Author: Paul

I’m quite excited about the prospect of recording another EP this week. It’s been knocking on my head more than anything else recently. I’m really proud of the songs I’ve written and I feel it’s another step along from the Get Me To Marrakech EP I recorded myself in September of last year.
I can remember one of my friends asking why I didn’t take the time to work on the songs for GMTM for longer, to make sure they were the best they could be and I told her in six months there would be more songs and they would be better, and here I am.
I’m very lucky in the fact I can keep spinning out words at the moment. I haven’t had writer’s block proper in over a year and I feel obligated to push myself while it is coming to me.

The plan is for the six or seven tracks to be available as a free download through Bandcamp. I’m also toying with the idea of selling personalised physical copies as well. I might see how the download aspect goes first though.

It is exciting though. I can’t wait.

I don’t know if you are aware but there are other countries where it snows. When this happens life doesn’t come to a standstill, I wonder if there is even a Facebook status about it.
The fact is we love to moan about the weather. In four months time it may well be “that ‘orrible sticky weather”. It’s always too cold, or too wet or too hot or too mild.
I struggle to understand how we got this far as a species when we are dusted in snow. I’m talking more about the south now, I know they have proper snow up north.
How have eons of evolution led to this many car crashes, wet feet and groans about a bit of weather. It’s good for you. It’s bracing. Go and play in it.

Morning.
What a great day for fuzzy heads.
I’m a fuzzy head today. Are you a fuzzy head?
Last night I went to see the final night of The Bastard Children Of Remington Steele. Written by brilliant comedienne Sadie Hasler, it’s a dark and twisted comedy about a group of orphans who take on the belief the fictional Remington Steele is their father to assist one girl’s trauma at the loss of her own parents. 
It far exceeded my expectations, and really highlights what four people are capable of doing in the confines of a stage play. Everything flowed so incredibly swiftly, they dropped and picked up characters with natural ability, there were heartwarming moments, there were laughs.

This morning I am left with the slight hangover of a man coaxed into a cavern to drink red wine, and a desire to work. I would love to write something like that. It was very inspirational, intentionally or not and I have woken with a million thoughts I want to pursue. 
First, the book. Then the music. Then the play?

Last night I went to the London Comedy Film Festival showing of Wreck It Ralph. I managed to secure a plus one and took my little Mex for an evening out. It was so good. I won’t say too much about the film because that is what Screen Geek expect from me. It is visually incredible and very funny, and fits in nicely with the continuing legacy of Pixar films. That’s it though. That’s all I’m saying.

The showing was followed by a Q&A with director Rich Moore and Sarah Silverman who stars in the film as Vanellope. It has really invigorated my desire to one day make my own film project. I’ve had so many things on the back burner for so long, and I would love to get behind the camera and really make something of them. I think when a director does a job well it shows, and listening to Moore talk last night you could tell he knew he had hit the jackpot and was indeed living the dream.

It’s a shame directors aren’t given more time unless they’ve got all kinds of mega sass and a massive following behind them, because there’s a reason they get to be in charge of these projects, and there is a lot to be gained from them.

Knees kiss so awkward
There must be an apology
Before we get up

Hello, and welcome to another edition of ‘The worst decision I made this week’ and here’s your host, I am!
The worst decision I made this week was considering cancelling plans with a friend. As you may have gathered I am no social butterfly. When I leave the house it is for work or Kate as a general rule. I realise this sounds like an awful way to conduct oneself. I also spend a lot of time in queues if that makes you feel better about it.

Last night I just couldn’t be bothered. I had a full on day at work and I just wanted to go home and wallow. The ball wasn’t in my court though fortunately.
The friend I had planned to meet up with is my longest serving friend, he top trumps the lot of you. I don’t know what I’m going to say about him so we will just initial this one. My friend S had tried calling me a couple of times during the day. I text him and had not received a response by the time I left work. I started towards the train station figuring it gave him another half hour to get his arse in gear while I either walked to our arranged meeting place or jumped on a train. I was very undecided.
He called and there was just something in his voice. I realised we hadn’t seen each other in two years and there was too much unsaid we needed to catch up on.
After a couple of beers in Soho I confessed to him I had thought about ducking out or cancelling or taking a rain check whatever the fuck that means. He understood completely. We both work in quite highly strung industries and he agreed there are days when you need to just lock yourself away and respect your own privacy.
He’s right, as usual, but I sometimes go too far the other way.

S has always been the outgoing powerhouse of the pair of us but seeing him last night I could tell something had changed. He still has the spirit and we talked about it at great length but he is being heavily oppressed and put upon by those above. I hate seeing him like that and the areas we are both working in are no what we should be doing at all but a man has gotta eat.
So eat we did.

After eight beers we wandered the confused side streets of east London until we found a Mexican cantina. This might be the booze talking but wow, that was some good Mexican. I’m pretty sure we were taken for being a couple but I could do an awful lot worse.
It was nice to see the pressure of the day leave our shoulders, all of that stuff becomes nothing when you’re with a friend who shares the dream and shares the drive and just gets it.
I’m very lucky we have managed to stay so connected when months tick by in the way they do.
No matter where we get to and what we are doing there is something going back and forth and long may it continue.
My parting words were “don’t let the bastards grind you down”.
I hope you get to read this one S, and I’ll see you soon.

I like your jumper
Hope it keeps you warm now that
Prices have gone up

I’m currently reading what I understand to be Kerouac’s last book. I’m struggling with it for the same reason I struggled with the documentary What Happened To Kerouac? which I reviewed for Screen Geek way back when.
While the book offers an insight into how Kerouac sees himself and Paris, it just highlights what a shambling drunkard he became. That’s not to say it isn’t a good book or I don’t appreciate the kind folks who bought it for me, it’s just different from the beat poet stuff I love.
He reminds me of a drunk Shatner, hitting on girls young enough to be his daughters, frightening locals and being kicked out of hotels.
There was a time when I would have thought this kind of thing brilliant and rock n roll and whatever else but seeing how he died shortly after from an internal haemorrhage doesn’t make it all that rosy. He didn’t light up the sky like the Roman candles of On The Road, he just began a caricature drunk he could write about.