Martin Simpson - Live

St. Mary's Church, Twyford

13 April, 2024

I have to admit, folk doesn't usually do much for me. As music, it's rarely interesting or exciting enough to keep me listening for long, and as for the words - well, lyrics aren't really my thing and in any case, the subject matter of folk songs is rarely something that I find engaging. But when a friend mentioned this concert, it seemed like a good opportunity to re-examine my prejudices and, at the very least, see one of Britain's most accomplished and legendary acoustic guitarists, in a beautiful, atmospheric venue only ten minutes from my house.

A fine specimen

Well, I'm afraid I'm no more enthusiastic about folk music afterwards, but it says something that when the gig ended, I was impressed to find that almost two-and-a-half hours had passed. Martin Simpson is an amazing guitarist and a seasoned pro who can easily keep an audience entertained with stories between songs, and the time only started dragging right at the end. Simpson's playing on his gorgeous Taran Tirga Mhor fan-fret acoustic was stellar, and the sound in the church was wonderful: clear and balanced and just the right volume.

I was surprised that there weren't any instrumentals, as I think it would have varied the pacing and dynamics of the set (and my companions at the gig confirmed that he usually features two or three). I wasn't surprised at the political opinions: Simpson is predictably left wing and got a few predictable cheers from predictable comments. I'm broadly sympathetic to such positions but I feel that these sound-bites cheapen the discussion and are out of place - yes, even at a gig like this, which might contain protest songs. Thankfully there wasn't much of it.

Overall, I'm pleased I got to see such a distinguished guitarist in the flesh, as I'm unlikely to do so again and certainly not so conveniently!

Reading - March 2024

An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain by John O'Farrell (2009)

A concise and surprisingly effective primer to the last 60 (ish) years. As befits the author of Things Can Only Get Better, this is broadly more sympathetic to the centre-left, politically, but doesn't spare the Labour governments either. In between the jokes, there's a lot of actual history being conveyed. Very entertaining, if - as per the title - a little exasperating when you look back at the opportunities missed. But, as I mentioned in my review of Stewart Maconie's superb The Nanny State Made Me, the people get what the people vote for.

Totally Wired: The Rise and Fall of the Music Press by Paul Gorman (2023)

In which an interesting subject is made tedious and dull. I think Gorman's attempts to be comprehensive have completely hamstrung any sense of a real story - indeed, the "fall" is covered in a mere handful of pages - and instead we get an unfocussed ramble through myriad minor titles and names. I managed to finish it with a last final push over a few hours but blimey it was hard work. One for the charity shop.

Stompbox created by Eilon Paz; edited by Dan Epstein and James Rotundi (2021)

I love playing with effect pedals and find the subject really interesting. But the ostensible raison d'être of Stompbox - 100 of the "greatest guitarists" discuss their favourite pedal, accompanied by a photo of said item - occupies less than half of this book. The rest is a collection of articles that are mildly interesting but don't add anything new to the subject. I feel that anyone sufficiently interested in pedals to want to read the first half of the book will already know all the information in the latter half. A much slimmer volume that just had the players and their pedals would have been much better, although presumably couldn't warrant the same price. It also has to be said that although there are some genuine greats amongst the players included, there are some choices clearly only here to make up the numbers. So was it worth it? Well ... not really. It's an interesting diversion but ultimately this book is not worth the expensive, luxurious and ostentatiously heavy coffee table treatment.

Love Again (originally Text for You) by Sofie Cramer (2009)

I read this after watching the film and while it's the same basic plot - man gets texts on his new phone number from a woman writing to her dead boyfriend - the overall feel is very different. While the film is a slightly tongue-in-cheek romcom about finding new love, the book is a more serious examination of the grieving process - a romance still, but one with a bit more depth. Despite that, I found it a little unengaging. Perhaps it's because it's been translated from the original German (SMS für Dich), perhaps because it feels like there are missing scenes; one recurring feature of the narrative is to describe how a main character feels about something that happened earlier, "off camera", as it were, rather than actually including the scene itself. The big emotional break up then reconciliation is curiously muted too. And there's no Céline Dion!

