An Inconvenient Truth - Friends of the Earth The Big Ask Event at the Prince Charles Cinema, with David Milliband
So I write this not really as a review of the film - it won Oscars, it's frightening and educational at the same time, you owe it to yourself to see it and spread the message, and in my own small way that's what I'm trying to do.Climate change is happening, and it is happening dramatically and with potentially devastating effects within our lifetimes.This event, sponsored by Friends of the Earth and held at the rather lovely Prince Charles Cinema, just off Leicester Square, combined a screening of the film with a Q & A session with Environment minister David Miliband. Despite my reservations over New Labour and this present government, Miliband seems like a good egg and does seem commited to making a difference, although some of the hardcore asking the questions will never accept the changes as enough. I guess this is quite right - demonstrators should be pushing for big changes as much as possible because otherwise nothing will ever be done.So anyway - a good event, and one that will be running throughout the year as the PCC has commited to showing the film every week in 2007. They have Menzies Campbell coming in a couple of weeks and David Cameron has agreed to come at some point during the year.So anyway - here's some important links!http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Yet another Love to Lead question vaguely stabbed at...

Is Hate a stronger emotion than Love?
Let's be brutally honest here. There is a fine line between the two. They are two sides of the same emotion and I don't believe can be separated into different categories. If scientists tell us Love is a chemical reaction in the brain then hate is no less a reaction. If emotions can be dissected in terms of chemicals then clearly one is just a different reaction than another.Even if you think emotions are more than chemical reactions - something that cannot be explained away with simple science there is a strong literary tradition that these emotions are closely linked, entwined in the rush of feeling that comes in any intense relationship.
I think the trouble is there are many different interpretations and manifestations of both "Love" and "Hate". To claim one is stronger than the other would be too general a conclusion.

Hunter S Thompson - Gonzo.

We went to see this small collection of prints from Hunter Thompson's collection, being sold off by his estate as limited edition pieces, and also as a coffee table book.Thompson's writing is something I have long admired for his style and politics, the Nixon baiting Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail being one of my favourite collections. The prints here contain a selection of shots of the man himself, in various states from wide-eyed peering over the windscreen of his convertible to contemplative with typewriter next to the cliffs of Big Sur. There are also photos taken by Thompson of the Hell's Angels, prowling through the streets but generally showing their more human side, not least the shot "Hell's Angel and Chick".Some nice shots it must be said, showing a light side to people who usually get tarred as being uncontrollably violent, something Thompson could probably relate to.Mind you the price of the prints (and even more so for the Fashion collection downstairs) blew me away. I must get my camera out.

London - A life in Maps - British Library

I had not been to the British Library before but it is somewhere I will be going back to, I think it would be very easy to spend a few hours browsing the works and free exhibitions on offer here. London - A life in Maps charts the history of London by using a collection of detailed street maps and more graphical illustrative works done to show the skyline and how it has changed. I'm fascinated by maps, a good one can make you think of a place in a different way because it gives you a different viewpoint and wider image of somewhere you might know differently. To see how somewhere has changed over time is even more interesting, and London has changed a great deal in it's long history. The effect of the fire is clear to see in some of the maps, and others depicting areas affected by Cholera are also interesting.I think the most fascinating thing is how small London once was and yet was still considered a major world city. To see Southwark as mainly fields, and north of High Holborn as essentially the countryside makes you realise that the sprawling metropolis we know these days once consisted only of the very centre and the surrounding suburbs, if they existed at all, were tiny villages or hamlets. Some of the viewpoints are fascinating as well, I work on the Strand and used to cross the river at Waterloo quite regularly. From the ground it isn't obvious how much of a curve there is in the river at this point with it essentially turning back upon itself. I shall be looking out for this the next time I take a stroll.

Trip Tych Swap Shop - Fred Deakin - Pure Groove Records

Fred Deakin, one half of Lemonjelly(http://www.lemonjelly.ky/), held the mic and the decks at this promotional event for his new Mix album, 3 CDs of random stuff he has collected over the years. I'll post a review of the album when I have had chance to listen to it properly but this event was a lot of fun in it's own right. Following on from a number of swapping nights that seem to have sprung up in London over recent months this event was partly run by the Airwave graphic design collective that Deakin is a part of. So they were swapping T-shirts for Jokes and rare vinyl was being exchanged while sweets were handed out and party tunes were being played. I wasn't expecting Pure Groove to be quite as small I must say but it did lend itself to a fun atmosphere and the black russians they were handing out helped as well.I can't imagine there was more fun to be had in Archway of a Saturday afternoon anywhere else - and going to watch the rugby afterwards pretty much confirmed it!

