Posts by Matthew Littlewood
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Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Russell Brown,
Like Danyl, I think the book has had a significant impact on me. I’ve been on civil terms with some people in the wider circle. I’m not sure I have it in me to do that any more. Fuck them.
After reading the book, I really wonder who was really responsible for Whaleoil's series of repugnant posts on Tania Billingsley. It seems consistent with the stuff he was constantly being fed and passing off as his own.
It's pretty bloody appalling, really.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Grey Fucking Area, in reply to Hilary Stace,
When I was young I attended a respectable middle class protest where the chant was ‘Hey hey, LBJ, how many kids have you killed today?’. We hoped he heard as he drove past.
Vietnam was an utter tragedy on so many levels, and it also casts a massive shadow over the fact that LBJ was responsible for the most expansive social liberal legislative project in US history. LBJ was a sonofabitch, and flawed as hell, but his civil rights legacy stands. He risked a hell of a lot to push it through. But for Vietnam, he would be feted ever higher than FDR. Which is kinda like "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" but still...
Seeing as RB has expressed eloquently my own feelings about the Kim Dotcom hoo-ha, I will say that it's great Shihad's latest record will be one of their "hard" ones (they seem to alternate between more songwritery-based records, and tougher rock ones). Killjoy is still my favourite Shihad record, and it's still the one that punches the hardest every time I've seen them live. "Deb's Night Out" remains Toogood's most oddly moving song while "You Again" is a big, concrete-slab of a number in a live setting.
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Speaker: Jim's Festival, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
I guess that Boyhood is going into general release as it is not in the just-released Hamilton programme. Saw it in London 1o days ago and it is more than excellent. Nevertheless, I think it could have been better titled ‘Childhood’ as it is as much about girlhood.
The screening at the Civic was sold out. Quite an experience.
I think “Life Itself” would have been an appropriate title, if Roger Ebert hadn’t already used it for his memoirs.
It’s as much about the family as it is about the boy. Patricia Arquette’s character, and the choices she makes (good, bad and otherwise) are central to the film, as is the development of Ethan Hawke’s character from callow “absent” father to a fully-fledged mature “adult”.
The film’s hook is what initially draws the viewer- and indeed it’s fascinating watching people literally age slowly before your eyes- but if anything, the film isn’t too different in approach from Linklater’s other work. Films like Slacker, Dazed & Confused, the “Before Trilogy”, Waking Life and yes, even School of Rock (to a degree)- they’re all concerned with how people talk and how they just take stuff in. He’s not one to overstate things, and I guess the takeaway from Boyhood is that life truly does happen while you’re making other plans. It’s a wonderfully human film. He clearly loves and knows people.
I also love the accidental details which show what’s changed- like Ethan Hawke’s rants about US politics, or just the way the characters move through various forms of technology to express themselves. It’s also a love letter to Austin, TX. Some of the shots of the landscape were beautiful. It really made me want to visit and explore it.
I’ve seen a number of great films at this festival, which I might write about later- We Are the Best, The Armstrong Lie, Frank, Leviathan, Maps to the Stars, Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter and the Reunion)– and only one outright stinker (the infuriatingly soulless It Follows, which is too concerned with being a project than an actual horror film). But Boyhood is on another level. Linklater is one of cinema’s great conversationalists.
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Field Theory: World Cup of Evil, in reply to George Darroch,
this article from FiveThirtyEight
Some of the 538 stuff (such as the article linked above) on the FIFA WC is interesting and illuminating, but a lot of it is either maddening or unintentionally hilarious. All the number-crunching in the world can't hide the fact that the writers often don't get the point of football (or, one could argue, sport in general), particularly the drama and sheer randomness of it. Still, the award for the most pointlessly anorack piece of American writing on the FIFA WC goes to this this Grantland column on how the seedings for the WC should be "fixed", which totally ignores the fact that the FIFA WC has never really been about finding the best team in the world, but the best team in the tournament. Their obsession for the "right" results would also ignore the opportunity for upsets- of which there have been many.
I thought the Quarterfinals lacked the excitement and tension of the pool phases and the round of 16, and there is a sense that the mania of the early parts of the World Cup is now subsiding as sides "play to win". But this has been the best WC in ages, perhaps decades, in terms of the strength of the competition and football on display.
It will be a real shame if such an ugly and negative Brazil side win this tournament (who have actually played the least entertaining football of the eight sides remaining), and FIFA are still the most insanely corrupt and mafia-like sporting organisation on earth (they make the BCCI look like models of probity), but I've really enjoyed the football this time around. The All Whites dogged efforts (and Spain's occasional brilliance) aside, I couldn't say the same about 2010.
