POETRY - The Crash.

You go home.
Adrenaline slowly makes its way out of your system,
Your tired bones a constant reminder,
Your face still flushed from blushing,
A whir of words and gestures
Executed as best you could,
the recall, the replay,
the pleasantries,
the lies.
False love on a lit stage.
In those moments you said and gave all you could
And still rang false.
The phone buzzes silently in your top pocket
You go home.
As momentum seeps from every pore.

P.Davidson 23/11/09

COMEDY - Extra laughs

Met last week with a number of the people behind BBC Comedy Extra website. This was one of the clips they didn't show us but one that would slightly highlight what I'd like to try and achieve. Short sharp shocks with a nice visual tiwst.

MUSIC - Dancing is Compulsory

Right, it's Wednesday. It's hump day so shake your rump day to the music of Devendra Banhart.

COMEDY - The Concept of War

First new sketch work since Edinburgh and the start of a series of lil sketches filmed and edited that'll make up a new 'McGuffin.' This one shouldn't take two years to complete though. Part two of this sketch to be online soon.

MUSIC - Floppy Jarvis

Sorry, haven't updated this in quite sometime... but now I'm back and to celebrate it here is a quality image of a floppy Jarvis. His new album isn't quite as good as Jarvis' 'Jarvis' album but add the visuals of him flopping all around the place and suddenly everything is good with the world again).

COMEDY - Dur de lur de lur dee dur dee dur

Now this sort of thing usually wouldn't be my cup of tea (have an aversion to high pitched dublin knackers at the best of times, mixed with a deeper hatred of Northern Ireland and Norn iron humour)... but must admit that the whole 'dur dee lur dee dur de dur dee situation' thing is priceless.

MUSIC - Remember Aurora?

This popped up on my mp3 player recently and brought back a tonne of memories. Ah, the Foo's. Back in the day, jumpers for goal posts, rubicks cubes, three day weeks etc... Nostalgia.

"I just kind of died for you, you just kind of stared at me."

COMEDY - Principle Firebush Speaks!

At Pharoah High Ramses was the biggest playah around...

COMEDY - The Life of Python

Following Saturday nights new Python documentary 'Almost the truth' (in which shock revelations emerged like they didn't quite all get on, except when they were all getting on)I was reminded of this classic 'Not the Nine O'Clock news' sketch. A nice treat from the glory days when Rowan Atkinson was funny and Pamela Stephenson wasn't busy hocking books about her husband's abusive childhood. Enjoy!

MUSIC - Tonight I'm On My Way

I want to kill this man but he turned around and ran.
I'll kill him with karate that I learned in Japan.
He wouldn't see my face. I wouldn't leave a trace.
I wouldn't use a bullet cause a bullet's a disgrace.

Aw, mom, I never thought that I was a murdering man
But tonight I'm on my way.

There's this drawer that I know in a house up the road
That's full of things that are easily sold.
When they go out of town I could go and snoop around
And make myself rich off the things that I found.

Aw, mom, I never thought that I was a stealing man
But tonight I'm on my way.

I was sitting on the bleacher staring at the speaker,
Reading his lips but I could not understand.
So I opened up my ears and clearly I could hear
This detailed story all about a grain of sand.

Aw, mom, I always dreamt of being a good listener
So tonight I'm on my way.

There's this kid you gotta meet. He lives across the street.
He's got spirit and heart. We're ten years apart.
He is up for anything. He can hang with anyone.
He still likes the things we used to think were fun.

Aw, mom, I never thought that I could have a friend
But tonight I'm on my way.

I'm in love with someone who's as pretty as a flower.
Her life give me power so I'm buyin' her a ring.
She makes hats with her hands. She is such an artist.
I'm her biggest fan and I'm teaching her to sing

Aw, mom, I never thought that I could love no one
But tonight I'm on my way.

POETRY - Hold Me Back.

Train tracks track past,
Past moments of my life.
My life and times recreated
In every fibre of this vehicle.
Hurtling forward yet
travelling backwards
Battling to break
the static state
created by the two,
developed by myself
And encouraged by my peers.
My fears won't
hold me back.

P Davidson 22/09/99

MUSIC - Burrito Deluxe

This old town is filled with sin

It'll swallow you in

If you've got some money to burn

Take it home right away

You've got three years to pay

And Satan is waiting his turn

Chorus:

This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poorhouse

It seems like this whole town's insane

On the thirty-first floor your gold-plated door

Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

MUSIC - Pub Snug

Cosiness extraordinaire with Lisa Hannigan in the corner of a bar in Dingle.

