When Does It Start Growing Ma?????

Today I half updated half the CD’s in the multiplayer.

Out goes the Electronic 80’s 3CD set. In comes:

The Ting Tings
Upon This Rock by Larry Norman – the father of Christian Rock
The Best of: Dr Feelgood

For those who don’t know them, Dr Feelgood are the best thing ever to come out of Canvey Island in Essex, apart from petroleum products. Canvey is famous for being next to the River Thames but below sealevel.

Their lead singer was Lee Brilleaux, their original lead guitarist was Wilko Johnson and they were the renowned for being the best RnB band in Britain. By that I mean real RnB and not this pathetic trash that we have today. Their only real hits were Roxette and Milk & Alcohol, which appeared just as punk started. A great future looked certain but they never made the break into the real big time. They continued touring and releasing great albums but will always be a footnote in Britain’s musical landscape.

However this could change as a documentary is released about them this month. Oil City Confidential tells the story from beginning to the present. This is a little odd as Lee Brilleaux has passed away, way to soon, and their are no original band members left. But, like many other groups, the legend keeps going.

To answer a comment:

Our Mazda has a facility to link in the MP3 player but the car is currently in need of repair. Personally I’d never by an over-priced and inferior Apple product though

This morning’s sermon was at a little chapel up the road from our own. It is another of those Victorian wonders that are a symbol of the welsh vallies. We have several of them up and down our valley. Like many other the congregation is small, there were 8 today excluding me, and advancing in years but they have a desire to grow.

This afternoon I have watched a little of Assignment to Kill and have settled down to watch Heavens Knows, Mr Allison – with Robert Mitchum & Deborah Kerr. The story of a marine and a nun stranded on a Pacific island in WWII.

I also managed to fit in 3/4 of Black Sunday with Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. This was the first Thomas Harris book and film adaption. It is a little of its time but good – he effects leave a little to be desired.

I also finished reading Public Enemies and have now started reading Sovereign by C J Sansom, the third in the Shardlake series.

Ian,

The Crimson Pirate is a cheesey but very enjoyable film from 1952. Very enjoyable – even FW was surprised at how enjoyable she found it. Lawman is from 1970 and was directed by Michael Winner (director of Death Wish and current Sunday Times restaurant critic). It has a great cast – including Robert Ryan, Lee J Cobb and Robert Duvall – and is well worth watching but it can be annoying with some of the repeated, unnecessary camera close-ups and zoom ins.

Jack,

The Last Crusade is definitely my fave Indi movie. The Crystal Skull was only just better than the Temple of Doom.

Lying in bed or on the sofa suffering from a viral infection. I didn’t eat for three days, apart from 2 bowls of Crunchy Nut and 12 uncooked swedish Meatballs (you can eat them this way mmm….). I hardly slept for 2 nights due to a fever and painful aches in my lower back.

Unfortuantely it meant that I had to cancel our offer of having the Troublesome Trucks to stay. I was looking forward to having them over last night and tonight (separately) but was just to washed out.

Today I’ve spent it relaxing to recover. So I’ve watched The Man Who Knew To Much, Schindler’s List and the second half of Harlequins v Gloucester. The aim is to do very little tonight and tomorrow.

I’ve also been reading Silesian Station by David Downing, his sequelto Zoo Station. I love these because they combine my love of historical fiction and being set in immediate pre-war Berlin. Reading it has reignited my hunger to go for my third visit – I’ve haven’t been since I took FW for her birthday the year we were married. Just reading about the cafes, Tiergarten, Zoo, Funktrum Tower and the food.

Last night I dreamt that I had emigrated to Australia – I didn’t like it.  Weird that reading about Berlin makes me yearn to return but my dream is about Australia.

Just to reassure my Australian contingent I do intend to visit at Christmas 2014 to celebrate my 50th.

I have found a new way to get things for free – I have joined Amazon Vine as a reviewer. I get to receive books etc for free but have to review at least 75% of what I recieve.

So far I’ve received a model of a heart and three books. Don’t worry family/friends, they will not be passed off as presents. It is also a good way for me to read/use/listen to things that I’d otherwise wouldn’t.  Plus I enjoy writing the reviews and try to be as honest as possible.

I have noticed that some “reviewers” have a very imaginative way of reviewing books – they just copy the summary off the back or other reviews. I also hate the e-mails I sometimes recieve from publishers/publicists asking me to provide positive reviews for things I wouldn’t touch.

I just wish people would pay me for doing it. I’d be only to happy to read books, listen to music or watch films/TV for a living. I know that I’d never get tired of it. I also hope that I’d never be as narrow minded as some reviewers - aka Cosmo Landesman from The Times; not all popular films are rubbish you know.

Last night I watched Rendition. Though it starred Rheese Witherspoon she was, thankfully, absent for most of the film. I can’t say that I find her to be a particularly talented actress (I refuse to call them actors – it’s not grammatically correct). I can’t say that I found Jake Gyllenhall that convincing either as the CIA analyst but the rest of the cast was way above average.

It tells the story of an Egyptian, who holds a green card, being forcibly removed upon return to the US from a conference in South Africa. We follow his journey as he is returned to Egypt for interrogation and torture. The film also follows the story of 2 young Egyptian lovers caught up in the sub plot surrounding a suicide bombing at the start of the week. The slightly unbelievable part is that the events all take place over a 7 day period.

I would recommend this film as it contains a good plot twist or two; deals well with the problem of extra juidicial rendition; the blinkeredness of those who carry out the policy and the fact that torture does not lead to good intelligence gathering.

This is Hollywood providing its liberal agenda to modern politics. Not always a bad thing, especially as the liberal opposition has been far from convincing in fighting the Bush policy of non-constitutional justice. It also shows a glimpse of the Arab side of the equation and what can lead someone to become a “martyr”.