No novelty here...

Chris Ware has been writing and illustrating his remarkable comic books since the 1980's - culminating in his most celebrated creation to date - 2001's 'Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid on earth.' Ware exhibits much of the same artistic sensibilities of his heroes, indeed antecedents - Will Eisner, Charles Schulz and Frank King, but his work; both in terms of the imagery employed and the various narratives used is idiosyncratically his. Included in this post is a Chris Ware animation made for Ira Glass's 'This American Life,' TV show - it perfectly, and in a style that is not unnatural to Ware's usual way of working - captures all that is exceptional about his art.

But seriously...

The Coen brothers have been making films for 25 years now - in fact 'Blood Simple' was released on January, 1985. In the years that have followed they have continued to make movies that encompass a variety of genres, indeed, a variety of film-making styles, but their primary purpose has always been to entertain and, hopefully, to provide incisive, often highly satirical comment, on what passes for American culture today. One of the great things about art is that it divides opinion. Subjectivity; the passion that people can have for and against a particular film, piece of music, a book or a theatrical presentation is a wonderful thing - it allows new work to be considered at all and previous or prior work to be reappraised and assigned its accordance. The brothers most recent film ' A serious man,' continues to provoke conflicting responses. And it is the fact that it generates these polar opposites of opinion - some love the film unashamedly, some accuse it, and a proportion of their most recent work, of all sorts of misdemeanours - that's most important. The film is on restricted release throughout the UK now - watch it, enjoy it or loathe it, and draw your own conclusions.

There is so much music out there...

In many musical ways, 2009 appears to be very similar to the early 1990's. The Flaming Lips shocked everyone in 1990 - well, no-one, with their marvelously deranged fourth album, 'In a priest driven ambulance.' Mercury Rev released the, ahem, mercurial, 'Yerself is steam,' to an uninterested, unconcerned 1991. And barely a year later Buffalo Tom issued their seminal recording, 'Let me come over.' All great records. All, relatively ignored. The current end of year best album lists; and the bands that feature heavily in them, seem, all of them, to have been intently listening to these classics of the 90's. This is especially true of Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips and these cited earlier works. Something, however, seems to be missing from these new bands. All great work - for it to be truly great - has to have an essential element of humour to it - The Velvets had it, The Stones had it, The Smiths had it - Radiohead have it. Twat isn't so sure the current crop - Animal Collective, Wild Beasts, Grizzly Bear et al have it. The question is - do they need to have it? Or has one particular sensibility replaced another?

Anyway here's Japandroids - to illustrate what we mean - but, also, TO DANCE 2!

I like...

Number 19 in a limited edition of 5. The mighty Royal (Short shorts) Teens.

Late fragment

Stephen King has written a very trenchant piece in the NY Times on Carol Sklenicka's new biography of Raymond Carver. King is very obviously a fan of the writer - of his writing. Carver, the man, his self-destructive hubris, his, certainly earliest, tendency towards cruelty and excess, King, isn't quite so fond. And understandably so. The book really comes into its own; and where it differs from the majority of books on Carver, when it discusses the writer's relationship with his editor grise, Gordon Lish...Sklenicka (and King) acknowledge Carver's debt to the monomaniacal Lish - editorially, there can have been few better practitioners of the art - but, watch out! 'Life and Stories,' is available now.

Thank God, we've got it...

It's easy to overpraise Yo La Tengo. They, and almost only they, hold a uniquely diametrical place in today's increasingly homogenised music world. Jarvis Cocker once said of John Peel that he, "..stood up for the 'sore thumbs' of the music scene." And no-one defines sore thumbdom as unequivocally as YLT. Their Glasgow show of last friday demonstrated once again their extraordinary ability to reduce even the most hardened observer to tears; the most cynical commentator to cheers. Real cheers. Real tears. In their 25th year of making music they continue to plough the most fertile of musical furrows, their collective imagination undimmed, the seemingly limitless depth of their music making talent undiminished.

'Mr Tough'

It was good and now it's better...

Jonathan Lethem very rarely disappoints and TB is pleased to report that his most recent novel,' Chronic City,' published this month, continues in a similarly propitious vein. This is undoubtedly Lethem's most ambitious novel to date - finding him lost and losing it in the seemingly unchartered territory of Manhattan, a million miles away from the melancholia, angst and harsher reality of mother Brooklyn. Lethem has created a uniquely subtle satire in this work - where images and ideas are there to be smashed; he smashes them. But his vitriol is very much contained - in this book redemption and salvation are only a page turn away. The book is available now from the usual sources...

