Richard B Brookes

Dear Boss.
I'm sorry I can't come to work today, but I'm stuck to my chair.
It's been 11 hours now, I thought it would have worn off after a bit of sleep, but no joy. Damn that Derren Brown, he's such a clever cad.
Lots of love,
Captain Wow.

YES

This film looks like Constantine meets the Apocalypse. It excites me terribly.



I'll post up about Rebellion fest soon.

BRB Blackpool.

I am more excited than anything to see Frank Sidebottom.
You know I am, I really am.

Now that I'm a graduate and all that, I seem to treat all my graces with physical sciences with sheer vehemency- by which I mean, after five years of university, I want to get as far away from science and maths and all that as possible.

I've taken it upon myself to start writing like some sort of writing dervish, hammering out page after page of random nonsence for a number of different people. I think I'm just so grateful to all my media-minded friends for being so trusting in my approach to script writing for ears and screen. Anyway, at the moment, I'm doing stuff for my most celebrated of majordomos, Faldor (who tells me that I'll be on imdb soon, I don't believe him), in the way of a sci-fi romance piece about small-ads and stargazing; some Doctor Who stuff for the utterly lovely Luke Pietnik, and also helping the similarly lovely Robert Ritchie work on a new project (which involves input from Daryl Joyce, who in my mind, is one heck of an artist).

Anyway, today, I discovered that my old website which I took offline a few months back, is still, insanely, gathering upwards of 1000 hits a day. Terrifying. So I'm planning on re-writing most of the content on a number of the micro-sites, doing a few redesigns, add some sort of design blog and twitter channel (because apparently those are the big bananas these days) and finally get around to making an online portfolio. Also, seeing as I'm embarrasingly embracing my inner child (not in a paedo way) in embracing my love for Doctor Who again recently, I'm creating a resource site for all the teeny fan film creators, because I reckon they might get taken more seriously if they stopped filming in their back gardens and started using vaguely professional level effects (and hopefully, it'll mean I don't have to reply to as many emails asking me to send them stuff).

Anyway, yeah, I'm off to bed.

Well, wasn't that the most genuinely unsettling piece of modern sci-fi. It was also really, really good.

Over the course of the serial, I couldn't help but be intregued by Frobisher. In the first episode, I had a feeling that Frobisher would probably die for being a bit of a cock, but by episode two, it became obvious that Frobisher was just being set up as a scapegoat for the PM, and then, we grow to warm to him as a family man, and feel sorry for the way he's being utterly dicked on by the PM. Then he [DOES THAT THING HE DOES IN THE LAST EPISODE].

Fucking hell.

Unsettling.

Also really, really good.

Despite toning down a little bit in favour of a bit of mellow espionage and Jack-based rescue in episode 2, the 5 day super excellent amazing epic of Children of Earth is going from YES to FUCKING YES.
The political intregue is fucking yes, the characters are fucking yes, the alien intregue is fucking hell yes.

It's cool beans of the most excellent variety, and probably one of the best Doctor Who serials I've seen for ages, especially seeing as the ever threatening 456 manage to capture the genuine menace that Doctor Who serials rarely touch on (with the two best recent examples being The Impossible Planet-which was terribly let down by the Satan Pit- and Midnight). Heres hoping that Russell T Davies and Co manage to be consistent with the standard of writing, or, heaven forbid, ramp it up even more.

So, I'm in a bit of a Bond mood today, having just watched Casino Royale, and tried to get past the intro sequence of Quantum of Solace (if it weren't for that dreadful intro song, I might enjoy the film a bit more).

Anyway, I was reading the wikipedia article, and found this bit in the segment on his persona:

"Bond's prowess as a lover is well-established in the films. There are numerous double-entendres in the series referring to the size and potency of Bond's penis..."

I refuse to believe that I am the only person in the world who titters at the use of the word "potency" when used to describe a penis.

Also, I've signed on, which was much more pleasant than i'd hoped, and applied for a job as a typist and a job as a *ahem* Web Adminstrator. I have an interview on tuesday regarding a potential MRes next year and am considering going into teaching after my tutor suggested that I apply for a PGCE. Other than that, I'm going to hibernate for the weekend and probably write something.

