate, the Desk has put together a Spotify playlist of songs in the key of Springsteen—from artists that have inspired or been inspired by the man from Freehold, NJ. We call it From The Fireroad To The Interstate. Hope you like it.
Which brings us to our Exit Music. We present a song featured on our Spotify playlist, which seemed to suit the spirit and mood of the times so well it’s been on rotation in the office ever since. As an anthem of our horizonless, Acadian future, we don’t think you could do better.
See you in seven.