Our ding-a-ling..

Belated birthday congratulations to one of the fathers of Rock and Roll, Charles Edward (Chuck) Berry, who was 83 yesterday. Berry's influence on popular music is immeasurable - without him the music may have been very different, certainly, and most importantly, in terms of songwriting development. Berry was also a virtuoso guitarist - a fact often forgotten when attempting to put his many accomplishments into fuller context. Here, Chuck is attempting to instruct a fellow, much younger and inexperienced performer, in the art of walking the duck...

'Oh Carol'

By Gad...

It will soon be the 68th anniversary of the first truly great Hollywood 'film noir,' the glorious, 'The Maltese Falcon.' A peerless ensemble cast bring to life the characters made famous in Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, but it is Humphrey Bogart - excelling as the archetypal anti-hero, Sam Spade, in John Huston's directorial debut, who drives the film, who gives it its wonderful energy, delivering a performance which was to cement his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest actors and leading men. Hammett's novel had been filmed twice before - most controversially in 1931, pre the Hays production code. But, it is Huston's elegiac version that has lasted and; thanks to the inspired casting, the deftly handled direction and the presence of the most celebrated Macguffin in film history, the film will remain one of the most revered movies of the golden era.

Trailer

To be Frank...

Ayrshire's and Scotland's best kept musical secret, the peerless Trashcan Sinatras have announced the long awaited follow up to 2004's mercurial, 'Weightlifting.' 'In the music;' despite, on some websites as being already available, apparently isn't. Just yet. The Trashcan's MySpace site has some tracks from the new album - and what tracks they are - keep your eyes and other senses peeled for imminent tour dates in the UK...

..it was 40 years ago today...

Well, what a lot of sexist, elitist, homophobic shite that was....Yes, October 5, 1969, saw the arrival to British television screens of the most important, most influential comedy sketch show in history. Monty Python's Flying Circus was, and always will be, FUNNY. Laugh out loud FUNNY. Hilarious EVEN. And that's the whole point - revisionist comedy historians, or 'cunts,' as we should more properly refer to them, often seem to miss this most important of facts. Monty Python successfully changed the landscape of comedy - in the case of Terry Gilliam's animations, often literally. The broadcast of their first series of shows - and their subsequent forays into performance and film (most famously), is to be celebrated as an important event in the cultural history of this country, this Britain.

And now....

6345789...

Released on October, 1979, this, The Undertones fifth single release, is quite possibly their best. And that's it...take it away, the boys.

..world without end, or beginning....

The writer and academic, Frank Kermode will soon be entering his ninetieth year. Kermode has long been recognised as one of this country's most distinguished Shakespearean scholars - his body of work on the bard himself runs to several volumes; all of which employ his characteristically readable, yet authoritative style. Kermode uses the same clarity of thought and breadth of vision throughout all of his writing - whether discussing the poetry of Donne or Spenser or life and literature itself - as in his classic 1967 book,'The sense of an ending.' Frank Kermode is rare indeed in the world of contemporary letters; unique in his ability to transmute difficult concepts and ideas into something more navigable - it is this that separates him from most academicians of his generation; that, and his desire to fully embrace new ideas, new philosophies, and to embrace them as part of his celebrated new criticism.

Don't be a stranger, now..

Taichi Yamada is one of Japan's foremost writers - of fiction, scripts for television and films, and for the stage. His work has only recently gained recognition in the UK with the 2006 publication of his novel, 'Strangers.' Subsequent novels have followed: in 2007, 'In search of a distant voice,' and, one year later, 'I haven't dreamed of flying for a while.' Yamada's works concern themselves with guilt and loss; and the accompanying longing that acts as a stylised entreaty throughout all of his translated works. Japanese society, as also depicted in the work of other writers - Murakami, Nakagami, Suzuki even Mishima, is implicitly criticised, through the respective narratives and characterisations employed, for its suppressive and subjugative effects on individual will/society as a whole. The books are wonderful examples of 'kaidan;' essentially, old fashioned Japanese ghost stories - and the greater for that.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag...