The Big Chill House - New Orleans Charity event.

Rob da Bank and Joe Driscoll were the pulls for us to this event - although having seen Driscoll the previous Thursday and flagging from Saturday night we didn’t actually stay late enough for him. In fact we didn't see much of the "event" and the only reason I'm writing about it now is to talk about Mama Cherri's Soul food which was being served especially for todays event. We shared a platter of ribs, chicken wings, sweet potato salad, chicken jambalaya, catfish goujons and salad. It was excellent, more than enough for three of us and with an awesome mix of flavours, perhaps not as spicy as I expected although I did avoid the big slices of chilli.
Yum anyway..!

Joe Driscoll at YoYo - Notting Hill Arts Club
The basement venue and tiny corner stage were the perfect setting for Joe Driscoll's talents. While I have no doubt he could hold a bigger crowd and perform on a bigger stage there are real advantages to an intimate setting. Driscoll performs beatboxing and "live looping" so he will lay down a vocal hook, guitar line or beat and use foot pedals to record and loop back to create the songs - everything you hear is live. In this setting there is no question of this - you can see him doing it, nudging on and off buttons with his feet. It's very impressive to watch and requires perfect timing as well as musicianship, although I thought he probably needed more practice on the didge. He held a varied crowd mostly by himself for the full set and it wasn't the technical achievements that the crowd was most into, it was the funky beats and energy that he puts into the show that made it a real treat. I've seen Imogen Heap do similar looping and it really wasn't the same, not as cool.

Are computer games a waste of time?

Having wasted a large amount of time playing Championship Manager in my youth I would have to say yes. I'm not even sure I can really say I enjoyed playing it, I was just unable to stop. The addiction of a text based simulation like this is difficult to explain, I think the depth of the experience and the idea that almost anything could happen was what kept me going.I kind of wish I'd spent that time doing other things though.
I still have fun playing first person shooters occasionally, and a multi player game of worms or Fifa is always good fun, and I think fun is the key.
I don't think having a good time is ever a waste of time but how often do gamers persevere when what they are doing is causing them only frustration and stress?
There is an argument that computer games are potentially the new big form of entertainment - overwhelming TV and film as younger people prefer an interactive approach to spending their spare time. Whether this will come to pass will be interesting to see but I think the Wii is probably a step in the right direction - if only because it introduces physical activity and actually getting up off the sofa.

I'm a fan of computer games but are they a waste of time? I think that undoubtedly they can be.

Fopp unsigned Bands winners Olympus Mons and Morton Valance were in attendance tonight at the Tottenham Court Road branch of the record shop.
I've been a fan of Fopp since my student days in Sheffield - spending the majority of my student loan that didn't go on beer in there creating a many and varied CD collection.

Tonight was the first time I had been to the Tottenham Court Road "Megastore" though - and it's quite a place. The bar downstairs is cosy to say the least, and Olympus Mons front man Aaron made it clear their set might not be quite as bombastic as usual to protect our eardrums.
This three piece came across well, Aaron's shy but likeable persona won the audience over and their angular guitars revealed some good tunes. They won last years 3 student Music award and the young fanbase who appeared to be out in force are obviously taking them to heart. I was going to get through this review without mentioning Bloc Party but there is an obvious similarity: angular guitars and an eloquent black lead singer, I wouldn't go as far as to say that these youngsters are better but they have real potential.

Morton Valance were scuppered by what I believe is known as "technical difficulties", not that suprising considering the two keyboards, trumpet, harmonica, bass and drums set up. Oh and I mustn't forget the highly energetic maraca player - not quite Bez but along the same lines. It's difficult to give a fair review with the sound problems they had - not least the guitar breaking through the set leaving them with no "rock" section. They showed sparks of brilliance not least in opening number "Sailors" but their frontman wasn't as likeable, despite giving out Cherry Bakewells at the beginning and in a venue this small engaging with the audience would seem to be the first thing to do. Again, this may all come down to frustration with the sound issues and I'd like to see them again in a more suitable venue.

Jarvis at the Astoria

So having only listened to the album twice I wasn't sure how the great man would come across in the live arena. I was expecting a few Pulp songs as well to be honest - but he explained he wasn't playing any because his band wasn't Pulp - and it wouldn't be the same.
Which is fair enough and especially after a gig as good as this one.
Jarvis has always had a presence and an easy way with the crowd and his asides and chattyness with the audience came across wonderfully tonight. The gig was due to finish a little early due to the G-A-Y club featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor being on afterwards and he even managed to tell the Murder on Zidanze-floor joke and get a laugh.

