July 2017.
Podcasts. I can't get enough of them. Actually, I've slightly gone off WTF with Marc Maron; he just went on and on about the tv show he was in (Glow) and the whole thing seems lazy and self-serving (disclaimer in the name of positive vibes...he's still brilliant; I am just taking a break). Having said this his interview with Al Gore is worth a listen; the startling fact that the sun provides more energy per day than the globe uses in a year is mind bogglingly encouraging. The High Low with Dolly Atherton and Pandora Sykes is great https://twitter.com/thehighlowshow?lang=en I am not sure it's aimed at old blokes like me but I like it. If you have Audible you can listen to Jon Ronson's latest masterpiece The Butterfly Effect. If you don't have Audible you'll have to wait until November when it'll be on iTunes http://www.jonronson.com/butterfly.html Scroobius Pip's Distraction Pieces is good http://www.jonronson.com/butterfly.html as is Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History http://revisionisthistory.com/about
I have been suffering from reader's block. It's annoying; I have been really struggling to get into books. I wonder if a hectic few months has done my brain in in some way. I haven't been entirely without books, though. I have read Richard Ford's Between Them and been really moved by it. I think Ford is one of the great American authors and this short, elegant book is wonderful. Anna Pavord's Landskipping is great too. And I listened to Mike Skinner read his Story of the Streets -mainly in the car on a long hike- and loved it. I am a massive fan of Mr Skinner and he writes like he raps like he speaks; with real wit and elegance. Actually, now I think of it, I loved David Hepworth's Uncommon People; the Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars. Hepworth writes beautifully and very accessibly about the great rock stars of 1955 to 1995 and his central thesis that 'they don't make them like they used to' rings pretty true. And if you want a simple, clever and light crime read I'd recommend Elisabeth Day's The Party. It's compared to The Talented Mr Ripley in the sleeve notes, which is a good guide to what you'll get.
I had an amazing weekend at the DO Lectures in West Wales. It's here http://www.thedolectures.com/ I was incredibly excited to be asked to talk this year. My highlight was Dominic Wilcox's talk http://dominicwilcox.com/portfolio/inventors-project/ But I really just enjoyed everything about the weekend; amazing food, open and friendly company, a very lovely, low-key location. The founders, David and Clare Hieatt inspire amazing devotion and I understand why. If you can afford it, I recommend it highly. Obviously, I didn't pay but I would do, happily.
We have been down memory lane as far as music goes. First we saw Radiohead play an amazing set in Manchester. It's 20 years since OK Computer was released. And then -perhaps less credibly- we saw an astonishing show by U2 in London. They were celebrating 30 years since The Joshua Tree. We hadn't seen them since that original tour but this was brilliant; I can see why they remain one of the highest grossing live acts in the world. They may not make great records any more, but they have truly mastered the stadium show. Sticking with stadium bands, the first four songs from the next Arcade Fire album bode well; you can feel the influence of James Murphy in what they're doing and that, to my mind, is a good thing. Have you heard Chronixx? If you like reggae Chronology will be right up your street. Declan Mckenna is being hailed as the voice of a generation. I don't know about that; he may be a voice.... but there are some really good modern lo fi folk songs on What Do You Think About The Car? And one of the album's best songs, Brazil, is about corruption in football; what's not to like? I don't know...maybe he's the Ed Sheeran it's okay for indie kids to like. If the idea of violin driven R and B/Rap sounds worth investigating, have a listen to Sudan Archives. I think Come Meh Way is pretty good. Grizzly Bear are back http://grizzly-bear.net/ I really like this; it sounds more accessible than some of their work, which is no bad thing. Belle and Sebastian sound like the Pet Shop Boys here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuyiXzpXUYE&feature=youtu.be The Horrors are sounding more late '70s/early '80s than ever here http://www.thehorrors.co.uk/ I think Tricky's new record is great...he's back to his best. I hope someone is still listening http://www.trickysite.com/