September 29th 2003 - October 5th 2003
Sunday Stargazing
Saturday Idle
Friday Lily-livered
Thursday Nun hurt
Wednesday Istoric
Tuesday Wapping shots
Monday Hush now
Sunday 5th October 2003
Last week, needing an graphic to illustrate 'Stargazing, the [well-reviewed] memoirs of a young lighthouse-keeper', I spent an hour or so in Photoshop and came up with this, which I admit I was quite pleased with:
Dialling up Amazon in order to copy the ISBN number, I saw the cover for the first time:
I guess this means I should see work either as a clairvoyant, or a jacket designer.
Saturday 4th October 2003
Coming soon, due to a long overdue vacancy: POPE IDOL
(You can write your own rules, as long as Peter Tatchell gets to be on the panel of judges.)
Friday 3rd October 2003
You'll have seen, I think, the recent story pointing out that a substantial proportion of the British public, on being shown something referred to as 'Monet's Water Lillies', identified the painting as the work of Rolf Harris.
What you may not have seen (and which I cannot point you to, given The Independent's slightly bizarre new policy of charging for online access to its op-ed pieces) is a reactive piece of stunning snobbery by columnist Philip Hensher summarised in this quote:
There are dozens of paintings by Monet of waterlilies from his last period, some more famous than others but none, I think, possessing or embodying the celebrity of the group as a whole.
Despite a long time looking at Monet in his last period, I don't think I could confidently identify and date more than three or four without prior warning.
So much for tabloid values eh?
Thursday 2nd October 2003
Rather disappointing response from sub-editors faced with the challenge of the story about a stage collapsing under the combined weight of scores of customers dressed as nuns at a sing-along performance of The Sound of Music.
The 'just tell the story' award has to go to the Telegraph for Dozens hurt as theatre stage caves in which certainly eschews the cheap drama of the Daily Record's Nuns in plunge terror at Sound of Music.
The Record also had Sound of Music: 11 hurt and the Guardian went for Mayhem halts Sound of Music which are at least slightly intriguing; Night out becomes nightmare and Unsound of music do at least try for a pun.
The Mirror's Von Trapped tries hard but is still pretty weak. I had high hopes when Google came up with Our fall favorites: Star-Ledger writers go out on a limb... but it turns out not to be about Birmingham at all.
Surely we can do better?
Nuns fall for Maria?
Fa, a long long way to fall?
Wednesday 1st October 2003
I do not just want an historic third term. Our aim must be an historic realignment of the political forces shaping our country and the wider world.
Close analysis of Tony Blair's conference speech reveals how far we've come in the last ten years. Can you think of any other Labour leader who'd dare to over-aspirate his Hs in this manner? (Roy Attersley? Arold Wilson?)
Tuesday 30th September 2003
Re-watching The Long Good Friday last night, it was a revelation to discover just how much of it was shot, not merely on location in the East End, but actually here, a few hundred yards from my front door.
I guess I must have first seen it shortly after it came out, in 1979, a few years before I moved back to London and into this area. Somehow I'd got the idea that it was filmed a few miles to the east of here, on the Isle of Dogs. And, sure, the deserted dock where Bob Hoskins moors his yacht for most of the film, the projected site for his '1988 Olympic stadium' is, unless I'm much mistaken, West India Docks before Canary Wharf grew all over it.
But the warehouse where they discover the security guard nailed to the floor? Burrell's Wharf on Wapping High Street. The quay where they board the yacht at the start of the film? St Katherine's Dock. The church exterior where they blow up the Rolls? St George in the East, on The Highway.
I've always regretted not knowing this area before they gentrified it; last night went a little way towards that.
Apparently, they're discussing a sequel; God only knows where they could film that these days...
Monday 29th September 2003
......previous week
