Everything Is Average Nowadays
Monday, 28 May 2007

Perhaps it's just me, but is anyone else disappointed in the Kaiser Chiefs? I loved their first album, it was fresh and innovative, if a little full of art-house smugness. But this new single is the final straw.

After the single 'Ruby', which was little more than a band pandering to the anthem-hungry pop masses, the newest single, 'Everything Is Average Nowadays,' is either a satirical masterpice, or the most ironically titled single of the year. A song that can be described as, among other things, repetitive, uninspiring, and bland, it certainly seems to encapsulate the theme displayed in the title. Deliberate, cutting commentrary on the state of music, and the exploitation of the 'indie' genre into commerical success? Or just a shit song?

I fear the latter.

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posted by danny @ 08:27, ,


warning
Monday, 21 May 2007

No posts until something cool happens.

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posted by danny @ 14:36, ,


Poet's Cafe
Saturday, 19 May 2007

So, last night, I went to the Poet's Cafe in Reading, a monthly thing where poets...poeticise. I didn't really know what to expect; it was my first time there, and with more than a little feeling of 'you're going to regret this' I walked in, bought my ticket and a pint and sat down.

The room, which was probably set to hold about 50 people was centred around individual tables; it did feel very much like the layout of a comedy club or something, with the obvious exception that the walls were painted in a kind of horrid multi-purpose green befitting an arts centre. When I first arrived, there were about 20 people there already, and they were all clustered around tables as groups. I took a table in the corner, put on my most angst-ridden artist face, and hoped everyone would think I was some kind of Bosnian performance artists refugee.

5 minutes later, everyone had arrived, seemed about 35 people there. Although it seemed I was pretty alone, physically and emotionally (the majority of people were roughly 40-60) it wasn't to intimidating, which was nice. The MC, a rather smashing chap asked if I was going to perform anything, and I said no, instantly smashing my elaborately crafted facade that I was a Bosnian performance artist refugee, my Queen's english betrayed by pale-faced British heritage.

So, the open mic started, and it was a mixed bag. Some of it was dreadful, some of it excellent. The majority feel into a kind of grudgingly good category. Then the main speaker, Gill Learner, came on. Her poetry was good, although not hugely inventive technically, and she wasn't the most dynamic speaker ever, but it was easy to see her stuff was worth listening to (is that a contradiction in terms?)

The second half after the interval (obviously) was much better though. There were some genuine classic poems, and a rather flippantly grand poem to kick things off. I was very impressed. I think I may go alone next time (my sister came this time, but kind of hated me for it) and cultivate my image of a kind of poetic anti-hero.

Finally, I have to pick out the compere, a mister AF Harrold, ---> who was hilarious, extravagant, talented, and was more than accomodating to the two newcomers sat in the corner (e.g. us!)

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posted by danny @ 13:05, ,


The top 5 metamorphic tales...
Wednesday, 16 May 2007

The top five metamorphic texts

Metaporphism has long been a fascinating idea for all cultures; the consideration of oneself, free of their corporeality allows for great introspection into what it is that makes us human, and how we identify ourselves. It's no suprise then that the theme is one that has been used a number of times, and seems continually fresh. This then, is my top five metamorphic texts of all time, in reverse order.

5.Great Apes - Will Self

Deeply satirical, and often quite disturbing imagination of one Simon Dyke waking up to find that unfortunately, the girlfriend he wakes up next to, and seemingly everyone else in the world, has turned into monkeys. Some people hate his verbosity, I think he's grand.

4.The Master and Margerita - Mikhail Bulgakov

There is no specific incident in Bulgakov's Soviet satire, it just happens to be a device used a number of times when Satan and his troupe come barging into Moscow one day. The book, magical realism at it's best, is about more than just physical transformations. Within an incredibly funny scaffolding, Bulgakov examines the rotting of Soviet systems, and the transition from religion into secularism in a beautifully effective, but never effected way. And to be honest, I have never ever laughed so much as I did at the idea of a bumpticious giant black cat walking the streets of Moscow

3.The Wasp Factory - Ian Banks

Whilst the theme of corporeal transformation only reveals itslef at the very end, the novel drops subtle clues, both in the text and the textuality of the writing, so that by the end of the novel, when the shocker comes, there is a sense of inevitablity about it matching the protagonists's own unformed suspicions. Notable for dealing with the idea of gender, something no other book on this list really tackles.

