Paul Schiernecker

Category: It’s Actually Quite Nice Being Me

  • Pencaitland

    I have been lucky enough to take my second trip away in two months. I spent the weekend in Pencaitland, just outside Edinburgh for three nights with a group of friends. We were all there to watch the Super Bowl. I know you all must be wondering the same thing, why would I ever be involved in purposely watching a sports game.

    I guess I must have really wanted to spend time with this group of people – enough to overlook my usual aversion to the world of sport.

    It was a grand weekend where I ate too much, drank too much, realised that I am still terrible at PitchCar but equally fantastic at very British quiz questions.

    My highlights included:

    · Managing to secure a room and a bathroom to myself, which I assumed at some point would be taken from me.

    · Not having to, or being able to, go to the gym for four days

    · Breathing fresh air and getting out away from the usual nonsense

    · Spending more time with Darren

    · Escaping the “sports room” where the “lads” were watching the “Super Bowl” to watch the trailer for Avengers: Endgame, because I have my priorities straight

    · Making a lot of Brooklyn 99 and Arrested Development references

    · Playing the game Horse, but with skittles

    · Bringing down the survivors of an Antarctic base with Ben

    · Going for a four mile walk that included a village pub

    · Playing Hey Joon on the piano

    · Eating my weight in nachos

    · Shouting the four key phrases I’ve got in my locker in relation to American Football

    · Listening to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack while getting hammered with Two Tennants Sam

    · Wandering, hungover, through Edinburgh with Marcus, killing time before the train home

    We may have shouted at one another at points, but it came from a place of love and anger, so it’s all in good fun.

    Here is to next year, and the hopes that I will be the champ.

  • Greenwich.

    For someone who has worked in London for coming up on a decade, I haven’t seen enough of our fair capital. With the daily drudgery it is hard to keep in mind that it is an exceptionally cool place, full of history and that I am lucky to live so close by. When Jaz told me she was going to start exploring more of London, I decided to ride her coattails. Our first trip was to Greenwich.

    The first thing to note about Greenwich is that cute new places keep on popping up, since the exodus, it’s all getting gentrified (thanks Alex Turner). The place was hip (god I feel old using that word). There were a lot of bare ankles, oversized glasses and Lush tote bags. We took the DLR through the winding monoliths of Canary Wharf and came out in the refined air of Greenwich. We walked down towards the high street and off to the National Maritime Museum. I’ve recently been writing a piece about an Antarctic Research facility and was given a copy of Endurance, the book on Shackleton’s incredible mission to the south pole, by my friend George. I had been told there was a great exhibition on the subject and was not disappointed. There’s something very Wes Anderson about the museum. Jaz and I were in our element as we wandered around the massive space, dodging kamikaze children who run at you, regardless of how wide a berth you give them. The only disappointment I suffered all day was discovering the Ship Simulator was closed. It had been a while since I had been at sea, my understanding of maritime law was waning. We found the Polar Worlds exhibit and I floundered at the equipment on display. It is incredible to think of how those men survived those circumstances and where their minds must have gone during the time. There’s only so much penguin blubber any man should have to imbibe.

    We also visited the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition (£10 entry) which was incredible. It reminded me of visiting desolate locations with no light pollution. In the deserts and mountains I got to see the stars in full. I saw the Milky Way over the Sahara. I watched shooting stars from the foothills of the Inca trail. There’s this incredible display above us every night and the exhibition was an opportunity to showcase that and the incredible work the photographers had undertaken to bring it to Earth.

    We wandered through Greenwich Market and picked up some lunch. I found an Ethiopian food stall and was reminded of Bill Crystal’s joke in When Harry Met Sally. I got couscous, spinach, chickpeas, lentils, chilli and three samosas for £7. Jaz had cheesy gnocchi (from a different stall, obviously). We sat on a wall and I filled my stupid face with delicious food. I wanted to learn how to make it all.
    We went to Grind for a coffee afterwards. As we were just ordering drinks our order was overlooked a couple of times before we got what we wanted. It was very, very cool in Grind and I felt like I didn’t belong. I think that’s kind of the point.

