Monday 21 May 2012

some famous guns


As it says on the photograph, the revolver used by Jack Ruby to kill Lee Harvey Oswald 


The guns used in the Columbine shootings by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris


The rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used to kill John F Kennedy (if you believe that he was responsible)


toodle pip



the birmingham selfridges store by jason hawkes


This picture is the first time l have set eyes on the Selfridges store in Birmingham, and l am pretty damn impressed by it. I never realised that such a shop front existed, and it is one of the coolest buildings (designed by Future Systems) l have ever seen. It's nearly worth a trip down to Birmingham just to see it in the flesh (so to speak).
Another one of Jason Hawkes night time ariel photographs.

toodle pip

the conspirator (2010) -robert redford





The Conspirator tells the true story of  Mary Surratt, the first woman to be hanged in America, for her involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination in 1865. Although there are the odd embellishments, it is a pretty accurate representation of what happened, and it was certainly interesting, as plenty of the source material (the actual transcripts, old photos etc) are available and easy to reference. I didn't realise this film had been recorded (it was at work), so it was a pleasant surprise stumbling accross it, and resulted in a pleasant, (albeit late to bed) night. Not an outstanding film by any stretch of the imagination, but l am glad l have seen it.
As a footnote, John Surratt, Mary's son who went missing, fled to Liverpool and hid there for a while, so my relatives may have met him. Unlikely l'll admit, but there is a chance.

toodle pip

batman - going sane - jm dematteis


Another recent (ish) graphic novel, and a pretty fine one at that. Joker thinks he has killed Batman, so he then becomes sane (ish), meets a girl, and wants to settle down. Meanwhile, Batman slowly recovers, and then comes looking for him. Marvellous stuff.

toodle pip

Sunday 20 May 2012

london at night by jason hawkes






One of the things l like about the series 'Not Going Out', is the shots of London from above, making it look like one hell of a place to live. These photographs by Jason Hawkes have the same effect.

toodle pip

albums re-imagined as books



Genius! I love the 'Exile on Main Street' one.

toodle pip

Saturday 19 May 2012

the 13th floor elevators





I love the 13th Floor Elevators soooooooooooooooooooooooo much, and here are a couple of videos of theirs
One is before Roky Erickson lost the plot, and the other one has a trippy kind of backdrop to a great song, later covered by Primal Scream.
What a band they were - way ahead of their time.

toodle pip

Friday 18 May 2012

a dog pirate


The greatest dog costume ever! A dog made to look like two dog pirates carrying a treasure chest.
Genius is not a good enough word to describe this.
The dog doesn't look too happy though.

toodle pip

Thursday 17 May 2012

can you tell what it is yet? courtney love's artwork





I've pined in the past, not for the fjords, but to be good at art, but maybe l shouldn't have bothered. It seems it is still possible to get a gallery show, even without being that talented. If it worked for Courtney Love, then that's good enough for me. Now where did l put my crayons?
More of Courtney's stuff is here.

toodle pip

Wednesday 16 May 2012

more babies! top talent! corfu!


As l am avoiding thinking about the football at the weekend, l have been keeping myself busy reading comics, listening to stuff, watching TV and drowning my sorrows, plus headed back to work with my tail between my legs (so to speak). The injury time goals may have been good for Ciddy and neutral fans, but they were certainly no good for my dodgy ticker, although it needs speeding up a bit.
At least l have a trip to Cofu coming up soon (with work), but as l have also been  identified as 'Top Talent', l have a trip to London and possibly extra work to be 'looking forward' to.
Also in the news, Danny and Gill have had their baby, and as everyone else seems to be having them, l am trying to persuade the FPO to get untied so we can join in.

