Tag Archives: Pop culture

Lost In Music: David Bowie – Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Remix)

This is a cut from The Next Day, a remix by James Murphy for DFA featuring the one and only Steve Reich, sampling his ‘Clapping Music’ and a soupcon of Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’. The clown is faded- the hat may be jaunty, but love is lost.It’s at once a jump forward and a lookContinue reading “Lost In Music: David Bowie – Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Remix)”

30 Years Of Baz Luhrmann’s “Star Cross’d Lovers”

As Valentine’s Day doth approacheth, I take a look at the enduring classic, as reimagined by Australian director Baz Luhrmann. I bloody HATED Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet when I first saw it at the cinema in 1996. I felt that transposing the Shakespeare classic to Venice Beach and bringing in nineties slackers in HawaiianContinue reading “30 Years Of Baz Luhrmann’s “Star Cross’d Lovers””

The Lolita Problem

Kidcore; Jenna Ortega as ‘Wednesday’, ‘St Trinians’, ‘Pretty Baby’, Jodie Foster in ‘Taxi Driver ‘, a young Britney Spears, Natalie Portman’s early roles, Kawaii, groupie tales, sexy young models, schoolgirl strippers, Page 3 and of course, the book from which the fetish arose- these are all massive cultural touchstones for many fans of pop culture.Continue reading “The Lolita Problem”

Cat Lovers

In a predominantly dog lovers’ town, I’m a cat person. I glance sideways, but there are few moggy types there, and I’m sitting alone with a group of people who are immune to magical feline charms. I seem to forever be the sore thumb here. Bowie and The Cure sang about them; Angela Carter wroteContinue reading “Cat Lovers”

Overlooked Classic: Broadcast- The Noise Made By People

Label: Warp Records 1 Long Was The Year2 Unchanging Window3 Minus One4 Come On Let’s Go5 Echo’s Answer6 Tower Of Our Tuning7 Papercuts8 You Can Fall9 Look Outside10 Until Then11 City In Progress12 Dead The Long Year http://warp.net/ Broadcast were formed in Birmingham in 1995 by singer Trish Keenan and James Cargill. Both shared a similar aesthetic and love of the esoteric. They quickly developed a huge following,Continue reading “Overlooked Classic: Broadcast- The Noise Made By People”

*Film Review : Melania

This radical, wholly impartial new documentary from Brett Ratner and Amazon follows the thrilling upward trajectory of one Melania Knauss Trump, as she finally finds her feet on the global stage. Melania is now her own unique brand. She’s right up there with Beyonce, Madonna, Oprah and … yes, possibly, even God. Melania is everyContinue reading “*Film Review : Melania”

Film Review: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate’s mockumentary is one of the most lovely family films I’ve ever seen. In the hands of Disney, it probably would have been a treacly exercise in trite sentimentality, but leave it to independent filmmakers to create something pithy, poignant and rather beautiful. Marcel (adorably voiced by Slate) is indeedContinue reading “Film Review: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On”

Young

And just like that, I’m catapulted back in time, back into the mid-nineties. Social media means phoning your friends to talk about films, clubbing is still the preferred choice of our weekends, and we can handle drinking culture and the occasional pill or spliff. Pulp, Bjork and Husker Du ring out on the dancefloor. It’sContinue reading “Young”

Bad Cover Versions: The Damned- See Emily Play

Oh… Dear. The Damned have always been a huge source of joy and affection for me, as they were the first live band I ever saw, back in their ‘Phantasmagoria’ era. They were great, even though they were already past their best by then. And I love the original version of this by Pink Floyd,Continue reading “Bad Cover Versions: The Damned- See Emily Play”