POETRY - Passing Words

Sometimes days can pass
Without a single message of import
Parting your lips
And enriching the air.
Swallowed instead by frippery,
Devoured by a monitor's glare,
Bouncing echo-lessly
Around empty conversations.
Vowels stretched to a whisper,
Emotions deadened by text.
The heart may sing
But the head deadens
It's song
And words words words
Continue
And go on and on
And on.

COMEDY - Penny Dreadfuls

After a month in Edinburgh you have to slowly ween yourself off the festival. The best way to do this is slow releases and snippets of edinburgh related thingamajigs. Here are The Penny Dreadful's being interviewed back in 2008.

VARIOUS - On A Similar Note

Creepy but funny but creepy but funny... oh what a mental minefield!

MUSIC - Magic Numbers For Today.

A little bit of the Magic Numbers to combat this dizzy sunday.

VARIOUS - Movie Movie Movie starts with M

Empire do a weekly photo shop film poster mash up on various subjects. Dear God can it be hit and miss, with added miss, but obviously these ones took my fancy. Even though they were listed under 'Muppet mash up' and technically Sesame street isn't the muppets even though it features many muppet puppets. Some people just don't understand.

MOVIES - Punch Drunk Moments

I still haven't gotten round to watching 'There will be blood.' As much as I love PT Anderson and a reinvention of the language of cinema I still feel it's one I have to build to. But in the meantime we can all enjoy one of my favourite scenes from 'Punch Drunk Love.' Heart breaking, funny, odd, brilliantly filmed and Adam Sandler's acting is fantastic.

Who saw that coming?

MUSIC - You Don't Need an Indie Song...

Taken from "The View" special featuring Neil Hannon and Duke Special... Here Duke covers one of the great underrated Divine Comedy songs from 'Regeneration.' It perfectly suits his style and is a great performance.

Every pupil in the classroom will answer the same if you ask them
Every mouth shout the message out as one
Every girl weeps like the willow, every boy cries into his pillow
Every tear disappears in the morning sun
You don't need an indie song to figure out what's going on

Tell me that I'm normal, tell me that I'm sane
Tell me that you feel this too
All the dreams that we have had are gonna prove
that we're not mad to you

VARIOUS - Black Voldemort

In the passing and grieving of Michael Jackson one important thing seems to have been over looked. This freaky eyed guy who helped sing Michael to his slumber.

Turns out he's not the black voldemort but actually a session singer called Darryl Phinnessee.

Don't know which is worse.

MOVIES - 18 seconds of fear and loathing

To quote The IT Crowd, 'Johnny Depp... what a revelation!"

MUSIC - Nerd Alert!

Ben Folds just recorded an album of university a Capella groups recording cover versions of his work. One of these is this cover of 'You Don't Know Me.' Vocally complex and interesting... but even I find it hard to get past the geek factor.

MUSIC - I Could Sleep

When I lived alone was there a ghost in my house?

Band of Horses from the album 'Cease to Begin.'

COMEDY - Bitterness, it's there for you...

Comedian Robbie Bonham played Derry again the other night and I had the priviledge of hanging about with him, drinking diet coke and discussing various Star Trek off shoots and their merits. This is a recent posting from his facebook page.

POETRY - Thoughts & Double Cross.

Distant thoughts double cross my actions,

the ultimate unknowing of an other

fades in respect

to the ultimate questioning of self.

My thoughts flit

to where she stays

and sneak back again during night.

We need the world to move

at a self regulated pace,

we need our days to be filled

with a self congratulatory tone.

My words can lift spirits

But the manufacture

holds me down.

We balance each other,

we juggle our work,

when we lie

we do not rest.

Peter Davidson 07/07/09

ART - Odd Old Photos

I've been busy over the past few weeks looking for old photos and oddities to adorn the set for 'LTC' (and then we didn't use them, they kind of fell over alot). But here are some of the highlights...

MUSIC - Open House.

Tell me all the things you would change
I dont pretend to know what you want
When you come around and spin my top
Time and again, time and again
No fire where I lit my spark
I am not afraid of the dark
Where your words devour my heart
And put me to shame, put me to shame
When your seven worlds collide
Whenever I am by your side
And dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone

POETRY - Spilt Drinks.

