Week 38

Hey guys!
So Sunday has rolled over again and it's still raining so rather than taking a stroll round Regents Park or checking out one of Francois Truffaut's films at the BFI Ginny and I have spent the last hour gazing out of the window troll hunting. It's a game we've just come up with and involves spotting particularly ugly fat women and making up complex scenarios about their lives. Extra points are awarded if they have a walking stick, a gamy looking dog or are sporting a fleecy. We don't expect anyone to emulate this sort of behaviour so won't be offering any advice this week, only that bleach makes cut roses live for longer and lemon juice stops banana slices going brown. That is all



Clever Miss Pinny made this bad boy, copied from the Bright Eyes album I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. More embroidered delights to come in the following weeks.



We realise that this will be the second week in the row where we haven't actually spoken to our featured person, but to be fair this guy is just about the most anti social man about town. Could be because he doesn't speak French but any question is answered with a lewd smile and leaning forward with his massive accordion. You can find him pretty much every day of the week busting out tunes on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix en Provence. Just in case you're around.


A Larum- Johnny Flynn

This debut album, recorded in a barn outside Seattle by London based folk band Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit is filled with butter sweet sounds and story like lyrics. The frontman Mr Johnny Flynn contributes with some guitar, mandolin, violin, organ, accordion and even a bit of trumpet and if that wasn't enough his pretty boy looks have also made him the face of nu-folk since the album's release in 2008. While a lot of the songs have some sort of poetic deeper meaning to them (Hong Kong cemetery for example was written after his father's death), they are pretty ideal for a whimsical drive in the country. Personal favourites are 'The Wrote and the Writ' which Laura Marling also rendered as a pretty neat cover version, 'Tickle Me Pink' and 'Leftovers'.


Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain- Jean Pierre Jeunet

We know you've probably all seen this before and a few of you may even pride yourself on being able to play the soundtrack on piano but some things are always good, like cellotape or pasta, so we thought it deserved a mention. For those of you who haven't seen it yet it's about a young Parisian waitress called Amelie whose loneliness and imagination cause her to devise secret plans to make the people around her happy. Whether it's the widowed concierge, the dumb green grocer or her old neighbour with the brittle bones she has an idea for them all, but while it's all very romantic saving humanity through tiny anonymous actions, it does make you wonder who's going to return her love in the end. I won't spoil it all for you but the whole thing is quite enchanting and might just make you want to stop rushing around pretending you're super busy and important and just enjoy the little things.



Rue des Bouquinistes Obscurs- 2 Rue Boulegon, Aix en Provence

Ginny found this place when she was there earlier this week but she's gone for a cat nap so I'm going to have to blag it. As I understand it's one of the few second hand book shops in Aix and looks like a lot of the stock has been raided from French genteel ladies. The shop operates an exchange system where you can swap your old book for a new one so the stock is constantly changing while also making it handy for travellers to pick up a new tome without wasting money or luggage space. Bookshelves up to the ceiling and a helpful sales assistant make for a good retail experience, not a given thing in a bourgeois town of tiny boutiques and haughty shop keepers. Oh they also stock books in lots of different languages including English so don't be put off if your French is limited to 'j'amerais faire de l'escalade'.

Also...


Probably a little bit sad to get excited about soaps but there you go. Everything about these is perfect: their weight, the packaging, the shape, the smell, the fact that the wrapper can be turned into an origami animal. Favourite has to be the figue one, it makes washing your hands such a ceremony.

Week 37

Hey gang!
So Ginny uncovered this ridiculous website this week called truelad.com, and while you do have to sift through a whole lot of shit about shagging mingers and football teams, there are some golden nuggets to be found.

I took my grandad shopping the otherday (helpfulLAD) he's 84 afterall, we decided to grab some food and i noticed he was watching this teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colours (red, green, orange and blue)....Grandad kept staring... the teenager would look and find him staring every time, when the LAD had had enough he sarcastically asked: "whats the matter old man, never done anything in your life?" (knowing grandLAD i quickly swallowed my food to stop my self choking when i heard the response as i knew the kid was going to be destroyed) and in classic style he did not bat an eye in response and said "Got stoned once and fucked a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son?" GRANDLAD

Amazing.



Whooping out the merch. Next will have to be the over priced coasters and fridge magnets.

This week we love...




Clearly too insane to approach...All those rumours about Doctor Who being a coke head are suddenly confirmed.



The Goonies- Richard Donner

So rather than being a proper film buff and trekking out to Trocadero to watch Brighton Rock, I decided to stay at home and watch The Goonies. Probably the best decision I've made all week. For the unfortunate few who have not yet seen this 80s cult classic, The Goonies is about a gang of kids setting out to find pirate treasure in the hope of saving their homes from being bought up and turned into a golf course. Oh and they're being chased by some scary mafiosas with a severely deformed sibling who loves ice cream. Gripping stuff, but just in case you're still not sold there's some excellent one liners "I'm going to knock you out so hard when you wake up you're clothes will be out of style!", plus everyone's wearing wicked trainers. Stars Sean Astin (Sam in Lord of the Rings) and Josh Brolin (the baddy in True Grit).








