Jumpsuit Records

Really digging this playlist from Jumpsuit Records right now:

https://soundcloud.com/jumpsuit-records/sets/saqi-quests-end-jumpsuit

Loving this cover version of Blur's "Colours".

Kubrick’s Napoleon film

One of Stanley Kuberick's unreliased projects was an epic about the French war monger and his war mongering: an epic which could now see the light of day, thanks to Steven Spielberg.

Check out the interesting Yahoo article here: http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/%E2%80%98the-greatest-movie-never-made%E2%80%99---kubrick%E2%80%99s-napoleon-film-160613230.html

"Wicked"

If you're visiting London and enjoy musicals, I definitely  recommend taking a trip to the Apollo Theatre to see "Wicked".

A retelling of "The Wizard of Oz"  from the perspective of The Wicked Witch of the West, this musical has unexpected depth.  Laden with left wing observations such as the human tendency to vilify (in this case, to literally have a "witch hunt"), how history can be manipulated to support the victors, and how life is about perspective.

Musicals aren't exactly known for complex characterisation, so it was an added bonus that the characters developed.  They begin reasonably insipid and one dimensional, but as they experience injustice and pain, they grow and develop.  The story is primarily about how the influence of one person can change you for the better.

But hey, it's not all Kant either - there's some good jokes, great set design, and cool lighting effects.  The music is a little cheesy, but you're guaranteed to come out singing.

Four stars! 

Cloudbursting

Great cover of the Kate Bush tune by Wild Nothing.

"Solipsist"

"Solipist", the winner of the SlamDance 2012 Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short, is beautifully artistic.

Via Con Me Lego

Classic 1980's Italian song... with classic 1980's Italian Lego :)

One of the better homemade videos I've seen.

Truth is timeless

Marcus Aurelius (born 121 AD):

"It is enough that we are comfortable in our own skin; that we lay our head on the pillow each night regretting nothing of our own making, that we feel as if we have somehow done some little thing to help this world be a bit kinder, to know we withheld our judgement and saw the better part of the situation, to have circulated our prosperity with gratitude. 

"To be able to let go of each day as if we had lived up to our highest potential is a rare thing indeed but not a bad aspiration. Living up to our true potential has nothing to do with worldly achievement. It is not about being famous for our work or becoming a billionaire entrepreneur. Our potential is an unlimited ability to love unconditionally, to see with compassion, to initiate joy, to express kindness, to count on our own creativity, to encourage optimism, to celebrate the temporary, to cultivate inner peace, to prosper benignly.

"If we lived up to even a fraction of our potential we would automatically contribute to the betterment of our shared human experience. It has always been that those who make a great impression on the rest of us are those who are about the business of being themselves. They do not need victims to help to feel worthy. They do not need validation for their generosity. They do not expect applause nor do they seek it. They are not out to get anything, they are invested in the fun of being alive."

9/11's twin

Question:  What do Jude Law, the United Nations and a little known film maker called Jeremy Gilley have in common?

Answer:   Peace Day.

Peace Day?

 In September 2001, the United Nations created an international day of Peace: a day where people made an effort to bring peace into their immediate environments.  The hope was that that these peaceful actions would emanate outwards, and be a step towards creating a peaceful planet.

Unfortunately the day this event was supposed to be announced was the day two planes were flown into the twin towers.  The moment Peace Day became more relevant than ever, was also the moment that real efforts towards peace fell by the wayside.

Today, Peace Day is a largely unknown entity.

The genesis behind the day came from a film maker called Jeremy Gilley.  In 1999 he began writing letters to the world leaders, calling for one day of Peace.

Aside from the obvious reasons behind undertaking such an initiative, it was also a way of estimating whether peace was even relevant anymore.  How open would the world be towards creating an international day of Peace?  Had it just become another word that we throw around?  This question was at the heart of his campaign.  Gilley documented his efforts, and with the support of Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama (and a few celebrities) he succeeded in his mission.  His journey became a film called "Peace One Day".