Belated birthday congratulations to Manuel Gottsching - founder member, along with Klaus Schulze and Hartmut Enke, of seminal 70's KrautSpacerock band, Ash Ra Tempel. All were former members of Eruption; along with Conrad Schnitzler - of Tangerine Dream/Kluster fame. Their music was a unique hybrid of, at first, psychedelia and, especially later, progressive/art rock. Their music does, however, transcend any attempts at pigeonholing - it is defined purely by its ability to inspire and uplift. Their earliest incarnation lasted only a few short years - Gottsching continued - using, among other names, the abbreviated 'Ashra,' and still performs and records today.

Deep distance

Schizo

Genital torture, anyone?

Forget about House and Stephen Fry's recent increasingly accomplished efforts to disconcert and discombobulate - this is the realest of deals. Fry and Laurie's late 80's/early 90's shows were things of, sometimes, often, not infrequently, quite regularly, rare beauty. This is one of their finest moments and reinforces the belief amongst fellow twatters (that's Twatters, Stephen) that their shows rank, alongside Python, as the very best of the sketch format. And also the dirtiest.

Low Life II

Public Image have recently announced their intention to reform - and, under normal circumstances, this would be cause for no small celebration. However, Lydon has chosen not to include either Keith Levene or Jah Wobble in the line-up - for reasons at time of writing that are unclear. PIL, along with fellow post punk combustabilists Magazine and The Gang of Four created a uniquely trenchant triumvirate - caustic, intelligent, above all uncompromisingly genre defying. This is why it's doubly disappointing to find that Punk's 'national treasure,' has decided to revive the Public Image name but not the rancour. Fans may just have to make do with Jah's forthcoming autobiography - due any time now.

P IM E

John, it's a swindle...

when you're coolest...

There have been many oddball (ahem) musical collaborations in recent years and this is neither recent nor a collaboration. It does however feature The Residents dancing along to one of Country music's legendary frontmen, the late, great Conway Twitty - at his inimitable best. Another reason for this post is the uncanny physical resemblance Conway has to Leland Palmer - even to the extent of his choreographic gyrations...(any excuse).

Leland's dance...

...and now, this week, at number 199...

Soon to be upon us - the anniversary of the beginning of the recording of one of the defining albums of the late 1960's. Although much of the gentility and beauty present on the first album is missing here - John Cale famously referred to it as 'consciously anti-beauty,' the album itself remains without peer - especially in its use of negative imagery and in its sheer artistic bloody mindedness. The album was produced by Tom Wilson - whose anniversary is also very soon - the often neglected producer of; as well as The Velvets, Bob Dylan, The Mothers of Invention and Simon and Garfunkel.

'The Gift'

Hit Hitler...

Richard Herring is currently performing at the Edinburgh festival this year - until the 30th of August, at the White belly; part of the Underbelly complex on/at George IV bridge. Herring has long had a problem with facial hair and this, his latest attempt at exhibitionism, should be unavoided at all costs. Especially as it's only a tenner...

Tedstock Part 1

Tedstock Part 2

"I am more and more a Christian. . . Suffer dishonour and disgrace, but never resort to arms. Be bullied, be outraged, be killed: but do not kill."

(in memory of...)

Le Feu

Harry Patch was a remarkable man. The story of his life is the story of a man who survived the horrors of the trenches; in his own case those of Passchendaele, living to tell a story of courage, fortitude and, above all, humility. Patch was always vociferous in his condemnation of war, all wars. But he understood friendship - more than anything, and he understood that the men who fell on both sides, predominantly very young, boys really, lost their lives in fruitless pursuit of victory in what history has erroneously termed 'the war to end all wars.' The futility of this was never lost on him and, despite living the long life he did, he never swayed from his opinion that the lives of his comrades, and of his German counterparts - whom he never failed to ask to be similarly remembered - was wasted on the battlefields of Europe. Harry Patch was a voice of conciliation, a man of and for peace - he was, in every way, the very definition of a true hero.

It was 43 years ago today...

Lenny Bruce passed away 43 years ago on Aug 3, 1966. Every comedian performing today owes him an incalculable debt - without him, stand up comedy would not exist - certainly in the myriad, occasionally unconscionable forms that it does today. The clip shown here, much like Bruce's own life, is very brief, and includes a truncated version of one of his most famous observations.