The music was great as well - Black Magic and Don't let him Waste Your Time stood out as well as the fantastic encore of Cunts are still ruling the world and an unexpectedly brilliant cover of Paranoid by Black Sabbath

If only Jarvis was ruling the world - it would be a better place...

Headliners Comedy Club Chiswick
Justin John Whitehead,Jim Tavare
It was the first time I had visited the function room of the George - which is fast becoming my local, and it was packed.Saturday night at the comedy club is obviously a popular destination for the Chiswick population, and after tonights acts I can understand why. We were actually expecting to see Paul Zerdin, the puppeteer but he wasnt on tonight for reasons never explained. However we had the special guest of Jim Tavare which made up for it. Well that and the fact that the Canadian Justin John Whitehead was hilarious.
So we were crammed in like sardines - the idea being I guess that we were all sat around tables so that we could indulge in the rather nice looking food platters and get a bottle of wine. Nice idea but it would I think have been better to get a bigger table nearer the back so that we could actually move. However, the minor discomfort didnt really worry us and the show really began with Jim Tavare. He came on with his Double Bass and went through a slapstick routine with microphones and plugs - ending in a small explosion on stage.He then started playing the bass - his Jimmy Hendrix impression was particularly good.
Justin John Whitehead headlined and the hyperactive Canadian soon got the audience onside with his talk about the weather. The whole audience was on his side when he pointed out how this country cant cope with snow, wind or even fog. Coming from Canada I think he thought the talk of London being overwhelmed with snow was a bit of a joke to him - considering we had about an inch.He then flew into one about the olympics and how Britain should aim for the most ridiculous games ever - "lets see the obese trying to run the 100metres and collapsing - that's entertainment."

Is it possible to communicate with the dead?

After watching Most Haunted with Girls Aloud just after Christmas I'd have to say an emphatic yes.

The show hosted by Yvette Fielding took the girls to several "Haunted" locations one night in North Wales. The girls got more and more petrified as they were taken from location to location. At the points where the girls were getting most scared Fielding would turn off the lights and suggest a seance, or lead them into the more secluded areas. The whole evening was clearly set up to maximise the amount of fear, and the girls were convinced of the existence of spirits by the end even if the only real "activity" was knocking sounds. If that is good enough for Girls Aloud, who after all were actually there, then who am I to argue?

I personally have had one Ouija board experience which was what could be described as successful - my friend set it up and she seemed to know what she was doing. The cup moved around and spelt out a name and gave us answers to our questions. None of the answers could have been particularly memorable as I can't remember anything about it now. I tried to recreate this with some other friends a few months later but with no luck. I guess the spirits weren't so communicative that day - or perhaps I did something wrong.

So this post is going in the "Yes" category but I claim no evidence or even real belief in my reasoning. The ability to communicate with the dead is something which I doubt is as prevalent as the amount of people making a living as "mediums" suggests it is. In fact I think it is probably more likely that the dead can communicate with us rather than the other way around - and even then only in a rudimentary way. So no I don't believe in someone who stands in front of an audience and claims to be channeling the spirit of someone's dead aunt and tells them not to be afraid or whatever.

I do think there is enough unexplained phenomena in this world that could be considered hauntings or at least some other dimension attempting to contact us.

Whether this is the dead, or aliens, or just wind and creaking old buildings would require more research - and is something I think unlikely to be proven one way or another.

For that reason I say - "Yeah, why the hell not?"

Of course saying yes kind of assumes I believe in the concept of Hell, and I guess heaven, and probably some kind of limbo (which I believe even the church decided was a bad idea..)

That is going too deep into this subject I think - so I'm with Yvette and the Girls.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston


So last night I went to a nightclub to watch a film about a manic depressive. And it was great!

Cargo - tucked away under the arches of Rivington Street in Shoreditch often shows films on midweek nights when nothing much is going on but this was the first time I've ventured over there - I suspect I will do it more often in future. It's a great little venue - and even better when it's almost empty and you feel like the leather sofas and candles are all there just for you.

The screening room is the back one - where I saw Akira the Don many months ago now...
and we managed to grab a couple of the bean bags down the front.
Coupled with 4 for a tenner Tiger beers we were well away.

Now neither of us could be called big followers of Johnson's music - and the quality of most of the recordings on show didn't exactly make me want to rush out and invest in the back catalogue, but having said that he had a gawky charm and presence that made it difficult to dislike what he was doing.

