Saturday, November 22, 2008

So here's quite a thing. Let us talk about it for a few minutes, shall we?

Apparently, the Oxford Imps have not impressed Sian Cox-Brooker, as well as the nameless many who would doubt our reputation as the most talented bunch of frustrated thesps. That is, of course, fine - the sold out show we performed last week (and all other weeks) leads me to believe someone is enjoying what we do. However, I can only assume that while I saw them laugh frequently, they failed to laugh largely, thus allowing the laughs to be smaller than our swollen egos.

But I do need to be clear about something. Do people doubt we are frustrated thesps, or do people doubt we actually have any talent? Because I do doubt the former myself - most of the group aren't interested in performing drama outside of our comedy show (which has always left me feeling the exact opposite of frustrated) while the few that do are incredibly successful within the Oxford scene.

So it must be that we aren't all that talented, a flaw we apparently blame on our audiences. I have been an Imp for four years now. We have blamed audiences for giving unimaginative suggestions. We have blamed audiences for encouraging cheap and easy sex gags. We have never blamed an audience for a bad show. We blame ourselves for not being funny. We blame ourselves for being funny but not being good. We even blame ourselves when we are both good and funny, but not as much of either as we hope to be. Anyone who has ever sat through our post-show analysis will quickly realise we are our own harshest critics. Suggesting otherwise is as inaccurate as it is mean-spirited.

Thankfully, of course, the Revue are close by to show us how to do things, in the sense that while they are the same idea as the Imps, they perform an entirely different form of comedy. They write a scripted show once every four months. We make up two hours of comedy every week. So you can see how might lack ambition. If only we could make less comedy with more of a safety net. Of course, they are infinitely times funnier, so that's measurable at least.

Do not mistake this for an attack on the Revue, who I happen to respect and have defended from charges of mediocrity a number of times today alone. I just want to point out where this article may have drifted slightly astray from the small matters of truth and reality. I can't help that the writer may not like the show, and would listen and agree with anyone who wanted to point out which specific bits of comedy failed. But I do expect a little more research and specificity if we are going to be so strongly criticised. She could, for instance, have emailed hannah@oxfordimps.com - if only to check who is now in charge of auditions.

Monday, November 10, 2008

My evening spent watching Lacuna Coil was quite excellent. Six years ago I picked up their 2002 album, Comalies, on my matriculation day, on a whim based on a 4/5 review I'd seen the previous week in Kerrang (Note for official, image-savvy biography: I never used to read Kerrang).

Since then, it has remained my album of choice to play when I have company - metal, of course, but drenched in gothic and softened by the incredible voice of Cristina Scabbia. Hearing some of those songs live tonight was a real treat - Swamped, Daylight Dancer, Entwined, Tight Rope (YouTube them all), and of course, Heaven's a Lie during the encore. The newer stuff - the big sing-along cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence, closer Our Truth and the slower Within Me only added to the fun.

I think what sets them apart from most of the goth metal bands, especially those with a female front-person, is that despite being incredible accessible, they aren't particularly compromising or playing around with catchy pop melodies and choruses. The dual vocals of Scabbia and Andrea Ferro offer the perfect counterpart to each other - his rough barks, her soaring solos. Their songs are dark and atmospheric, their drums are stomping, and the impact of their music comes not from easy shortcuts but from this sheer unrestrained energy.

It was good, is all.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Today, Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, commenting on privacy laws arising from the Max Mosely case, said, "it is the duty of the media to take an ethical stand".

Of course, this only applies to situations where a recognisable personality is involved in unusual yet private sex acts, and not in anyway to accurate reporting about the effects of Polish people living in Britain.

Friday, November 07, 2008

I was all poised to right a DAMN YOU post when I found out that Comedy Central no longer shows Colbert Report clips outside of the US. But then I found this. Apparently Comedy Central haven't found a way to stop embedded version of their clips playing as well. So that completely ruined my post, and now I have nothing to complain about.