Thanks, Lenny.

She was pretty...

Leanne Shapton has followed up her 2006 debut novel 'Was she pretty?' with the equally engaging 'Important artifacts...' Shapton is renowned for the unprecedented nature of her work - in form and content it is quite unique. It chronicles the story of a relationship presented in the form of auction lots - each lot detailing a particular aspect of that relationship - from beginning to failed end. That the narrative so compellingly convinces - unusual in a work that takes as many stylistic chances as this one does - bears testimony to this most original of writers.

...it was a diamond, all right

Joe Gores vividly brings to life 1920's San Francisco in this prequel to Hammett's 'The Maltese Falcon.' Gores lived the life himself: both as a private detective/repo man, and it is these experiences; and the love he has for the great writers of the 30's/40's, which convincingly informs his masterful prose.

Rant & Roll

YouTube has a number of live performances of Ed Hamell. This one, although featuring Ed being his usual polemic self, features, albeit momentarily, a more representative example of the wonderful musical racket he makes. Later albums are available from Righteous Babe records and should be purchased immediately.....

Out of my heads...

Charlie Kaufman is one of the most interesting film directors working today (entertainingly, pun intended, Time magazine recently voted him onto their Time 100 list of most important people in the whole world.) Synecdoche, New York, is his most recent production - a phantasmagorical conceit about death and the elaborate preparations we make for it. As with his previous outings, the film employs a number of unusual cinematic devices; themselves utilised in a highly individual way, to create works of great originality - Kaufman's films always raise important questions about life and its relationship to art. Enough, already - go see/buy the picture. Synecdoche, New York - buy me now.

No some misunderstanding...

Celebrating its fortieth anniversary real soon...taken from Dillard and Clark's second and last album, this, the haunting title track, is another wonderful example of the songwriting genius that was Gene Clark.












'Through the morning through the night.'

Thanks, Mike...

Karl Malden was much more than Lt Stone. Malden (who died on July 1, 2009) was a first rate character actor - a star of stage, movies and television - whose screen career started with Garson Kanin's 1940 film 'They knew what they wanted.' Malden's greatest big screen successes were in the 1950's. In a stellar five year period he received an oscar for 'A Streetcar named Desire,' played the part of Terry Malloy in Elia Kazan's 'On the Waterfront,' and, controversially, the role of the cuckolded Archie Meighan in, again, Kazan's, 'Baby Doll.' Many notable film roles followed - 'Patten,' being just one of the many memorable highlights. A great actor, with a career spanning eight decades, he, and the quietly convincing style of performance he championed, will be sadly missed.

Roadhouse blues..

Junior's first record was released on Demon records way back in 1990 - from which this, 'free born man,' comes. Junior Brown is nothing short of a phenomenon. Singer, songwriter, producer, lead, rhythm and steel guitarist and an inventor. But, as you will see from this virtuoso performance, Junior Brown is, mostly, Junior Brown.

New Doug...New Doug...New Doug...

....Coming very soon....plus an excerpt from 'Survivor.'

Ghost writing...

David Eagleman is to be heartily congratulated for writing this perfectly formed, highly evocative, meditation on life after life. Eagleman challenges the view that there are no answers to this oldest of questions - he writes deceptively simply, clearly and concisely, with humour, intelligence and an even-handedness rare amongst both his scientific contemporaries and those who challenge them. Sum is a great read - a thought provoking examination of the possibilities of possibility.

More bad news...

The Seeds were one of the great garage bands of the later 1960's and it was with sadness that news emerged of their lead singer and bass guitarist, Sky Saxon's death. This performance sees them at their best - performing their 1966 top 40 hit 'Pushin' too hard;' to the usual uninterested, unappreciative audience. 'Can't seem to make you mine,' one of their previously lesser known tracks - a minor hit in their native California - has been covered by Alex Chilton, Johnny Thunders and The Ramones - evidence enough of their creative credentials...I'm sure the late, great Steven Wells - polemical journalist on the NME in the 1980's/90's - wouldn't have enjoyed this too...R.I.P. both...

Thanks, Michael...

