Entertainment For Lively Minds
Kate & Mark Introduce the NEW issue of THE WORD!
Posted by Fraser Lewry on 14 May 2009 - 5:18pm.
Much like Bunk and McNulty in The Wire, or those crazy Kiwis from Flight Of The Conchords, Word's own dream team double act - Kate Mossman and Mark Ellen - are here with another blockbusting episode in their own ongoing series, this time introducing the June 2009 episode of The Word.
Featured in this issue: Iggy Pop, David Aaronovitch, Mickey Rourke, Lewis Taylor, Graham Coxon, Noisettes, the Best and Worst subjects for songs, Morrissey, Jackie DeShannon, Kevin Sampson, T Bone Burnett, Jane Bussman, Madness, Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, Eg White, Ed Smith, JG Ballard, Chrissie Hynde, the trouble with British TV, and Luke Haines.
Calling Stimpy's sister in law
Any fresh learning on the body language front? I've been agog to learn more for a month.
Good to see Mark has seized control of the blue shirt again.
Good work all round actually. In spite of the disconcerting corpse on the cover - repatriated from the pile Mr Ellen found onstage at the O2 perhaps - given the enthusiastic appraisal of the contents, I am minded once again to purchase a copy from my local newsagent, in spite of the dangers of being frowned upon as a necrophiliac.
A condom full of walnuts ...
... was actually Clive James' description of Arnie, I admit, but applies to the Igster - but I'm just jealous really ...
Vintage Clive James
Another classic I've never forgotten:
No further comments I'm afraid :-)
She just happened to be looking over my shoulder when I was watching the last 'reading'
Curses!
Send her the link! The truth will out!
Minor correction young Mossman
According to the masthead, this is actually the 76th edition. (I had to check -- I thought I might have missed one.)
And....
Didnt Steve Albini produce Nirvana's In Utero? I believe Butch Vig did Nevermind.
Not sophisticated enough
My 30-times film is in the same category as Kate's: The Italian Job. How could you not want to see this again and again?
Not to mention the glorious Nöel Coward, Turin, the Alps, a slice of 1960s London, and (if you must) Michael Caine and Benny Hill.
My second most watched is also an old Sunday afternoon TV favourite: Whisky Galore.
Can I suggest another film-related feature? "Great unknown films" What films have you seen once (maybe not even all the way through), and never seen again. My choices: The Man Who Would be King and Light Years Away. I saw the former at the cinema when it was released, but it effectively disappeared for many years. I think it has been on TV recently, but it should be seen more often -- the aforementioned Mr Caine and Sean Connery are both given a chance to act, and do so pretty well. The latter is a bit of an enigma. I saw it at University, but never since. It is not available as a DVD, nor was it ever released on VHS. From memory, it is an intriguing mix of Gallic and Hibernian, with a bit of Zen thrown in. On the other hand, it could be rubbish.
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
Was my seen once film until just a week ago when I finally tracked it down on DVD. It's a bit of a stunner - somehow manages to be simultaneously dated (and why not? 1932 ffs) and very fresh. Resisting the racial stereotyping I had expected and very sensual (in a black & white way) from the beginning. Not as sentimental as you expect from Capra.
Not for me
I must be just about the only person to prefer the "remake" of The Italian Job. I've never managed to engage with the original - I suppose being nonplussed by Michael Caine's fame doesn't help - so I was able to take the new version at face value.
radio doc
Looks like it's just dropped off the "I-Player", but LAST Saturday morning Radio 4...there was a great doc' about "The Italian Job"(It was probably called "Blow the bloody doors off" or something) ,featuring the writer/directer and producers..
The main pitch of the piece ,was that it was the first mainstream expression of "Euroscepticism",this being ,just "Pre-Thatcher" era.
They included lots of good trivia,that sought to illustrate this idea like:the fact that BMC as it was would not supply Minis .They had to buy them,and drive them to the locations.(Not sure if the Lambo,Aston Martins etc were supplied),but this was given as evidence of the parlas state of British Nationalised Industry. How they passed up the biggest advert for their product EVER,by their effective non-participation.
It was proposed that the Film also took the "WW2" template,and transposed the "Hiest" template upon it:"Little Englanders" taking on "Johnny Foriegner".
