Bomb · the · blogosphere

Tonight was the last performance of Marvin's Room at the Playroom. It's an amazing play, dark and sad and screamingly funny and I wish I'd written it. I was Dr Wally, a bumbling medical man who's kind of the comic turn in a couple of early scenes, a fairly small but glorious role. And in the second of these scenes, the first of which involves much bumbling with syringes, I was in the middle of explaining to the main character that she might have leukaemia (only in a few plays would this be a comic role) and there was a slight disturbance in the theatre we were trying to ignore when one of the ushers announced that we were stopping the play for a moment because someone in the audience was unwell. The Playroom is an odd shape and if you're sat on the side furthest from the door you have to walk across the stage to get out. The house lights came up, Kiran (the actress) and I sat still on the stage, I in my doctor's white coat, and a girl looking white as a sheet was helped across it by a posse of friends and ushers. I whispered to Kiran very quietly, 'Go back a few lines'. She shook her head nervously meaning she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, but I knew perfectly well she would.

The house lights were still up, the girl had reached the door, and everyone was looking at us. In short it was the perfect opportunity so I dropped the American accent and fulfilling a minor lifetime's ambition said casually, 'Is there a doctor in the house?' It got a big laugh. The house lights went down, Kiran went back a few lines and the rest of the scene went swimmingly. Kudos to the guy at the technical desk who realised we'd gone back over a sound cue and brought the telephone in on cue for the second time.

Turns out a friend of mine had come to see it, and brought a friend of his who had a phobia about needles, and she'd fainted.

After claiming his sister was a victim of the 'sexual revolution', Amis claims his new work will get him "in trouble" with feminists, but is really highly feminist, honest. He'd even like to be ruled by women, so there you go.

Oh, plus obligatory reference to Muslims/terrorism/etc in the form of the Taliban.

This is my surprised face.

Оригинал поста - на plushev.com.

С рейтингами, Дымовским и Магнитским в них.

By which I mean music released in 2009. And [1] because I’m obviously not going to get them all in one post. It’s going to be lots of little ones. I’m giving myself a month for my memory to work properly. But I think it’s still worth making a note of what was good to my ears this year.

THE SPOILS, Zola Jesus: of which I’ve made much mention lately. Nika’s a beautiful ghost moaning from the shadows of a bombed-out cathedral, on this record. Possibly an aspect of my continuing fascination with The Haunted in early 21st Century music. But I’m returning to this record a lot.

GABON and INCAPULCO and a bunch of other releases, High Wolf: top of the whole glo-fi thing, for me, has been High Wolf and his wet lo-fi tropical dreamstates. GABON in particular was a glorious thing. Hypnogogic reverie when you’ve still got the drugged beat of a rainforest drone-rave beating in your ears.

MAN OF ARAN, British Sea Power: always a band I’ve almost-liked rather than love, but "The SOuth Sound" off this soundtrack they prepared for the re-release of the eponymous film is the best piece of classical building/soaring postrock I’ve heard since "Raise Yr Skinny Fists." I mean, flat fucking out. Coda to the whole subgenre.

HORRIBLES PARADE, Gary War: this thing continues to fascinate me. It’s melted music. Seriously. Like someone went at a wax master with a blowtorch and then struck the record with it. A gorgeous gurgling gargoyle of a thing. Partially dissolved rock.

FLORINE, Julianna Barwick: astonishing vocal music, multitracked and layered and processed until it became the sound that the trails of collapsing photons passing through the feathers of angels’ wings in a particle accelerator should make. Or something.

BROADCAST AND THE FOCUS GROUP INVESTIGATE WITCH CULTS OF THE RADIO AGE, Broadcast And The Focus Group: the title should tell you all you need to know. You’re either the sort of person who wants to own an album by that title, or you’re not. It is, as Moon Wiring Club would say, in the finest tradition of confusing English electronic music. It’s less a "proper" album than a collection of sounds that surround a certain set of timebound notions about Strangeness. As the title implies, it sometimes seems more like research (in the form of original music). It is really bloody good, yes.

(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)

Too under the weather to get up and do things today. This may be slight ill, or may be the end result of far too much smoke inhalation yesterday. Possibly both. It is, at any rate, a reminder to me that I'm very sensitive to environmental triggers and need to keep them to a minimum, because losing sorely-needed work time is a pretty bad thing.

It's been a tiring but otherwise enjoyable week, for the most part, with some strikingly crappy bits in between. On Monday, we had darkfloweruk come to stay with us, and we accidentally made a tasty thing with leeks and courgettes and perpetual spinach from the garden, so I think I should try that again. I also need ideas for what to do with small amounts of cold cooked quinoa which has gone a bit dry - suggestions?

On Tuesday, I had yet another terrible, terrible day at uni. I hate the place and going there makes me feel actively anxious and kind of ill (latest discovery? The only lift in one of the buildings has been broken for over a week. How very accessible) - I don't think I'm normally that anxious a person, but this is one thing which is really causing me intense bouts of ADHD. I can't concentrate properly, I can't remember what I'm doing, my temperature goes nuts, I can't eat more than a few bites at a time, I keep dropping off for about 5 mins at c.3pm in the afternoon lectures cos of energy crashes....blah blah blah. Not really sure there's much I can do to improve the situation, really. The sad outcome is that I couldn't go and see a recording of a show involving Charlie Brooker (for which, many thanks to the lovely khalinche that evening, because I was shaking with nerves and had to go home to lie down. I don't like this at all, it feels weird and alien, but I think I should probably not arrange to go out and do things in town on Tuesday evenings for a while, because I just can't guarantee I'll be in one piece. Stayed in, treated ourselves to takeaway and a re-watching of 'V For Vendetta' instead, which cheered me up a lot (it always makes me cry, but so does the book, every time I read it). darkfloweruk is super and lovely and brought us awesome gifts, including wicked skull flash art mug of win. And pralines. Mm.