Fingers Crossed by Miki Berenyi (2022)

I always look for good reviews on a book cover as I've learned that if no-one has anything nice to say about it, there's probably a reason. However, Fingers Crossed comes with so many laudatory quotes from both heavyweight publications and reliable insiders, both on the cover (front and back) as well as inside, that it's a bit intimidating. What if I don't like it? Thankfully, this is not a problem here. Miki Berenyi writes fluently, with admirable clarity, and dispassionately lays out the facts of her life leading up to and during her time with her band, Lush. It's not an ordinary story by any means. The stories from her childhood are saddening but provide a necessary context for her life later, while her insights into the sexism and exploitation at the heart of the music industry at the time (and almost certainly still) are not revelations but no less disheartening for all that. And yet throughout she comes across as well-balanced - helped, dare I say, by a quarter of a century's perspective and the grounding of a subsequent normal life and family. It's a really good read and I don't think you'd have to be a fan of Lush to enjoy it. I'm happy to know she's OK. And finally, a very, very slight personal connection: me and my friend Pat once had a beer in the World's End in Camden with Chris Acland, Lush's drummer. He was lovely and bought us chips, which, given that he was probably more broke than we were, was a nice thing to do.

Notting Hill by Richard Curtis (1999)

I've kept this for 25 years primarily because Hugh Grant's afterword is so funny, and because some of the deleted scenes are interesting. I read it this time to complement the film.

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest (2023)

Enjoyable contemporary romance, readable and believable.

Watching - March 2024

Finding Dory (2016)

A slightly lowest common denominator choice of family movie time on a Saturday evening (I think we got Google to choose a random letter and then this was the only film we could all agree on), but everyone enjoyed it, there's lots going on and the animation is, as always, incredible. Probably wouldn't feature on anyone's list of favourite Pixar films (it is, after all, a sequel) but still fine.

Love Again (2023)

This romcom is either cheesy or tongue-in-cheek - or perhaps both. It was primarily made in London and features mostly British actors (albeit nearly all doing US accents), which makes me hope that it's the latter, because if it's serious then it misses the mark. That said, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is very good and the fact that one scene features her husband Nick Jonas in a cameo as a vain, hookup-obsessed bro is also a little sign that maybe it's not taking itself too seriously. Factor in the entertaining supporting cast, and, despite a somewhat predictable plot, I found myself laughing a lot more than perhaps it deserved - enough that I can even forgive it featuring Céline Dion (who in fairness seems entirely in on the joke and well up for gently mocking herself ... probably).

Fast & Furious (2009)

Obviously, ludicrously excessive, but surely that's the point. Vin Diesel broods nicely; presumably he's contractually forbidden from smiling, or maybe it just doesn't suit him. The cars charge around excitingly; there are noticeably more US models this time, mostly 70s muscle cars, improbably capable of keeping up with modern Japanese hot-rods. And there are scantily clad women randomly dotted around; the producers know their market! The plot's not terrible, the acting's OK and there is real suspense even though obviously everything is going to work out. Brainless fun for the fifteen year old in me.

Dash & Lily (2020)

Having enjoyed the book, I started the series a bit before Christmas but haven't finished until now - which, given that it is very much seasonally-themed, makes it a bit odd now it's spring. The plot device is the same, of course, but the series doesn't follow the book much at all - but that doesn't detract from the overall sweet feel. What does, though, is the fact that the two main actors are clearly in their mid-to-late twenties, playing seventeen year-olds. Still cute and watchable though. (side note: the second thing I've watched this month to feature Nick Jonas in a cameo. What are the odds?)

Notting Hill (1999)

I love this film - I've seen it many, many times, first in the cinema of course (although I have no recollection of this), then on VHS, then on DVD and now streaming - but that's despite its many flaws. Mostly, it's the loose ends that annoy me. Why does Tony crop up occasionally for no reason? How come Honey and Spike suddenly end up together? What's Martin's story? Why does Bella suddenly mention that she and Max can't have children? I have the book of the script (which includes a hilarious afterword from Hugh Grant) and these are all explained (apart from the really weird thing with Honey and Spike) by the deleted scenes that are included; it's all background that was cut, for time, pacing or other reasons. So the question is: what the fuck is it still doing in the finished film? Even the author admits that Bella's admission "does rather leap out of nowhere". Oh well. It's still a modern fairy tale, as Curtis describes it - or, more accurately, a modern, male fantasy.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Hard to believe this film's almost thirty years old! Because of its setting, it doesn't date in the same way that, say, Notting Hill does, and of course it's brilliantly made. There's a few minor changes in the name of fitting everything in just over two hours, but I've read Jim Lovell's book Lost Moon and this is pretty close. A classic.