Clinks of glass and spilt drinks,

Smiles outweigh the pauses,

Like a frozen moment

Dethawing slowly .

Nostalgia battles regret,

Yet warmth wins through.

Distant people text.

Distant voices,

Whispers

To break the closeness.

The night is brief

Yet the memories endless.

Drink drys.

And smile remains.

19/06/09

ART - Heavyweight Duchamp

Here are some paintings by Marcel DuChamp, it's a change from his famous urinals and bike wheels... but sometimes you need more than urinals and bike wheels. Hmmm. Deep.

COMEDY - Sketch Show Truths

Prepping the new LTC show for our run at the Edinburgh Fringe, saw this sketch on the new series of Mitchell & Webb and it reminded me of the joy of set lists and sketch ordering. But it gave me a giggle and a chance to plug so all's good.

MUSIC - Vedder Man.

My friend Colleen was telling me to check out Eddie Vedder's soundtrack to 'Into the Wild' which got me thinking... the end result of my thinking is this old Pearl Jam song 'Long Road'... This performance is taken from the 9/11 concerts and features Neil Young. Sheer class.

VARIOUS - Hey!

WARNING: Funny internet thing that goes on just a little bit too long. Cut twenty seconds out of this and ye have perfection. Then again everyones a critic.

VARIOUS - Makes You Think...

There is no real caption or explanation to go along with this. Only questions. The main question being... is this the greatest picture of all time?

COMEDY - Cowards are go!

Running a bit late on this one but only recently caught up with 'Cowards' on BBC4 starring Tim Key, Tom Basden and the two other ones that are quite good too. Nice and understated, great and twisted. More please.

MUSIC - New Varshions

Just as you can't keep a good thing down, the lemonheads are back with a new cover versions album... Featuring some excellent Gram Parsons, Leonard Cohen and Wire covers. Here is Evan's excellent old cover of Parson's "$1,000 wedding."

COMEDY - Brooker, ready! Gladiators, ready!

Septum!!! Jeffrey!!! Bastard!!! Lubricant!!!

Axed already, ah revamped Gladiators we hardly knew ye.

VARIOUS - Tache vs Whip

Can't decide which show I want to watch more but that opening credit music is to die for. It's be great if all your mornings started like that.

ART - Naked and blurry

Simply stunning and beautiful paintings by Gerhard Rhicter. An odd way to follow The Dan Band, but there's nothing beats a marriage of opposites.

COMEDY - The Dan Band

My sister asked me today was I looking forward to her wedding next month. I think this video should help prove that the answer is a big 'hell yeah.'

VARIOUS - Questions Answered

The answers you needed. The questions you had to ask.

MUSIC - Normal Service is resumed.

You can't keep a good thing down, or a bad thing... like eggs that have gone off, hard to keep them down. Might I recommend antacids and wee lie down.

ART - Norwegian Expressionism

It's a sleepless Monday night so what better time than a little bit of Norwegian Expressionism from Edvard Munch. The Scream is so known and famous it kind of loses it's impact. So here are a number of his other works.

COMEDY - STREEEEETS OF LANNNDAN!

What are you doing?? Play 'streets of london!!!' STREETS OF LONDON!!!

MUSIC - Distant Relatives

Jason Lytle from Grandaddy released his solo album last week so I thought what better time to revisit some of their old greatness. Plus it's a video my sister really likes because of the dancing bear.

POETRY - Moult.

The sunrises and sets
casting days like moulting fur,
catching, choking, clogging,
Creating a trail
A tale of changes beyond control.
Moonlight and bright eyes,
your voice once a loving whisper
becomes a soft word,
a logical sentence,
then a distant shout
falling slowly to a whisper again.
Now not loving but lost.
Swept away with the discarded dates
and forgotten moments
that now carpet every
tentative step forward.

p.davidson 25/05/09

MUSIC - Over and Over

I can't hold this day
Anymore
Understand me
Anymore
To tread this fantasy, openly
What have I done
Ooh this uncertainty, is taking me over
I can't mould this stage
Anymore
Recognise me
Anymore
To tread this fantasy, openly
What have I done
Ooh this uncertainty, is taking me over
is taking me over
To tread this fantasy, openly
What have I done
Ooh this uncertainty, is taking me over
is taking me over
is taking me over

VARIOUS - Peppermint Pesci

You have to ask yourself, Peanuts... does it amuse you?