I am now Richard B Brookes BEng. I have reached a satisfactory amount of B's in my initials.

So, despite being predicted a 69 in my Final Year Project, and with marks making it otherwise entirely unable to get anything worse than a 2:2, I leave university with a 3rd.

Arguments why getting a third isn't terrible:
Carol Vorderman got a third.
At least I didn't get a fail, or just a pass.

Arguments why getting a third is the worst thing that's ever happened to me:
I worked my ass off on my Final Year Project, so I have no idea how it could have slipped far enough for me to get a third.
I similarly revised my ass off in my exams- I got to the point that I got so tired my that brain started remembering things to near photographic levels, where I'd just stare at a piece of paper with pertinent facts relating to different types of- lets say, for example- Bioceramics, and be able to recall everything on the entire page out within 2 minutes of studying it. As a result, I came out of my exams feeling excellent, I was only worried that I'd end up with a 2:2, thinking "If I get a 2:2, I'll be a bit depressed".
I might as well get a job at Tesco and stay there for the rest of my life.

I feel disgusting right now. I've just spent the last year sleeping on someone elses settee, losing sleep and busting a gut for the fear that I'd only achieve a 2:2 and I didn't even manage that. I don't want to graduate for the fear that I'll have to stand and listen to my lecturers tell my parents that if I'd only pushed myself just that little bit harder I'd have done better, to which I feel the only proper response right now is to run away crying.

So I saw Star Trek at last- MAN, I LOVED IT, ALL THE LENS FLARES, OH JESUS, I LOVE LENS FLARE SO MUCH. Also the rest of it was good too, I laughed my tits off when young Kirk sticks the Beastie Boys on, 10/10.

I recently got locked into a house with several other people for a period of time, and was forced to evict them all out and such, like some sort of Orwellian nightmare. I didn't win, but I'll tell you more about it later.

Remember how we were all "Oh man! America! What are you doing electing the republicans in? That's totally whack, yo!" a few years back?

Well, now the world can look at us and condemn us- because England has just managed to elect TWO nationalist (read: extremists, fascists, homophobes, racists, national front members, nazis) BNP candidates into the EU Parliament.

The BNP garnered votes from 7% of the overall vote, and the two seats now give them both credibility and an income from the EU Parliament (to fuel propaganda).

I ask everyone reading this to please, please sign this petition, Not in my name to show that you, and everyone doesn't believe they represent Britain.

EU Election Results start coming in in under 10 minutes.

Fingers crossed.

Weds, Manchester, Andrew Bird gig.

- Met Mike Lewis, who was lovely and chatty.
- Andrew came out a bit later, he was shy. He also stole Jemma's pen, which was once handled by Morrisey, IT WAS A PALAVA.
- Met Dosh and Jeremy afterwards, invited them for drinks.
- Walked to bar with Dosh, Jeremy and Mike whilst singing "I'm on a Boat" and discussing UK drug laws and abbreviations.
- Met Andrew again in the bar, Jemma asked for her pen back, Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out four identical sharpies, I lolled, Jemma asked if she could have them all, he said no, I lolled again.
- Bought drinks for Dosh, Mike, Jeremy, Jemma, Jemma's friend and myself. Began to feel poor.
- Dosh is wasted. I mean, really wasted. He's eating a Kebab.
- Jemma and Jemma's friend started chatting with the guitarist from the support band. Chemistry between him and Jemma's friend? Probs.
- Bought more drinks for Jemma and Jemma's friend. The bar lady (nice dreads) asked if I was okay, this is probably because I had a ridiculously confused expression on my face, I was still a bit shocked that half an hour ago I was singing "I'm on a Boat" with Andrew Bird's band.
- Andrew is now outside eating a kebab. What the hell. He gets kicked out the bar for eating it inside. I feel a bit sorry for his shy face, I get him a Tetleys.
- Jeremy gets us drinks, and we start having a natter about him and Dosh's families back in Miniapolis. How is it you prounounce Naoise?
- Andrew's manager starts having a natter to me about what I like about his music. I start talking to her about recycling and tell her that I'll be her bitch on the next tour and do whatever she wants.
- It's the end of the night, we say our goodbyes, and before we go, priase Mike on his t-shirt:


I return home with a new CD, "Fitz and the Dizzyspells EP" which is fab. And I get my copy of The Lost Take (which Dosh claims is his favorite album, I told him it was mine, it was a lovely moment) signed by all the members of the band. And I got some badges (which I've now given all away).