2.Rhinoceros - Eugène Ionesco

Probably my favourite Absurdist writer, Rhinoceros tells the story of a small community that gradually change into raging pachiderms, one by one. Dealing with the ideas of conformism, a reflection on the actions of the Iron Guard in Romania, the play also takes on an interesting counter idea, of the dangers of fetishising individualism. I was tempted to put The Lesson in here, which documents the transformation of the teacher, in a role of mentor into tyrannical dominant, violent intellectual rapist. Not obvious enough however, so Rhinoceros it is.

1. Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka

What is there to say. It had to be this really didn't it. I was interviewed about this book once, so I will forever hate it in a small way, but there is something so charmed in Kafka's writing. The openng line is one of the best ever written in my opinion:

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

A great deal of pathos and humanity goes into this story, but it's also a story of paranoia, of claustrophia. Supoib.

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posted by danny @ 06:59, ,


moo

I am revising now for a mock on Friday. I think it will go well, the more I revise the more I think the exam might be easy. That belief might be a good or bad thing. Also, I am really bored, so I think I will do something cool this weekend. Maybe.

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posted by danny @ 03:05, ,


Best laid plans
Monday, 14 May 2007

Sod you Blogger. I am going to work for several hours. First I am going to clean my room and desk. Then I am going to ensure there is plenty of artificial light (my favourite kind). Then I will set theJazz on the old DAB playing gently in the background. I will arrange my pens and pencils, rulers and calculators in a neat order at the sides of my desk, and put a pad of fresh paper slap bang in the middle. Then I will make notes on the Law and the State, and read over all of my earlier notes about Ideologies, along with epistemology and moral philosophy. At this point I will have a short break and watch the F1 highlights. I will continue working until roughly 7, when I will take a 30 minute break, return to ensure my quotes are still fully remembered, and settle down for whatever is on telly.

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posted by danny @ 03:54, ,


Dreamy days
Sunday, 13 May 2007

Why won't I do any revision?! My life is forfeit if I don't start working!
I have been trying to have lucid dreams, but have had no luck so far. If I get it to work I'm going to try and shag Eva Green in my dream though. And then fly over the Atlantic and turn the seas to custard.

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posted by danny @ 13:15, ,


the quotable bowler hat

I am a bit concerned with how little work I am doing, so I have decided to mix blogging with revision. Here are all the quotes I can remember:

MILL
the nature and limits of power that can can be legitimately exercised over the individual
the only purpose for which power can rightfully be exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant
peculiar evil
oppress part of their number
fully, frequently and fearlessly discussed it will be held as dead dogma, and not the living truth
grounded in the permanent interests of man as a progressive being
one of the principle ingredients of human happiness
in other-regarding acts, the inidividual is accountable, and may be subject to social or legal punishment
unless it is good for the extreme, it is not good for any case
society can and does execute its own mandates
the moral and mental powers, like the muscular, ar eonly improved by being used
better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied
permenent possibilities of sensation
infirmity of charachter

WILFRID SELLARS
it goes against the idea that we come to know general facts...only after we have come to know, by general observation, a number of paticular facts

WITTGENSTEIN
form of life
doubt would seem to drag everything with it, and plunge it into chaos

DANCY
there is a red rose in the dark
in general, if we find ourselves scrutinising something we believe, we retain that belief unless we find something against it, on the gorounds that it is already a belief

WOLLHEIM
function...to discriminate within the judgements and eliminate some in favour of others

G.E. MOORE
two human hands exist at this moment

MACKIE
by selective attention, [I] ignore all the properties they have, but this one they share

BERKELEY
esse est precipi
I cannot by any effort of thought concieve the abstract idea

LOCKE
where there is no law there is no freedom
no man can, if he would, conform his Faith to the Dictates of another
tabula rasa
a thinking, intelligent Being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider it self as it self, the same thinking thing in different times and places

THOMAS JEFFERSON
it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it

BENTHAM
two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure,
nonsense on stilts

ALAN RYAN
to say that Socrates prefers his way of life, even though he is constantly dissatisfied is to say that he thinks it is better, not that he thinks it more pleasant

KANT
act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will it should become a universal law
act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end
who wills the ends...also wills the means
every rational being must always act as if he were through his maxims, always a law-making member of the universal kingdom of ends

STUART HAMPSHIRE
utilitarian thinking is a kind of moral esperanto

BERTRAM RUSSELL
philosophers, for the main part, are constitutionally timid, and dislike the unexpected. Few of them would be genuinely happy as pirates or burglars
'I simply do not like staying in good hotels' is an intelligible thing to say

DAVID HUME
find a sentiment of disapprobation...it lies in yourself, not in the object

C.L. STEVENSON
immediate aura of feeling which hovers about a word

PRITCHARD
is immediate in the same way in which a mathematical apprehension is immediate

R.M HARE
the acts of supremely virtuous men as an example, but only in so far as the traits of charachter which they exemplify fit into a coherent ideal we find ourselves able to pursue

PETER WINCH
I see no reason why a contemporary history scholar might feel more at home in the world of medieval alchemy than in that of twentieth century football

NIETZSCHE
god is dead
they are rid of the Christian God, but believe all the more they must hold onto Christian morality
what sort of monster of falsity must modern man nonetheless be to have no shame in being called a Christian?