As the story developed and the tales of him descending into madness increased the sympathy for him waned a little - the story about him causing a woman to jump from her window because he had forced his way into her house and tried to exorcise her demons was a worry.
The best, and most unbelievable tale was that of him returning in his fathers plane from a successful SXSW performance when in a manic episode he pulled the key from the ignition and threw it out the window. The plane had to be crashlanded in a forest and amazingly they survived unscathed.

So an interesting film, but not an amazing one - the novelty of going out to watch it in a nightclub on a Monday though made it an enjoyable experience
Rah!

So Bird flu is gripping Suffolk as a Bernard Matthews farm is considered off limits and a cull of birds is set to dent profits for the Turkey magnate. Well it's nice to know that real turkeys are involved in Bernard Matthews product, from the slices you can buy I had my doubts.

It's a shame of course, but I can't help thinking this is being blown out of proportion. Bird flu is not a big killer it merely has the potential to be. I was traveling through Vietnam and other parts of South East Asia two years ago when the initial scares were being publicised in the British press and its fair to say that in those countries bird flu wasn't a major worry among the general populace. In Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia it is not uncommon for families to actually share their living quarters with chickens and it is in these sort of environments where the virus has actually spread to humans. Regardless of the quality of British farms - be they battery reared or otherwise the proximity between human and poultry does not compare to the Asian situation. Human Deaths from H5N1 stand at 158 in four years http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_11_13/en/index.html
Hardly a pandemic, these stats also show that almost half of the reported cases actually didn't prove fatal either and considering these are from lesser developed countries it seems to me likely that the threat has been exaggerated.

Super Casinos and a Culture of Gambling

I watched Louis Theroux's new show last night - focusing on gambling in Las Vegas. It was a funny but also a cautionary tale of how easy it can be to get sucked into an addiction.
One of the subjects of last nights show used to be a doctor but now retired spends all of her days in the Hilton Casino - having gambled some $4million dollars in the last seven years. Louis visits her house - not that of a millionaire it must be said, and asks her son what he thinks of her gambling away his inheritance. He is diplomatic, she is unrepentant but watching her sitting in front of the flashing slot machines repeatedly pressing buttons in the hope of a big win is depressing in the extreme. She claims to be having fun - and I'm sure there is a certain rush to gambling but at levels like these it does seem to be a debilitating addiction on a par with hard drugs - only without the out of body experiences and fuzzy feeling..

This week the new SuperCasino license was granted for Manchester. I have a horrible image of Wayne and Colleen alikes losing their hard earned money in moments of madness. Then I think, who am I to judge people in this. The trouble is gambling is addictive and if people can't afford to lose then it is going to create social problems.

As Louis Theroux asked of one of the workers in the Casino who claimed to be a friend of the doctor losing her money - at what point would you step in and suggest she was going too far?

$4 million seems a lot to me...

So here we are. Sat at home with a day off and writing my first WordPress post.

I’m planning to write about things that I get up to as well as comment on world events, music, politics and the like.

I’m currently listening to Pandora - and some crazy classical guitar action - its not at all my usual thing but suprisingly relaxing…

First thing to write about briefly is Stewart Lee’s What Would Judas Do? which I went to see at the Bush Theatre, Shepherds Bush last weekend. I love Stewart Lee, from the days when he worked with Richard Herring on Fist of Fun and TMWRNG to seeing him in stand up on numerous occasions in the last few years.

I never got to see the controversial Jerry Springer the Opera though - I was out of the country at the time it was on and it is only since I’ve been back that I heard the furore it caused due to it’s alleged blasphemous content. Lee has always criticised the recieved notions taught by the church - the Sunday Heroes section from This Morning with Richard Not Judy being a case in point.

“Consider the Lily”

This show takes a look at the last week of Jesus’ life through the eyes of Judas, one of the less important members of the disciples who despite initially feeling put upon because he always has to carry the bags and do the menial jobs, and is never really taken seriously by the suck ups Matthew and John because occasionally he feels Jesus’s teachings are a little too wishy washy eventually finds himself being given the most important job in the story by giving it a dramatic ending.

It portrays Judas as a bit of an idiot but a revolutionary one who believed Jesus was preaching real change and opposition to the Romans.

Lee likes to involve the audience, and participation is rewarded by the handing out of various bags of nuts throughout the show, this theme continues when the climax of the show involves bringing ten audience members to sit around a table, and bread and wine is passed around to recreate the last supper.

There are no real suprises here, Lee is obviously well read in his subject and quotes from scripture throughout, he is engaging, funny and holds the audience for an hour without too much trouble.