Still a great untapped resource for film and TV, but as I’m convinced these books couldn’t be done justice, I’m happy for them to stay untapped. I suppose they are so deeply outside ‘safe space’ culture that no one would have the balls to try anyway. I think I mentioned on here before that my brother who is a telly producer amongst other things, wanted, years ago, to make programmes with Peter Bowles as an aged Flashman narrating the books, with bits of old film stock used to illustrate some scenes. Not a bad way to do it, but he couldn’t get people to stump up the cash. Plus, as I told him, you couldn’t do the footnotes, a source of deep joy to me.
I put this on the music thread but I think it's worth a place on here too, if just for the closing line....... 'You're the measure of my dreams' Just beautiful.
I agree. On the one hand I’d like to see it done (made into films) but having seen the hugely crap ‘Royal Flash’ one done by the the bloke wot dun The Three Musketeers movies (which I love) I fear we’d get the same disappointment.
I see Whittaker had the police box for all of sixty seconds yesterday evening during which it caught fire, fell on its side, careened out of control and tipped her out. On a serious note I am so glad Moffat is leaving the show. His tenure, particularly his writing, has been dreadful throughout. Last night’s episode was excruciatingly boring, ponderous and a huge waste of the acting talents of the likes of David Bradley and Emerson Fitticapaldi.
My usual quiet New Years Eve in shielding neurotic dog from fireworks (suits me fine, had a couple of nasty experiences in big crowds on New Years Eves past), which means the miscellany Of Jools Holland’s Hootenanny. Hits - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, simply sensational, George McRae, Beth Ditto has a pair of lungs and my wife’s mate Ruby Turner. Ed Sheeran made a good attempt at Layla, and although I’m not a fan his music is clever. Ambivalent but not unpleasant - Jose Feliciano, Mavis Staples, some lady crooner I’m sure I should have heard of but have already forgotten. Soul II Soul. Miss, of train wreck proportions, The Beat “starring Dave Wakeling” ie not the Beat, but Dave Wakeling who can no longer sing. Really embarrassingly bad. Catch the other version of the Beat, with Ranking Roger and his son, if you really need to see the remnants of this band.
Radio 4 repeating the Mastertapes programme with Randy Newman at the moment. What a brilliant, funny, self deprecating genius he is. Worth catching on the iPlayer. Mastertapes also a very good format, proper musician talking about a classic album and questions from a proper R4 audience, plus playing some songs. Newman’s latest record, Dark Matter, another masterpiece of satire, highly recommended.
Last Christmas our Vietnamese neighbour brought a bottle of this over when invited to our traditional post Christmas brunch (informal event for family, friends & neighbours) - when I researched it I was surprised to find it was C$200 in the liquor store and in limited supply. please log in to view this image I also thought Champagne had to be consumed relatively soon after purchase and this is a 2004 vintage with a recommendation to best drink 2016-2040. We saved it for our summer family vacation on the Acadian Peninsular by the ocean when all 7 members (even my daughter in Paris) were present and consumed it with local oysters and lobster. It was exceptionally good, and my daughter's boyfriend said it far surpassed a $90 bottle of Champagne he had recently bought for her university graduation, a nice treat as I do not have deep enough pockets to normally drink products in this price range. The 2004 Pol Roger 'Cuvée Winston Churchill' is an outstanding young wine. It is a blend of old vine chardonnay and pinot noir, as Pol Roger stipulates that they will only use fruit for this bottling from grand cru vineyards that were planted during Churchill’s lifetime (he passed away in 1965). The wine was aged eleven years sur latte and finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter. The bouquet of the 2004 offers up a deep and complex constellation of apple, just a whisper of tangerine, fresh-baked bread, gentle notes of hazelnut, a beautifully complex base of soil and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with bottomless depth at the core, utterly refined mousse, lovely focus and grip and a very long, complex and elegant finish. This is quite open for a 2004, but with the impeccable balance to also age long and gracefully. Very high class juice. (Drink between 2016-2040) http://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1283704
A House in Time BBC2. Using the historical occupants of a single house to do a bit of social history. Programme on now featuring a house in Falkner Street, Liverpool. Fronted by an historian called David Olusoga. Really, really good. Except my wife is now looking up properties in Liverpool. NO NO NO.
Yeah, we watched that - very good. That fella did an excellent documentary series about the history of black people in Britain. You could buy a street in Liverpool.
Careful, that's where my maternal ancestors are from. You would have to pay me a tithe. Did you catch the Ron Howard Beatles film on C4 last night? Very good, if somewhat hagiographical.
It’s where my wife’s mother is from. She doesn’t recommend it either. Yes I did see the Beatles film and really enjoyed it. Could have done without the talking heads except the Beatles themselves and those directly involved and as much of the superbly remastered live footage as they had. I didn’t realise that even in very difficult circumstances with yelling girls and crap PA systems they were an incredibly tight live band, and really rocked. For some reason I always thought that Lennon was a very limited guitarist, but clearly that was not the case, and Ringo was a much better drummer than I thought as well.