    In the middle of last year, my friends, Elisa and George, were in Greenwich and found an art store that sold Wes Anderson inspired prints. Elisa sent me a picture of the Darjeeling Limited one and I immediately replied, asking her to pick it up for me. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I returned and bought more art. This time a print from Rushmore, Bill Murray’s character, Herman J Blume, is sat on the bottom of the pool. I love the bright colours in the print and could imagine placing it anywhere in my drab flat to brighten up the place.

    We went back across the market and over to Crosstown doughnuts. As I’m doing Veganuary a number of people (including Jaz) had told me how good their vegan, sourdough doughnuts were, but I had never tried them. I had the Orange Blossom and sat at the counter with an Americano, trying to artfully cram it into my mouth.

    We walked up to the Observatory. I wanted to stand with one foot on either side of the meridian line. You have to book tickets and pay to go into that area and to visit the only planetarium in London, so we made do with the free exhibits, which were full of children. We wandered back down the hill and made our way over to the pub where we were due to meet Laura, Darren and Darren’s mum, Monica, for dinner. She was visiting from Iowa (which I can definitely pronounce correctly). Jaz and I arrived early so propped up the bar until we could get a table. The pub faces the water and is a beautifully themed space, unless you live with my brain, which described it as “a maritime TGI Friday’s”.

    The five of us sat down for dinner and I did my best to not swear and to seem like a nice person in front of Monica because I wanted to impress her and live up to the hype I was sure must have accumulated from Darren talking about me all the time. She regaled us with stories of what he was like as a kid and I did what I could for international relations by trying not to be too offensive. It was lovely to spend time with them and to catch up with Laura, who I no longer get to see on a daily basis.

    We went back to their flat for a game of Obama Llama and some White Russians before getting the train home.

    It made such a break from my usual weekends to go out and do something, to engage in a day out properly and to pretend that we were fancy tourists. London has a lot to offer and I can’t wait to get more from it.

  • Starting it right.

    With two days left of 2018, I booked a flight to Spain. My Shoe Brother had made a vague offer of lodging and that was enough for me. I have mixed feelings about the changing of the year but I have good feelings about travel. 
I know what you are wondering. What is a Shoe Brother?

Over half a lifetime ago, I was in a Physical Education lesson being bullied. It doesn’t take an awful stretch to look at me as an adult and understand why I would have been bullied as a child. I was skinny, bookish and at odds with the DJ Luck & MC Neat-loving morons who made up much of the alumni of my school. In one particular act of bullying, a gang of them tore off one of my non-branded trainers and hurled it onto the top of the cricket netting in the sports hall. They also took another kid's shoe and did the same. Then, suffering a crisis of bullish confidence, they grabbed a pole and attempted to retrieve the shoes they had just stole. The pair of us both stood on one leg, a socked foot raised in the air in tribute to those vile idiots who probably look back on that day as a high point of their lives.
The other kid looked at me. 
“What’s up, Shoe Brother” he said. 
Therein began a friendship which I absolutely cherish to this day.

Luke is currently out in Spain, living “off-grid”, completely unaware of the nonsense in your social media feeds and unwise to your petty concerns. The way he sold it to me sounded incredible so I booked a flight out so I could spend the first part of the year, and indeed his birthday, in his holy presence. 



Luke picked me up from the airport and we ventured down to the coast. We spent time outside, a lot of time outside. We hiked up mountains and out to abandoned lighthouses. We ate as vegan as we could for a country built on its love of carne. We laughed a lot and we had some drinks and he made me dance on a cliff face while he drummed a beat on a steel pan. We washed up paella-stained saucepans in the sea. We practiced meditation on the beach. We got really, really cold from failing to dress appropriately for the plummeting evening weather. Most of all though, I just really appreciated him.



We are at an age when it becomes, or we make it become, increasingly more difficult to spend time with the people you have the longest and deepest connections with. It’s strange to think of the boys we were and the men we have subsequently become. He is a good, good person and that’s something to be treasured.

