Music...

I haven't talked about music much at all here which is wrong because I love it. To start off with I've become addicted to mixing records and although I'm pretty shit it's something I can see myself doing pretty seriously especially for the remainder of my time at uni. Chibukus 10th anniversary (in Liverpool) was phenominal. Caspa was the high light of my night his set was spot on and I think he was filling a slot for someone else as well so we got a double dosage of him and to top it off he played one of my favorite dub tunes; Skream, simple city. Skreams set was also great if not a bit funkier than I expected.

I've been discussing the similarities between dub step and hard/heavy music with mates recently. They are so similar. Obviously they are both underground and they both have extremes such as dubsteps Mala contrasting with (what some people will deny being dub) Borgore and All Shall Perish contrasting with Down on the other hand. I can't quite put a finger on why dub is so popular with people who listen to or grew up listening to hardcore/metal, i think it's the rawness of them both, the anticipation of the drop much like waiting for a breakdown at a Throwdown gig. Check these comments from youtube left on dub tracks. There the kind of things a metal nut would say about a tune, I've never seen this in electronic music before...


"guts and vomit splatter till the blood rivers all swallowed up inside .... YUMM YUMM "


"I just shat my intestines out. This mix sends my Dirt-o-Meter all the way back down the sewer. FUCKING YES!! "

and as for the description of the mix they're commenting on...

"This mix is illegal, therefore parental guidance is advised as it contains intense violence, blood and gore and SEVERE amounts of disgusting unaltered dirt. I take no responsibility at all for any side-effects, nausea, intense vomiting etc. "

the mix in question can be listened to here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yNtw1hGmcQ

it is BRUTAL and worthwhile suffering internal bleeding for the 10 minutes of rib cracking terror unleashed upon thee.

21

Yes! I made it to the ripe old age of 21! Which means I need to adopt an air of responsibilty and I'm approaching this by buying and mo'fo'ing suit. However, talking about reponsibilty I missed my own birthday party because I ran away and then passed out at home by 10pm and by the end of the weekend celebrations my bed was snapped in half and the house was trashed...
But...by investing in a suit I will automatically and subconciously mentally mature by a few years which is certainly what I need to do if I am to get the job I want after university.

Quote

"Maybe it's El Nino or maybe it's because an entire pack of huskies simultaneously farted while passing directly over the North Pole"

Pete Fleming, Wavelength surf mag

Drafts

My mate swears by it so I started saving reminders or ideas in my drafts on my phone but I never ever look at them which makes it a pointless exercise, although, looking back at drunken messages I failed to send is always a good source of entertainment (and a cringe). Anyway I was on the train today and like always when I'm bored on a train I searched every single file on my phone for something entertainment, which I of course never find...

Here the messages I saved in drafts on purpose or by accident when drunk between Feb and now;

1)Bbc/radio 1 anny mac. Subtract mini mix
2)C9472
3)Tomoro then i mite b back quite late tho
4)Dvd ad
5)Out tonite?x
6)Were comin in a bit just finishin drinks here xx
7)Hey wel b down in a bit just hat x
8)Have a good nite?x
9)Me and dunc want u to come over
10)yall c on my bed if u want
11)G
12)Hey hope
13)Im not getting mine tij
14)Im here
15)Travel doc 1st wk of easter.
16)Take martins bike to leeds
17)A planned act-spontaneous to thd eyes of others
18)Fake notes game show
19)Collin oakden
20)Where ru? N
21)Kane cunningham
22)I duno x
23)Mr skruff
24)Cme up the sta

quote

"It's tempting, after seeing this film, to declare that gays are the new heterosexuals."

The Sunday Times March 21st

Way of practicing art

People should get out of the habit of seeing their art course in year long project terms? I wonder how many pro artists actually pursue the same idea for weeks on end, review it then forget about it and start something totally different the next week. Not sayting that all art students work this way but I certainly did until recently. Its more beneficial to my practice to switch from one idea to another or even drop ideas when i get bored of them instead of pursuing an end result or culmalative result from a poxy idea i stuck to because i wrote about it in a proposal 4 months ago. Anyway you might guess i'm writing this because i've been getting bored of my practice recently which is one reason why i did the Lpool Leeds thing. Anyway i've got plently of ideas to pursue and if none of these come to a conclusion who cares? bob

Liverpool to Leeds

I did it! Got loads of footage from it which is soon going to be a video. It took 9 hours. I ended up borrowing an old racer/shopper type bike called a Puch Elegance with 3 gears. Unfortunately the handlebar stem SNAPPED but that happened when I got off the train returning to Liverpool. Anyway there will be a couple of pictures soon and obviously a video so keep your peepers peeled. Bob

bmx excursion

It's all going ahead! I either leave tomorrow with a hangover and no sleep or Monday with neither, i'm favoring tomorrow because the footage will be more interesting if i'm intoxicated.
I started filming yesterday and have half an hour of footage already, so considering i haven't done any pedalling yet there is going to be A LOT of footage... and endless editing.

