Amusements

 This month, I got to see Bloodywood live, I must sayI moshed to my heart's content. This was the "Nine Inch Naan" tour, I believe. So much fun and so wonderfully heavy. The band came out into the crowd when we were waiting for the show to start and handed out naan. Beneath the Indian folk metal outraged exterior, you could see they were having such fun. I was happy to be in the thick of it. 

Somehow found myself right at the front.

"Nine Inch Naan" tour vinyl.

________

This is the sound of my childhood.

The sound of my teenage years.

And some horror comedy...

Amusements

 Some distractions:

Seven years making 'Sator'.

"Crash: The Wreck of the Century"  by Jessica Kiang

The biggest music revolution you’ve never heard of

by Jimmy Andrex

This is Jimmy Andrex's excellent review of the excellent book by Martin Christie, "Electronic Music Travels", which I have a personal stake in as someone who has attended and even performed at the Electronic Music Open Mic nights. Oh, and Martin is a friend too. I think the book is looking for a second print run. Here is me being serenaded with "Yes sir, I Can Boogie" by Jan Doyle Band at the last London EMOM hosted by Martin in 2019.

And here is an excellent economics lesson from Jimmy Andrex:

Jimmy Andrex · Wealth Creators

And an essential tale of horror:

And ending with essential electro-sounds from MHO:

Amusements: links of distraction

Pat Healy on Werner Herzog, Spielberg, and tossing a naked stuntman into the snow

Interview by Andrew McLevy

Interview - I SEE YOU Director Adam Randall

interview by Eric Hillis

The Comfort of Strangers: Significant Others

by Maitland McDonagh

Here's the latest album from my  pal, James Eastwood, with some dreamy guitar ambience.

Amusements

 Donglu Yu at ArtStation

A new song from my pal Lizzie Bradley:

Film School Rejects: The Coolest Effect in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' was a bloody accident 

Amusements

Conversations with John le Carré

Bongwater with Screaming Jay Hawkins

 

KAFKA'S JOKE BOOK 

by John McNamee

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Has Taken Over the World. 
Let’s Talk About Fan Service and Marvel’s Legacy

My second appearance on the You Total Cult podcast

I am on the final episode of the You Total Cult podcast where we get together to watch one those so-bad-it's-good films, 'The Children of Ravensback', or just 'The Children', if you prefer. 

In the 1990s, when films were still banned, I used to go to a film fair where you could get all those illicit VHS copies. I bought a rough fourth or fifth generation tape of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' from there, for example. Anyway, I bought 'The Children' mistaking it for 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things' and was most disappointed when I watched it. But then, I showed it to my friend James in outrage and he fell about laughing. So I showed it to others and then we had about two or three parties where a gang of us got together to watch it and laugh. 

I hadn't seen it for decades, but it was released last year by Troma and so it was time to revisit. It is a film where the effects highlights are fingernails turning black and the funniest child dismemberment ever.

We start chatting about this 30 mins in.

Amusements

Darks Corners' excellent essay on the horror films of FW Murnau.

Talk Talk live in Montreaux, 1986.

The Pain behind "Baron Munchausen".

Rob Doyle on Philip K Dick's "Valis"

The art of 

Piotr Jabłoński

Amusements

Nicolas Rapold on how 2018 film was representing progressive hope.

For those who like sci-fi panoramas, here's Fan Gao's portfolio:

Feathered dinosaur tail!

The Jam's "A Town Called Malice": That one-two punch of Bruce Foxton's opening bassline that demands that you lose your cool immediately and then followed by that opening line that reminds you that your life is all your troubles makes for one of the great beginnings to any song.
And here are Weller and Foxton on it's conception.

And one of my favourite Kate Bush songs. Somehow, for me, it just effortlessly conjures up the canon of English literature. 

Amusements

Antony Lane on The Eurovision Song Contest
"Only Mr God knows why"

Philip Challinor on "Arrival"

where he pinpoints the problem  with it that I sensed but didn't quite nail in my review.

'Mars Attacks!'

Various  covers of "Wicked Game"

Amusements

Ben Wheatley talks.

Cat live cam. For those days of stress.

Chris Foss art

Matt Robot alternative film posters:

Favourite songs:

Amusements

"Under the Shadow": article on influences and Q&A with director Babak Anvari. How pleasing that such a great little horror film is getting such recognition.

Vic Pratt on his love for "Night of the Demon", which is a more-or-less just an excuse to post this picture.

Jim Jarmusch's video for Big Audio Dynamite.

Four poems by Charles Bukowski animated.

Favourite songs #1

Favourite Songs #2

Amusements

Directors in conversation.

What do the Right Wing tell their children about Hollywood Movies?

"Celia" and bad seeds.

Favourite songs

Amusements

Peter Strickland horror recommendations.

Alexandre Aja on twists and sequels etc.

A reunion of the cast of "The Singing Detective"

Favourite Songs