I hope 2019 treats me as well as the first five days did. I hope I can laugh and eat and be outdoors in the sun. I hope I get to connect and feel understood. I hope I can read in my spare time and talk in my taken time. I want for so much and it was granted to me so recently. 

  • More of this in 2019.

    Travel
    In 2018 I got to see new parts of the world. In 2019 I want to push that further. We are fortunate enough to live in an age when international travel is attainable. It might be expensive but it is possible if it is something that you want. Travel makes me feel good and it fills both my head and my heart with stories. If the opportunity is there then I am here for it. I’m already making plans for Spain and America. Let’s see what else I can fit in.

    Friends
    I am fortunate enough to have a wide selection of friends. I’m looking forward to getting back to improv in mid-January and playing about with those goons. I’m also going to be better at communicating with people. I have a tendency to isolate but there’s always the other side, when I emerge and need a harsh cuddle. I will keep those people close.


    Projects
    I have a whole league of things I would like to get done this year. Amongst them are podcast ideas, novels, albums, sketches, documentaries… You’ll have to stay tuned to witness it all but it’s a nice way of thinking of the new year, that I have so much to get done still and feel so positive about it.


    Piano
    I had piano lessons when I was a kid (shout out to Mrs Udaman) and now I wish I had stuck at it and got some grades under my belt. I’m slowly building those muscles up and getting somewhere. It’s still clunky and I seem to stick to playing everything in the first position and not even considering inversions but I can sense the progress. I’ve also taken the pressure off myself to be a prodigy and just enjoy playing.

    Health
    I worked hard in 2018 to be a physically healthier version of myself. This meant trying to visit the gym at least twelve times a month, eating better and trying not to turn to alcohol as a crutch. I’m some of the way there. I lost ten pounds this year through exercise and intermittent fasting and feel much better in myself as a result. In 2019 I would like to continue to exercise, for both my physical and mental health, and maybe cut down on the cigarettes I smoke when I’ve had a couple of mojitos.

    Films
    One of my favourite things is visiting the cinema. With Oscar season upon us, I wanted to give myself the best chance of seeing films like The Favourite and Mary, Queen of Scots. I’ve made a pledge to give the Odeon Limitless card a go. There is no need for these cinema visits to be with company, although obviously that is nice, especially if there’s kissing involved. I’m happy to go and see films just because I want to go and see them. I’ll go alone with no qualms. The experience of the cinema cannot be matched by a scrappy copy with Chinese subtitles shot on a phone at the back of the room.

  • 10 things I didn’t see coming in 2018.

    This year has been weird and unexpected in fantastic ways. As it draws to a close, I wanted to point out some of the many things I did not see coming.

    1. Freddie
    I am a dab hand at being an uncle now. I have three godchildren, two nephews and a niece. For some reason, most of the time, they don’t hate me. I think they recognise that I’m on their intellectual level. Last month, Freddie Schiernecker was born. Despite my best efforts they didn’t go with my name choice of Lil Paulie. The first time I held him, he settled on my chest and fell asleep. I looked up at my brothers with tears rolling down my face.
    “What the fuck is the matter with you?” they asked.

    2. Legoland
    When my friends asked if I wanted to go to Legoland to “help out” with their kids (my godchildren), I think we all knew what they were really asking – “would you like to act like a kid for a day?”
    We had an amazing time geeking out over Star Wars lego and watching the kids go through varying stages of joy and fear. Realising that the Ferris Wheel went quite high was a particular worry for the boys and Toby did not appreciate me using him as a human shield on the log flume. It was great to be able to visit as it wasn’t something we were able to do when I was little. That being said, the whole thing is a horrific money-spinner and I feel sorry for parents.

    3. Monaco
    I was given the opportunity to visit Monaco for work. The best part was that I got to travel with one of my favourite people and that I got the better room. Monaco is a strange and beautiful place full of strange and beautiful people. I bought the most expensive sandwiches in Europe and on our last evening, won big in the casino. Rory also made me swim in the sea while trying to avert his gaze from my tight swimming shorts.