SINGER
even an abortion late in a pregnancy for the most trivial of reasons is hard to condemn

CARRUTHERS
nobody would seriously maintain that dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, pigs or chickens consciously think things to themselves
it ought to be impossible to feel sympathy for animals

P.J. TAYLOR
either a man possesses it and is possessed by it or he does not, and there is no more to be said

IRIS MURDOCH
why not consider red as a concept infintely to be learned, as an individualaspect of love

JULIA ANNAS
if knowledge requires grasp of Forms, they must be applicable to experience

HOLLAND
evil is the unlimited range of points lying outside the circle of action drawn by the geometry of goodness

HELL YES!

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posted by danny @ 04:21, ,


Am I A Fascist Liberal?
Saturday, 12 May 2007

It seems a funny sort of question, but is it possible? It's long been said that the only things liberals can't tolerate is intolerance, and there is perhaps a grain fo truth in this. As a liberal, I hold two important beliefsa that inform the way I think about cultural pluralism. Firstly, I believe that the world is made of a huge number of diverse and unique cultures. Secondly, I believe that we cannot pressume the infallibility of our opinions, simply because they are our opinions. Mill bangs on alot about this, it forms the cornerstone of much of his work in On Liberty.
All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.
These two beliefs together lead to the conclusion that all peoples should be free to pursue their own goals, realise their interests. But is there a point where belief in these ideas becomes an apparent certainty. Is there a danger that liberal views might become accepted as fact, and in a rather poetic twist, impose limitations on the freedoms of others, especially with the Western world increasingly embracing a more liberal position? What brought about this question was the banning of BNP leader Nick Griffin from Bath University, when staff who agreed to have him speak there became aware of such huge disapproval and plans for disruption that they feared the saftey of the students. First of all I will say I think the University itself probably made the right decision; if there was a genuine risk to students then obviously this had to be addressed before anything else. But what does it say about liberalism? As far as I can see it, anyone claiming to be a liberal should not seek to silence such views as Mr. Griffin's, so long as they do not incite violence (it's worth noting for the record that they previously have; he has been convicted for inciting racial hatred) If liberalism cannot continue to champion it's ideology of providing as much freedom of expression as possible, then it loses the dynamicism of its ideology, but more importantly, it has lost it's voice altogether. Certainly you can be a liberal and disagree with views, you can hold them to be unpalatable, or hold them to go against your own values. But to say that a view is wrong is extremely difficult; it demands a degree of certainty which seems to contradict the values of freedom of expression and the idea that our views are fallible. I am reminded of a discussion I had once about the hijab, immediately after Jack Straw's comments, that the use of the hijab entailed a, "visible statement of separation and of difference". My intelocutor said that some countries might demand certain dresscodes for foreigners because of religious requirements. This being so they argued, we had a right to demand hijab was not worn, this after all is a democracy they noted. Unfortunately there was no sense of irony. So, with my mind unresolved about this paticular problem, I can only hope that by ensuring I try not to fetishise liberalism as some kind of pinnacle of human thought, I might preserve those very values which drew me to it.

I leave you however with a cartoon which makes me a little more comfortable. Sure, I might be debating what actually it means to be liberal, but then I see this and realise that conservatives are just a fraction silly, comparing liberalism to communism. Surely not apt?!


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posted by danny @ 11:14, ,


Europe and ID cards. But not how you expect.

Scooch. UK entry for Eurovision 2007. Not good by any stretch of the imagination. You know when it's bad, when even The Sun, that bastion of British journalism, and purveyor of ridiculously good reviews for even thr poorest tripe has said the group is 'outstandingly bad.'

I fear another nul-point this year, or rather, I don't really care. The songs are always terrible, Wogan is always revoltingly pleased with himself for remarking on politicaly motivated scoring in a terribly clever, 'told you so' tone, and really, it's a little bit too camp, even for my normally highly liberalised tastes. Although if I'm honest with myself the other reaosns were just trying to justify what is essentialy a hatred for Terry. Well, congrats on being so very clever, but on the other hand, I've listened to your programme, and you are hardly Peel are you, so I suppose it's true that things tend to even themselves out.

