Wanda Robinson was born on November 18, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland during the same year as Gil Scott-Heron who became a chronicler of African American culture and a fierce critic of politics, society, and the U.S. government, an innovator with his rhythmic poems anticipating hip-hop/rap. During the same years when Gil Scott-Heron released his albums …
Beautiful depictions of sex and violence, vibrant colours, astonishing soundtracks and uncomfortable steadicam shots are often associated with the films of French-Argentine director Gaspar Noé. Hailed as a unique voice in cinema by some, and perceived as a mere provocateur by others, Noé remains as controversial today as when he exploded onto the seventh art. …
It was in a cute little club in Sheffield. I had heard rumours about this band, Queens of the Stone Age. How can you not be interested in a band with such a name? I didn’t know what to expect- the best approach to a concert if you ask me. The Queens started with one …
one-two-three-fuck America is best not when it is exercising in being the world’s twisted moral police, but the America we love is honestly and fiercely degenerate for our pleasure. This was expressed in the rise and global conquest of rock’n’roll with its openly sexual, depraved and violent rhythms and lyrics while simultaneously being rooted in …
Gary McFarland is a forgotten name by most music listeners. This is a tragedy since he was a bit of a genius- an arranger/conductor for jazz musicians, a cinematic composer of his own recordings, and a producer of a psychedelic hidden gem. Gary McFarland (born October 23, 1933) began his career arranging and conducting jazz …
Film titles which take on a different meaning in the course of their translation are an interesting and frequent phenomenon. Lost in translation, a classic such as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly becomes “Two glorious scoundrels“ in German, Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now reads as “When the gondolas are in mourning“ and Melville’s …
With Sparks: No.1 In Heaven, Ron and Russell Mael delivered an album which, while not performing well commercially, would prove one of their most influential records A decade into a career which had already seen the eclectic and eccentric Sparks establish themselves as a pair of shapeshifting mavericks whose music transcended boundaries, even the most …
Tenement Kid: From the Streets of Glasgow in the 1960’s to Drummer in Jesus and Mary Chain and Frontman in Primal Scream Despite being a great fan of Primal Scream, JAMC and Bobby Gillespie, nothing had prepared me for the greatness of his first memoir Tenement Kid. Written during the lockdown periods of the pandemic, …
On more occasions than not, after getting tanked up on Gin Tonics and red wine and listening to Iggy and New Order most of the evening, my friend Karla and I will end up listening to Elvis’ “In The Ghetto” and ABBA’s “The Winner Takes it all” – don’t ask. Yesterday was different though, since …
Japanese director Takashi Miike‘s name should be familiar to most film enthusiasts, since he is one of the most creative minds in the Asian film realm. The extremely hard-working screenwriter, director, and producer has created over 100 cinema and TV productions, at times realizing up to four films a year. Through films like Ichi The …
