The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 42
X-Day prep is in full swing. The tree is up—TLC’s carefully curated collection of baubles and eclectic hangers give it pop and interest. We were delighted to finally snag a ‘Harold With An Arrow In His Eye’ from Reading Museum, which has pride of place alongside the yellow submarine, astronaut and beach hut. If someone can explain the significance of mushrooms to the X-Day celebrations I’d be grateful, because they seem to have been everywhere over the last couple of years. Yes, we have a fine example.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Down And Out In Paris And London by George Orwell. I picked it up as a double-bill with A Waiter In Paris by Edward Chisholm but I’ve only now picked it up. It is sharp, tight, brutal, hilarious and moving. It’s easy to forget what an extraordinary writer Mr. Blair was, or narrow his accomplishments down to a couple of stories (you know the ones I mean). We can do better than that. Start here. Down And Out has never felt more relevant.
Rob is watching…
Bodies on Netflix, a twisty time-travel murder mystery based on the graphic novel written by the late lamented Si Spencer and illustrated by a crack rogue’s gallery of artists (one for each era in the story). It’s very well done, grabbing on and not letting go. We’re hooked.
For light relief, the animated Scott Pilgrim reboot is excellent stuff, taking the story we think we know and throwing it wide open. I have the books and loved the film. This may be the best of the lot. Here’s John Scalzi with some background.
Rob is listening…
Early days for Sophie Hall’s Perfect Pop Moments newsletter, but she’s kicked off with a couple of monsters. I’d almost forgotten about this track from Kylie’s Imperial phase (one could argue that she’s still in it and I’d struggle to disagree) and had to play it loud three times on the bounce. Pro tip—cut out before the final ‘rap’ where Robbie attempts to rhyme ‘Sean Connery’ with ‘sodomy.’ The boy’s a fool.
Rob is eating…
Along with TLC who is coming out of a bad dose of the sneezles, a sudden craving for steak, bloody as hell, has emerged. We must need the iron. To Miller & Carter!
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Who says politics can’t be fun?
How you get semen out of a bee
Scott Hines at The Action Cookbook snags an interview with the brother of a truly divisive and misunderstood festive villain. You think you know the man in green? Think again.
It’s important to regularly interrogate and question your worldview, to ensure you don’t end up thinking in a rut. As a service to The Readership, I offer a thought experiment which will get the old brain meats twanging.
Streaming services may think they have a lock on audience attention but, in America at least, they are strictly second-rate when viewed against sports programming. The technology, facilities and services of hundreds of skilled people roll frictionlessly into place every weekday to bring the big game to millions of screens. It’s an incredible technological achievement which, of, course, we take completely for granted.
This story keeps rolling through my Reddit feed, so I had to share. The tale of one guy, a mix-up with shift patterns and a VVIP. It’s so beautifully told.
You neeeeed this in your life. Get a shortcut to the home page on your phone. So very useful.
The build in dramatic tension from Daniel Lavery as he outlines the most important part of the day makes this piece so immersive. You can almost smell the desperation.
It is the era of Gojira. With Godzilla Minus One (a film some wags are already describing as the sequel to Oppenheimer) and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire coming up and Monarch already streaming on Apple+, the big fella has never loomed larger on our radar. Of course, a big birthday helps. For such an instantly recognisable pop culture icon, it’s remarkable how much he’s changed. Little and often over dozens of movies. Hasn’t he grown?
As we are inevitably going to be drowning in Fairytale Of New York this season, it’s worth exploring one potent and enduring image and why it’s sadly not real. You think the Feds would do something about the situation as a PR opportunity literally laid in their laps but then, as Julian Casablancas so rightly put it, New York City cops, they ain’t too smart.
The Boys Of The N.Y.P.D. Choir
If, as you should, you plan to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol this year, do yourself a favour and make sure you’ve got the full version. On Disney+ you need to do a bit of digging. Tumblr user daincrediblegg has all the juice you need.
Last up, Tom Whitwell reminds us that 2023 was, indeed, a bit much. It is unlikely to calm down next year, fair warning.
Tom Whitwell’s 52 Things for 2023
With thanks to pal of the newsletter and pal in real life Graham ‘Genuine G’ Williams for the reminder, we Outro in class and style. Cider. Mulled. Hot.
See you in seven, true believers.