In other news, Jack Straw has hinted that under Gordon Brown (for whom he is of course campaign manager) the ID cards initiatives going ahead could be under review. This is a mighty turnaround from Blair who seemed adamant that we would have them, and, if I'm honest, was a major motivation in how I voted at the locals. Afterall, who wants to threaten civil liberties? Apart from the contented majority who care not a jot about it and have been convinced in their ignorance that it's worth it for the terrorism controls they might afford...Who needs enemies when you have citizens like these?! Still, a very poisitive, if tentative statement from Brown's camp, and one which I'm incredibly happy to see. Let's hope this is more than an appeasement and might be the precursor to a genuine reconsideration of ID cards.

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posted by danny @ 09:25, ,


The rise of the British Political Personality
Friday, 11 May 2007

Whilst chatting to a guy named Sam today in college we got onto the subject of Labour party leadership. We were discussing how Gordon Brown, who almost inevitably will get the position, although, not nessecarily without competetion, was widely mistrusted by the public. I jokingly said it was the scotsman in him, but we had raised a fairly valid point. Despite, in our minds at least, Brown doing very little which could be seen in a negative life when compared to Blair, many people just seem to prefer Blair. Brown's economy has been pretty decent, Blair took us to Iraq. Go figure. The question is, how much importance do the public give the charisma orcharm of party leaders when voting? How much of voting is manifesto led, and how much is run by charachters, the big names in politics?



The film above shows just such views in the supposed emulation of Blair by Cameron; the man with fingers in every policy-related pie. After disappointing results for the Lib-Dems, I have to wonder, how much are the Yellows at a disadvantage having Campbell; generally not in the news to the extent Cameron or Blair are, as their leader? As people seem determined to make comparisons between Blair and Cameron, and even wider comparisons to modern Labour and Cameron's reformed vision of the Conservative Party, just how much is Campbell edged out of what, in terms of media, if not politically, is increasingly looking like a two'horse race? Is it no news is good news, or there's no such thing as bad publicity? With poor results across the UK, I expect the LibDems would have to say the latter...

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posted by danny @ 17:02, ,


♣ The Holiday
Wednesday, 9 May 2007

In a dramatic twist from only reviewing things which I consider to be of a worthwhile standard, and shying away from the blockbusters so loved by the plebs of Britain, I have decided to write a review about The Holiday, a film which remarkably, was pretty much as bad as I hoped.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a serial rom-com hater. I still think Notting Hill is a truly top film, and Four Weddings and A Funeral would have been a master stroke were it not for that pice of rancid American arm candy Hugh Grant insists on dragging about the film. In fact, my only real grudge against those films would be that they spawned a whole host of quite dreadful films, and for that, they will always carry a black stain of shame with them in my mind. But enough of the rather pointless qualification of my review; I know a good film when I see one, so if you don't braodly agree with this then bully to you sir. Back to the buissiness of critiquing.

It starts off not great. In what has to be the most contrived start to a film I have ever seen, after two women are both heart broken by their respective men, they seek solace, some time away, to gather their thoughts. Remarkably, Amanda from LA (Cameron Diaz) finds a charming little cottage in Sussex, and contacts the owner, the equally man-hating Iris (Kate Winslet). They swap houses, and wham, Bob's your uncle, and we are on the plot treadmill, although not at great speed or much a gradient. There is an inevitable slew of cheap laughs as we find the cosmopolitan Amanda struggling to cope with cold British winter-time in her stilleto's, slipping on ice, having snow fall on her head from low hanging pine branches, and although it's far from brain surgery, nothing is really wrong with the film at this point. (Mark Kermode, easily my favourite critic makes the startlingly accurate but nonetheless hilarious criticism that the English town has less resemblance to a provincial sleepy retreat than to Narnia) On the opposite end, the audience get a host of slapstick giggles as Winslet runs about the house making throaty noises from time to time and rubbing her hands, subtly showing us she is not used to such decadent surroundings. Sadly, her running about the house serves mainly to remind us of Risky Buissness, and how Tom Cruise, even without having the sensual advantage of breasts, still made spontaneous house-running cooler. Is at this point, when we see the two displaced women side by side that things soured for me. It feels so old, this dual reality, seperate lives thing, and in fact, it's extremely similiar to Diaz's own Sliding Doors, which if I might add, was a far better film.