Wolfmother-Wolfmother
The first and only album released by the original line up of Wolfmother. Songs from this album seem to pop up just about everywhere, from ipod to car adverts, films and video games. The band,originally from Sydney, moved to Los Angeles to record the album in 2005 after 6 months of touring both Australia and overseas. By the end of 2006 they won Triple J's album of the year and woman won Triple J's single of the year, amongst a ridiculous amount of other awards. This album is definitely better than the second one produced, possibly because of the change in band members or maybe just that they set the standard too high with this one. Personal favourites would have to be 'Vagabond' and 'White Unicorn'.


Oxfam- 166 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2AG
Was planning to introduce you to this amazingly shitty food shop on our street but it's shut on Sundays so you'll have to wait till next week. In the mean time though this is a pretty nifty place and an excellent way to while away an hour with minimum financial damage.There are books of every sort from beautiful crumbling antics to crass 90s text books and covering the usual topics: art, travel, history, detective novels ect. While these are pretty standard things to expect in a bookshop they have some nice little extras like a fairly extensive collection of old comics (lots of super colourful copies of Iron Man for 1.50 or so), loads of road maps for cheap and some neat records with lovely sleeves. From 30p a record you don't really have to know whether it's going to work or not and in any case they always look nice lined up on shelves. Joined in the purchase of a beautiful art deco Greek dictionary with a yellow cover. For 2.60 and full of beautiful illustrations, you should probably eat your heart out right about now.
ps. have been told that the Oxfam near Tottenham Court Road is also excellent as its full of the unwanted left overs from uni graduates and old drama students. Have a peak before bankrupting yourself on your next textbook.

Also...

Week 36

Hey chicks!
So it's Valentine's day tomorrow, and while a large amount of the population may be running round waxing their legs and buying vanilla scented candles before writing sweet nothings to their better half, the rest of us can sit back and feel smug about not spending 20 quid on a naff card and flowers from Tescos. After which, of course we will spend the night drinking far too much and muttering shit about not liking to hold hands and you haven't got time for this crap anyway. Here's an amusing story to get us through:
Some friends and I were talking about those awful sex talks you used to get in school, you know were the teacher shows you how to put on a condom or stands at the front of the class and asks everyone to think of as many words for dick as they can while trying not to look mortally embarrassed. You know the ones. Well during one such session my friend was made to watch a video of some poor woman giving birth. It was a water birth so it was all looking pretty fucked up and everyone was fairly grossed out when suddenly the camera zoomed out and they all realized that it was one of the kids' mum's! How fucking embarrassing would that be? Imagine the knowing nods that woman would have got from all the kids at the school gates...


Lord Cornellius



When you find an old frame like this, clearly the best way to fill it is with a drawing of a squirrel in a smoking jacket.




True Grit- The Coen Brothers

Watching the trailer for True Grit you can't help but expect some sexed up western with heavy music and crazy amounts of violence, a story of vengeance comprised of mean stares and great one liners. What you're served however is something much more traditional. The film opens to western ditty 'The Wicked Flea' played on the piano as our narrator sets the scene: 14 year old Maddie Ross' father has been murdered by the coward Tom Chaney, and she is off to seek revenge. Involved in the mission are drunk marshall Rooster Cogburn and Texas ranger LaBoeuf, played by Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, and, well, need we say anymore? The script is brilliant, with incredibly witty dialogue throughout and a great cast of characters full of sass and pride, the whole experience making you want to buy a great hat and shot baddies off their horses.





Post Break-Up Sex- The Vaccines

Not technically an album, as it only has two songs but those two songs are definatly worth checking out. This band only formed in June last year have already been recognized as one of the top 3 BBC Sounds of 2011. This four piece band from London (including Tom from The Horrors' baby brother) are set to release their debut album "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" in March this year. If you enjoy the Ramones and the Kaiser Chiefs, this is the band for you. However if you hate indie music then don't even bother.





Ain't Nothing But..Blues Bar -20 Kingly Street, Soho, W1B 5PZ

Known as London's 'House of Blues' this small venue with a Chicago Lounge Bar feel, has been open since October 1993, and unlike the stereotype of Blues Bar's this one is not filled with only old men very clearly pissed on whiskey and making you feel unwelcome the moment you walk in. The presence of women under 30 is an apparent accomplishment, as is the atmosphere and the live music almost every night. Definatly one to check out, when all you want is to sit back, drink tequila shots, share nachos with the strangers sat next to you and enjoy a bit of the blues'.


Also...

A monkey riding a tiny pig, what's not to like?

Week 35

Hi guys!
So I went for a drink with my Grandad and Aunt the other night and turns out that their little hobby at the moment is to try and figure out a new economic structure that would stop our crumbling capitalist culture plunging into the abyss. They casually pulled out graphs and articles, exchanging photocopies of this and that and explaining their findings to each other while I sat back and listened on a little dumbfounded. Neither of them are economists, and while they're both undoubtedly intellectuals, the progress they were making does make you question what you spend your time thinking about. If we were to sacrifice the time we spend watching tv/facebook stalking/talking shit about other people, can you even imagine how good we could get at sudoku? Or calligraphy? Or whatever other skill it is you'd like to acquire?
Not that I'm advocating manic know it alls, just seems like a shame to let your brain get lazy.














