A month after going to see the most terrifying horror film that I have ever seen (and three months after co-editor Stu's original review), I have finally stopped shaking long enough to post my own review of The Descent. It's in the Comments, dontchaknow. Apologies if it reads badly. I was traumatised.
Ross Noble - I saw the hairy Northerner on his current Randomist tour. Absolutely hilarious - he had me gibbering away like a epileptic hyena. No meat hats, but plentiful dwarf action.
The best thing about Ross Noble is his spontaneity - the man feeds off audience interaction. An ongoing repartee with a dentist and his receptionist/wife, a brave front row couple innocently sitting just in front of us, provided endless quick-witted seams of mirth, threaded into his looping flights of fancy, or forming the filament supporting the structure behind those pseudopodic stories that kept pushing out from the rest of the act. Or something. But however wild the tangent, he always kept the whole thing back together.
And the more scripted stuff conjured up some mental scenes I'll never forget. I'm smiling now, thinking about the concept of freaking out 50 Cent by winding up an air-raid siren when he asks audiences to "make some noise". And don't mention the owls.
Starbuck's verdict: "The funniest, most versatile comic I've ever seen". Again. Starbucketta's verdict: "Not as good as Harry Hill". Both involved owls.
Next live comedy date in our diaries: "The League Of Gentlemen Are Behind You". I've been desperately trying to drag poor Mrs P - a former LoG virgin - through five DVD sets-worth of "compulsory background viewing". She keeps on falling asleep mid-episode, so I dread to think what's been slipping into her unconsciousness.
Sigur Rós - Takk. A wonderful, beautiful album that demands to be listened to on headphones (the opposite of Jesu, which can only be listened to in the car...)
I listen to Takk, and I'm no longer within my room - I'm transported into a naturally peaceful pre-historic world, each track shifting me to another place, framed within a different moment of the day/night cycle. Perhaps I should get out more. Get out to Iceland.
I wish I had me a fat pipe, Mrs, so I can get some of the free downloads from their website...
KanYe West - Late Registration - After that last rather poorly-written review, I think I'll just quote what the sticker on the CD box says.
"Enthralling ****" - UNCUT "Every track is glorious ****" - Q "Everything he touches turns to gold" - Observer Music Monthly "The most original force in hip hop" - Sunday Times Culture.
Fantastic - a seamless multilayered hour-long mix of 45 dispirite tracks and remixes - every one a goodie. I can't explain how this works, it just does. And I wet myself with adrenaline every time The Breeders' "Cannonball" & Skee-lo's "Little Bit Taller" get knitted together.
As essential an album as Entroducing. Make sure you get pt. 2, though - there's a lot of unofficial bootleg parts out there.
It's so good, we could've just had this album on repeat at our wedding party. However that would mean that our first dance would segue into "Fuck the pain away"... don't think my Nan
Here's what the box sticker has to say:
"2 Many DJ's redifined the art of compilation making. Superb" - Muzik "If playing this CD doesn't get the party started, then you're at the wrong party" - New York Times "A breathless concoction of 45 tracks that were never supposed to meet" - Evening Standard "A true celebration of the art of DJing" - DJ Magazine "Playful, imaginative and, best of all, never taking itself at all seriously" - Q magazine "An invigorating two fingers to dance snobbery" - Mojo "Compilation of the year in DJ Magazine, Muzik, Time Out, Jockey Slut. New York Times Best Album of the Year. The Face Second Best Album of the Year. Spin Top 40 Albums of the Year."
And the tracklisting in full:
| kylie minogue - can't get you out of my head (soulwax elektronic mix) | emerson lake & palmer - peter gunn (live) | basement jaxx - where's your head at (head-a-pella) | peaches - fuck the pain away | sly & the family stone - dance to the music | ready for the world - oh sheila (a capella) | dakar & grinser - i wanna be your dog | ural 13 diktators - disko kings | bobby orlando - the "o" medley | felix da housecat - silverscreen shower scene | the stooges - no fun | salt 'n pepa - push it | hanayo with jürgen paape - joe le taxi | the jets - cruch on you (a capella) | funkacise gang - funkacise | soul grabber - motocross madness | lil louis and the world - french kiss | zongamin - serious trouble | garbage - androgyny (thee glitz mix by felix da housecat) | frank delour - disc jockey's delight vol.2 | the residents - kaw-liga (prairie mix) | carlos morgan - shake your body(the jacksons) | alphawezen - into the stars (firebirds remix) | interstellar - concepts | nena - 99 luftballons | destiny's child - independent women part 1 | 10cc - dreadlock holiday | dolly parton - 9 to 5 | royksopp - eple | arbeid adelt - death disco | jeans team - keine melodien feat. mj lan | skee-lo - i wish (a cappella) | maurice fulton presents stress - my gigolo | the breeders - cannonball | the cramps - human fly | the wildbunch - danger!high voltage | op:l bastards - don't bring me down | adult - hand to phone | vitalic - la rock 01 | queen of japan - i was made for loving you | new order - the beach | detroit grand pubahs - sandwishes (a capella) | lords of acid - i sit on acid (soulwax remix) | streamer feat private thoughts in public places - start button |
Descent - The bit with the video camera was so obvious but still absolutely terrifying - completely brilliant!
Ross Noble - I saw one of his tours, erm, whichever one it was, and he was brilliant! Then I saw another date from the same tour and realised that all was not quite so spontaneous as we had thought - but carrying it off as such is a gift in itself, I guess.
My next comedy outing is to the TLOG as well - great minds, and that. I secretly suspect it might be a bit crap. The film wasn't great was it?
You have inspired a review run-through from me too... gosh I bet you can't wait.
Ross Noble - and I guess that when you've done enough gigs you've had "front row" interactions with all sorts of occupations, and you can sink into those routines as required.
Still brilliant, though!
League of Gentlemen - It can't be crap! It's going to be a pantomine. Pantomines can never be crap. I should know, I've seen enough of the damn things.
Still not seen the film yet. Got the DVD, but still want to subject the Missus to a few more episodes first...
(And Stu - looking forward to your review-em-up, dearest co-editor)
so glad you enjoyed ross noble. i recall i had a serious face-ache after seeing him.
the person in our audience who copped the most from him was a guy who arrived late and was wearing a che guevara t-shirt. there was a front row couple too, but he just could not leave the the che tshirt guy alone.
