Last night, I watched the documentary 'Never Mind The Baubles: Xmas '77 with the Sex Pistols', which was broadcast on BBC4 on Boxing Day. It was directed by Julien Temple who was also responsible for the films 'The Great Rock and Roll Swindle' and 'The Filth and the Fury', both focusing on the rise and disintegration of the Sex Pistols. I could give you a potted biography of the band but if you made it beyond the title to this blog, you already have some idea of the importance of this band. Whether you like or hate them, they still resonate within the UK culture and are one of the more influential bands. The documentary focusing on Christmas Day in 1977 where the band holed up in a Huddersfield nightclub all day, performing a live set and helping to host a party for the children of striking firemen in the afternoon and in the evening, performing a live set for the adults was fascinating and helped to reveal a more sentimental side to the band. Now the live footage in this documentary of the Ivanhoe's gigs and the afternoon party are something else. Seeing John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) cutting up cake for the kids and seeing the kids pogoing to songs such as 'Bodies' (the lyrics slightly changed to make them a little less aggressive. Having said that, the irony of singing a song about abortion to a group of kids cannot be escaped). John Lydon's comment that children understood the music of the Sex Pistols was quite revealing. He is right, the energy of the music is infectious and if you consider the context in which the songs were performed and released, the importance of the band cannot be underestimated.
The 70s were not the best of times for anyone. Strikes were the prevalent feature of day to day like in the United Kingdom. The fireman's strike was one of many long running strikes during a decade that also saw the gravediggers, refuse collectors and miners on strike over pay. The fact that the Punk movement popped up in the mid 70s was in many respects, a release for the pent up frustrations that had been bubbling under the surface. The fact that the movement seeped into fashion, youth culture, music and literature could be seen as a necessary scream against a society and Government that had lost touch with the people it purported to support. The fact that the movement also helped to create a sense of equality between formerly disparate groups should also not be overlooked. The movement was a celebration of difference, diffidence and innovation. Like every thing else, it should not be seen in isolation as the Punk ethic was apparent in the USA, particularly within the music scene. The likes of the Ramones, Blondie and Patti Smith were channelling equally potent energies of apathy and rage. It also surfaced around Europe. Of course, as is the case with many sub-cultural groups, it was absorbed into the mainstream within a comparatively short time frame. The original subversive basis of the movement rendered as meaningful as a stick of chewing gum to be sold. Having said that particularly thanks to the bands that continued to appear throughout the 70s, the bad decisions made by the Government of the time and the effects that they were having on the general populace continued to be highlighted.
Back to the Sex Pistols, I feel that their music is still relevant and I long for the emergence of a new cultural movement to counterbalance the apathy that pervades the UK culture. In an age of 'we can make you famous' TV talent shows, high unemployment rates, no pay rises and a coalition Government that is so out of touch with the voting public and its opinions, surely something has to give? Let's hope it happens soon or else let's make it happen!
Barry Watt - 29th December 2013.
Afterword
'Never Mind The Baubles: Xmas '77 with the Sex Pistols' is available on BBC iPlayer until 2nd January and is well worth a watch.
The Sex Pistols' seminal album, 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols' is available from Virgin Records. Upon this gem of an album, you will encounter the aforementioned 'Bodies' and may leave your inhibitions at the door.
BW
Sunday 29 December 2013
Sunday 22 December 2013
'American Psycho' - Living for Today, Dying for Tomorrow.
On Friday night, I went to see 'American Psycho' at the Almeida Theatre. I went along with high expectations and left largely satisfied. Patrick Bateman remains one of the truly iconic literary figures. A cultural icon for a generation bereft of meaning and anxious for the reflective details of a polished chrome surface or large glass table to fill in the gaps of living.
I read the novel, 'American Psycho' years ago and since then, I have read the rest of Bret Easton Ellis' work. He has a unique voice. He captures the madness of our age, the 'buy now, pay later' philosophy that permeates the lives of the under 40s. His novels are permeated with characters who can be understood but not liked. In 'American Psycho', the reader is confronted by vapid smiles, possession hungry creatures, anxious for their next expensive meal in the current trendy restaurant, mistaken identities and a unique range of business cards. Patrick Bateman is no better or worse than any of the other twenty something investment bankers who populate the novel. If anything, his response is the most honest to the apathetic accumulators who dance repeatedly to the same old tune who have sex simply to remind themselves that they still live and breathe. Love is a joke to be sold or represented in a three minute single. Attention spans are limited. Lives more profitably abused than celebrated. Dancing around white lines, shooting up to break down the boundaries of diffidence.
