Sunday, February 26, 2006
RIP Kolchak
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at
approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was
just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us
can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time
to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory.
Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl
Kolchak, fighting authority and battling monsters; the grumpy Old Man
sending curses over Lake Michigan; as David Ross, the outsider, Grey Holden,
captain of the Enterprise, the irascible detective Mike Hammer or any
number of memorable guest star appearances, most notably as Joe Bascome on GUNSMOKE and as the washed-up old actor from "Distant Signals."
From http://www.darrenmcgavin.net/
One of the worlds most underrated, prolific actors. Not many people will mark his passing, but I have a lot of respect for the man that bought the character of Kolchak to life. One of the most magnificently impressive resumes of any American actor of the era.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
The Best Musical Ever Written
I'm not a big fan of Musical Theatre at the best of times, but without a doubt, the title has to go to Ragni, Rado and McDermot's
This was proved to me this evening by an absolutely stunning, raw, powerful production from the University of Canterbury Musical Theatre Society (MuSoc), directed by Mel Camp.
If you are in Christchurch while it is playing, see it.
HAIR...
This was proved to me this evening by an absolutely stunning, raw, powerful production from the University of Canterbury Musical Theatre Society (MuSoc), directed by Mel Camp.
I haven't been to much theatre lately (at least not as an "audient"), but this is EASILY the best piece of theatre I've seen in quite some time...
If you are in Christchurch while it is playing, see it.
(Oh, yeah... I'm in a play as well at the moment, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, for Elmwood Players, opening next week... come and see it... if you must...)
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Fuck Christchurch Sunday Night Closing Times (a post gig rant)
I have just been to see Hexstatic live at the Dux de Lux this evening.
They were awesome. Everything I expected them to be. Brilliant old school mash-ups, funky dancy beats and deep soulful downbeat grooves. They are the masters of VJ beat-mixing par excellence. Their mash of Kriss Kross' Jump with House of Pain's Jump Around was masterful and their breakbeat mix of Led Zepplin's Whole Lotta Love was truly inspired...
HOWEVER...
(and it's a biiiiig HOWEVER)
I have GOT to make some noise here about the waaaaay too short gig, caused by the early Sunday closing time at the Dux.
Honestly, if the organisers of this gig had known the closing time restriction from the start, surely they would have realised that this would have been the wrong venue to host these guys, whose visual style needs to be seen in decent darkness for the style of visual/cinematic madness they create and therefore enough time deep into the night, as well as a decent venue, should have been allowed for them to play a full gig .
I realise that the event was based around more then just the gig (it started at about 5.30, with general DJs and brewskis a-flowin'), but for those of us who were only able to make it for the main act itself (damn working weekends!!!) which started at about twilight it was a bit unsatisfying to only have the main act onstage for little over an hour.
I find it extremely disrespectful to Hexstatic, who I consider to be pioneers in their particular area of electronica (hell, they held Ninja Tune together in the early years!!!), to cut them short by giving us such a bite-sized show...
Surely the bar could have foregone its (extremely narrow-minded) closing time of 10.30pm (gosh!!! what an un-godly hour!!!) and kept things running maybe another hour-&-a- half or so. That would have kept us all from feeling a bit cheated.
I don't mind shelling out $20 to see them, I just hope most of my cash goes to the "band" rather than lining the pockets of the bar or the un-insightful organisers of this event...
This kind of middle-of-the-road, conservative, cash-cowing of audiences like this is pretty typical for Christchurch, and is another nail in the big "fuck you" coffin of reasons I am finding to find a new home city...
I hope everyone who is heading to Splore in Auckland next weekend enjoys what should be a much better set from them... the little that we were treated to down here looked to be leading into something quite deep, mind-bending and groovy - they are just as good as ever.
(I am listening to my copy of their single Timber - which was conspicuous by its absense - as I write this, to try and make up for the disapointment... it would be nice to have had some new visuals for it though!!!)
They were awesome. Everything I expected them to be. Brilliant old school mash-ups, funky dancy beats and deep soulful downbeat grooves. They are the masters of VJ beat-mixing par excellence. Their mash of Kriss Kross' Jump with House of Pain's Jump Around was masterful and their breakbeat mix of Led Zepplin's Whole Lotta Love was truly inspired...
HOWEVER...