Baby Driver (2017)

I don't follow film news or pay much attention to what's out, so I only learned about Baby Driver about a year after it came out, while reading an old Empire magazine at the doctors. I think the fact that it is directed by Edgar Wright is what really grabbed my interest, otherwise I'm not sure I would have been bothered about a fairly standard heist movie. It's gripping though, particularly the first two-thirds or so, and the music is wound into the action very nicely. The overall ending is a bit anti-climactic, although it's nice to see Baby (Ansel Elgort, very good) and Debora (the divine Lily James) meet up again at the very end.

Barbie (2023)

The concept of mixing a fluffy Hollywood comedy with a feminist polemic must have been a hard sell but it's a winning combination. The points about the unrealistic expectations imposed on women and the role of patriarchal institutions in upholding that are a bit sledgehammer but obviously needed. What's surprising is the way that Mattel have allowed Barbie, and themselves, to be identified as culpable for this. Anyway, there's reams and reams of commentary available online if you want better informed opinions. I thought it was lots of fun and very, very clever, albeit slightly uncomfortable watching while sitting in the same room as my teenage daughter shouting "that's right, that's what all men do!" (I've tried telling her that she doesn't understand what "mansplaining" actually means but she won't listen for some reason.)

Watching - February 2024

WALL·E (2008)

Such a sweet film. I'm sure there are many references for film buffs that I won't pick up, but even so the ability to produce a story about two robots falling in love is just so impressive, and WALL-E him(?)self is such lovely character.

Rocketman (2019)

Obviously not intended as a biography, exactly, nor not one either - a very broad brush interpretation of Elton John's life that aims at the truth in a wider sense. As a result, while very entertaining and setting the songs very well, it feels a bit scattered. possibly because it's a real life rather than a story with a beginning, middle and end. Full marks for including all the more controversial elements of his life though, and credit to Taron Egerton for a superb performance.

Love at First Sight (2023)

I thought K would like this, and so I finally got her to sit down and watch it - and she (perhaps slightly reluctantly) admitted she did enjoy it.

Doc Hollywood (1991)

Yeah, I've watched it too many times, but it's still worth it for the scene where Lou and Ben dance to  Patsy Cline's "Crazy", never quite kissing. One of my favourite movie moments.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

I've been curious to know what it is about this film that has managed to generate nine sequels (so far), but my interest was finally really piqued when an episode of Inside Cinema (a great series of short films by the BBC about, well, cinema) mentioned that it was essentially Point Break, but with cars. Well, I like Point Break so that settled it. It was inspired by an article about street racing in New York, but moved to the west coast, and I can see the appeal: fast cars, a soundtrack that I'm pretty certain we'd call "bangin'" and plenty of babes in bikinis. What's not to like if you're a teenage boy? Ultimately though, there's not that much to it, but Vin Diesel is surprisingly good (even if he's no Patrick Swayze) and some of the car chases are fun.

Speed (1994)

A classic thriller that somehow I have managed never to have seen before. Deeply implausible, of course, but that's kind of the point - it's solidly in the vein of Die Hard and that sort of thing. Keanu does his Keanu thing and Sandra Bullock does well in a role that basically requires her to look scared most of the time. 

Forces of Nature (1999)

Largely forgettable travel/buddy movie. Some funny moments, but didn't seem to be quite sure what sort of film it was. (Roger Ebert's review is spot on, btw)

Cool Runnings (1993)

This is such a feel-good story and so it's a bit of a disappointment to learn that it is really only loosely based on the real events. I was more surprised to find that all the actors were American. Still, none of this really spoils what's a classic family film and one that everyone should watch (although my kids, in what is apparently now a family "joke", refuse to watch it on the grounds that I keep telling them they would enjoy it. Ha. Ha. Ha.)

Ready Player One (2018)

I was blown away by this in the cinema, in 3D and it saddens me a bit that I'm unlikely to see it like that again. Nevertheless, it's a good film. I miss the detail and background that you get with the book though, and some of the more Hollywood moments are, well, a bit lame.

Long Story Short (2021)

An obvious, slap-you-round-the-face moral and Rafe Spall apparently attempting to impersonate David Brent at times, still didn't stop me enjoying this simple time-travel(ish) story about making the most of your life. Perhaps there's something for us all to learn from that (he says, having just spent the evening watching a low budget Australian romcom).