"Don't stop til you get enough." Michael Jackson has been a part of all of our musical lives for the past 40 years and it was with tremendous sadness that news of his untimely passing was received last night. Michael's was a unique talent. With his brothers he conquered the world, the Jackson 5 achieving an unprecedented four number one hits in the US with their first four recordings. In 1979, 'Off the wall' was released - a genre defining album and a great artistic and commercial success with two massive number one records in 'Rock with you,' and 'Don't stop 'til you get enough.' Three years later, Michael repeated this success all over again. 'Thriller' was released to unanimous critical and commercial acclaim eventually becoming the most successful album release of all time - a feat that will never be surpassed. Michael achieved much in the years that followed but he never achieved the same level of artistic or commercial success again. But he continued to give musical meaning to many many peoples lives all over the world and the happiness he brought to countless numbers of fans cannot and should not be underestimated. The world, and especially the world of music, is poorer on his passing.

Want to know?

The year 2000 was a special year for comedy from the BBC. Two of the finest comedies ever produced by the corporation were shown - both starred and were written by Rob Brydon. Human Remains, written by Brydon and Julia Davis; of Nighty Night and Jam fame, is one of the darkest and most quietly subversive pieces of television ever broadcast. Davis and Brydon forge a unique partnership - there is an almost symbiotic relationship between them - as further witnessed in the extras accompanying the DVD release. In turns, viscerally funny and achingly poignant, Human Remains is matched only by Brydon's other comic masterpiece - Marian and Geoff. Written by Brydon and Hugo Blick, it is difficult to imagine any other show since attempting and achieving successfully the same levels of tragi-comic brilliance. In the intervening ten years nothing has come close to their genius - Amazon has all three DVD's available at a ridiculously low price - enrich your life and enjoy them now.

There is just the void

"Jim Thompson's usual anti-hero is a troubled, perhaps even schizophrenic, misogynist who drinks a lot and kills people when he feels like it," Meredith Brody has written. This is just the way it should be - in the typical Thompson novel, the American dream; its pathology, and those who wish to succeed within its morally dubious definitions, is cross examined revealing its scabrous core, its rotten hinterland. No other writer has written with such conviction about the absence of values in American society - for those new to his work, 'The killer inside me' is a particularly vicious introduction.

stereomonically speaking...

Twatbubble is particularly fond of anniversaries - the more tenuous the better. It's 50 years since Toni Fisher had her biggest hit with this highly unusual, hugely influential recording. Scott's version, isn't all that bad either...

Just another mad mad day on the road...

Former Playboy and Spin writer Steven Kurutz has written this hilarious and affectionate account of the nano-industry that is the tribute act - in this case, Rolling Stones' tribute act, Sticky Fingers. The book is at turns hysterical - we are informed that Van Halen have no less than twenty five tribute acts while Kiss have two tribute bands peopled by dwarves - and tellingly poignant - when we read of the musicians juggling work commitments, family relationships and the growing realisation that they will never achieve the stardom they deserve...Kurutz has written an eminently readable and likeable book about an area of the music industry that is often ignored, more usually ridiculed. The hardback is out now, paperback next year.

This star has not lost her glitter...

Judy Garland's star continues to shine undimmed nearly 40 years after her death. In 1954, George Cukor directed Garland in what was surely her finest performance - the role of Vicki Lester in the film, 'A star is born;' here, exemplified in this magical version of 'The man that got away.'

We're all on televison...

Percival Everett is responsible for some of the funniest and most incisive satirical fiction written in those United States for many a long whiles. His most successful and celebrated novel, 'Erasure,' is peculiarly prescient - involving, as it does, the willing descent into quasi-celebrity hell of an academic writer tortured into artifice by a wholly indifferent audience. All Everett's novels exhibit the same invention and ambition; the same dedication towards exploring the possibilities of language and the limitless boundaries of these possibilities. In short, there is no-one quite like him.

A 'Spectropop Presentation!'

The Paris Sisters had been recording artists since the start of the 50's, but it wasn't until a very young producer called Phil Spector came along that they had any real success - culminating in the 1961 smash, 'I love how you love me.' The Paris Sisters, for Spector, were very much a Teddy Bears mark II, but their music is an early glimpse into the pioneering production techniques used by him to create his unique sound.