Anyway, enough of this guff, I need to go and revise like a bastard.

Last night, I got wasted with Andrew Bird's band.

I'll blog more about it later, when I get back home and i'm not on James's computer.

My final year project will be nothing but a memory, clouded in 44 minutes worth of alcohol.
I actually can't wait, I'm tremendously excited, yet I have a strange feeling said 22 hours may be the most intense ever, and that the party which will occur afterwards may also be similarly intense. Hmm.

Here is a video of people getting punched in the face before they can eat food, also zombies:

Oh hell.

Reasons why i'm a 3 year old girl:
( Read more... )

I wasn't a fan of the epilogue, it made the subtle references the show was excellent at building up too obtuse. But other than that, fucking wow. The most satisfying ending to anything I've ever seen, read or listened to.
I can't recommend it enough, everyone needs to watch Battlestar Galactica just so they can enjoy the ups, downs, the incredible music, the genuinely brilliant characters, the gorgeous visuals and the wonderful ending as much as I did.

So today, to celebrate Pancake day, I've had a sandwich, and helped Greg organise Rocky Horror night.

I've been handed a dildo, been flogged and forced to wear a dog collar in front of a hundred or so people, but I won chocolate, so it balanaces out really, I hope. There are pictures, I hope to god that my mum doesn't see them.

Obligatory "Holy Shit, fuck yeah, Blink 182 are back" joygasm.

Between this, Green Day's new album getting unveiled, seeing the King Blues last night, Reel Big Fish on Friday, and Fandangle/Spunge playing together next month, the inner punk in me is spinning around like some sort of manic 3 year old who has had too many creme eggs.

King Blues last night- man, for a free gig, it was EXCELLENT, the ska band who opened the night (Tempting Rosie) pure stank of the musical talent and drive that I wish I had when I was a 16 year old listening to my Madness compilation and my Specials cassettes; ignoring the emo-looking frontman, they were fucking cool as fuck, they did a bang up cover of Message to you Rudy and they were also in posession of one of those really irritatingly talented guitarists who can do pretty much everything all at once, and are also like, 5 years younger than me, grr.
The straight-punk band who followed them were just, urgh, the guitarist in that was a bit of a joke, lacking pretty much any drive to do anything but play straight chords, the front-woman, who did little more than shake a tambourine (and struggle to keep her boobs in her tiny top) looked like she was about to cry, and I wouldn't have blamed her if she did. Man, that sounded scathing I will say this though, the bassist did have a lot of energy, and his basslines were pretty cool, it's just a shame that most of it was drowned out by the guitarist moaning about 'the pigs' in one of his many ineloquent, repetetive and frustratingly legnthy songs.
The King Blues were just brilliant. Bless them <3

That is all. Love, Richie B.
x

So my copy of Andrew Bird's new album, Noble Beast came through the post on Monday! Sadly, I've been as busy as hell at uni, and hadn't had the chance to come home to look at it. But I did on Friday night, and since then, I've listened to nothing else (except some Mingus this morning).

So anyway, here's my thoughts.

Oh No, started off the album well, but perhaps wasn't as strong of an opening track as ~ or Fiery Crash. But it sets a good tone for the album, gone is the rockier tone that opened Armchair Apocrapha, replaced with a more subtle acoustic vibe which has a bit more in common with Myserious Production of Eggs. Anyway, it's probably because I've been able to listen to Oh No for the last 4 months and that new-ness has worn off, but it's a bit of a meh-track.