The film of 'American Psycho' by Mary Harron felt oddly lacking the first time I saw it in the cinema. A very sanitised adaptation of the novel. The casting of Christian Bale was an inspired choice and despite such over-the-top sequences as Bateman running around with a chainsaw, in retrospect, it still warrants a watch. It captures the essential truth of the novel. The horror is in the lifestyle choices and the fantasies that they engender. I have vague recollections that the ending although slightly different to the end of the novel succeeds in making the point, if it didn't happen, it soon could. 'This is not an exit' is one of the most desultory lines in any cultural product.
Since my exposure to the novel and film of 'American Psycho' and also to Bret Easton Ellis' other works, I have met the author twice at talks/signings at the Southbank Centre in London. During the Q and As after the talks, the author has had to field the usual questions regarding the so-called 'misogyny' in 'American Psycho'. He wisely rebuffs such accusations. In defence of Bret Easton Ellis, his characters are by their nature regularly superficial, unfeeling and driven by base instincts. I have never felt that he treats his female characters any worse than his male ones. They are not gentle, unrealistic, sentimentalists, they are archetypes of a vicious world where tearing apart small businesses in order to allow large companies to flourish and grow is part and parcel of everyday life. Mergers and acquisitions are not coital, they regularly result in destruction. Another thing that I noticed at one of the talks/signings was the entourage that Mr Ellis had. At one point, a slightly highly strung lady squealed rather loudly about how much longer the signing was going to take. Bret Easton Ellis as he has pointed out is part of the culture he seeks to dissect. He lives the life of a wealthy decadent but with one difference, he addresses the problems that this causes him. He does it through his writing.
The musical of 'American Psycho' at the Almeida Theatre is directed by Rupert Goold. It is a revelation. Its success and failings return to one question, do you like Patrick Bateman and if so, do you feel that he can be saved? The novel and film can be interpreted in any number of ways, although the novel certainly does not want you to walk away with a warm sentimental feeling. If the murders have not happened, they soon could and that's the scariest thought of all. The film implies the same. The musical achieves a similar effect but in a way that left me feeling even more empathetic towards Patrick Bateman's character. He marries if only in a dream and his choice of bride will ruin him. Marriage without love will ruin Bateman and the body parts will amass because of this fact. It will be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
One of the strong points of this production of 'American Psycho' is the mise-en-scene. The stark clinical minimalism of an 80s apartment with videos lining the bookcases rather than books and one expensive work of art leaning to one side of the stage being one constantly used set. Bateman's apartment is a metaphor for the fragmentary life he leads. He doesn't need any objects with sentimental connections. He is constantly out at nightclubs, restaurants and at work. Lighting is used expressively to complete the concept created by the sets. At points in the production where Bateman's thoughts become particularly murderous, projections to the side and back of the stage show childish images and more horrific sketched images.
The music is a combination of new songs with an 80s feel, synthesiser heavy and also songs from the same period performed by the cast, 'Don't You Want Me' being particularly impressive. As is the case with many musicals, lyrical or musical motifs repeat throughout this production. The first song called 'Clean' introduces Patrick Bateman, in a similar manner to how Bale appears in the film. Remember the eye mask as Christian Bale as Bateman comes out of the shower explaining his cleaning routine. The whole concept of 'cleanliness' as a complete rebuttal of anything impure or affecting within this musical becomes devastating. Patrick Bateman even has a slightly sympathetic side to his character possibly because he is played by Matt Smith and some of the lyrics of the songs. From my memories of the novel, Patrick Bateman's relationship with his secretary, Jean does not hold the seeds to his salvation that this musical tries to develop. It's curious how musicals need the simplicity of a love story or potential love story to hold the more unsavoury aspects of their narratives together. The Patrick Bateman of this production is therefore ultimately a tragic 'Everyman' figure.