Damn you, still-available Colbert videos. DAMN YOU.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

I was happy to reconcile myself to black one as the world's most powerful man. But a Jew one as his chief of staff? What is next? A gay one as Secretary of State? A Chinese one as national security advisor? A woman?

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Oh My God its here its here its finally here.

Please, join me tonight from 11.30pm on this blog, for the Election That Changed The World. I sound snide, but I could not be more excited.

Do: leave comments. Do: send texts.

Plans for tomorrow: get new obsession.

Some time passes.

Election log starts here:

11.45pm - BBC is on. It is on. All this talk is tedious. Gimme some results.

11.53pm - The first interesting states are Indiana, Virginia and Georgia. They aren't mentioning Georgia much, because pollsters have McCain winning. But I think pollsters may have dramatically underestimated black vote - in early voting they represent 35% (relative to 25% assumption in most polls). Black vote is about 95% Obama. I've seen the maths on 411, and I believe it.

12.01am - Vermont to Obama, Kentucky to McCain. Dog bites man.

12.09am - Me, I would have expected South Carolina to be called for McCain already.

12.31am - Polls close in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. And...no things. Even in West Virginia? Oh, no, wait. Fox has called it. Does that count? I love these election shows. Dimbleby is all: "you, person, break down this situation/non-situation for me".

12.40am - Tom tells me that South Carolina won't be close (and he's worked on actual races there). I agree, but am also filled with irrational exuberance.

12.42am - I don't think Christopher Hitchens likes Palin. He raises a good point though - what would have happened with a McCain/Lieberman ticket?

12.56am - South Carolina is called for McCain. Irrational exuberance is quashed. 16-3. It's a landslide.

1.00am - Pennsylvania goes to Obama the second the polls close. And New Hampshire. Those were two that McCain had hoped to win. This could be over quite quickly.

1.05am - There's loads more as well in New England, Maine, Delaware, and DC. Also projected to take Mexico. McCain takes Oklahoma and Tennessee. Also projected to take something for the pain. 103-34. It's a landslide.

1.44am - Georgia seems to be going to McCain. Damn you, overly complicated mathematical predictions. DAMN YOU.

2.00am - More polls close. New Mexico and Colorado are the key ones here. It's about time Obama turns one of the Bush states.

2.07am - David Dimbleby agrees with me.

2.10am - Arizona is too close to call. That has to hurt.

2.23am - John Boulton and Kate the Reporter go at it! I'm with her - polling seems to suggest that she has energised Democrats more than Republicans, and has certainly turned off the independents McCain needed to win this year.

2.25am - Ohio called for Obama. Election called for Obama. Andy texts to say "Oh! Hi! O! Ohiobama!". We pause to discuss Hillary Clinton looking as "sick as a dog" at her polling station. I suggest she voted for Hillary Clinton. Andy says she scrawled it on the screen with a stanley knife. I suggest she uses the blood of a passing orphan. Andy speculates she robs the men of America of their erections on the way out. Hillary 2012.

2.37am - New Mexico looks like it's going for Obama. It's a landslide.

2.38am - Technical definition of a landslide - over 55% of the vote. It's a landslide in Maine.

2.51am - COME ON. No sleep until 270.

3.02am - Iowa flips for Obama. He'll be president by 4am.

3.08am - Apparently, a couple of extreme pro-life propositions are defeated in South Dakota and Colorado. Abortion wins.

3.15am - I'm watching John Boulton get offended that a British journalist dare ask probing question to a the Colorado Republican chair, and I hoping that someone projects that Obama takes John Boulton.

3.33am - Marijuana decriminalised in Massachusetts, and approved for medical purposes in Michigan. Anarchy wins.

3.43am - Dimbleby makes a mistake that I also made this week - he says California has always gone Democrat. I think I'm right in saying that's only been true since 1992. Corrections welcome.

3.59am - Here we go...

4.01am - ...oh, I missed it.

4.03am - I'm done. Quick poll of people that enjoyed watching the election coverage in this room: 1-0. It's a landslide.