Animal House (1978)

I watched this because I hadn't seen it in a long time and my subscription to Sky Cinema runs out in few days. Amusing in places, silly in more, and an interesting example of how a film that breaks boundaries (as I believe it did) can end up looking a bit pedestrian with the passage of time.

One Day (2024)

Sometimes more is not more.

Plus One (2019)

A little bit romcom by numbers but watchable and nice at the end.

Moana (2016)

Family singalong fun.

Reading - February 2024

The Truth by Terry Pratchett (2000)

My first Discworld book in nearly a year! I think I might be more than half way now. Anyway, this is a satire of the press and, if I remember Terry's back story correctly, more personally informed than most. There's some of the usual trenchant observations and pointed comments, along with a plot that is pretty standard Pratchett fare.

One Day (2024)

Sometimes more is not more

Comparing this new adaptation with the 2011 film is a fascinating example of why, so often, less is more. The temptation to make it a series is obvious: all those great scenes from the novel could be included, there's more time for deep background on the characters, and the very deliberate episodic nature of the novel would seem tailor-made for adaptation to a series. Unfortunately, more time to fill doesn't mean that the story is improved. While the book can explain the characters' inner motives and feelings (even those they don't themselves understand), and the film has to imply them to save time (the first two years occupy less than ten minutes on screen), the series can't have the characters explain why they are acting the way they are, but can't get away with leaving those scenes out.

In the original book (and film, come to that), it was clear that, despite their differences, Emma and Dexter actually liked each other from the beginning. In this version, it's barely implied, let alone demonstrated. Dexter is a charmless, arrogant arse and there's no sense of why anyone, let alone an intelligent woman like Emma, would put up with him for more than about ten minutes. We don't see any times when they enjoyed each other's company because it seems only bad things happened on 15 July in their lives - but we see too much of those, and so without the good times shown, it becomes somewhat unbalanced.

I persevered because I really enjoyed the book (and the film too) and was willing this to improve, but here, the material has been stretched too thinly across too many episodes and I gave up just over half way through. I know that eventually (spoiler alert) they do get together, and that the appeal for many will be the building anticipation, but it needs more than the knowledge that this will happen in episode 12 or whatever to keep me interested. It also reminded me why I don't like series - they take too much time and, in this case, it was too dramatic for my tastes, for not enough emotional return.

Reading - January 2024

Quite by Claudia Winkleman (2020)

I think Claudia Winkleman is a great presenter - natural, funny and intelligent. She's developed a very distinctive style, and that style is carried through into this book - I can just hear her saying exactly what's written here. However, it doesn't translate perfectly to the medium of a book. While on TV and radio we tend to get small snippets of her, in Quite we get a lot, all at once, which turns out, unfortunately, to be a bit too much. I think the book might be designed to be read in small bursts. Still, entertaining and amusing and clearly not intended to be taken too seriously (apart from the bits that are).

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon (2016)

I've been badgering K to watch The Map of Tiny Perfect Things and Love at First Sight (both of which she'd love, I'm sure) and so she said she would if I read this first. Well, I've fulfilled my side of the bargain (although I'm not convinced she will hers, as she seems to regard it as a point of pride not to do something if I have asked her to ... teenagers!) and happy to have done so. The book covers less than 24 hours in which our two lovers meet and fall in love - classic YA material, and so really not aimed at me. I'm too old to fully immerse myself in the belief that you can meet and connect so fully and so quickly with someone and know it's "meant to be" - but then again, I'm not so old that I can't remember that urgency, of feeling like it should be possible. As a result, I can totally understand the appeal of the book while not being quite swept along with it. I enjoyed it though, and I liked the way Yoon managed to combine the requisite doomed love angle with a nice little happy ending. (side note: the actors in the film adaptation - which K assures me is terrible - look nothing like what the characters did in my head, they're both much too pretty and too old! And I just watched the trailer and the tone is all wrong)

Yes Man by Danny Wallace (2005)

Amusing, silly, sweet in places (particularly at the end) and a nice way to pass lunchtimes at work when I just felt like a quiet thirty minutes. Probably took me about six months to read that way! Now returned to work's book exchange.