To close, the characters, narrative and style of this musical remain close to the original novel, even where the narrative slightly veers towards the optimistic. It deserves to be more widely seen. A West End transfer should happen in the New Year. It is time for the West End to start to celebrate new productions. 'This is not an exit'.
Barry Watt - 22nd December 2013.
Afterword
'American Psycho' is currently on at the Almeida Theatre but other than Day Seats and Returns, it is sold out until the end of the season.
http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/americanpsycho
The novel of 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis is a cheery little read for those of us slightly jaded by a diet of superficiality and vacant smiles. It is currently published by Picador. The line 'This is not an exit' is copyrighted to Bret Easton Ellis and appears in 'American Psycho'.
The film of 'American Psycho' by Mary Harron was released in 2000 and is available on DVD. It works up to a point as a film.
'Don't You Want Me' is copyright to the Human League and remains one of the most iconic 80s songs.
BW
I read the novel, 'American Psycho' years ago and since then, I have read the rest of Bret Easton Ellis' work. He has a unique voice. He captures the madness of our age, the 'buy now, pay later' philosophy that permeates the lives of the under 40s. His novels are permeated with characters who can be understood but not liked. In 'American Psycho', the reader is confronted by vapid smiles, possession hungry creatures, anxious for their next expensive meal in the current trendy restaurant, mistaken identities and a unique range of business cards. Patrick Bateman is no better or worse than any of the other twenty something investment bankers who populate the novel. If anything, his response is the most honest to the apathetic accumulators who dance repeatedly to the same old tune who have sex simply to remind themselves that they still live and breathe. Love is a joke to be sold or represented in a three minute single. Attention spans are limited. Lives more profitably abused than celebrated. Dancing around white lines, shooting up to break down the boundaries of diffidence.
The film of 'American Psycho' by Mary Harron felt oddly lacking the first time I saw it in the cinema. A very sanitised adaptation of the novel. The casting of Christian Bale was an inspired choice and despite such over-the-top sequences as Bateman running around with a chainsaw, in retrospect, it still warrants a watch. It captures the essential truth of the novel. The horror is in the lifestyle choices and the fantasies that they engender. I have vague recollections that the ending although slightly different to the end of the novel succeeds in making the point, if it didn't happen, it soon could. 'This is not an exit' is one of the most desultory lines in any cultural product.
Since my exposure to the novel and film of 'American Psycho' and also to Bret Easton Ellis' other works, I have met the author twice at talks/signings at the Southbank Centre in London. During the Q and As after the talks, the author has had to field the usual questions regarding the so-called 'misogyny' in 'American Psycho'. He wisely rebuffs such accusations. In defence of Bret Easton Ellis, his characters are by their nature regularly superficial, unfeeling and driven by base instincts. I have never felt that he treats his female characters any worse than his male ones. They are not gentle, unrealistic, sentimentalists, they are archetypes of a vicious world where tearing apart small businesses in order to allow large companies to flourish and grow is part and parcel of everyday life. Mergers and acquisitions are not coital, they regularly result in destruction. Another thing that I noticed at one of the talks/signings was the entourage that Mr Ellis had. At one point, a slightly highly strung lady squealed rather loudly about how much longer the signing was going to take. Bret Easton Ellis as he has pointed out is part of the culture he seeks to dissect. He lives the life of a wealthy decadent but with one difference, he addresses the problems that this causes him. He does it through his writing.
The musical of 'American Psycho' at the Almeida Theatre is directed by Rupert Goold. It is a revelation. Its success and failings return to one question, do you like Patrick Bateman and if so, do you feel that he can be saved? The novel and film can be interpreted in any number of ways, although the novel certainly does not want you to walk away with a warm sentimental feeling. If the murders have not happened, they soon could and that's the scariest thought of all. The film implies the same. The musical achieves a similar effect but in a way that left me feeling even more empathetic towards Patrick Bateman's character. He marries if only in a dream and his choice of bride will ruin him. Marriage without love will ruin Bateman and the body parts will amass because of this fact. It will be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
One of the strong points of this production of 'American Psycho' is the mise-en-scene. The stark clinical minimalism of an 80s apartment with videos lining the bookcases rather than books and one expensive work of art leaning to one side of the stage being one constantly used set. Bateman's apartment is a metaphor for the fragmentary life he leads. He doesn't need any objects with sentimental connections. He is constantly out at nightclubs, restaurants and at work. Lighting is used expressively to complete the concept created by the sets. At points in the production where Bateman's thoughts become particularly murderous, projections to the side and back of the stage show childish images and more horrific sketched images.