The trouble is, it would probably come out like this.

toodle pip

peanut butter in soup


Mmmmmmm, l'm salivating just thinking about it. Peanut butter in a soup. Actually, much as l love Peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy), this sounds (and looks) disgusting.

toodle pip

'the scream' location


Apparently, 'The Scream' was based on a location known as Ekeberg Hill, Ekeberg, which is above Oslo. That has blown my tiny little mind (maaaaaan), as l never even considered that it might be based on an actual place. I certainly didn't envisage Edvard Munch out and about for a stroll along the hills. However, the facial features mimic mine when l have to go for a walk with the FPO.
What next though? Edgar Allan Poe loved skiing?
I need a lie down.

toodle pip

red state (2011) - kevin smith








Red State is a strange film, as it purports to being a horror movie, when in fact, it is more of a high school thriller, with a load of religion (and a Waco type compound) thrown in for good measure. I usually love most films by Kevin Smith, and was reluctant to slag off the movie, but it was too long, didn't hold the suspense, and felt disjointed, as if it was two or three movies botched together.
Some high school lads decide to answer an advert offering sex, so they go to a trailer park to meet the woman. They then end up in a church, in an enclosed compound, with a charismatic (yet crazy) preacher, who certainly does not have much time for the sinful, especially those he classes as 'fags'. There's a rescue and escape attempt, and the 'rapture' at the end, but ultimately, apart from the scenes in the church, there was no heightened drama.
I did think the rapture idea was good, and Michael Parks (as Pastor Abin Cooper) was superb, but (sadly) it was a disappointment.
Saying all of that, l am still interested in seeing Vulgar (which inspired Smith), and it's scary to think that there are real versions of Pastor Abin Cooper out there.
I'm thinking mainly about Fred Phelps, and all the other narrow minded idiots at the Westboro Baptist Church, l know where l'd like to put their 'God hates Fags' signs.

toodle pip

Tuesday 15 May 2012

free syrian army shirt


The trouble is still kicking off in Syria, and as a show of support to the freedom fighters, l should get this shirt printed up, as it looks pretty cool. It's for the Free Syrian Army, but it may be back to front and say 'gullible English idiot' for all l know. Still looks cool though, so it's a risk l might take.
Plus it reminds me of the days of 'The Colburn Popular Front'.

toodle pip

Monday 14 May 2012

the question - epitaph for a hero - dennis o'neil


Although 'The Question' is a Charlton Comics  Steve Ditko (a God of the comic world) creation from 1967, l had not read any of the Question comics until now. This is the later DC  series by Dennis O'Neil, and l was pleasantly surprised, as it was a reminder of the old school comics that l loved. Vic Sage (real name Charles Victor Szasz) is a newsreader who dons a blank faced mask to go crime fighting as the Question (I know..I know). The stories were interesting, and there were plenty of philosophical quotes from the likes of  Sun Tzu's 'The Art Of War' (so right up my street then). There was a great story concerning a racist and the killings of blacks, and even a story where Vic Sage reads Watchmen while on a plane, and identifies with Rorschach (for a while). For those not in the know, Alan Moore was going to use The Question as one of the characters in Watchmen, but was asked to create another (Rorschach), as he was going to be killed off.
All marvellous stuff, l'm sure you would agree.

toodle pip

camorra clan member nicola schiavone's home and clothes





I am NOT, l repeat NOT making any comments on the home or taste of clothes of jailed Camorra clan member Nicola Schiavone's home near Naples, as l don't want any kind of hit put out on me (better safe than sorry).
His father (Francesco) went on the run a few years ago and was found in his own home in 1998, in a secret room behind a sliding granite wall. Now that is class.
Saying all that, in a mad way, l kind of like the toilet.

toodle pip

faker - mike carey


Some young students get wrecked and are spiked with a new substance called 'Angels Kiss', which is being developed as a liquid data storage/memory device. After throwing up, having strange experiences, and doubting there own minds and memory, the government become involved. Of course, this is a big, bad government, so the students have to go at loggerheads with them.
A collection of the 2007 Vertigo series, Faker is pretty damn good, and recommended, and is one of the better recent (ish) comic runs.