There's no place like home

Powell and Pressburger's inimitable The Red Shoes has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and Charlotte Higgins writing for The Guardian film blog, bears eloquent testimony to this fact in her recently written eulogy. The Red Shoes is arguably The Archers finest collaboration and it is to be hoped that the BFI will syndicate its showing later this year to accompany the DVD/Blu-ray release.

Don't lose this good thing...

This is a slightly less well known track by one of the most underrated songwriters and performers from the early 1960's. Barbara Lynn's songs were recorded by a number of artists - Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones among them - her most famous song being the mercurial 'You'll lose a good thing,' available on this wonderful Jamie records retrospective.

It's not a wheel...

...it's a carousel. The finest television programme , possibly ever, reached the end of its second series last week. Mad Men holds a mirror up to some of the most disquieting and disconcerting aspects of 60's culture and, by inference, our own times. In Don Draper they have created a character that is uniquely intriguing - on one hand, the very definition of respectability, on the other, monstrous - willing to do anything and everything for his own boundless self-gratification - witness the link to the clip here. If you haven't seen the show; and fellow twats should be ashamed of themselves if they've missed it, the first series is available to own now.

We see progress too...

Ian Svevonius remains something of a renaissance man - writer and essayist, uncompromising propagandist, but above all, whacked out and up musicianista. Fans of the mighty Nation of Ulysses will remember his agit-propping from way way back and this latest incarnation confirms his reputation as the king of sass...

Aaron Copland was the quintessential American composer. He incorporated disparate elements and themes inherent in Classical, Jazz and Folk music and wove them into a cohesive whole - and this is what marks him as one of the truly great composers of the twentieth century. He wrote a wide range of music and was equally at ease with both large scale and more modest works - of which this; cleverly synchronised with black and white and colour stock images from the last hundred years, is a typically beautiful piece.

J G Ballard - Obituary

Unquestionably, James Graham Ballard was one of the most important writers of this or any other generation. In the wake of his passing, many writers and other artists have felt compelled to write about him and about his work - more significantly about how his writing influenced and inspired them to take risks with their own art and their own notions about what art is/could be. It will be interesting to see how history records his achievements because, like Philip K Dick, Ballard seemed to have an uncannily prior knowledge of the future - at any rate, its predilections, its obsessions, its preoccupation with irrelevance. It would be easy to dismiss much of what Ballard wrote; especially the earlier magazine work/novels, as genre fiction. This is a mistake and, worse, inexcusably lazy - Ballard's greatest achievement is as an eminently readable novelist supremely in control of his characters and the superbly drawn situations they cannot help finding themselves in. The future is ours, but it was Ballard's first.

Fantastic things begin...

We at Twatbubble towers are huge fans of the genius that is Doris Day. Incredibly, it's 50 years since the release of this wonderful film and it showcases Day's talent for comedy just as much as 'Love me or leave me,' did her dramatic prowess. Doris remains, to this day, the all-time female box office star - a wonderful dancer, a fine actress and one of the most memorable interpreters of the modern song-book - she is, quite simply, magic.

Happy Easter...

Number nine in the award winning series features the greatest Doo Wop recording of all time - and number 31 in esteemed specialist ephemera magazine SandalShine's all time 350 greatest ever things 2.

Your guide to the real world

Yes, you fucking can see Armando Iannucci's 'In the Loop,' from the 17th of April. Yes, you fucking can expect to see some of the best, and, in some cases, unexpected, comedy performances of this or any other year. Yes, you fucking can expect it to be every bit as ambitious and irreverant and incisive as the ambitious and irreverant and still and always incisive The Thick of it. Make a difference to your comedy year and go and see this marvellous film.

Three's not a crowd

Young man with a horn is one of the first bigger budget Hollywood films to look at the world of Jazz music. Directed by Casablanca director Michael Curtiz it features a number of great performances - Lauren Bacall, especially, in a defining role. Kirk Douglas plays the part of the young man with the horn - Bix Beiderbecke (Hoagy Carmichael and, briefly, Louis Armstrong, both feature in the film along with other musicians - Harry James dubbed the musical parts for Douglas.) The film also features Doris Day at her inimitable best.

The way I water walk...

This was stolen from Rachael Wadham's MySpace site It's interesting from many different perspectives not least in the self-serving behaviours of the presenter and his audience.

Pick this up on south of south street...

