A Monkey in Manhattan
This ape's thinking has evolved sufficiently to know that this is all there is.
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Meet Here at the Same Time Next Year
Eight films showing secondary pupils in one year group growing up over 5 years. When they came up from their different feeder primary schools for an induction day, they were filmed doing random actions in random locations. At the end of each year, these groups or individuals reassembled and repeated their routines. The interesting result is to see the change in the pupils when everything else remains constant.
Meet Here at the Same Time Next Year
January 28, 2015
Wish You Were Here (Dad)
Even if you’re not concerned with the significant genetic component that determines human longevity, the emotional and spiritual inheritance we are bequeathed makes it imperative that we choose our parents wisely. Roger Waters, the principal creative songwriter, lyricist and co-lead vocalist of Pink Floyd lost his dad in the Second World War when he was only 5 months old. The fact that he has no personal shared memories with his father hasn’t stopped his absence having a profound effect on Roger’s life and his music and even at 70 himself, the thought of his dad approving of his achievements is enough to reduce him to tears.
It’s not the fear of mortality but the awareness of life not being a dress rehearsal that is behind this sentiment of proving oneself or making things happen in life. Even if it’s clear that life is so finite, it still seems difficult to muster the courage to hang everything and go out and ‘singe the beard of the King of Spain and have his aulde lady to boot’. Usually our conformity and introversion prevent us from knocking a policeman’s helmet off or pushing over a kebab van. There does seem some truth however in the maxim: ‘Be good, be bad but don’t be grey.’
In 1966 Syd Barrett was Pink Floyd’s front-man, guitarist, and songwriter. He wrote or co-wrote all but one track of their debut LP. By late 1967, Barrett’s deteriorating mental health and increasingly erratic behaviour, rendered him “unable or unwilling” to continue being in the band and in early March 1968 the other members of Pink Floyd met with managers to discuss the band’s future. Barrett subsequently agreed to leave Pink Floyd.
‘Genius is flawed’.
It’s not only of Mozart that one can say: ‘Musical perfection. Take one note away and the result is diminished.’
Wish You Were Here (Dad)
December 31, 2014
£1 000 of Cracked Pepper
Two small housebound kittens – what could possibly go wrong? One could fall from the landing and not land on her feet – that’s what could happen – with no insurance! Was she pushed, Ginge? Now we have six weeks of trying to prevent a cat from being a cat, i.e jumping, scratching, licking, fighting etc. Worse than having a toddler – they’re more athletic!
Calling Ginge in at 8pm last night, found her on the patio prostrate, struggling to breathe and blood coming from her mouth. She’d been hit by a car. Romy managed to lay her in an old coat and hold her in the car as I drove to the vets. Mercifully, our beautiful little girl, on being put on the vet’s table, very quickly curled up in a ball and died very soon after. While Ginge had been in severe pain, she had bit Romy which caused us to go straight to the hospital and sit (and sober up) in A & E for 3 hours till 12:30am later that night!
A week later, sister Pepper is run over. I come home to find Jack burying her in the garden. Very sad moment. The only solace is that they will remain in our memories as a pair. Beautiful little cats.
Ginger and Pepper
November 7, 2014
A Humbling Story
Germany has honoured a Bangladesh farmer and diehard fan for making a 3.5-kilometre-long (2.2 mile) flag of the country in support of Philipp Lahm’s World Cup team, officials said on Sunday.
The massive flag was on display Saturday at a stadium in the western town of Magura, which the German charge d’affaires, Ferdinand von Weyhe, visited to pay tribute to the farmer.
“The 3.5-kilometre-long German flag circled the stadium four times and hundreds of people have turned up to see this amazing sight,” said Ishrat Hossain, a German embassy spokeswoman.
She said Von Weyhe handed the farmer, 65-year-old Amjad Hossain, a life membership of the official fan club of the German national team, a football, a team jersey and a certificate of appreciation.
The farmer told AFP he became a German fan out of gratitude after he recovered from a gallbladder stone by taking homeopathic medicine made in Germany.
“I started making the flag after the 2006 World Cup in Germany. It was extended in the 2010 World Cup and in this World Cup I added more cloth. It’s now 3.5 kilometre long,” Hossain said
Hossain, an impoverished farmer, said he sold a piece of farmland to help pay for the flag which cost 240,000 taka ($3,000).
“The flag will be a success if Germany win the World Cup,” he said.
A Humbling Story
August 29, 2014
Louis C K
August 29, 2014
Cloony the Clown
I found this poem when I was training to teach in the 70’s and used it with various age groups. I used it as an example of empathy – because that’s what I think it’s about. That’s the beauty of art in all its forms, it means different things to different people. I can’t stand being told what I’m supposed to think or feel about a painting, film or piece of music.
I found an literary appraisal of Cloony the Clown on a forum, indicating the lines where alliteration, anaphora, hyperbole and consonance had be used. I prefer to think ‘simplicity is genius’ and it isn’t really necessary to de-construct a flower.
I’ll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn’t, just wasn’t funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn’t, just wasn’t funny at all.
And every time he did a trick
Everyone felt a little sick
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, “Go back to bed!”
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
Who worked in a circus that came through town
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn’t, just wasn’t funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn’t, just wasn’t funny at all.
And every time he did a trick
Everyone felt a little sick
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, “Go back to bed!”
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
Simply because he was not funny.
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, “I’ll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown.”
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With “Hah-Hah-Hahs” and “Hee-Hee-Hees.”
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, ‘cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,”THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT –
I’M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT.”
And while the world laughed outside
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
How it feels to be an unfunny clown.”
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With “Hah-Hah-Hahs” and “Hee-Hee-Hees.”
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, ‘cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,”THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT –
I’M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT.”
And while the world laughed outside
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
Shel Silverstein
Clooney the Clown
August 28, 2014
School Film Time
From 2008 onwards for 7 years, I had fun dabbling with film-making. This first one, set to ‘The Masterplan’ by Oasis was shot on a borrowed Sony camcorder. The lack of clarity convinced me from then on to use an HD camcorder which led to a considerably more impressive professional quality. The general idea was that I personally have one picture of myself when I was at school to try and glean what sort of oik I was at 16! So to produce a video record in a collaborative musical effort where all the year featured, no stars mind, would serve as a good memento of their school years.
This is my son Harry’s Year 11 leaving film. Apart from an experimentation with time lapse, I wanted the central theme to be that in school, like in life, you can’t do it on your own. Not without friends, parents, teachers, sports coaches, drama front and backstage staff etc. It’s basically a socialist idea. Do you remember socialism? Used to be big in the 70’s and 80’s!
I fancied doing a film where pupils became teachers and teachers became kids. One of the highlights of my career was getting the whole of Year 11, before they posed for their traditional school photograph and in front of the headteacher, to shout out in unison, “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control” Worth the life’s entry fee itself.
Good fun playing with green screen. Very surprised to get some decent results and realise that all you need is a big green cloth, some cheap software programme and loads of wonderful HD films that, in passing, I would like to state I do not own the rights for! The black and white cards took weeks to organise and the co-ordination of 150 pupils to work as an entity, without rehearsal, was one of the most intense 40 minutes I’ve ever spent.
With a childhood working in a theatre and loving musicals, I wanted to do something all singing and dancing! Space Walk by Lemon Jelly is such an expressive piece of music that it just lends itself to some interpretation of some sort or another.
Birds fly the coop! I feel it’s the most obvious, natural inclination to have, that to record change. As a secondary teacher (and parent) you see the most fundamental physical, social and emotional change as 11 – 16 year olds move through adolescence and then disappear at the other end of the production line!
A Monkey in Manhattan 