steve martin - born standing up

I finished Steve Martin's 'Born Standing Up' in the bath yesterday evening, and it was really interesting, if you are interested in comedy, fame, magic and death (which, of course, l am).
It deals with his upbringing, up to achieving (and dealing with) his fame, and the later death of his parents, but is mainly about trying to make it for years, constantly changing his act to be new and original, and his anxiety attacks, probably bought on by too much work and stress (with the help of some drugs).
It is not a hilarious book by any means, but the parts about his drive and desire to learn, plus his insights into dealing with fame, are fascinating and well written, and the death of his parents and his relationships with them was very moving.
It's just a shame about 'The Pink Panther' and 'Sgt Bilko' remakes.
Recommended.

toodle pip

beatles 'a hard day's night' lobby cards

More crap that l could easily collect. Lobby cards from cinema showings. I used to have some when l was younger, but they were lost years ago, when moving house.
Here's some l would like now, The Beatles 'A Hard Day's Night' ones.
Another collection to be cracking on with.

toodle pip

the trip bbc series - 2010

This series could so easily have been a bit of a luvvie fest, as it features two friends (Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon), travelling Oop North to review some posh restaurants for The Observer newspaper. Coogan and Brydon play exaggerated versions of themselves, and are shown amusing each other, bickering, and being competitive with quotes, accomplishments and impressions. The Trip also portrays Brydon as a happy family man, and Coogan as a lonely individual, searching for love and striving to be taken seriously, but caught between two worlds. At one point he falls into a river while crossing it, and Brydon shouts he's 'Stuck in a metaphor'.
It took some persuading for the FPO to watch it, and l was not keen myself when it was first shown, but we both found it hilarious and sad. Even more sadly, it made us think meals where cheap when they were £50 per person. Where the Hell have my working class credentials disappeared to? I did think it was good at the end when they said the cheap fry up in the sunshine was as good (if not better) than most of the meals they had (like a good KFC, or sausage and mash can beat most meals).
They should definitely do another series, but stop then (like Fawlty Towers).

toodle pip

off work and crying to john prine and the trip

Here's John singing the tale of the two girls and a rocky marriage



Bonnie Raitt singing John's Angel from Montgomery, which she has made her own. Some superb lyrics and a real feel of regret and yearning

If dreams were thunder
Lightning was desire
This old house it would've burned down
A long time ago


I'm still off work and been indoors for the majority of the time, which is fine by me. However, l am still going to bed really late and then waking and getting up early, so l have had a distinct lack of sleep for the last couple of weeks. This has resulted in a tear coming to my eye whenever l have been listening to sentimental songs, or watching decent comedy. This has not been helped by listening to some John Prine and watching The Trip (more from that later). Saying that, it's great! Makes you feel alive (and surprised l have a still functioning heart (albeit a dodgy one), not a lump of black coal in it's place).
Might have an early night tonight though, as post is expected tomorrow, and l don't want to sleep through the knocking.


toodle pip

the hurt locker (2008) - kathryn bigelow

Although l enjoyed The Hurt Locker, it still fell into the old cliché of having a maverick (William James - played by Jeremy Renner) having issues, being a loner, working to his own methods, and  putting others in danger (but obviously getting results), to such an extent, his performance felt like a parody (although it was praised by most).
The film was also let down by some of the unbelievable sequences, such as James going out of the compound by himself looking for a child's killers, and also persuading his two colleagues to give chase where they think a bomber is hiding (it's best if we split up'), without informing anyone else, and after being told that 'It's infantry's job').
There is enough tension involved with the areas and situations that they were put in, let alone the dismantling of the bombs, without having to go down the same route as so many other movies.
I thought they should have just shown the squad at an arbitrary point in time, and the tensions they are under. Squad members (not those sort of members) could have been fired at and blown up at random, with no great rhyme or reason, and new blood shown taking their places. Then, you would have ongoing, relentless tension, as you would never be who (if any) would survive any of the incidents (like at the beginning of the film).
The film could also just end at a random point, with more new squad members arriving (or straight after another death), to highlight that the insanity just goes on.
I should have been involved in sorting this out before it was made, it would have been so much better and hard hitting. Ah well, close but no cigar.
Next time, they should call me first.

toodle pip

the real david bailey and jean shrimpton

                                              David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton back in the day

 Jean

 Jean and David

                                                                               Jean

 David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton, yesterday.

After the last post - here's the real deal.

toodle pip

we'll take manhattan - bbc 2012

It's David and Jean! (not really)

It's Jean! (not really)

It's a pretty young Bailey! (not really)

It's an iconic shot (really)