Kingly Books is a site dedicated to books, film and the graphic arts. A closer look at its archive - and the wealth of material for perusal - will inform and engage both devotees and the casual observer alike. Their fiction imprint, Kingly Reprieve, is to be applauded for re-publishing two classic fiction titles from the early 1930's/40's. Fans of Hard boiled detective fiction will love Sam Fuller's cynical take on the tabloid newspaper industry of his day. It's a thrilling read - reminiscent of Nathanael West's similarly barbed and excoriating 'Miss Lonelyhearts,' its characters, both individually and collectively, exemplify the amorality and, indeed, brutality employed with impunity by those determined to get just one more story...

Moulty...not mouldy...

'Moulty' is a gem from this criminally underappreciated 60's band from the Cape Cod area. Famous for the equally fabulous, 'Are you a boy or are you a girl?' the bands only album is available to enjoy from Amazon

Vs...

Twatbubble is keen to encourage healthy debate on the Arts and, here, are two contrasting opinions; click on the picture link for bookslut.com's opinion, of Martin Page's 2004 novel, 'How I became stupid.' As it says on the cover - and who can argue with La Vie magazine - 'How I...' is indeed an harmonious and surprising mixture of optimism and nihilism. The book is available from Amazon - try it and contend the contention - what if ignorance really is bliss...

Are you there...?

The Bats were one of Flying Nun Record's best bands and it's wonderful to see this old 1985 clip of, unarguably, their finest moment. The Dunedin record label had a number of notable acts on its roster in the 1980's - The Clean and The Chills among them - but it is this song and this band that best exemplifies the labels timeless sound...

Johnny gets his gun...

Soon to be issued in the UK on DVD 'Gun Crazy' is the most memorable collaboration between Joseph H Lewis and Dalton Trumbo and is a must see for anyone interested in the harder end of Noir film. Trumbo was one of the Hollywood 10 - writers and artists who, along with many others, were blacklisted by the very organisations they helped to create - Trumbo, in fact, wrote the screenplay for the movie under a pseudonym while living in Mexico. Joseph H Lewis is rightly regarded for two classic Noir films - this film and 1955's 'The Big Combo.' 'Gun Crazy' contains all the trademarks of the classic Noir genre. It's influence was far and wide and can be most notably observed in Arthur Penn's 'Bonnie and Clyde.' On its own it's a wonderful film and features one of the best bank robbery scenes of the period.

The late, late post

Without a d-oubt, the single greatest music video in the history of greatest music videos. No doub-t.

The Government said it was entertainment....

The Army

I'm not a fighter. I, ah, I have bad reflexes, and I can't fight. I was once run over by a car with a flat tire, being pushed by two guys. And I was not in the army, in case you were wondering. I was in the canine corps. Strange story, when I was young, I wanted a dog, and we had no money, we were very... my father at that time was a caddie at a miniature golf course in Brooklyn, y'know. I couldn't get a dog, 'cause it was too much, and they finally opened up in my neighbourhood, in Flatbush, a damaged pet shop. They sold damaged pets at discount, y'know, you could get a bent pussycat if you wanted, a straight camel, y'know. I got a dog that stuttered. When the cats would give him a hard time, he would go "B-b-b-b-bow wow", y'know. He'd turn all red, y'know. We wanted to send him into the army, but the papers got crossed up, and they got me instead of him. I was in the canine corps for two weeks. Me and eleven dogs was the outfit. Taught me how to heel. Sergent was a little mexican hairless, y'know. I was not in the regular army. I was classified '4P' by the draftboard, we went to war, I'm a hostage. ibras.dk is a marvellous site for Woody Allen fans. Although already established by this time (1964) as one of America's foremost comedy writers and performers, it's still wonderful to read some of his early work. Available from amazon.co.uk

...smoking - not necessarily bad for you...

punk77.co.uk is a great site. The Cigarettes were that very rare thing - a genuine attempt to combine the sensibilities of a number of musical genres - mod, power pop, punk. Their music stands the test of any time and is currently available from detour-records.co.uk

For less than the price of a Can Can...

'The soul of Carmen Miranda' has long been a favourite. Here, accompanied by renowned steel guitarist BJ Cole, is a definitive performance from 1990. John Cale on Desert Island Discs

Lovely thing of the week...

songsfortheyoungatheart.co.uk Featuring music from a number of musical luminaries - ostensibly a site featuring lullabies, stories and just plain magic, listen to Kurt Wagner, Stuart Staples and many more - a surprising and uplifting collection.

