Posts by Backdrifter

Small Things Like These, adapted from the novella by Claire Keegan. It's about a coal merchant in mid-80s southern Ireland who is disturbed by what he sees at a local convent training school while making a delivery there. It quickly becomes obvious it's what we now know as a magdalen laundry. We gradually discover a deeply personal reason for why he is so affected by what he sees.

It's a low-key, measured film that crept up on me and moved me to tears at the end. It shows the more unsettling side of how enmeshed in people's lives the catholic church could be and the real fear it could cause. This is brought home by an unforgettable scene with Emily Watson as the quietly spoken, tightly smiling and frankly scary Mother Superior.

Quote from foxfeeder

I wonder why his followers believe his "Make America Great Again" nonsense, he had 4 years and achieved nothing. Why will it be different this time?

To the first part, they default to blaming "the deep state" for thwarting all the 'good' he tried to do. It's never entirely clear who this 'deep state' is/are, or what precisely they did, which is useful vagueness when it comes to attributing blame/obstruction. The phrase was keenly taken up by Johnson and Truss, both of whom invoked "the deep state" to explain their valiant failures (Truss of course also invoked that cabal of snarling extreme leftists, the... er... banking sector).

To the second part, why will it be different this time - he's suggesting various measures such as prosecuting his 'enemies' which makes his supporters think he's going to be extremely tough clamping down on any dissent or obstruction, and therefore there'll be no barriers to whatever extreme policies he wants to implement.

Quote from FeelItComing

This article which claims that men don't 'get' Kate is a classic example of the Guardian making everything about gender.

It's certainly a classic example of "come up with something, anything, in time for features desk deadline".

The "ONLY female fans can truly appreciate..." is silly (and appears to have been subbed in to the header, not fully reflecting the content), but there's a point to be made about the seismic effect she particularly had on female fans who previously didn't have such a striking female creative figure to admire, and how she inspired female musicians who suddenly had a very singular role model to aspire to. I just don't think this breathless fangirly piece is making that point particularly well.

While I'm not a big fan of KB I do like some of her work, I admire and respect her, and recognise the impact she's had and continues to have. But sometimes the "we are not worthy" veneration and worship gets tiresome, which this piece definitely is.

It's a sad measure of the state of politics, and an entrenched tribalist electorate, that trump is pretty much level with Harris in national polling averages and leading in 3 swing states. I get that his die-hard supporters are at best not bothered by this stuff, at worst celebrate it. But for more moderate voters to not be turning against him en masse... it's depressing.

This man outright lied in 20/21 about "winning" and perpetuated that lie to the point of causing major problems for many people in an attempt to trample US democracy and the constitution into the dirt. On the basis of that alone he should be denied any chance of power. But this seems to have been forgotten or pushed aside including, disgracefully, by the media who are yet again giving him a free pass. How and why does this keep happening?

If he's elected again, which currently can't be ruled out, he will be even worse.

Unremarkable but okay. It could lose 1 or 2 minutes and not suffer.

Speak No Evil. An American couple living in London are on holiday in Italy with their daughter and are drawn to an English couple and their son. On returning to London they're invited to stay at the English couple's Devon farmhouse. They arrive there and things quickly take a dark turn. I gather this is a remake of a Danish film. It's a pretty stark illustration of the principle that you should never stay in touch with those people you met on holiday!

Joker: Folie A Dieux. I enjoyed this more than I expected given the bad reviews and the consternation that they've made this sequel a "musical". Both are misleading in my view. It does feature musical sequences but not in the form of a conventional musical and it serves the narrative, if slightly overused. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are excellent in the lead roles. You really have to have seen Joker to properly appreciate it.

Quote from Backdrifter

I'm currently reading How To Stop Time, a novel by Matt Haig. It's narrated by a man who's one of a small number of people who have a condition that causes them to age extremely slowly, in his case meaning he's speaking in the present day having been alive since the 16th century, yet in appearance he looks to be in his 40s.

I'm devouring it, totally gripped and with no clear sense of where it's going to go.

Finished it the other day. Not yet sure what I think of the ending but the journey was extraordinary.

Currently undecided what to move on to next. Having finished a novel, perhaps some nonfiction.

Quote from thewatcher

I saw someone propose in public before a large crowd this evening. It was my first time witnessing such a thing and I was surprisingly moved. Good fortune young couple! And well done man. I would have shit my britches at the thought.

What where the circumstances, what was this crowd?

I kind of get what you mean... but when I hear about this happening it makes me cringe a bit and feel for the proposee. Surely, in public and more so in front of a large crowd the proposee feels obliged to say 'yes' even if they don't want to? It feels to me something that has to be done as a special, private, intimate moment between two people.

I heard of a bizarre opposite example of this involving a woman who hired one of those scrolling advertising screens in a petrol station shop to display the message she was dumping her fiancé.

Quote from DecomposingMan

"'I always loved Unquiet Slumbers, which was especially great on stage,' Rutherford says."

They played that song live??

Most likely he's getting mixed up and thinking of ITQE. Perhaps understandably to an extent as it was originally conceived as one whole piece - I remember Banks saying they split it so SH got more writing credits.