Well, the inevitable happens; as Amanda packs up her things to leave, she meets Iris' brother Graham, who pops in, unaware that the two have traded places. (Incidentally, in a rather revolting act of stereotype, the three major British charachters are called Iris, Graham and Jasper. Presumably the producers simply looked at what names appeared most in the Kensington census and used those). They fall in love, it's great.

On the other side of the pond, Iris doesn't fall in love straight away, and respect to the film for at least making some effort to a) address something other than 'break-up make-up' and b) not mirror each girls experiences exactly. Instead through an act of kindness she meets an old man named Arthur Abbott. She helps him through a number of things, eventually leading to his making good on accepting a prestigious award, which lends the film a nice cute factor. Over a much slower timeline, she also starts to fall in love with Miles (jack Black) Inevitably, both couples fall in love, despite hiccups (paticualrly look out for how accepting Diaz' charachter is of the two children she takes on by courting Graham - obviously a big fan of realism in film).

Miles: [Miles reaches over to grab something on the counter, his arm grazing Iris's chest] Okay, sorry about that. Boob graze.
[both Miles & Iris laughing]
Miles: That was accidental. Accidental boob graze. I'm sorry.
Iris: Changing subject.
Miles: Okay.


Which leads us to the charachters. Cameron Diaz is still quite annoying, but plays her role well enough; a little less slapstick and a little more humanity might have gone down well though. Jude Law does a good job, but then, he doesn't really have to do much, just look good and talk in a cheeky chappy accent. Kate Winslet for me is the most disappointing. We know she can act, and at times in The Holiday it looks like she is going to decide to, but unfortunately these spells are intermittent. As often as she will have a real, honest dialogue with someone, she ruins it with another scene. When Jasper comes round to LA to see her, there are a serious of paticualrly poor scenes; Winslet running around shouting with happiness about the house after liberating herself from her former object of affection's grasp in a ludicrously camp way. Black though is to be commended. His performance is a fantastic mix, warm and emotive at times, yet still with enough banter and comedy to ensure he leaves a suitable mark in the laughter reel. Certainly the star of the show.

Overall, the Holiday is not a great film. The beginning and ending are remarkable in how forced they feel, and though Winslet's acting is controlled and charming at times, Black is consistently capable, with a great mix of comedy and seriousness. Unfortunately, the fact that Jude Law and Cameron Diaz seem so very comfortable in these roles, to the extent that they seem to play themselves in parts of the film, and the fact that the script is really nothing special at all means it's no grand slam. If you do need a holiday romance, go for Love Actually. Alright, it's cliched, but it's well produced, generally better acted, and the multiple story threads are intriguing. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you would pick it up. Fun to an extent, but unremarkable.

Starman gives it a lunar lovely score of 2 1/2 sun flares

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posted by danny @ 14:20, ,


Conservatives and snapshots

Although I am not actively on the internet, I have been enjoying popping onto Facebook everyonce and a while to see what has been going on. Sadly, not much, however, things of note rank in the '2' category today as I hit the triple digits in the old 'See More Photos' category, which is a minor but nonetheless overwhelmingly proud achievment for me. Secondarily, I came across what might just be the best group I have ever seen on Facebook.

"Abortion: The Only Way Conservatives Don't Approve of Killing People"

here is the quite perfect description to go along with that same group:

Yay war!
Yay guns!
Yay death penalty!
but don't you DARE abort that unborn fetus!!
LIFE IS SACRED!!!

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posted by danny @ 13:45, ,


Update 2
Tuesday, 8 May 2007

Right, time for a recollection of the last week or so since I posted. Apologies for the late one, but c'est examens. Unfortunately this means it's unlikely that there will be any reviews any time soon, which I know my readership of exactly one will be bitterly disappointed about. Since I last spoke:


Apologies for the brevity of this post, but if you really cared, you would email me or comment to let me know. But you clearly dont. So boo you whore.

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posted by danny @ 09:19, ,


E-lections and X-ams.
Thursday, 3 May 2007

Oh god. I have an exam tommorow. Sigh.

And local elections. Come on the Lib Dems.

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posted by danny @ 16:25, ,


Short update

Sorry about the pretty terrible lack of blogging, but I have been pretty busy revising. I have an exam tommorow (which I'm not too worried about to be honest, for better or for worse). Had to visit the dentist yesterday which wasn't cool. And then I had my hair cut today which was better than the dentist, but not by the biggest of margins. Have not managed any revision today at all, which is fairly tragic. What's on the cards today then?

1. Go to college.
2. Ring Mike
3. Read book (Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino - it's absolutley amazing)
4. Revise

If that doesn't prepare me for exams I'm not sure what will.

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posted by danny @ 03:38, ,