Down in the boneyard ten feet deep...

Shirley Jackson is rightly considered one of the greatest exponents of the short story/novel - her work, especially those stories concerned with the occult and paranormal, have exerted an influence far and wide - it is often cited by both Stephen King and Neil Gaiman (among others) as a major inspiration. 'We have always lived in the castle,' her last novel, contains one of the most mesmerising characters - Merricat Blackwood - in recent American fiction. Jackson, and the stories she penned, was quite unique. Initiates to her work should begin with her most celebrated story, 'The Lottery,' which can be readily downloaded from a number of free sites. classicshorts.com

Recent Bronx walk of fame inductees...

The third in a series of critically appraised blog entries features the wonderful larrychanceandtheearls.com

Crystal Stilts - next big good thing...

Just like 1983 all over again - no bad thing...

And finally...

The closing sequence from Terence Davies' elegiac The Long Day Closes, which, after a seemingly interminable wait, was re-released at the end of 2008. Boasting a host of additional features this film is a must see for anyone who loves the movies; British cinema in particular. You will not be disappointed by this evocative, beautifully poetic hymn to childhood.

...A Silver Mt Zion...

.....beautiful piece of music from early (very early!) Constellation release. Buy all their stuff...

...the long gone green grass of home...

After being long out of print it is cause for no small celebration that Penguin have reissued John Christopher's seminal 'The death of grass.' With an introduction written by the novelist and columnist Robert MacFarlane, Christopher's prescient masterwork has echoes in Wyndham's 'The day of the triffids,' written some five years earlier. 'The death of grass,' is not a comfortable read - the questions it asks and the points it raises are peculiarly contemporary, particularly disquieting. It is an exploration of man's morality, inner strength, and his ability, individually and collectively, to triumph against seemingly insurmountable odds. Ultimately, there are cities to be built...

...CONDO FUCKS...

Yo...New album just out from these mighty 90's popsters. Fuckbook is out at the end of March and can be ordered direct from matadorrecords.com So if you want to know what 'The kid with the replaceable head' sounds like then I ADVISE YOU TO CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED WEBSITE...

'The tenants of moonbloom' by Edward Wallant

Book recommendations, recommendations of anything, can be difficult things to write - especially when the writer of such/reader is a fan. Most people would have only a very fleeting acquaintance with the work of Edward Wallant: film fans will perhaps be familiar with the Sydney Lumet picture based on Wallant's earlier novel 'The Pawnbroker.' 

And this is the tragedy.

Edward Lewis Wallant is one of the genuinely great voices in twentieth century fiction; comparable to, in America at least, only Nathanael West - with whom he shares the same concerns and convictions. His most lasting legacy is this incomparable work of the highest art - partly allegorical, it follows the story of the younger brother of Irwin Moonbloom - the owner of a number of run down Manhattan apartment buildings. The book, using the most bewitching of prose styles, describes Norman Moonbloom's partially lived life as he collects rent/back monies from a collection of people society has chosen to forget and who, both individually and collectively, want to involve him in the remnants of their lives. 

It is also one of the truly great American works of comedy fiction with echoes of Vonnegut, Dawn Powell and John Kennedy Toole. Enrich your life and read this book of books.

Rest in Peace - the great Lux Interior in typical pose...

A quick tour of Wikipedia will provide a brief introduction to the incontestable originality that was The Cramps. If you have never heard of them or their music then there are a number of albums to choose from - the music they made was truly unique. What made them more so was their collective ability to perform every song as if was their last. Or your last. Their music harks back to an earlier time - 50's Rockabilly, Surf music of the very late 1950's/early 1960's and Garage Rock popular in North America from the early to late 1960's. The Cramps took these disparate musical influences and, crucially, without descending into pastiche or impression, created something new and exciting, visually and viscerally threatening. The results were, and always will be, inspirational.

...Everybody loves cats...

nameneko.com is a great website. As well as the cats, their creator, Satoru Tsuda, is also directly responsible for Magnanimous Boy, Kan Kan Tomato Club and, crucially, Heysey Tempura Brothers. The viewing of this site should be mandatory for all so WATCH IT...