Week 22

Hey pumpkin!
So this morning saw me hunched up on the floor of Bristol coach station freezing my tits off and feeling hungry, and while I definitely felt sorry for myself, and was close to tears by the end of the four hour wait for the fucking bus, I did feel like I'd just passed a test. A test of resilience. And because the trip had been full on, and there'd been glitches it felt all the more worthwhile, like I'd actually achieved something and deserved to spend the rest of the day eating Crunchy Nut out of the box.
The thing is, I think we're all too much in the habit of passing things by because of petty inconveniences, ad it's so stupid because while it might seem chilled and comfortable to stay at home and mossy around, you end up with absolutely nothing to show for your day. We're defined by our actions, and if life is just made up of a series of different actions surely it makes sense to do as much as you can, so that your existence is an endless series of colourful snapshots rather than a tableau of a computer next to a bed.
I don't know, I guess it just seems like a shame to let time slip by when you could be playing the tuba in a strangers house or flicking spaghetti at the kitchen tiles.




So fair to say that this doesn't deserve to be labelled as a craft project, but alice bands are great, and sticking a velvet bow to one so that you feel like Minnie Mouse does merit a slight nod of approval. Ok, very slight, but at least we used glue.

This week we love...

Interview with a zombie. Note: this article is not for the faint hearted or the prude at heart.



This weekend saw thousands of zombies crawl across Bristol, squishing their faces against bus windows and harassing the elderly, and being serious reporters, this seemed like an event that simply could not be missed. While we're sorry to say that the madness of it all made it impossible for a one to one interview with any specific zombie, I do feel that a certain living-dead needs special mention as his charm and eloquence embodies everything of what it means to be a zombie today. Elly Watson reports.
So after their march across the city the hordes of zombies gathered in a soggy park for a well earned splif and a piss up. Spirits were high and everyone was talking about which after party to head to (turns out zombies have a penchant for squat parties and dubstep) but while we finalised our plans, a big dirty zombie in a shiny blue tracksuit combo descended upon one of our party members. He had a flaky clown mask and a load of lanky hair dangling all over the shop, but while his figure was that of a depressed stay at home mum, he proceeded to eat our friends brains with exceptional flair and gusto, spitting some of them out and screaming "SCABBY BRAINS! YUCK, SCABBY BRAINS!"
He then grabbed our bottle of Strongbow, drawling "Strongbow, strong brains. Wrongbow, wrong brains!", explained that he was from the West country and scampered off. We later saw him crawling along the ground towards a couple of lady zombies screaming "Braiiins, braiiins, no, buuuuuuuuuuums!". He then started mawling one of the zombies bums but got hit in the face with a ladle by said zombie's girlfriend. She was not impressed.
While I'm sure pervy zombie's evening comprised of much of the same our final sighting of him was outside a pub where he put his mask on back to front, pulled his pants down and fell to the pavement on all fours. Because the road was on a slant he was unable to get back up and simply cried out for help with his pants around his ankles and his balls in all their alfresco glory.
Only in Bristol hey?


Le Phare- Yann Tiersen

So we were very excited about the release of Yann Tiersen's 6th studio album 'Dust Lane' and it's respective tour (various locations around Britain throughout November, tickets are only 17 pounds) but it was all just a little depressing for our liking. To be fair Tiersen's mother and a close friend died during the recording which must've put a bit of a dampener on things, so we've decided to go back to happier days with 'Le Phare' instead. Recorded in 1998 it was his breakthrough album which features many of his most famous tracks, including three pieces from the Amelie soundtrack, 'La Noyee', 'La Dispute' and 'Sur le Fil'. While the melancholy piano pieces and oh-so-french accordion which typify Tiersen's work are predominant, it really is a mixed bag of goodies. Violin pieces like 'L'arrivee sur L'Ile' will make you want to dance like a frantic gypsy, 'La Chute' shows the musician at his best as a pianist and a collaboration with singer Dominique A make for a couple of breaks from instrumentals with songs 'Monochrome' and 'Les bras de mer'. Sad but sweet with just the right amount of excitment, it's music for wandering around the park, kicking leaves and feeling chuffed about your new mittens.

Truce- Svetlana Proskurina

Saw this little gem at the BFF and as the first contemporary Russian film I'm glad to say that they haven't lost their tragic streak. The darkest humour I've ever come across, Truce tells the story of young truck driver Egor as he returns to his home town to find a wife. Set in a non-descript provincial town, Proskurina creates a witty and weirdly charming insight into life in Russia's no-man's land where the shocking is carelessly mixed in with the banal, blown off fingers and armed robberies set next to worn out buildings and bored husbands. The endless grasslands and barren houses are not so much depressing as a they are a reminder of how excessive our own society is and what the characters lack in tact or knowledge they more than make up for in charm and good humour. Wonderful performance by Ivan Bobranravov who, although comes across as something of a psycho in the opening scence turns out to be absolutely charming in a very Russian way, all sad eyes and beautiful smiles.

The Victoria & Albert Museum- Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL
You know you're broke when your official mantra is 'the best things in life are free', but the V&A's late sessions have nailed one for the destitute and proven that it's not all about love, friendship and sunshine. On the last Friday of every month this labyrinth of a museum sticks its finger to the idea that museums are for tourists and the retired by putting on an evening of music, exhibitions and activities, all for free. This month's 'Catching Shadows' features the temporary exhibition on camera-less photography, a jazz trio in the Grand Entrance, a ginormous playdoh landscape, thaumatrope workshop and a lovely old man in a black waistcoat taking people's silhouette portraits (see photo). Next month's event is running along some sort of Christmas theme but make sure you check the website to see what's on because the amount of different activities call for some prioritising.

Also...


Met the legendary illustrator in John Lewis the other day and while he missed the opportunity of being our featured person by not answering my question (what's your favourite book) he did sign our birthday card and let me take a picture of him. Thank you Quentin!