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The people behind the Twitter and Tumblr-based “DIY Digitisation” project RIU Classic have beeen steadily scanning and posting pages from the bottom of what I presume is a big, found stack of back issues of Rip It Up magazine. They’re up to September 1979.
Just been ploughing my way through it- fascinating stuff, particularly in terms of what music has lasted and what hasn’t. Nice to see so many reviews and interviews by my friend (and former history teacher) George Kay, jeez he was bloody prolific in those early years.
However, as cool as it is to read the scanned copies, a more professional “digitisation project” is definitely order to make it more user friendly (as you would expected, some of the pages are faded or crumpled)- something for Creative NZ to fund, perhaps?
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Hard News: Unscripted Drama, in reply to Richard Irvine,
Anyway - the cricket, wasn't it brilliant? After going through the 'glorious near-miss' v England, it felt much, MUCH better to nail it this time. Looking forward to finishing the job in the capital. Cheers.
Absolutely, but the match at Eden Park also showed how much this side has grown over the last few months too. .True, McCullum's captaincy is often as hair-trigger impulsive/erratic as his batting, but it seems to be galvanizing the team. I always wonder whether he's one "bright idea" from totally scotching a match, but I can't argue with the recent results. The side is starting to exude a sense of self-belief and determination that is really refreshing
Wagner's final spell was wonderful viewing- he put everything into it, you could see the strain and desire in his eyes. And he was duly rewarded, too. It's interesting, when he was initially picked for NZ, he was touted as a strike bowler, when really, he's best used as a workhorse.
It's also worth pointing out how young many of the side's key players are- Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson (whose impact has been as phenomenal as it has been immediate) and Jimmy Neesham are all only 23, and Tim Southee is only 24. In other words, there is a core of players who should be around for some time.
Even Ross Taylor is only 29, and he's in the form of his life- in fact, he's displaying a sense of confidence and control at the crease that his mentor Martin Crowe used to show.
On paper, this is the most talented NZ cricket side in years- even allowing for the perennial issues with the top order. I'm sure there will be matches where they will stuff things up really badly, even in the near future, but (whisper it), I expect this is a side that could bring me as much enjoyment as misery over the next few years. Considering what supporters have put up with in recent times, that's progress!
(As an aside, this series against India has been doubly fascinating because it's been played against a backdrop of the BCCI's attempted hostile takeover of world cricket, along with revelations of seriously corrupt practices in the Indian Premier League. The actual cricket's been fantastic, but the context is just as important)
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Hard News: Big Friday Music: Counting…, in reply to Tom Semmens,
Saw this happen to someone at a big US festival, only he wasn’t asked politely to leave. From the reaction, I’m guessing his parents only found out what happened to him from Edward Snowden. NZer’s are so laid back. My South American friends all took pictures of the big signs that said “keep left” as well, they that was really funny
Yeah, even when the crowds have been about to burst at the BDO- and the year of Metallica got pretty damn close- the overall vibe has been surprisingly chilled. Many of the bands have said it's the most relaxed of all the shows on the circuit.
In one BDO, I had a "Boiler Room only" backstage pass (through contacts), but managed to get backstage in the main event. I kept out of people's way largely, but the Donnas invited me for a drink (they were gorgeous, charming and knew their stuff), while I also noticed Mike Skinner's girlfriend brush his hair and make sure his collar was straightened in preparation for his set with the Streets. She was very fastidious. That amused me- every time he played the lairy lout in his actual set, I kept imaging his girlfriend worrying whether he would be messing up his clothes.
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Sadly, I didn't get to this year's BDO (I attended BDOs 2003-'11), but will definitely do so next year. Western Springs sounds like a great venue, even allowing for the obvious logistical problems. Hopefully they will be sorted. I will be up for Laneway next week tho!
Anyway, my friend and Timaru Herald colleague Al Williams was there, and his review of the day is pretty comprehensive and amusing.
"It was 20 years ago today" - an opening lyric from The Beatles' seminal Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The announcement of a new direction in popular music. A milestone. That was 1967.
And so it was in 1994 when the Big Day Out reached the shores of New Zealand. A tide of indie rock inspired by the explosion of grunge. I was 21.
Fast forward to 2014 and a coming of age.
A change of venue and clashing timetable. I wasn't sure. Perhaps my expectations were high. It was drizzling on Friday morning and at 42, I was contemplating a mac and pair of gumboots. In 1995 when Nick Cave took the stage it was bucketing down and I didn't give the mud and rain a second thought.