The only problem i have so far is a jammed seat post. If i can't sort this out i'm going to be cycling 70 miles with my knees round my ears because it's at it's lowest at the moment. I've planned a route using the AA route planner which will take me via St Helens, Wigan, Bolton, Rochdale, Halifax, Bradford and Leeds.

I'm off to Tesco now to get some supplies... wish me luck.

latest film, commencing either sunday or monday depending on hangover status

Film idea; What would appear to be a spontaneous act but on the contrary a well planned experiment.


Following an inspirational lecture from Robin Deacon I had an idea for an ambitious piece of documentary/catalyst/performance/happening film.

I haven’t told anyone about the idea yet (while I’m writing), although by the time you read this I will have.

I plan to go buy some inner tubes for a bmx, because I know my friend Martin has a bmx with a flat tyre. I will fix his bike and in return for this he will hopefully let me borrow it, although I’m not going to tell him where I’m taking it. I will just make it clear that I need to use it for a project. All this I will be filming. I will then attach the camera to the handlebars. It will need to be able to turn 360 degrees so I can document my journey from a road view and then talk to the camera when I have something to say.

Where am I going to cycle to?

I am going to cycle to Leeds. I have a road map somewhere so it should be fine. One of my closest friends lives in Leeds and I had an urge today to see him, so I am going to surprise him. This will make interesting footage in itself and of course it will be an experience. The other purpose of it is research. I plan to make a film about Britain so I need to see a bit of it and also get away by myself and think about how I will go about it, so, when I’m cycling across the Peak district or whatever I can clear my head and have a good think. I don’t know when I’m setting off hopefully it will be next week. Today is the 9th March.

List of stuff to do

1.find a way of attaching camera to handlebars
2.plan route
3.get camera
4.start filming with fixing bike and asking martin if I can take it
5.prep bike and any kit/food
6.say goodbye to house mates who will learn of my expedition as I’m leaving (and who will probably expect me back within the hour)
7.cycle to Leeds
8.meet adam, surprise him
9.cycle back
10.edit footage
11.analyse

Chocolate

There are a few wispy memories i have as a child before an event blotted most of my earlier memories out. One of these i will do my best to translate into words here.

When i was very young there was a cupboard in the kitchen which i had no business going in. When it was bedtime i noticed my mum or dad (this is when they were still together) would regularly take a flatish rectangular box out of it and lay it on the table, way above my line of sight so i didn't know what the contents was. I was intrigued by this for a long time and took to opening the cupboard when no one was looking and staring at this mysterious box. It had a green velvet covered case with strips of brown leather running down the sides and i would peak at it through the door then hurry away when i heard someone coming. One day i opened the box just enough to see inside two rows of shiny discs, one white one brown. My mouth watered at the sight of what i thought were chocolates and this was met by anger at my parents sneakily eating sweets after i'd gone to bed. Whats more my older sister was sometimes sat at the table when they got the box out while i was being sent to bed. I felt terribly left out. For a long time i snuck into the cupboard and opened the box just enough to glimpse the chocolates, milk and white, and think about taking one, but they were meticulously laid out and it wouldn't go unnoticed if one was taken, so i never risked it. Every time i opened the box and looked in i could smell chocolate and taste the sweetness in the air. I waited for months to see if i'd ever be offered one before i went to bed but it never happened, and then my parents split and the box dissapeared, with my dad i thought. I didn't see the box of chocolates for a long time.

When i was quite a bit older i was visiting my dad at his place and he asked if i'd like to learn how to play backgammon. I said yes so he came back with a box and laid it on the table. It was the green velvet box with leather strips and brown and white discs inside. To this day, everytime i play backgammon, i can smell and taste chocolate.

Morocco, Robin Deacon, Film ideas

I returned from a week of surfing in Morocco on Sunday. Morocco is an amazing place, totally different culture, so much so that it seems unreal I was there last week, more like I dreamt i was there. The laid back atmosphere is infectious, we did nothing but surf, eat and sleep. Tagahzout where we stayed is alcohol free, so I had a rare week of not drinking and feel better for it, although as soon as I got back to Liverpool it was straight to the pub. Go to Morocco, it's incredible.

Today was beautiful. Liverpool is amazing when the sun shines on it. This evening a few of us risked going to an artist lecture at the Bluecoat. I say risk because more often than not artist lectures are boring. Robin Deacon's lecture was not at all in fact it was one of the more inspiring lectures i've been to. It wasn't necessarily Deacon's work and performances that reached out to me, it was his way of working and way of communicating. He adressed some of the lecture in a performance like way which was intriguing and got me to thinking about my own practice a lot. There are many things that i wish to do outside of fine art but after this lecture i realised how easy it would be to combine these things with art e.g travel, physical activity. One thing i feel is important for me to address, at some stage, from a creative perspective is my decision to join the Royal Marines post uni which i think can be done through film. In the mean time i have an idea to work on but unfortunately i cannot express this concept yet because in doing so it will ruin the integrity of exercise/work. All i can say is that i thank Robin Deacon and his words for being the catalyst for my sudden burst of inspiration.