On Wednesday, I was very successful with my profligate capitalism. My New Look order had arrived in the post (only 3 days? Impressed), and was augmented by splendid charity shop finds (shiny black skirt with contrasting black polka dots, practical things like stripy polo necks and black jumpers *AND* CDs at a paltry 25p each, including classic Gary Numan album and 'Disco Punk' remixes!) and Rocket Dog boots! Plus, fab pleather steampunk jacket from Primark as discovered by valkyriekaren. I hope I'm not turning into one of those people who uses spending money as their main source of enjoyment, but I was a bit short of nice clothes which fit me, so this was all rather cheering. Watched 'Pom Poko', which alextiefling had never seen, and cried a little bit at that, although much less than I do when watching the subbed Japanese version - not sure why, that somehow always seems sadder to me.

Thursday was not a very successful work day, but was a successful evening (despite a nasty bit of back pain). Came out to meet up with huskyteer, insofox, alese & library_keeper for Decemberists gig at the Coronet - may write some more on that if I get the chance.

Friday, headed over to janieluk's for lesyeuxouverts's birthday celebrations. Insufficient energy to do Black Plastic as well, sadly, but the party (bar smoke and ableism) was lovely, with lots of super people.

Today was supposed to be tidying and uni work, but has mostly been spent staring at the ceiling. Also watched 'Shortbus' again as a light bit of cheering fare - even that made me tear up a little bit during the sad scenes, so I suspect I may be a little down. That said, I very rarely cry much at 'real' life but often do so at books and films, which is probably good for me. I have mostly been listening to soothing things, such as new 'I, Assassin' and David Sylvian & Japan albums, while trying not to fall asleep again. Hopefully, I will be a bit perkier tomorrow and able to do more of my crazy design project, cook something and host a blahflowers. If a not-very-productive day achieves that, maybe that's a good thing.

Реклама в метро Франкфурта:

Отсюда: http://sumlenny.livejournal.com/751395.html

Заодно, не отходя от кассы.
В соседнем посте Сергей пишет:</a>
"Салон "Чародейка", где-то в Шарлоттенбурге. Удивительно, как советские названия потянулись за мигрировавшими от Советского Союза."

Вообще, по моим наблюдениям, не просто "советские названия", но фактически мементо к которой относится отьезд владельцев подобного заведения. Своего рода радиоуглеродный анализ - в момент отьезда некоторые процессы замораживаются.
Например, в русских ресторанах в Америке по репертуару музыкантов того или иного балагана можно с достаточной точностью определить когда они уехали из страны: скажем, в эпоху ранней Пугачёвой и "Листья жёлтые над городом кружатся", или в эпоху Пугачёвой "Миллион алых роз", или Цоя и "Группы крови", или, скажем, "Два кусочека колбаски" и Тани Булановой. Репертуар с тех пор практически не меняется.

К фильму Алексея Столпера "Возмездие" (1967) - продолжение "Живых и мёртвых". Фильм посвящен героям Сталинградской битвы.

• Witchcraft
  Religion News Blog's witchcraft news tracker
  (tags:cult news )
• BBC News - The new miracle cure for injuries?
  "Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has flown to Serbia for a novel form of treatment - placenta fluid is to be dripped on his injured ankle. Why is he doing this and will it work?"
  (tags:med weird )
• New fossils reveal a world full of crocodiles
  "New fossils unearthed in what is now the Sahara desert reveal a once-swampy world divided up among a half-dozen species of unusual and perhaps intelligent crocodiles, researchers reported on Thursday."
  (tags:eco history )
• CONSTANT SIEGE - John Dickie, gold and silver…
  "John Dickie, gold and silver Versace-logo-encrusted Mexican druglord pistol, Mexico City, via Planet Magazine"
  (tags:guns culture )
• Coming Anarchy: A Better State Of Peace
  "Epaminondas?s strategy successfully dislocated the power base of Sparta after just a few months campaigning, and no victories in the field. After all, the object of war is not to destroy your opponent?s military force, but to ?obtain a better state of peace ? even if only from your own point of view.?"
  (tags:war pol )

(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)

saw the Monsters of Folk on tuesday. felt like an age since i last went to a gig (though i think it was only late summer, Tindersticks), i finally get to see the inside of the Troxy. it was good, there is more to write later maybe.

went drinking last night with current and former office colleagues. one of the good things about this place is the comraderie and genuine affection the workers have for one another. although it takes some getting used to and has definite downsides regarding personal/professional boundaries etc. glad to see some old faces, but was super-tired all day, and 3.5 pints later was ver drunk. ah well. don't feel too bad today but a mild hangover is indicated by my lack of disposition to do anything, and frequent typos.

some of these are good: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/openletters/

and, my painter friend is in this show, at orbital comics, ends on monday: http://www.dansemacabre-art.co.uk/dm_london2009.html go see it.

now, to work out how to get to Longstowe tonight, and Burwell tomorrow. should i try and get a lift, or just accept that there will be a lot of cycling tomorrow (Longstowe-Cambridge-Burwell-Cambridge)...?