Myspace Layouts by Pimp-My-Profile.com
Myspace Layouts by Pimp-My-Profile.com
History - a geek and proud! Getting suitably off me tits, especially at summer raves in fields(this is one of the few positive experiences of an adolesence spent in deepest sheepest Cumbria)/old buildings/free museums/impulsive road trips/coffee bars, especially retro ones those like my Dad used to frequent circa 1967/lie-ins/curry houses (especially those with the photos of the curry, it always always sells it for me)/mooching 'round Didders beer gardens in summer/New York fuckin' City/music mags/exit seats on aeroplanes/jukeboxes/the sense of humour anywhere north of Birmingham/the German language/seafood (particularly in the context of a pizza) . . . .
Anyone who has been in Neighbours, Ralph Wiggum, Miss Solitaire of 'Live and Let Die' fame and Henry VIII (he ate and drank all day and had 6 wives in a time when people still believed the world was flat, surely one of the most rock 'n'roll kings!).
Music, music, music . . . . . Well, what can I say about music! Anyone who know's me how fickle my tastes are, however a few artists that I've had a sustained and ongoing appreciation for include The Smiths(and subsequently Mr Morrisey and Mr Cocker), and Britpop stalwarts Blur and Pulp (why do the Mancs like the ubiquitous Liam and Ian get all the glory?!) the mighty Strokes, Interpol, Franz, Kings of Leon, and of course, Monsieur Bowie. But many many bands have had my attention over the years, and since my time spent on the seedy underbelly of the Sydney clubbing scene, my appreciation of house music has been re-asserted and tends to raise it's mashed up head more and more regularly these days, hmmmmm.... I've recently been checking out 2 Many djs/Klaxons/Erol Alkan and Laurent Garnier. Ouch, my inner indie fan has just decked me!
Oh yes! There's nothing better than a darkened room and a good yarn put onto celluloid . . . . . If I was still a student type with endless hours to pass I think I would probably just move into the Cornerhouse in Manchester and sit in the expensive bar with the pretentious £5 continental lagers (that I secretly drool over) and intellectual types discussing Almodovar's latest effort. However, in real life you're more likely to find me with all the scallies catching some mainstream trash at Printworks. I must have been a heathen in a past life . . . . Seriously now, I do love a bit of Film Noir (especially 'Chinatown') and anything with (preferably Italian)American gangsters in, Scorsese is a genius (see 'The Departed'/Casino/Goodfellas if you've not done already!). I'm sucker for a bit of Tarratino, me and my best buds have been quoting it for the last 10 years, oh dear! Lets be honest, most recent British films I've seen have been a bit crap to say the least (see anything by Richard Curtis!) with the exception of Trainspotting/Shallow Grave, so America wins this medium hands down. Yeah, I actually said that. Apparantly I've been living under a rock, as I've only just seen Fear And Loathing: Wow! This year 'Capote' 'Little Miss Sunshine' 'Good Night and Good Luck' and, er . . . 'Snakes On a Plane' (yes, it rules and you know it!) were some of my faves.
Besides MTV2 and the League of Gentlemen/Peepshow it's American imports all the way . . . animated stuff like Family Guy and American Dad, and of course The Simpsons! Six Feet Under is the best written/acted/directed series ever broadcast. It's just arrogant/ignorant Brits who think we are the only ones with a dark sense of humour. The Sopranos is also uber quality. I am inexplicably addicted to Crimewatch as well. My inner geek loves Newsnight, Newsnight Review and Arena and any quality documentary! Why isn't there a section for radio on here? MySpaz must be trying to kill it off. Well, to rebel against the powers that be, I must confess my appreciation of Steve Lamacq, on R1 and a lot of BBC 6Music, I also like a bit of Radio Four (once again, my seret geeky pastimes are coming out . . . )
James Ellroy's book 'The Black Dahlia' is my fave piece of noir trash lit (thank you for that, Preston Poly!). I dig all the modern American classics, J D Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye', 'The Great Gatsby' Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Orwell's '1984' was brill, his style and ideas were way way ahead of their time! Just finished Burgess's 'A Clockwork Orange', in the words of that famous Leodensian Andy Richardson, a 'RIGHT' boook!
My folks, mainly for surviving life in Cumbria without too many signs of insanity.