This week we love...

When I was a kid I used to tell all my friends about my magic grandma who'd grown up in India and knew how to hypnotise people and make trees fall down. Following the logic that she'd lived in India, so she was Indian, so I was Indian, so I must have lived in India, I'd recount my exotic memories of my homeland and make people carry me on their backs pretending to be elephants to 'stop me being home sick'. Although I was undoubtedly a manipulative little shit, there was a grain of truth in it all, as my grandma had in fact grown up in India. This week we have the extreme honour of introducing you to her as she tells us a little bit about the childhood that provided so much inspiration for emotional blackmail. Gin Watson reports.


So Grandma, where were you born?
I born in Karashi which is now Pakistan but was then part of British India.

How come you lived there?
Well my father was in the India Army and stationed out there.

What was your house like?
We moved around India a lot, most of the houses were rented and I can't really remember what mine looked like, I remember they all looked pretty much the same. The army supplied the houses so they were all typical british colonial style bungalows.

What did you eat?
My sisters and I ate English food, children weren't allowed to eat with the adults, so we never had currys.

Where did you go to school?
I went to a boarding school in Mussoore called Waverly Convent School for Girls where my mum was a teacher. In the summer we would go to Mussoore to spend time with our dad until he left to go back to England (my brother also left later on to join the airforce) but then when I was 11 we moved to Dehli for a year so I went to the school where my aunty was headmistress (she was a very scary nun).

How come you came to england?
India gained independence so the British forces weren't needed there anymore and we were sent back. Luckily we didn't witness any of the violence between the muslims and the hindus, but there was a lot of killing at that time so it wasn't safe to be there anymore.

What was the journey here like?
Very long. We arrived in England after 6 weeks travel on a boat. It was so shocking to see white people living in such dirty conditions. In India, white people were treated like royalty, ranked above any other class of Indians so it was all quite a shock. There were lots of little changes, like the fact that I was used to being able to take things that were on display like sweets, because I was white I could just help myself. Unfortunately we didn't know you couldn't do that in England, it was a lesson we learnt when my sister started helping herself to the pick and mix in Woolworths and got in a lot of trouble.

Have you been back to India?
No, it wouldn't be the same and it would be too hard to accept it being different to what I knew, too sad.

Where do you think of as home?
England. I've always thought of England as home, even when we lived in India.

Do you think there's any aspect of your childhood in India that's had a particular influence on you/your personality?
*Grandad John butts in here and says that of course it has, she still expects the servants to do all the work*
Being born white in the British Empire meant I was always treated as a superior. It gave me a strange kind of confidence in myself, but it also made coming to England harder because I realised I was just like every body else. It affected me in a mix of ways.

Human Planet- BBC

We realise that this is not a film, and that it may seem criminal to be reviewing a documentary when there are so many good films coming out at the moment but this is pretty fucking amazing. Brought to you by the BBC, Human Planet explores the relationship between man and his environment, an incredible broad topic considering that we have managed to adapt to virtually any circumstances. Divided into four parts, Jungles, Arctic, Mountains and Oceans, the series was shot in over 80 locations and features some pretty mean feats from climbing a 46m tree to walking under water for over five minutes. While RyanAir and Facebook will have you believe that the world is a small place, this programme makes you realise just how much you've yet to see.




The Grey Space-Horrorshow

Whilst most Australian hip hop only seems popular with either drunk Europeans or Australians themselves (not dissing the latter at all, I personally love it in ridiculous amounts)This two piece hip hop group from Sydney have found a way of combining The Herd and Hilltop Hoods, and then mellowing it out so that it's not a lyrical mess. This album, which was one of the first released by the Australian hip hop label Elefant Traks, was nominated for an ARIA Award for best urban album in 2008.
The two members of the band have also successfully managed to do some solo DJ-ing, just so you know that the album isn't just a couple of teens who realised they are good at rhyming, it's all backed up with some very addictive tunes.
Personal favorite would have to be All Summer Long, also if you liked this check out the song In My Haze from their second album.
Finally, for all you Australians that somehow don't know this, they are playing at Groovin' the moo this year.




Snoopers Paradise-7-8 Kensington Gardens
Brighton, BN1 4AL

This is the most reknowed Flea Market in the South of England. With over 90 stalls inside, this place is exactly what the name suggests. You can find just about anything here and it's the perfect way to spend a Saturday, roaming around and looking at all the strange shit people sell. Personal favourites would be the book collections, old photos and slides (somem of which are very old yet in amazingly good condition) and the vast amounts of floral and crushed velvet dresses.. I strongly recommend going even if it's just to kill some time, or a horrible hangover.

Also...

Can you imagine how much the person who made this got paid? And how much it cost to make? It's almost enough to make you consider a career in advertising. Almost.