The music is a combination of new songs with an 80s feel, synthesiser heavy and also songs from the same period performed by the cast, 'Don't You Want Me' being particularly impressive. As is the case with many musicals, lyrical or musical motifs repeat throughout this production. The first song called 'Clean' introduces Patrick Bateman, in a similar manner to how Bale appears in the film. Remember the eye mask as Christian Bale as Bateman comes out of the shower explaining his cleaning routine. The whole concept of 'cleanliness' as a complete rebuttal of anything impure or affecting within this musical becomes devastating. Patrick Bateman even has a slightly sympathetic side to his character possibly because he is played by Matt Smith and some of the lyrics of the songs. From my memories of the novel, Patrick Bateman's relationship with his secretary, Jean does not hold the seeds to his salvation that this musical tries to develop. It's curious how musicals need the simplicity of a love story or potential love story to hold the more unsavoury aspects of their narratives together. The Patrick Bateman of this production is therefore ultimately a tragic 'Everyman' figure.
To close, the characters, narrative and style of this musical remain close to the original novel, even where the narrative slightly veers towards the optimistic. It deserves to be more widely seen. A West End transfer should happen in the New Year. It is time for the West End to start to celebrate new productions. 'This is not an exit'.
Barry Watt - 22nd December 2013.
Afterword
'American Psycho' is currently on at the Almeida Theatre but other than Day Seats and Returns, it is sold out until the end of the season.
http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/americanpsycho
The novel of 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis is a cheery little read for those of us slightly jaded by a diet of superficiality and vacant smiles. It is currently published by Picador. The line 'This is not an exit' is copyrighted to Bret Easton Ellis and appears in 'American Psycho'.
The film of 'American Psycho' by Mary Harron was released in 2000 and is available on DVD. It works up to a point as a film.
'Don't You Want Me' is copyright to the Human League and remains one of the most iconic 80s songs.
BW
Sunday 1 December 2013
'Saving Mr. Banks' - Just a spoonful of substance helps the reality go down.
I went to see 'Saving Mr. Banks' at the Barbican today and I was emotionally violated by a film that touched every one of my feelings. I enjoyed the sensation at the time, although upon leaving the cinema and discussing a documentary that was on one of the BBC channels last night about P.L. Travers with my Mum (that I missed and will watch later), my view of the film may have slightly changed.
Let's start at the beginning, the film is a fictional account of the relationship between the author of 'Mary Poppins', P.L. Travers and Walt Disney. The relationship was a business based transaction as Walt Disney spent more than twenty years to get P.L. Travers to sell her film rights to the novel of 'Mary Poppins' to him. As a last ditch attempt, he invites her to Los Angeles, where Disney invites Travers to work on the script, design and general feel of the film (in a desperate attempt to get her to sell the rights to him). The film leaps between P.L. Travers' past as a girl and her present situation as an adult seemingly affected by many unresolved issues from her past. Emma Thompson plays the role of P.L. Travers with a subtlety and humanity that may or may not be a fair reflection of the actual author. Tom Hanks plays the role of Walt Disney and the same statement equally applies to him.
I need to express at this point that I enjoyed this film as a fictional work. In fact, it resonates as one of the finest films I have seen this year. It is framed as a narrative incorporating elements from 'Mary Poppins', the image of the wind dial and the alteration of wind direction implying change yet also suggesting that this has all happened before and will continue to happen. The film of 'Mary Poppins' uses the wind dial in the same way. Now where this film goes into another more vital and vibrant symbolic plane is through its usage of everyday objects and colours that help to link Travers' reality as a child with her life as an adult. For example, pears are a particularly important symbol in the film serving as a symbol of both satisfaction and failure. Her father gives a pear to P.L. Travers' mother as a child as a token of love then later in childhood, P.L. Travers is asked by her dying father to get him pears and proceeds to drop them. He is dead by the time she finally gets back from her pear hunting trip. Now true or not, apparently P.L. Travers asked the film makers not to use the colour red in 'Mary Poppins'. This ties in to the fact that P.L. Travers' father was an alcoholic who apparently died of some alcohol related disease (he is coughing up blood). Hence, her aversion to the colour red.