The title sequence shows evidence of one anecdote about a casting director filling the screen with the hunkiest bunch of Mafiosi ever assembled,all of them Male Models.
Solution to the "Cliffhanger" ending for the proposed sequel,that never happened...Mafia helicopters swoop in and "rescue" the bus,and take the Gold. Cheers for the clip.. am looking forward to my Umpteenth viewing of the Film.I will have to get the DVD,ready for next Bank Holiday.
The Green Man...
...and, indeed, Green For Danger - two fabulous Alastair Sim films. There's a fascinating biography on him out within the past year or so too - very enigmatic, eccentric fellow in real life; almost never gave interviews or signed autographs, but lit up the screen whenever he was on it...
And was George Cole's foster father too...
... which (when you know it) lends an extra glow to scenes when they're acting together, like in the St. Trinian's films ("What a dame, eh? What a dame!")
My once-watched film is Oliver Stone's "Salvador" - I saw it at the cinema, thought it amazing, bought it as soon as it came out (on VHS in those days), and have never ever watched it - I just never found myself in the right mood to depress myself that much...
what an amazing fact
about Cole and Sim. Well I never. Agree adds further lustre to both somehow.
Exact same experience with Salvador too.
Tampopo
a fantastic Japanese film with an infamous scene involving the transfer of an egg yolk between mouths.
Only ever seen it once in the UK, on BBC2 years and years ago. Tracked it down to Amazon in the US as it's not around in the UK
Ivor Cutler
Haven't read the whole issue yet but I just wanted to say thanks for putting the late Ivor Cutler on the cover.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jammy-Smears-Ivor-Cutler/dp/B00013BOBK/ref=sr_1_...
A first
Congratulations to the Adehesive Control Unit at Word HQ. This is the first issue that the cd-glue did not tear (a) the cd cover or (b) the mag cover. Clearly the ACU has been working overtime. Thanks.
pretty in pink
Kate is rather fetching in her pink t shirt - sorry I am at that age !
great cover
Whatever your reaction, no denying that is a great cover. Fantastic to see Ig glowering defiantly at the massed ranks in W H Smith. There's a true all American icon, he should be carved in Mt Rushmore, looks he's halfway there, along with Johnny Cash and Robert Mitchum. I love the way Iggy doesn't give a f*8k about what anybody will think of it. Also, isn't it great to see alongside all those airbrushed pneumatic soft porn lookalikes nearly all the other mags deem us so cretinously seduced by. Ig - the real thing! Now, having made this breakthrough I fully expect Word to create a gallery of the greats - next up in the naked veteran male torso stakes - Lenny Cohen, the Zimmerman, Keith of course (brilliant on Blues Britannia the other week), David Byrne and so on. Page Three for Ellen and Hep, heh heh.
PS T Bone interview - totally cool, great guy.
Subjects for songs
You missed out trains
- Chatanooga Choo Choo
- Mystery Train
- Last Train to Clarksville
- Long Black Train
etc, etc, etc...
and another thing
I do like that juxtaposition of a larger than (and still lustful for) life Iggy with the postage stamp image of Morrissey. Says it all, really - one, still a legend, in your face and defiant, the other - rather tired, jaded, lost any connection to the passion of his youth, and by his own admission, not really relevant to anything any more (nothing matters Morrissey).
Doesn't SPM look like....
Madeleine Peyroux, at least from here?
Mozza or SuBo?
I just looked at the cover pic, top right of this site, and for a split second thought:'I hadn't noticed Susan Boyle was on the cover.'
So...
...have any of the major UK supermarkets deemed this month's cover "inappropriate"?
Red Riding Review
much as I wish it were true, David Peace's books run to 1400 pages, not 14,000 as mentioned in Andrew Collins' excellent review of the recent series.
Luke Haines book extract
Superb stuff. He's a depraved genius.
Aye but
not so great for those of us who've already read it and might have preferred an interview. Ho-hum.
seconded :-)
Nice to see the bad stage behavious
stuff but you should have published the superb Meat Loaf annecdote in full as it was one of the funniest things I've ever read here
Mark Ellen and
Waldorf from the Muppet Show - has anyone seen them in the same room?