    4. Yoga
    I had done a minimal amount of yoga before. I had tried Pilates when I realised there were a lot of women there. This year I took to yoga in a big way. I’ve been going to a couple of different classes and have felt so many benefits as a result. Taking the time to focus on your body and your breath has had incredible benefits for me. I often harp on about my mental health and I cannot believe the difference yoga has had.
    I also got to stay in a yoga retreat in the base of the Himalayas, because I’m a total cliche. There, Yogi Bobby made me stretch looongerrrrrrr than I ever had before.

    5. Hypertrophic Literary
    Having read the excellent When You Bleed To Death several years ago, I quickly decided that I wanted the author, Jeremy Bronaugh, to be my friend. I reached out to him by email and we struck up a transatlantic friendship. Jeremy is also a fantastic artist and I have both his graphic novel and sketchbook signed and proudly displayed on my bookshelf. Along with his amazing wife Lyndsey, he runs a lit magazine which I made it my goal to be published in. In Spring I achieved that goal and had a piece in Hypertrophic Literary. It was really special to open a copy and see something I had written, alongside other great writers and the beautiful designs that frequent every issue. My next goal is to visit my American friends.

    6. Dad’s wedding
    I knew that my old man would get married. I didn’t think about what my involvement would mean and how much extra time I would therefore get to spend with my dad and brothers as a result. I broke into his house and stole his passport so we could take him to Amsterdam on a secret stag and then, along with all his wile old mates, we had a day out doing archery and riding quad bikes before a curry and a failed attempt to drag him to the Pink Toothbrush.
    The big day was just that, a big day. I got to give a best man’s speech on behalf of my brothers and my dad mistook a giant mirror as another wedding going on next door. I ended up sitting up with my brother until three in the morning, watching true crime documentaries and talking absolute trash. It made me really appreciate the people I have around me.

    7. Seizing my space
    This year I made a conscious effort to own and love the space I occupy. I’ve been in my flat for four years and in that time a lot has changed. As a result, it was cursed with a series of different memories. Like the cliche man living alone, it was all basic and the furniture was taken from wherever I could source it. I’ve now cultivated the space and made it feel more like somewhere I want to spend time, particularly important when it is somewhere that I spend so much time. I’m happy here and I’m happy now.


    8. A lot of writing
    It’s no secret that I would love to get to a point where I could be fully reliant on my writing for an income. That means committing a lot of time to my craft. This year I have written a historical fiction novel which is currently out with agents for consideration. I also took part in National Novel Writing Month and wrote 73,000 words in just 20 days. That piece was about my travels this year and may well come to something at a later date. I’ve got a number of projects in the pipeline for 2019 and am very excited about them.

    9. Friendships
    It has been an important year for friends. I am fortunate to have different groups in different places and being able to meet new people and learn what they are about is one of the many joys in my life. I have a league of fantastic memories with old friends and have been able to cultivate new friendships. In December last year I asked someone I kind of knew if she would come last-minute Christmas shopping with me at Big Tesco and now Poppy is the person who knows what I am thinking before I know it myself. I also reconnected with Jaz and our friendship has flourished as a result, spending an awful lot of time drinking coffee and judging everyone else.
    Through Laughter Academy I have made a number of important friendships I now wonder how I survived without. Being able to talk about writing with Lewis, sharing music with Ash and chuffing well adoring Jess for being amazing have been great additions to my 2018. I was also fortunate enough to appear in a number of improv shows including a 24-hour improvathon with an amazing cast and I feel like our PTSD bonded us in a way others will never understand. This is of course on top of spending time with Luke, George, Benjy, Lee, Ross, Ross, Hollie, Sam, Cat, John, Ali, Olly and everyone else.
    I got to meet my friend Lottie after being Internet-only friends for a number of years. Spending time with her, her parents, Sophie and Steve was great fun and they made me feel very welcome in their home, even when I had to pass out on their floor drunk.
    I got to spend more time with Scott including seeing Iggy Pop, Arcade Fire and Queens Of The Stone Age together. Eventually we will get that podcast started.
    Through work I also made some great new connections, especially Kane and Laura. I also made a series of new friends in February when I visited York to watch the Super Bowl half-time show while everyone else seemed more involved in an American football game that was on the same night. As a result I was dragged into a Fantasy Football league that has taught me a lot about what nerds they are.
    Through my travels I connected with a number of people and hope that I’m able to visit them in 2019.
    If you’re reading through and don’t feel that I’ve captured our relationship that came to fruition in 2018 then this comment is for you. You’re fucking special too.