In terms of the characters, one quickly understands why P.L. Travers has issues with anyone tampering with her intellectual property as 'Mary Poppins' is effectively a pure example of catharsis. She used the novel and characters to effectively try to rewrite her past. Mr. Banks is effectively a symbolic representation of her father who she couldn't save. Mrs. Banks stands in for her mother, who ultimately seems to be long suffering (in reality, P.L. Travers' mother committed suicide after the death of her husband) but hard working. Mary Poppins is the positive force for change, the film implies that the figure may have existed in P.L. Travers' life in some form or other (an Aunt?).
Now, allowing for the positives, what happens to the film when you gradually learn that events that are being presented as factual are gradually revealed through other sources to be fictional? There's a great scene where P.L. Travers' mother asks her to look after her sisters and then wanders off to a lake to attempt suicide. She is saved by P.L. Travers who goes into the water after her. Also P.L. Travers as an adult remains a total enigma in many respects. Her character as suggested by this film is entirely informed by her childhood. Her love life is overlooked. Essentially, she is a little girl. Now Walt Disney also remains merely a two dimensional character. The fact that the Disney company were involved in this film may have slightly skewered the focus of this work. He comes across as being a genuinely nice guy, driven, slightly egotistical (he has pre-signed autographs in a cigarette case that he gives to people who ask for his autograph) but somehow, the photos at the end of the film reveal more about Disney than this film can. He deserves a more objective film, which will not be produced by Disney. I like this film up until the point that you step back and ask the question, how much of this is real? In many respects, I throw the same statement at 'Philomena' too. The ultimate divergence from reality apparently occurs at the end of the film when P.L. Travers attends the film premiere in Los Angeles of 'Mary Poppins'. She is shown to be deeply moved by the film in places, on account of its parallels with her own life but in reality, apparently she was crying owing to her belief that Disney had 'produced a film that was all fantasy and no magic'. (Please see my link to the article on 'Mary Poppins' that appeared in 'The Sunday Times' on 27th October 2013 in the Afterword to this blog entry).
My final thought, should you discard the truth and embrace a very entertaining Disney film or feel slightly sordid having seen a confectionery created with the express intention of deceiving to the same extent that it illuminates? The decision is yours... It's not pretending to be a documentary but real people are being distorted. It's a good film and that may be the only truth that matters. Perhaps?
Barry Watt - 1st December 2013.
Afterword
'Saving Mr. Banks' is out in all good U.K. cinemas at the moment. It's a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures, Essential Films and BBC Films.
'Mary Poppins' was written by P.L. Travers and was the first of six books featuring the character. Her adventures can be found in various editions including those produced by Harper Collins.
'Mary Poppins' - The film was released in 1964 and stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. A Walt Disney production. Well worth seeing.
The 'Sunday Times' article is reproduced on the following website. It is copyright to the 'Sunday Times' where it first appeared on 27th October 2013.
http://dancelines.com.au/disney-added-spoonful-saccharine-mary-poppins/
Valerie Lawson's Dancelines is copyright to Valerie Lawson (She owns the website reproducing this article).
BW
Let's start at the beginning, the film is a fictional account of the relationship between the author of 'Mary Poppins', P.L. Travers and Walt Disney. The relationship was a business based transaction as Walt Disney spent more than twenty years to get P.L. Travers to sell her film rights to the novel of 'Mary Poppins' to him. As a last ditch attempt, he invites her to Los Angeles, where Disney invites Travers to work on the script, design and general feel of the film (in a desperate attempt to get her to sell the rights to him). The film leaps between P.L. Travers' past as a girl and her present situation as an adult seemingly affected by many unresolved issues from her past. Emma Thompson plays the role of P.L. Travers with a subtlety and humanity that may or may not be a fair reflection of the actual author. Tom Hanks plays the role of Walt Disney and the same statement equally applies to him.