(and it's a biiiiig HOWEVER)
I have GOT to make some noise here about the waaaaay too short gig, caused by the early Sunday closing time at the Dux.
Honestly, if the organisers of this gig had known the closing time restriction from the start, surely they would have realised that this would have been the wrong venue to host these guys, whose visual style needs to be seen in decent darkness for the style of visual/cinematic madness they create and therefore enough time deep into the night, as well as a decent venue, should have been allowed for them to play a full gig .
I realise that the event was based around more then just the gig (it started at about 5.30, with general DJs and brewskis a-flowin'), but for those of us who were only able to make it for the main act itself (damn working weekends!!!) which started at about twilight it was a bit unsatisfying to only have the main act onstage for little over an hour.
I find it extremely disrespectful to Hexstatic, who I consider to be pioneers in their particular area of electronica (hell, they held Ninja Tune together in the early years!!!), to cut them short by giving us such a bite-sized show...
Surely the bar could have foregone its (extremely narrow-minded) closing time of 10.30pm (gosh!!! what an un-godly hour!!!) and kept things running maybe another hour-&-a- half or so. That would have kept us all from feeling a bit cheated.
I don't mind shelling out $20 to see them, I just hope most of my cash goes to the "band" rather than lining the pockets of the bar or the un-insightful organisers of this event...
This kind of middle-of-the-road, conservative, cash-cowing of audiences like this is pretty typical for Christchurch, and is another nail in the big "fuck you" coffin of reasons I am finding to find a new home city...
I hope everyone who is heading to Splore in Auckland next weekend enjoys what should be a much better set from them... the little that we were treated to down here looked to be leading into something quite deep, mind-bending and groovy - they are just as good as ever.
(I am listening to my copy of their single Timber - which was conspicuous by its absense - as I write this, to try and make up for the disapointment... it would be nice to have had some new visuals for it though!!!)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Marathoning...
Well, my all-night movie marathon happened, with about a dozen people turning up on the night.
Here's how it all went down:
1. WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
2. STEWIE GRIFFIN - THE UNTOLD STORY (aka THE FAMILY GUY MOVIE)
break (REJECTED)
3. OH! MIKEY
4. MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN
5. HAUTE TENSION
break
6. MR T'S BE SOMEBODY OR BE SOMEBODY'S FOOL
7. DARK SIDE OF THE RAINBOW (1st play-through)
break
8. FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!
About half of the audience stuck it out and I felt pretty satisfyed about the way it all went. A nice mix of my own personal indulgence and giving my "target audience" what they wanted.
Things I Learnt:
- Don't play the loudest stuff at 4-5am. DARK SIDE needed to go a little higher in the programme for full appreciation of Waters' rockin guitars. I think I may have bled a few eardrums there.
- Keep an eye on sound levels. Especially when shouting Asian maniquiens are involved...
- There must ALWAYS be a horror film at 2-3am. (HAUTE TENSION was an awesome choice, if I do say so myself!!)
- Ending on a classic keeps everyone happy.
I may do another one of these sometime in the future, but I'm certainly gonna start doing semi-irregular screening nights now and then. Watch This Space...
Here's how it all went down:
1. WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
2. STEWIE GRIFFIN - THE UNTOLD STORY (aka THE FAMILY GUY MOVIE)
break (REJECTED)
3. OH! MIKEY
4. MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN
5. HAUTE TENSION
break
6. MR T'S BE SOMEBODY OR BE SOMEBODY'S FOOL
7. DARK SIDE OF THE RAINBOW (1st play-through)
break
8. FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!
About half of the audience stuck it out and I felt pretty satisfyed about the way it all went. A nice mix of my own personal indulgence and giving my "target audience" what they wanted.
Things I Learnt:
- Don't play the loudest stuff at 4-5am. DARK SIDE needed to go a little higher in the programme for full appreciation of Waters' rockin guitars. I think I may have bled a few eardrums there.
- Keep an eye on sound levels. Especially when shouting Asian maniquiens are involved...
- There must ALWAYS be a horror film at 2-3am. (HAUTE TENSION was an awesome choice, if I do say so myself!!)
- Ending on a classic keeps everyone happy.
I may do another one of these sometime in the future, but I'm certainly gonna start doing semi-irregular screening nights now and then. Watch This Space...