    10. India
    In my most obnoxious Eat Pray Love move to date, I spent a couple of weeks travelling around India in September/October. That trip included time in Delhi, Rishikesh and Goa as well as an incredible trip on the Rajdhani Express. My thanks to Sally for the initial suggestion. I am pleased to report that the trip has continued to influence me and I remember every single day with nothing but joy. If you are considering going away and doing something different, especially if it’s on your own, then my advice is to go for it. I cannot believe the different ways the trip impacted me as a result of being away on my own. It taught me love, patience and pain and I don’t feel like I’ll ever settle down on the other side of it.

    Photos under 7 and 9 © Film Free Music Photography
    All others from my iPhone so technically mine.

  • An Open Letter to Tim Rop (Bellhop)

    Dear Tim,

    I am sorry we had to part so soon. I would like to thank you for occupying my body for a day. It was really something. I just wanted to take the time to talk about what you went through and how awesome it was for me to be a part of Southend’s first 24 hour improvathon.

    Do you remember when we thought we could get through a whole day pretending to be Russian with just a GCSE History-level of knowledge about Russia? That was silly, wasn’t it.
    The first moment that stands out is when Ali (in her infinite wisdom as the genius director behind all this) made us walk across the backs of the rest of the cast as they formed a staircase up through the hotel. We spoke about whatever came to mind, which just so happened to be Red Square – which we then split into the colour and the shape.

    For about eight hours, any time we were onstage, we carried that suitcase with us. I kind of wish I’d had the foresight to empty it beforehand because it didn’t take long before we were awfully sweaty.
    Then, for the sweet love of everything that kept us going, we were saved from being the daft comic relief in a comedy show by a bit of story development. We owe a huge debt of thanks to John for stepping in as Mr Luggage and to Alice for insisting that there was more to Tim than just a bad Russian accent.

    From there, with the help of a serious lack of sleep, all of the cast, our characters and the storyline descended into the surreal. We did some excellent stage kissing and suddenly I was hosting a Q&A with a roomful of children. You told them about Richard Gere’s penchant for gerbils and we could all sense the tension in the room.
    Then we got some really cute scenes with Tabitha that secured you, Tim Rop: Bellhop, as one of the nation’s favourite improvisational characters.
    The pair of us survived the final battle by hiding behind a curtain and boom, it was over. Our time together was done and the last glimmer of a Russian accent disappeared from me.

    So thank you Tim Rop, but thank you to Ali and Cat and Jess and Jim and Clare. Thank you to Beatrice and Blossom and Mr Luggage. Thank you to Dirk, Sedgley, Madame Lavinia, Charlie Chaplin, Albrecht Von Fuckenshischt, Lois, Sister David Mary, Myrtle, Paulie, Margot, Angelique, Dusty, Cleo, Greg, Olivier, Agnes, Jack, Joe, James, Edith, Samuel, Violet, Dick, Max, Dr Rance, Marcus, Sarah, Duck Monster, Tallulah, Captain Hank and Edmure Demure. I’m sure we were all other things and characters. I haven’t laughed that much for a long time and I am grateful to you all for your nonsense.
    I am really proud to have been a part of it and it is only now, as I slowly pull myself from the wreckage that I am so thankful for all of this.

    Thank you for your time.