I need to express at this point that I enjoyed this film as a fictional work. In fact, it resonates as one of the finest films I have seen this year. It is framed as a narrative incorporating elements from 'Mary Poppins', the image of the wind dial and the alteration of wind direction implying change yet also suggesting that this has all happened before and will continue to happen. The film of 'Mary Poppins' uses the wind dial in the same way. Now where this film goes into another more vital and vibrant symbolic plane is through its usage of everyday objects and colours that help to link Travers' reality as a child with her life as an adult. For example, pears are a particularly important symbol in the film serving as a symbol of both satisfaction and failure. Her father gives a pear to P.L. Travers' mother as a child as a token of love then later in childhood, P.L. Travers is asked by her dying father to get him pears and proceeds to drop them. He is dead by the time she finally gets back from her pear hunting trip. Now true or not, apparently P.L. Travers asked the film makers not to use the colour red in 'Mary Poppins'. This ties in to the fact that P.L. Travers' father was an alcoholic who apparently died of some alcohol related disease (he is coughing up blood). Hence, her aversion to the colour red.
In terms of the characters, one quickly understands why P.L. Travers has issues with anyone tampering with her intellectual property as 'Mary Poppins' is effectively a pure example of catharsis. She used the novel and characters to effectively try to rewrite her past. Mr. Banks is effectively a symbolic representation of her father who she couldn't save. Mrs. Banks stands in for her mother, who ultimately seems to be long suffering (in reality, P.L. Travers' mother committed suicide after the death of her husband) but hard working. Mary Poppins is the positive force for change, the film implies that the figure may have existed in P.L. Travers' life in some form or other (an Aunt?).
Now, allowing for the positives, what happens to the film when you gradually learn that events that are being presented as factual are gradually revealed through other sources to be fictional? There's a great scene where P.L. Travers' mother asks her to look after her sisters and then wanders off to a lake to attempt suicide. She is saved by P.L. Travers who goes into the water after her. Also P.L. Travers as an adult remains a total enigma in many respects. Her character as suggested by this film is entirely informed by her childhood. Her love life is overlooked. Essentially, she is a little girl. Now Walt Disney also remains merely a two dimensional character. The fact that the Disney company were involved in this film may have slightly skewered the focus of this work. He comes across as being a genuinely nice guy, driven, slightly egotistical (he has pre-signed autographs in a cigarette case that he gives to people who ask for his autograph) but somehow, the photos at the end of the film reveal more about Disney than this film can. He deserves a more objective film, which will not be produced by Disney. I like this film up until the point that you step back and ask the question, how much of this is real? In many respects, I throw the same statement at 'Philomena' too. The ultimate divergence from reality apparently occurs at the end of the film when P.L. Travers attends the film premiere in Los Angeles of 'Mary Poppins'. She is shown to be deeply moved by the film in places, on account of its parallels with her own life but in reality, apparently she was crying owing to her belief that Disney had 'produced a film that was all fantasy and no magic'. (Please see my link to the article on 'Mary Poppins' that appeared in 'The Sunday Times' on 27th October 2013 in the Afterword to this blog entry).
My final thought, should you discard the truth and embrace a very entertaining Disney film or feel slightly sordid having seen a confectionery created with the express intention of deceiving to the same extent that it illuminates? The decision is yours... It's not pretending to be a documentary but real people are being distorted. It's a good film and that may be the only truth that matters. Perhaps?
Barry Watt - 1st December 2013.
Afterword
'Saving Mr. Banks' is out in all good U.K. cinemas at the moment. It's a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures, Essential Films and BBC Films.
'Mary Poppins' was written by P.L. Travers and was the first of six books featuring the character. Her adventures can be found in various editions including those produced by Harper Collins.
'Mary Poppins' - The film was released in 1964 and stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. A Walt Disney production. Well worth seeing.
The 'Sunday Times' article is reproduced on the following website. It is copyright to the 'Sunday Times' where it first appeared on 27th October 2013.
http://dancelines.com.au/disney-added-spoonful-saccharine-mary-poppins/
Valerie Lawson's Dancelines is copyright to Valerie Lawson (She owns the website reproducing this article).
BW
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