DEAD WEBLOGS.

Well I think it’s been at least six months since I’ve had to write a rushed apology for not updating this weblog... not bad going I reckon.

I could blame the bad example set by the blogging slackness of some of my good friends (links 1, 2, 3), but really it’s got more to do with an easter holiday, lack of access to a computer, busy-ness at work… not to mention those old standbys alcohol, self-pity and creative futility. And I had the flu too, so plenty of excuses.

So what have I done in my couple of weeks of grace?

I bought a whole bunch of new CDs, and failed to find time to really listen to them much.

I drank a lot of wine and grimly chilled out to the sounds of Will Oldham, Skip Spence, Bardo Pond and Sunn 0))) whilst reacquainting myself with Charles Burns’ ‘Black Hole’, one of my favourite comics ever for reasons which I’m not sure I can easily explain.

I read no less than 657 pages about the Manson murders (well we’ve all got to some time – may as well be now), together with a biography of Philip K. Dick and ‘Young Adam’ by Alexander Trocchi.

I watched a number of films, including ‘Smoke’ (dir Wayne Wang) and ‘The Straight Story’ (dir David Lynch) – both of which were a hoot – and finally got around to ‘Land of the Dead’, which I’m sad to report was extremely disappointing - a very poor relation to the excellent trilogy which proceeded it.

I also went to see ‘The Proposition’, which was well made with some ace Peckinpah-esque violence, but somewhat let down by Nick Cave’s patchy and ham-fisted script (sorry Nick).

I failed to achieve anything of creative worth, or to further myself as a human being.

I do have some more movie reviews though, which I’ll post for you within the next day or two.