Quote from raelway siding

Phoenix in Obsidian

I just looked it up. Apparently, Erekosë becomes Count Urlik Skarsol, Lord of the Frozen Keep.

I'm not keen on the song but at least when they took inspiration from this sort of stuff they smoothed it over rather than whacking it in full-on like other more trope-ridden prog bands would.

Quote from Simon1967

aware of his work and listened to some of his early stuff.

A while ago, i was having a few emails with SH, and for some bizarre reason he seemed to think I was Simon Collins...started to ask me how Canada was, my drumming and how my dad was...!

I had to explain he was chatting with a different Simon which was slightly awkward 😳

Oh, he's always doing that.

Quote from WILL_son

I understand he did "Carpet Crawlers" only?

Would love to hear him more often during Hackett shows.

After the W&W show in 2017 I decided not to bother with any further ones. But if there were ever an entire Hackett/Wilson Genesis show I'd be there.

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Oh, Mr Wilson

I'm trying to imagine your tone of voice there. I keep defaulting to hearing it as though said by a breathless heroine in an Errol Flynn film or something, back of her hand to her forehead, head tilted, hair rippling.

I'm currently reading How To Stop Time, a novel by Matt Haig. It's narrated by a man who's one of a small number of people who have a condition that causes them to age extremely slowly, in his case meaning he's speaking in the present day having been alive since the 16th century, yet in appearance he looks to be in his 40s.

This is some of the best fiction writing I've read for a while. It's carried along by, and works with, the basic slow-aging concept brilliantly well. As well as conveying the wonder of all the historical development he's lived through it also starkly illustrates the pain and frustration that comes with it, and the unnerving practicalities of having to avoid his true nature being discovered. It's in turns uplifting, uncomfortable and deeply moving. But overall, absolutely compelling. I'm devouring it, totally gripped and with no clear sense of where it's going to go.

Quote from genesis1964

Vent over, sorry about that, just fed up

No need to apologise. I think any reasonable person would be fed up in those circumstances. Very sorry to learn what a tough year it's been, that's rough. For whatever it's worth, all positive thoughts being transmitted in your direction certainly from over here down Gilmore and I'm sure everyone else here on the board.

Ultimately he can say what he likes and be as ignorant or informed as suits him on the day. He's Tony Banks and he wrote Firth Of Fifth and Afterglow.

This is a slight stretch, but the show I'm seeing tomorrow is a touring stage version of Jon Ronson's book The Psychopath Test, presented by the author. It seemed better suited to this book thread rather than the 'next gig' or live theatre threads. I don't really know what it involves but I gather there are special guest psychopaths each night! Wa-hey.

It's at the Edinburgh Usher Hall so I arrived in the city today on a fine sunny morning. But it's a pleasure to be out and about in one of my favourite cities whatever the weather.

genesis1964 - see pic. I was right outside the Golf Tavern! But don't worry, I won't come seeking you out, you're safe... I'm currently savouring delicious cocktails at the plush old-school Decanter bar (their Gentleman's Periodical is a thing of elegance) and staying in a B&B on Gilmore Place. Dinner at Valvona & Crolla followed by a film tonight.

FeelItComing I remember posting an Illsley episode but don't think I posted this more recent one of Chris Difford's podcast featuring Knopfler

Quote from thewatcher

I always preferred the studio version to the live version, where the loud bleepy bits they put in the instrumental part seemed very out of place.

Yes, while my very rare listens are the live one I've always thought those bleeps are a silly and superfluous feature of an otherwise good version.

It's OK. I find it a bit like being given an overly fussy but ultimately unfulfilling meal when sausage egg & chips would've done the job. I never listen to the original but occasionally enjoy the live versions.

Quote from thewatcher

Your story about the singer with the mask reminded me of seeing a fairly obscure Irish band called Whipping Boy. The singer came out wearing a big mask of some sort, I recall something like a burlap sack. He ripped it off halfway through the opening song to punctuate a transition, which was a surprisingly effective bit of showmanship. They were brilliant though. I remember a bicycle being used as a prop in the last song too. It was a long time ago, but I remember him lying on the ground idly peddling the bike, which was upside down. The song was about mental illness I think.

The Whipping Boy thing in turn reminds me of seeing Gang Of Four and the singer 'playing' a microwave oven during (the brilliant) He'd Send In The Army.

The 'shocking' thing about The Residents singer taking his big mask off was that they never revealed their faces or identities (or at least still hadn't at that point). But alas, in this case it merely uncovered another layer of disguise.

My friend describing that moment, underlined by his dramatic enacting of the arm movements and screeching noises, is very memorable for me in that as a result I had one of the most prolonged outbursts of uncontrollable hysterical laughter I've ever had, leaving me in such a weakened breathless state that he and the others present became quite concerned.

It was nearly matched a few years ago when I watched a Mission Impossible film on TV, in which Tom Cruise scribbles a face on his hand, essentially looking like 🙂 and asks Jeremy Renner to ID it, to which Renner immediately gives him a name and rattles off a detailed bio and how dangerous the guy is. This time it was my partner who was at first exasperated then quite worried about my welfare after I laughed myself near comatose for almost 15 minutes.

Anyway, gigs.