toodle pip 

civil war - mark miller


After a TV programme goes wrong and children are killed, there is a backlash against super-heroes, and calls for them to be legislated. Some of them agree to the demands, and concede that there are too many heroes and mutants running (or flying) around like vigilantes, but others do not want to be under the command of the government. They split into two factions, and go to war against each other (hence of course - 'Civil War'). Spider-man reveals his identity, and goes on the government side, but changes his mind and switches over. The writing and idea behind it is good, but l am not so keen on the modern costumes and drawings, as l prefer the old school stuff. Then again, l am a sad old git who not only reads them, but wastes his time blogging about it, so l am caught between the old and new. There were also characters involved in the fighting that l was not aware of, and it (naturally), only featured the Marvel super-heroes. Makes me pine for the old days when l knew them all (not personally you understand), and life was less complicated. Still a good read, and it will probably be a film in the future, but l hope they cut out some of the minor characters.

toodle pip

Sunday 13 May 2012

the jewel caterpillar



I saw some pictures of the Jewel Caterpillar the other day, and l must admit, l was impressed. Probably part of the Dalceridae family, they look better before they develop properly. More information can be found at Scientific American.

toodle pip                  

Saturday 12 May 2012

donkey punch (2008) - oliver blackburn








I would have thought beforehand that Donkey Punch would have been a film l might enjoy. After all, there is plenty of sex, drugs, murders and gore, but there was just something lacking in the film that l can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was because it was difficult to identify with any of the characters, as they were annoying, posh, stupid and callous. No, hold on, that can't be right, as l am at least two of them. I don't know, maybe l'm complaining too much and just expected more, as the film was OK, would probably appeal to a lot of people (especially the younger 18 - 30 crowd), and maybe l'm just too fussy. Three girls (including 'the daddy's' daughter) go on a Spanish holiday, and meet three lads who persuade them to go out on a yacht for the day. A sex game goes wrong (the 'donkey punch'), and arguments and murders ensure. It does not end well. At least l can't envisage a sequel happening.

toodle pip

Friday 11 May 2012

world war 2 plane found in the desert


 This plane from World War 2 was found in the desert recently, and it is a real relic from the past. I love a bit of history (not too much, or my dicky heart might explode), but this is one magical find. It's in the desert between Libya and Egypt (not a good place to be), but is in great condition (for a 1942 Kittyhawk) , and is still pretty intact, which is very (very) rare.
If  l was loaded, l would have it shipped intact and placed in my massive museum. That would be a museum that no-one else would be granted access to (like my private pub), just for me. Maybe the FPO if l was given a written in advance (and in triplicate) warning, but a museum mainly for my own selfish gratification.
Luckily for the rest of mankind, l am not loaded.
Damn!!!

toodle pip

Thursday 10 May 2012

all the water on the earth in one place


According to the United States Geological Survey, if you rounded up all the water on the Earth into one ball, it would have a diameter of about 860 miles and look like this. Not a lot of water if you look at it that way, but it is still a mighty plentiful amount if you were stuck, all alone,  in a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (other Oceans are available).

toodle pip

Wednesday 9 May 2012

tartuffe (or the imposter) - molier




l will be the first to admit that l had never heard of Tartuffe (or the imposter) until a couple of weeks ago, so, as l have a curious mind, l decided to give the book (by Moliere) a go. You have to give old books some slack, as this was written in 1664, and a lot of the humour does not travel well over the centuries, so l did, but it will definitely not go down as one of my favourite reads. Orgon, the father of the family, is under the influence of Tartuffe, a pious, apparantly extremely religious man (and ex vagrant), and trusts everything he says, even though his loved ones try to convince him Tartuffe is a fraud, not that religious, and has been trying it on with them. Ruses are concocted so Orgon can witness his (so called) friends treachery with his own eyes, until he finally comes to his senses, only to remember he has signed away his deeds to him. I can see why it was banned in those God fearing times, and it could easily be (and probably already has been) updated to appeal to a modern audience, but this is just the sort of thing that, when performed in the original way, with have intellectuals  and pretentious idiots rolling in the aisles with laughter, falsely in my eyes. I'm glad l have read it and understand the significance of the work, but that's about it.

toodle pip