The Swipe Volume 2 Chapter 16
I’ve engaged in a tiny writing challenge for the month. 200 words every day in May. Doesn’t seem like much, I know. The intersticials and intros in each chapter of The Swipe average far more than that. But it’s not really about the wordcount—although by the time we go on our hols at the end of the month I will have accrued over 6000 of the blighters, which is half a novella. The point is twofold. Build a writing habit and have fun with it. Both of which are completely doable when you’re working with such a short daily commitment. I may even share the end product with you.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
This Is What Happened by Mick Herron. What starts as a Slough House-adjacent spy story becomes much more psychological and involves a couple of clever twists. A chamber piece in a way, with just three characters of note, and a villain whose Etsy vanity really helps amp up his capacity for evil. It’s a fast read, which helps Herron to rush us past some of the really obvious plot holes, but still worth picking up.
Rob is watching…
Amsterdam, David O. Russell’s last movie. Very late to the party on this one, but it’s a strangely sweet, strangely positive and very funny spoof on pulpy Plot Against America themes. A hella good cast all having a great time, and Christian Bale channeling Peter Falk is a hoot. If you ever wanted to see Taylor Swift come to a sticky end well, here’s your chance.
Rob is listening…
I’ve become quietly obsessed with All Born Screaming, the new album from Annie Clark, T/A St. Vincent. It works fantastically as a single work, but there are breakout moments worth celebrating. Like this, for example. That’s Dave Grohl on drums. You can tell, can’t you?
Rob is eating…
I have lots of time for Jamie Oliver. He is a divisive character for many people but to me he is still first and foremost a clever, inventive cook who enjoys what he does. Check out the techniques he uses in his take on a spring cannelloni. The way he fills the pasta. That quick white sauce. This is smart cookery from a master.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
I love a reconstruction video but this one takes things up several notches. It’s utterly mesmerising. Take a bit of time, let it wash over you.
Dan Cardone went from working on the crew of a Steven Spielberg epic to something a little more lowbrow. His account of the filming of To The Last Man is full of moments that will have you cackling. Film-making is hard, in every sense of the word.
The sex was the easy part. Everything else kept getting in the way.
Every mention of food in Barbra Streisand’s huge autobiography. This works as a mini-overview of her magnum opus. You certainly get a sense of the woman, her motivations and her huge appetite for life, love and sandwiches.
So good to see Brummie writer Pete Ashton back in the saddle. This piece on the subject of the weird had me nodding along throughout. England is a deeply weird country. What does that make its citizens?
OK, you don’t get much sport in The Swipe. I have two left feet, no sense of balance and little patience for all that tedious knocking about of balls. However, I know drama when I see it, and the last couple of seasons at Reading FC have been stuffed to the rafters with killer twists and cliffhangers. An evil owner who makes his intentions to strip mine the club of assets. Heavy points deductions which send it spiralling out of the Championship. A new manager whose tactics put Reading at the bottom of the table, ready to drop another league. But then the fightback begins and that’s where the story gets really interesting…
The lead singer of The Spin Doctors explains why he wore that particular hat for the Two Princes video. See, I know how to bring the crowds in with killer content.
There is a formula for the perfect pop song, and a very particular duration. Look, there’s no sense in arguing. This is science.
Dave Courtney was a fixture of lad mag culture in the 90s. A figure on the edge of the dark criminal underground, he made himself unavoidable, showing up in the press, on telly and in (inevitably awful) movies. Following his death last year, a wake was held at The Blind Beggar pub—a venue which makes perfect sense if you knew the man. Clive Martin reports for The Fence.
‘If he was in the film, you knew it would be shit. That was his trademark.’
A chat between two Athens, Georgia musical legends—Vanessa Briscoe-Hay of Pylon and Kate Pierson of the B-52s. Both are still going strong, making great music and kicking butts from here to the Mississippi. I am such a fan of the Athens scene and these two are the queens.
Alexander Siddig talks about his time on Star Trek as the first Arab character. It’s fascinating stuff and shows just how open and inclusive the show has been since the start. Siddig is a brilliant actor who brought a lot to a role which could have been a simple racial box-tick.
Olivia Rodrigo is not your average pop princess. Her Glastonbury debut coincided with the repeal of Roe Vs. Wade, so she invited Lily Allen up on stage to help her sing ‘Fuck You’ to the Supreme Court. She can rock out with the best of them, and has played a St. Vincent signature guitar in concert. She’s bloody great—it helps that she’s also one hell of a songwriter. I am, if you’ll excuse the clumsy segue, obsessed.
Oh come on, let me have a bit of fun.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
