The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 6
One of those weeks where celebrity deaths come in threes. Questions are beginning to be raised as to the suspicious ends of Gene Hackman, his wife and dog, while Roberta Flack’s onward transition was met with universal sadness and the inevitable BBC4 documentary. Meanwhile the Oscars staff are no doubt scrambling to update their In Memorium section before tomorrow.
For me, though, the passing of Henry Kelly hit hardest. I was interviewed by him for BBC Berkshire back when I was collaborating on zombie anthologies—the newsworthy connection came from my pal Rob generating a preparedness plan should Z-Day hit Reading. Henry was slightly baffled by the whole thing but charming and funny throughout. As a fan of Going For Gold when I was a student, it was a wildly weird but entirely cool moment for me to chat to him about prepping The Oracle against an incursion from the living dead.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
City Of Ruins by Don Winslow. The last in his Danny Ryan trilogy, this sees the titular Rhode Island gangster running casinos in Las Vegas, while his past creeps up with a flaming torch and petrol in hand. Winslow’s books are dense, tight and brutal. This one starts a little more gently but I can feel the screws beginning to squeeze on Danny and everything he holds dear. Great stuff.
Rob is watching…
Reacher S3. Or, as some bright sparks have described it, Large Man Meets Larger Man. The Amazon versions of Lee Child’s books are absolute crack to TLC and I, and we really enjoy the casting, the stories and the inevitable bursts of bone-crunching action. There are no surprises here, of course, but that’s not the point. Reacher is a comfort watch, and the fun is in watching the plot pieces snick satisfyingly into place.
Rob is listening…
To this from Michael Penn. Love the Adam Curtis/Eisenstein montage work going on in this promo, where words and images are juxtaposed in different and intriguing ways. A song for the times.
Rob is eating…
Noodles. Nothing complex, this is Friday night we’re talking about. I just want something quick, tasty and sustaining. Blue Dragon do a good ramen kit which can be simply customized. I tend to ignore the packet instructions, start with veg and a garlic/ginger paste, and let the broth simmer for longer than directed to boost flavour and texture. A thinly-sliced tuna steak and prawns for protein, a handful of spinach wilted in last minute. Lots of lime and coriander. Hearty, warming, comforting.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
You wouldn’t want to read a book printed under these principles but this is nerdy, fonty food for thought. The point where typography and cryptography meet, perhaps. The video included one moment which made me snort with glee. A great dry tone on the voiceover, too.
Let’s start with a story—a cautionary tale of corporate over-reach by Scott Smitelli which reads as satire but only just. Not a quick read but well worth the time. Hey, it’s cold out, what else are you gonna do?
The regular complaint from certain gobshitey types whenever a Black or Asian face appears in historical dramas set in England is neatly and elegantly skewered by Sarah Elizabeth Cox, consultant on Steven Knight’s new boxing drama A Thousand Blows. This is delicious.
The live music scene in the UK is, I think we can agree, not in a good way. Venues are closing hence bands find it more difficult to find places to play while ticket agencies screw us every which way. A new survey from a swathe of local authorities and music industry types aims to help change that, and you can get involved. Fill out the survey and let’s get Britain playing again.
Ros Barber provides a cautionary tale of how you should always read the contract and know your rights. The ending is honestly glorious.
I didn’t think I could be so engaged by a simple overview of hot sauces. But the artwork is lovely and the vast range of tingly treats available is quite astonishing. This definitely feels like a work in progress—there are very few British hot sauces shown for example.
Back to Gene Hackman for a moment, whose loss is a sadness. Max Read gives us a great example of the big man’s talent by showing how he rolled into a nineties action techno-thriller an hour into the film and basically made it his own. I feel the urge to watch Enemy Of The State again, it’s a proper ride.
One man’s porn is another man’s art, and no-one understood that better than Samuel Roth. Censorship is a state-backed crime, empowered by people who have a vested interest in keeping the populace poorly educated. The fact that there is no clear, precise definition of obscenity tells me everything I need to know about book-banning. It’s not about the content, it’s about the context.
Stack stuff until it falls over. Be warned, though. Once you start it’s hard to stop.
Sometimes you just need to build a tower of junk
I hesitated to include Elisabeth Sandifer’s magisterial overview of the Sandman comics in this week’s chapter because of—you know, him. But there is no viable argument to be made that the title’s sixty-eight issue run is one of the great achievements of The Ninth Art, and it deserves this kind of forensic examination. I sometimes use the argument about separating the art from the artist—Sandifer dismantles this while accepting the sheer quality of the work. Warnings, obviously, for the discussions of the author’s unpleasant proclivities, but also for length. This is almost 50,000 words long so maybe don’t engage unless you’re prepared to see it through. Not for everyone, but I thought it was incredibly good.
One last thought.
Oh sod it, it’s been a bit of a dark week. Let’s have a dance, shall we?
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