    Paul Schiernecker

    Photo by Film Free Photography.

  • Adventure

    I try to be a good influence.
    I try not to let on, especially to the children in my life (godchildren, niece, nephew, cousins), that I am a terrible role model. Imagine my surprise when last weekend I was presented with my godson Toby’s first story, which is to be published in a collection. He insisted on reading it to me. I wish I could recreate the passion with which he read it back to me. He’s a true performer and a true artist.
    See below:
    One day, there was a jungle. It was deep, dark and scary, but when it was day, it was a beautiful jungle.
    “Huh, what’s this? Is it a snake?” said the jungle explorer. The snake was a little snake.
    But one day, there was a lion. It saw a snake. Oh no, it was that snake! That green one. The lion bit the green, pretty snake on the tail and what happened? The snake chased the lion into a large, scary snake. Was it a cobra? Yes it was! It had venom and it squirted the venom on the lion. But, oh my gosh, the lion did not die. The lion was terrified, but how lucky he was not to die. The next day, he was very tired so he ran away from the snake. He was now very happy. Now he would hunt for something else for his dinner, maybe a rhino and a giraffe.
    So he set off and soon he was back in the jungle. He caught two buffalo, five giraffes, seven rhinos and one elephant. He was so full and so tired, so he ran so fast home that he nearly exploded.

    I have so many questions but I didn’t want the artist to dissect his work too much. We can all take from it whatever we choose.

    How incredible it is, that in 2018, immersed in a world of Pokemon Go, Nintendo Switch, Panini football stickers, maths homework, the goodie cupboard, fighting with his siblings and convincing me that his parents let him do the thing he is trying to do while I’m babysitting, Toby (aged 7) is interested in writing. I have never let him read anything I’ve written (because he’s at least a decade too young) but it is good to see that in some way, he has absorbed some of Uncle Paul’s positivity.

  • Desert Island Films.

    Note: This post is full of spoilers for the films featured. Consider this fair warning.

    Earlier this year I put together my list of Desert Island Discs, to save me having to go on Radio 4 and discuss them in person. You know me, I don’t like to leave my flat without good cause.
    This led to another conversation, more recently, about the eight films I would choose to take to a desert island with me. It’s taken me a lot longer to put the list together. The first draft was fifteen films long. I’ve got it down to eight and they’re exactly what you would expect of a droll indie prole boy. Check it out.

    1. Almost Famous.
    I can’t remember when I first saw Almost Famous. I know it was before I went to university. I know it was during the phase that continues to this day when I was obsessed with the culture/counter-culture of the ’60s/’70s. The thought of this young man who had all this vinyl and got to hang out with rockstars and write, was always going to appeal to me. If you add groupies into that mix, especially when one of them was played by Kate Hudson and named after a song/lane, then it’s going to completely be my bag. Also, Billy Crudup with a moustache.
    For a long time it was my go to film when I had girls over to my parents house and needed to put something on before I awkwardly tried to yawn-and-stretch myself into a viable position for bad kissing and offbeat dry-humping. To this day, this moment in this film just makes me smile.

    2. Pulp Fiction
    On a very base level, everything about this film is incredible.
    The cast. The soundtrack. The script, the pacing, the blood and the dancing.
    This scene is the single coolest thing that has ever happened. A ’50s-themed bar, all these little references to listen out for, Uma Thurman absolutely killing it in the role of Mia Wallace.
    I was too young to see it when it came out but I remember the poster in the windows of video shops. The image of her on that bed was iconic and even as a kid I knew the film had to be special.
    I remember my friend Mike (who was forever teaching me what was cool when it came to films and music) buying this and Reservoir Dogs for me. They were some of the first DVDs I owned and I watched them until I memorised the Ezekiel 25:17 speech.

    3. Trainspotting
    The following scene was such a departure from how gritty and real other elements of the film were that it made me think about whether it was ok to do this as a filmmaker, and in that, I recognised Boyle’s strength. You could never disappear into a toilet but somehow, I felt this on a deep level.
    On top of the surrealism of this scene, the film is so slick and sexy, it’s such a compliment to the book. The cast are all spot on. Young Ewan has got it going on.