I wasn't at the Springs when Bob Marley took the stage in 1980, or when Bowie broke attendance records in 83, but I did anticipate Gen X propping up the festival as punters gathered for Pearl Jam's two-hour set. Marketing genius? I was willing to wager a bet that one of the Finn boys would make an appearance with Eddie Vedder.
The wind and rain subsided, and it turned out a beautiful day. Some of us were better prepared than others, with plenty of sunscreen and water.
Public transport was free for festival goers and dozens of buses lined up outside the venue.
I made it through the gate with no hassles, my backpack not even searched.
Western Springs offered a lot more green space than Mt Smart. Plenty of rolling banks and trees.
With a map in hand, I made my way around the site. Six stages, Kowhai, Tui, Aroha, Tamaki, Lakeside and the Cube.
The 1975 were mid set on Aroha with their blend of indie rock. Tame Impala were blasting through a set on Kowhai sharing "a steady flowing psychedelic groove that emphasizes dream-like melody".
I made my way up the grassy banks of the main stadium to a perch where I could observe the four main stages. The sound was conflicting at times but fine for those daring to enter the pit.
The Naked and Famous got things warmed up with a mish-mash of arena bombast.
The lines were getting longer for the toilets and the drinks. One hour long. A word to organisers perhaps?
Old favourites Primus were fantastic. Even for entertainment value.
Bassist/vocalist Les Claypool is an enigmatic figure on stage. Their style is difficult to define and a sense of humour is always present.
The Hives then offered a manic dose of indie rock, but the banter between songs was too much.
I wandered off and walked past two security guards to find myself backstage with Beady Eye. But no sign of the infamous Liam Gallagher. It was about 15 minutes before someone asked what I was doing backstage and I was asked to move on - easier to get backstage than to get a beer - a word to organisers perhaps?
I didn't know I was backstage with Beady Eye members until they took to the stage, Mr Gallagher offering his usual disdain and muttering, "This next song is for the Oasis fans." I didn't think there were any Beady Eye fans there and had already missed my opportunity to tell him what a great songwriter his brother Noel is.
Arcade Fire. Magic. A huge band in terms of membership and loads of fun in the arena. They were great, I thought.
Then the headlining acts, Pearl Jam and Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion.
Snoop Lion stole the day with his infectious humour. Just so funny and so groovy.
Pearl Jam were taking the whole thing seriously but not to take away anything from a tight and polished two-hour set. Liam Finn joined them on stage for a song.
I was knackered as it neared the end and jumped a bus before the crowds started to swell.
Cheers for 20 years, Big Day Out.
Apologies for posting it in full, I just thought posters might enjoy it!
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Also, Lou Reed's review of Kanye West's Yeezus was very readable- particularly the autobiographical touches to it. I found the record pretty hard to take myself- and I like some of Kanye's earlier stuff, particularly the first two albums- but Reed is undeniably perceptive about Yeezus's intent. I like this passage:
Over and over, [Kanye] sets you up so well — something's just got to happen — and he gives it to you, he hits you with these melodies. (He claims he doesn't have those melodic choruses anymore — that's not true. That melody the strings play at the end of "Guilt Trip," it's so beautiful, it makes me so emotional, it brings tears to my eyes.) But it's real fast cutting — boom, you're in it. Like at the end of "I Am a God," anybody else would have been out, but then pow, there's that coda with Justin Vernon, "Ain't no way I'm giving up." Un-fucking-believable. It's fantastic. Or that very repetitive part in "Send It Up" that goes on five times as long as it should and then it turns into this amazing thing, a sample of Beenie Man's "Stop Live in a De Pass."
And it works. It works because it's beautiful — you either like it or you don't — there's no reason why it's beautiful. I don't know any musician who sits down and thinks about this. He feels it, and either it moves you too, or it doesn't, and that's that. You can analyze it all you want.
Did Reed write any other music reviews? I'd like to read them if he did.
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I tweeted this earlier in the week, but for those who missed it, the South Bank Show’s 1986 Velvet Underground doco is a fascinating timecapsule in itself. Not only in its matter-of-fact presentation-I love Melvyn Bragg’s almost professorial intro- but also what it focused on. I mean, it barely mentions the last two LPs (Squeeze doesn’t count, pedants!), and I don’t think Doug Yule even appears in the doco.
Also, it’s kinda funny to hear the reference to the Velvet Underground’s influence on “young bands such as the Jesus & Mary Chain"- the then-brand new Pyschocandy is now older than the Velvet Underground & Nico was at the time of this doco!