Masterswarm, well, once you get past the Nick Drake-esque opening, this is easily one of the grooviest tracks on the album, the wonderful percussion track (which reeks of Dosh-brand originality) and the subtly swinging latin beat really made this song work. The lyrics are also some of the best on the album, and definately the most memorable- "So they took me to the hospital, put my body through a scan. What they saw there would impress them all, for inside me grows a man. He speaks with perfect diction, as he orders my eviction, as he acts with more conviction, than I- I- I." The break-down ending also came as a bit of a surprise, and again, sets a theme which turns up later on in the album, Andrew's music doesn't tend to fade out or switch off after the last syllable anymore, they often turn into something entirely new before closing.

Fitz and the Dizzyspells. I really wanted to like this song after I first heard the pizz pattern that opened it, but sadly, this is just Dark Matter with the bridge put in a different place and re-worked to sound a bit more mainstream. I really like the chorus, "So Soldier on, Soldier on!", but other than that, I really feel a bit let down by this one.

Effigy starts off with a classical sounding piece reminiscent of The Supine from Armchair Apocrapha, which dissapears entirely and turns into a pretty straightforward folk song with some lilting jigs from the violin.

Tenuousness is nothing special, but I really love it.

Nomenclature is a bit like Tenuousness, a pretty straight folk-rock song, also really love it, especially the excellent first chorus, "Nomenclature's washing away Bowwwwwww~ Washing away." and then the heavy beats which hit in the second chorus, also excellent.

Ouo, is the first instrumental song on the album, and doesn't really do much safe for setting up the scene for the electronic meloncholly to follow.

Not a Robot, but a Ghost is the Dosh track. Compared to Simple Exercises which sank pretty nicely into Armchair Apocrapha's Alt-Folk-Rock sensibilities, this is a different kettle of fish, it's got some pretty heavily electronic sounding bits, making it the Heavy Folktronica song on an album of Light Folk Rock. Anyway, it really breaks the flow of the record, but BY GOD IT'S SO FUNKY.

Unfolding Fans is the second instrumental song on the album, and I can only describe it as "The song which I ram my headphones into my ears on so I can hear as many little details in it as possible." Beautiful.

Anonanimal is the best song on the album. Bar none. It's just utterly brilliant, the lyrics are simple and beautiful, the sharp pizz patterns patter rhythmically against the soft arcing violin lines, until half way through the song stops and suddenly changes, into a section with a totally crazy tempo where Andrew sings "Don't tell me this one, I know this one" before the original song crashes back in with rocky electric guitars blazing. This song is everything good about Andrew's music, inventive, evolving, surprising, and just utterly wonderful.

Natural Disaster throws us back into the straight folk-rock territory for the last 3 songs, it's not really one of my favorite songs, because I feel that the lyrics are a bit cumbersome, but the general tone of the song is very moving, it makes me want to give the person closest to me a big hug.

The Privateers (previously known as The Confession) is a really, really good song. I was really surprised, because I really didn't like how this song sounded live, but on the record, it's just so good. It sounds similar to Andrew's version of the Giant of Illinois, which, if you're familiar with, is a good thing. The song builds up into a wonderfully rocky crescendo, before finishing with a funky folky bassline which fades out.

Souverian is my second favorite song on the album, it's got elements which'll remind you of Spare-Ohs and Sythian Empires, it's got elements which'll remind you of Tables and Chairs and the Happy Birthday Song, it's just generally one of those really good, intimite songs which Andrew always ends his records with in a sort of 'save the best 'til last' fashion. The song seems to end about five minutes in, only to be replaced by a more lilting ballad, before the song ends in swathes of electronic noise.

The album ends with "On Ho", which is a really simple short instrumental song. It's really sweet. I thought i'd heard this somewhere before, and it turns out, that Andrew occasioanlly uses this song in his live performances of Nervous Tic Motion.

Anyway! That's Noble Beast! A really good album, and a return to form of the Mysterious Production of Eggs days, it's a much better and more consistent album than Armchair Apocrapha, but it lacks some of the stand-out excellent songs that Armchairs flaunted (Imitosis, Plasticities, Darkmatter, Spare-Ohs, and the live performances of Fiery Crash).


I also have Useless Creatures! I'll write a little bit about that when I can think of more to say than "Useless Creatures is really disappointing."

My head and face is blue, and my hair stinks of dangerous chemicals.
IT'S HAIR COLOURING TIEM.

RESULTS TO FOLLOW.