Never Had It So Good by Dominic Sandbrook (2005)

Blimey, this was hard work! In a good way though - it's a history of Great Britain between the Suez Crisis (1956) and The Beatles (1963) and so full of detail that I found it hard to read in anything other than small instalments. I feel like I've absorbed less than 5% of it and still been mightily educated. I'm full of admiration for the way Sandbrook has managed to aggregate so much research and yet still make it readable - albeit so information-rich that I found it hard to digest, and it took me a few months to finish. Really good, though. There are at least three more books covering the rest of the 60s and 70s which I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading at the same time.

Watching - January 2024

Press Play (2022)

Yet another time travel (not time loop though) film, this time unashamedly sentimental and romantic but unassuming and heartfelt, I think. Apart from the main character looking about seventeen when she should be mid-20s, it worked very well. A nice little diversion early on New Year's Day morning.

The Vow (2012)

Not quite sure why I chose this, but possibly because it has Rachel McAdams in it. Anyway, a bit melodramatic but engaging, and managed to avoid tying up loose ends too neatly, which feels a bit more realistic. Also, ends with The Cure's fantastic "Pictures of You", which feels weirdly out of place compared to the rest of the music in the film. 

Scrubs (season 2, 2002)

We watched Scrubs so much when we first came across it, but we only had the first few seasons, so we burned out a bit. As a result, I know these episodes really well, but it's been ages since I saw them. It's nice to come back: the jokes are kind of fresh again, the mix of comedy and serious points still works and the characters are just as endearing. The only thing that shows its age is the slight over-use of pretty girls in underwear, although in fairness the guys seems to end up in their underwear just as often.

Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse (2023)

The somewhat delayed second instalment in Z and my Spiderverse "marathon". The visual imagination and concepts are amazing and I love the ideas behind it all. Not something I probably would have watched without Z prompting me, but very good. And now we have to wait another few years for the cliff-hanger to resolve itself!

Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story (2023)

I'm very familiar with the whole Brawn GP saga. I remember it very well from the time itself, as I was a keen follower of F1 at the time, plus Jenson Button was (and is) one of my favourite drivers, and I've read the books (Jenson's My Championship Year is a very good read, despite being a bit of cash-in). Yet the level of access achieved by this documentary takes it to another level. They've got nearly everyone and they got everywhere. They're filming Ross Brawn and Nick Fry back in the FIA building; they've got Keanu Reeves (the host) and Rubens Barichello sitting in the middle of the straight at Interlagos! Hugely enjoyable for an F1 fan, even one like me who can't be bothered any more with F1.

Scrubs (season 3, 2003)

Nice, easy viewing, still funny and moving in places too. Shame they insist on always having the jaunty end credits music, even after a really sad scene. And now, having OD'd on Scrubs a bit already this year, I should probably give it a break for a bit.

Definitely, Maybe (2008)

I really like this film, more each time I see it. I like that it takes place over an extended - or "realistic", as we'd refer to it in real life - time frame. I like that there's no clean, happily ever after ending (at the beginning, Ryan Reynolds receives divorce papers and towards the end, he signs them - there's no magic reconciliation here). I like the fact that it's genuinely moving at the end. Just a really well put-together film, with good performances and an engaging story that works on a couple of levels. It's a more grown up kind of romcom than some of the more recent examples I've watched - it reminds me in ways of Cousins, one of my favourite films.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Roald Dahl's books were a constant companion through my childhood and my copies show all the signs of frequent reading (and eating - I had a bad habit of tearing the corners of the pages off and snacking on them while I read). Rather than the obvious ones, the two that stayed with me most were Danny, the Champion of the World (set near where I grew up!) and Henry Sugar. This short film is very faithful to the story but distracts with heavily stylised scene changes and action, and is an interesting diversion at best. I also have mixed feelings about the author now I'm an adult. While Dahl never stooped to the painful, unimaginatively obvious stereotypes that characterise some of successors (David Walliams, I'm looking at you), I nevertheless now find much of his output slightly crass; and I cannot get past my knowledge of his unpleasant anti-semitism. Interesting, but I wouldn't watch another in this series.

Maid in Manhattan (2002)

I watched this on the strength of Caroline Siede's review, but I was somewhat underwhelmed. The performances are great (although I think Ralph Fiennes is almost too good for the role - he brings a suggestion of depth and complexity that the film probably doesn't need), but the plot lacks a sense of plausibility, even given the obvious fairy tale origins of the story. It's amusing and fun, but nothing more - but then, do we want more from a romcom? (actually, yes)