    4. The Departed.
    I did not think this film would be for me. I avoided seeing it in the cinema until enough people were talking about it that I took a chance. I had been sorely mistaken, something I’m always happy to hear.
    It’s another film led by music. That’s definitely a theme in what I enjoy.
    It’s brutal. It has this incredible back-and-forth where you don’t ever know who you are routing for. Everyone is at the top of their game. Jack Nicholson is outright terrifying. All the accents make it sound a lot more dramatic. Mark Wahlberg has terrible hair. What’s not to love?

    5. Shaun of the Dead
    Everything about this film is gold. It taught me a lot about writing and about timing. It taught me about setting and love and ice cream. I can’t help but smile whenever I see it and it’s constantly on ITV2.
    For my 30th birthday I had a private screening of the film having spent three months beforehand watching it and pulling it apart with my friend Scott as we tried to work out what made it work and put it into a show we were writing together. We got some of the way there but it renewed my love for Pegg, Frost and Wright.

    6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    I fairly recently saw this on a rooftop in east London. It was far from the first time I had seen it but I silently wept as it played out. I couldn’t work out why for a long time afterwards.
    It turns out that it’s because it’s the most honest film about break ups I think I have ever seen and depending on where you’re at when you see anything, depends on the way it hits you. It’s become my go to Valentines Day film, which probably says a lot about me. Everyone, even Dunst, brings their A-game. Jim Carrey and Kate Winsley essentially swap places on their typecast characters to play Joel and Clementine and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.

    7. Nowhere Boy
    I’m always going to be here for Beatles-related content and Aaron Johnson’s turn as a young Lennon (“glasses John!”) is really something to behold. It covers him as a teen, getting the Quarrymen together and basically having a terrible time when it comes to his family. There are some nice nods to what The Beatles would become and how they didn’t just happen upon that.
    It’s a human story and it’s terribly sad in places but music saves him and I will always have time for that.
    Again, I can remember showing it to girls as a way of impressing on them how deep I was.

     

    8. The Darjeeling Limited
    My friend Ben recommended Darjeeling to me when I was staying with him in Cambridge. He went to bed and I put it on. I was immediately won over. As the minutes rolled by it hit me more and more. I had never seen anything like it. The sibling rivalry. The decor on the train. The characters. Bill Murray. I fell in love.
    I borrowed heavily from it for my first novel, somewhat obviously in places.
    I had previously seen Rushmore and maybe The Royal Tenenbaums but the backdrop of India and this particular brand of family squabbling appealed. I’ve since become a huge Wes Anderson fan and insist on seeing his films in the cinema.
    This sequence was so obvious (they’re literally throwing away their baggage) but it was in slow-mo and The Kinks were playing and if that’s not everything you need then I don’t know what is.

  • Do You Wanna Build A Podcast?

    A month ago my very fine friend Sam Sexton mentioned the pair of us starting work on a podcast together. Tonight we are recording our fifth episode and the feedback to it so far has been fantastic.

    Sam and I met several years ago through Danny and ended up forced into performing improvised comedy together. I feel very lucky to have him in my life, as I do for everyone I’ve met through improv.

    Our podcast, Sync Tank, chooses a random film and album each week, playing them simultaneously to search for any coincidental moments of synchronicity that we can pass off as being a hidden message from the filmmakers/artists. It’s very, very silly, but then, so are we.

    If you’re interested then you can find us on iTunes as well as our social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

  • Plead the sixth.

    For the last six years I have dedicated myself, with mixed levels, to this blog. It’s been something of a journey I suppose. In the way that time has to be. More than anything, I started it to make sure I was flexing my writing muscles and making sure I get the key details down.

    I would like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has ever taken the time to read anything I have posted. It means an awful lot to me. I’m glad I’m doing this in an age when an audience is so readily available to me.
    You’re awesome and I’m glad you’re there.