Gor blimey guvn'r, this was a right old carry on, and no mistake.
We'll Take Manhattan follows the young David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton, as they travel to Manhattan in 1962 for a Vogue photographic assignment, with the Vogue old guard  in tow to keep an eye on them.
Of course Bailey ignores instructions, demands Shrimpton is used, shoots the pictures his own way (Whaat! No tripod!) and is applauded as a genius on his return.
It's a love story between Bailey and Shrimpton, and a clash of the old and new, but it was like watching Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, just totally unbelievable.
The cockerneee was either over the top, hardly there at all, or the rhyming slang just weren't right (Surely it should have been 'Eartha's', not 'Eartha Kitt's').
Although Karen Gillian is attractive, she is not in the same class as 'The Shrimp', as there is just some magical element missing that is (admittedly) hard to define. They should have put a wig on Aneurin Barnard (who played Bailey) and used him as the model instead, the handsome young self confident tyke.
A right old cockernee knees up laugh out loud and slap your thighs program, but not in the way the makers would have wanted it to be.
Bailey even gets to slag of the Beatles who he hears singing 'Love Me Do' on the flight home (he doesn't like skiffle). That was ironically shoehorned in to represent the new world coming.
Slapped wrists all round (and cancel the pearl necklace's).
Alright guv' (Now jog on).

toodle pip

old valentine day cards

Saucy cards from back in the day. More cards here.

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valentine day cards

I should just print one of these off and save myself some money.

toodle pip

you will meet a tall dark stranger (2010) - woody allen

One of the recent Woody Allen films set in London, albeit an upmarket, clean and interesting version of The Smoke that has avoided me most of the times l have visited it.
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger deals with faith bringing consolation and hope, even if it is false faith, and may also prove to be wrong. There are various break ups, and the difficulties of trying to find new relationships, which can be problematic if a partner is still in love with his dead wife (as one example).
It's not too taxing, and certainly not too intellectual, even for a Woody Allen film, but it is outrageously middle class, and exists in a world where just about everyone is an artist, writer, gallery owner, talented musician, book store owner, or work for the foreign office.
Jealous?
Me?
Of course I am - l'm a bitter working class Scouser, who's had it hard (phnaar).
Still enjoyed it though.

toodle pip

the stupid cat in the morning

The only trouble with being off work and then trying to have a lie in, is Jack, our stupid bleeding black and white cat.
She is about 21 years old, pretty death, blind and cronky nowadays. She also sleeps right outside of the bedroom door, and because she is used to the FPO getting up early every morning, she just meows constantly for her food to be put out at that time. It's no good shouting at her to shut up, as she can't hear us, so it's a matter of wearing earplugs or having to get up, trying to resist the temptation to boot her down the stairs for some peace and quiet (the cat, not the FPO). If there was any kind of God, she would have lost her voice, rather than her hearing. Bloody thing.

toodle pip

jeff meadows painted shoes

Shoes that have been altered by artist Jeff Meadows. Simple yet very effective.

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more wounded knee pictures

After the earlier post about The Wounded Knee Massacre, here are some more photographs from then.
I've said it before, and l'll say it again - they had it hard in them days.

toodle pip

outlaw blues (1977) - richard hefflon

The type of film that gives hippies a bad name. Outlaw Blues stars Peter Fonda as Bobby Ogden, a prisoner who has a song stolen by Garland Dupree, a visiting country star, who Ogden confronts when he gets bailed (from one of the softest looking prisons l have ever seen).
That is when the film starts getting even more stupid. An argument and scuffle ensure, whereupon Ogden accidentally shoots Dupree in the leg. All of this is captured by a video crew who just happen to be making a documentary at the time, and Ogden goes on the run. He ends up at the home of Tina, one of Dupree's backing singers (who had already taken a shine to him), and they persuade Dupree's manager to release Ogden's version of the song (to great acclaim and success), while Dupree is still in hospital (because Tina also turns out to be some kind of mastermind when it comes to publicity, promotion, and management).
Ogden bmanages to make plenty of public appearances at radio stations and record shops, and even sings before the start of an American football game, though the police are constantly trying to find and arrest him, becoming an anti-establishment hero in the process. There are plenty of chases, in cars, speedboats, and on motorbikes, but trust me on this, the film is crap. It's like a bad version of 'The Dukes OF Hazard', so try to imagine that if you can.
The 'Outlaw Blues' song itself is OK, but that's it.
I blame the drugs.

toodle pip

still off work with a sprained ankle

The good news for me is that l am still off work, as the doctor has now signed me off for another week or so  due to my ankle still being bad (I'm now due back to work on the 25th Feb). Not so good news for the FPO, as she is now cursing everytime she leaves the house in the morning, leaving me asleep in the nice warm bed after being up till silly o'clock (no change there then). I can't even say she is cheerful when she comes in later, as l am usually sitting with my feet up watching a film or reading.
Also, regarding the technology problems, on the good news front, the washing machine and hoover are both fixed (although the washing machine cost £60), the kindle and web counter been sorted, and l have also repaired one of my ipods.
Results all round!!
Right - back to reading, music, TV and the internet.
Life is hard (for some).

toodle pip

another wild night out with jack, dennis and michelle

This looks like it would have been a good night out, and I would bet anything that there had been a lot of alcohol and drugs taken.They certainly don't look sober, that's for sure.
There is also a good chance that this is Dennis Hopper and Michelle Philips wedding do, as their wedding only lasted for eight days, and l can't imagine Jack Nicholson was hanging about with them all the time.
Then again, maybe that was the reason they split up. I would normally think maybe the wedded couple would want some peace, quiet, and a relaxing time on their honeymoon, but l wouldn't think that was the case with these two lovebirds from the party planet.

toodle pip