This is the celebrated journal of Mr. Simon Collison A.K.A Colly

Twenty posts in one

29th July 2008

This is at least twenty long posts all rolled into one handy list, so be grateful for small mercies. Its basically an excuse to list the books, TV, bands, experiences and stuff that I have in some way absorbed over the last two months or so.

I have been mostly going insane through insomnia because my old friends next door have let their house to a young family who have the mardiest baby in the world. Its been crying for approximately seven weeks non-stop now - all day and all night and its really screwing with my head. Sanity comes for me by playing (at full volume) Cry Baby Cry by The Beatles, or Stop Your Crying by Spiritualized, although the subtlety of these songs is lost on the Dido fans next door, so they usually end up receiving some Rage Against The Machine, obscure Icelandic punk, or even Gobsausage - at full volume.

Anyway, when I have been sane of mind, and/or not lost in the myriad whirlwind that is a very, very busy and thrivingagency (more on that later), I have mostly been doing the following:

• Driving my shiny black 1977 Datsun 120Y and getting thumbs ups from cab drivers and more than one unsubtle advance from the opposite sex. Very good.
• Reading a graphic journal by Joe Sacco, called War’s End: Profiles from Bosnia 1995-96 in which he tracks down Radovan Karadžić. Timely.
• Just read Batman: Year One by the mighty Frank Miller and illustrated by David_Mazzucchelli.
• Speaking of the Batman, I’m still in awe after seeing Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. In my opinion, that’s the best bad-guy performance I have ever seen. I’m not sure the film lived up to all the hype, but it was certainly special.
• Reading a lot of history. Specifically European, often focused on the first 50 years of this century, with much of it to do with Stalin and/or World War Two. No idea why.
• Maybe its because I’m yet again trawling through all 30 or so hours of the greatest documentary series ever made - 1973’s The World At War.
• Music in one list item? Crazy. OK. Been listening to Fleet Foxes almost solidly for three months now. Particularly adore Your Protector. Also been thrilling my ears with a lot of other new North American stuff, such as Phosphorescent, Great Lake Swimmers, Grand Archives, Shearwater, Rogue Wave, of Montreal, and I’m still obsessing over stuff like Band Of Horses, Elbow (watch their Glasto performance - amazing), Okkervil River, The National, and regularly drowning in Cat Power’s ridiculously sexy voice. Quite liking new Icelanders Seabear too. Also rediscovered old faves Brakes and Duke Spirit.
• Visited Bath, Darlington, and even Rissington HQ. Also raised a lot of money for charity, and have been hanging out with friends at weddings, or at pubs, and have sadly said goodbye to someone who has sailed for Australia.
• Continued going to the gym. Not as often as I should, but I’m certainly feeling the “wellness”.
• Finally, I am proud to have invented the art of pot-plant-pimping.

There. That should cover it for now. More soon. Promise.

Responses