In his recent TED Talk, Gilley stressed the importance of every individual doing their bit for peace.  Personally I think Peace Day is an amazing idea, and I think people should get together and have Peace Parties.  Even if this just takes the form of a bunch of friends sharing time, at least it's motivated by a desire for something greater than ourselves.  Coming together with that in our minds can't be a bad thing?

Peace Day is on the 21st of September.  How will you spend yours?

Natanel Araeha

Last year, in India, I was on the roof of my guesthouse when two musicians arrived.  One was carrying a tabla, the other, what appeared to be a guitar.  What they played touched me deeply, and that night will be etched in my mind forever.

The string-player's "guitar" was not a guitar, but a larger instrument which he designed, and then built from a tree he had felled.

His website has just gone up, and features his first album, and a collection of his art work, which has an 'other-world' theme.

His music is a blend of Arabic meets Asian.  It conjurs images of hot, dusty deserts, glittering cities, but speaks to something deep and dark in your soul.

Needless to say, you should check him out ;)

Natanel Araeha

Anti-Terrorist Colouring Book (this isn't a joke!)

As the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Americans everywhere are commemorating the event that rocked the Western world.

Determined not to exclude anyone (except the Muslims of course), Really Big Coloring Books have released a $6.99 book about "9 terrorist hijackers that came over here under the leadership of a devil worshipper, Osama bin Laden, to murder our people." 

Its first publication has sold out.

Children have a choice of scenes to colour in: take your pick from 9/11, or the subsequent hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Apparently it's not rascist or anti-Muslim

First Sarah Palin, now this. I'm beginning to think that America is actually a made-up country in a bad soap opera.

See Guardian article on 9/11 Children's Colouring Book here

Bobby McFerrin - "Thinkin' About Your Body"

Amazing little tune :)

Joan Armatrading "Love and Affection"

Another one for the "simple , cheap and effective music videos" category, this was put together in 1976.  Although visual effects like these have been done to death now, the uncomplicated execution makes this video stand the test of time.

Great song too.  Tracy Chapman doesn't site Armatrading as one of her influences, but you can't help notice the similarities.  The genre, characterised by insightful lyrics with influences of folk, blues, jazz, rock, and international styles, was partly Joan's creation.


Joan Armatrading- Love and Affection '76 by rockderk

alex box

Anyone who grew up in the 80's surely saw at least one of the films from the series "The Neverending Story", but it was only last year that I discovered it was originally a novel by German author Michael Ende.  I just finished reading it, and it blew me away.

This "children's" book is an amazing work of imagination and adventure with a beautiful, profound theme.  Ende was clearly a very smart guy, and he draws on Anthroposophical concepts to create an escapist tale that simultaneously offers the reader a mirror to their own life.  As Bastian, the protagonist, changes, the reader changes.

(Anthroposophy is a philosophy that hypothesizes that an intellectually comprehensible world exists inside us, and that this is world can be experienced objectively if a person develops themselves internally). 

The films pale significantly in comparison.  Ende hated the 1984 Hollywood production of his work, which covers only the first half of the novel. Ende requested they halt production or change the movie's name; when they did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.  After this came "The NeverEnding Story II" (1990), "The NeverEnding Story III" (1994).  Ende died in 1995, of stomach cancer.  I wonder if the 1995 animated series, the 2000 live-action series, or the 2001 video game would have appealed to him any more?


Perhaps the prominence of the films accounts for why the book doesn't have more of a cult following in the English-speaking world.  Rectify this wrong and read this amazing book!!

Shigehiro Okada

Shigehiro Okada is a manga artist from Japan, who also does individual illustrations. You can take a look at more of his work on his tumblr.

Nothing is original

Crystal Castles "Pap Smear"

Love this video!

An example of how no budget, no frills, and a simple idea can work really well.

"The Pipe"

One of the best docs I've seen in ages.  Watch it here while you still can:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-pipe/4od

A Short History of Modern Music

Using an interactive guide, Guardian and Observer critics chart the history of modern music, tackling a different genre each day and picking 50 key moments.

Top 50 Greatest Literary Adaptations

A few years ago The Guardian compiled this (pretty conservative) list of the Top 50 Greatest Literary Adaptations.  Where's 'Adaptation'??

Worth perusing nonetheless.