VARIOUS - Say Cheeeeeeese.

More awkward family photos courtesy of... 'www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com' rather handily enough.

VARIOUS - Happy 50th Morrissey

“When I'm lying in my bed I think about life and I think about death and neither one particularly appeals to me.”

“I am capable of looking on the bright side - I just don’t do it very often.”

“Nothing is important, so people, realising that, should get on with their lives, go mad, take their clothes off, jump in the canal, jump into one of those supermarket trolleys, race around the supermarket and steal Mars bars and kiss kittens.”

On Richard Madeley: “He referred to me as an 'insufferable puffed-up prat'. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.”

"The Brits are ghastly. I never would accept a Brit. It would be like Laurence Olivier being happy getting a TV Times award.”

“I just feel that when all is said and done, I am not insane.”

POETRY - Olds Truths

Sex without love
How do they do it, the ones who make love
without love? Beautiful as dancers,
gliding over each other like ice-skaters
over the ice, fingers hooked
inside each other's bodies, faces
red as steak, wine, wet as the
children at birth whose mothers are going to
give them away. How do they come to the
come to the come to the God come to the
still waters, and not love
the one who came there with them, light
rising slowly as steam off their joined
skin? These are the true religious,
the purists, the pros, the ones who will not
accept a false Messiah, love the
priest instead of the God. They do not
mistake the lover for their own pleasure,
they are like great runners: they know they are alone
with the road surface, the cold, the wind,
the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardio-
vascular health--just factors, like the partner
in the bed, and not the truth, which is the
single body alone in the universe
against its own best time.

By Sharon Olds.

MUSIC - Guitar Stipes

Michael Stipe never usually plays the guitar but it works so perfectly on this little track from UP which was a segway into the track Parakeet but sounds great just on it's own. It's a bout a minute long but is just wonderful.

I feel great. I lied to save your feelings.
Truth convened, my head smashed through the celling
I lost an arm, no one harmed you, diplomatically alarmed
I sulked away to lick my thin skin
I'm not over you, I'm not over you, I'm not over you

VARIOUS - Take that wii fit!!

I for one would actually love to have a go on the old wii fit, just to see what it's like and attempt a good old dose of craic go maibh. Similarly I'd love to guitar hero even though i can actually play the guitar. Though this spoof ad is just all sorts of greatness and does cut to the heart of a lot of it. Tee hee.

COMEDY - Pete and Dud and Swearing

Derek and Clive and a tonne of swearing, an absolute torrent of abuse. And great stuff it is too.

VARIOUS - In Memoriam

As a mark of respect we should all buy this, strap it to our foreheads and sing 'hail glorious st Patrick.' It's what they would have wanted. Very funny fake ad (at least I hope it's fake, I think we could all see this actually being produced for real).

MUSIC - In The Sound Garden.

No Iggle Piggle to be found in this garden, just Chris Cornell, Kym Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron. You can take your 'Black Hole Sun' and stuff it. This is Soundgarden at their best and Cornell using his wild voice to subtle and building effect. Restrained, building and brooding.

VARIOUS - Kodak Moment

A picture that needed to be posted, a tale that needed to be spoken. It does look like the statue plopped out a tourist, but still the alarming truth is it's still someone taking a picture of giant arse.

COMEDY - Listen Around You

Some clever chappy has done a dance remix of 'Look Around You.' Kind of a dance remix of the entire show, particularly the amazing 'Music 2000' episode. Worth checking out if only just to be reminded of probably the best comedy show of recent time...

VARIOUS - I Heart Mario Kart

Watch Mario Kart Love Song and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

A plaintive haunting love song all about Mario Kart. We've all felt it, we've all lived it...

MUSIC - Tuesday Lunch Time

You know when you've got a tonne of work with no set deadlines and over half of it requires self motivation with no definite outcome?

Cue the music...

VARIOUS - A Family That Plays Together...

Ah, family pictures. Never a dull moment when an entire family gets together for snappy snaps. And no matter how bad you feel about the captured images of your unsaintly brood, it could always have been worse... much worse...

MOVIES - Please Work

And now here is the trailer of Woody Allen and Larry David's collaboration. Fingers crossed this is a build on the apparent return to form of 'Vicky, Christina, Barcelona.' I haven't actually seen that so I can't judge fully but let's hope it's his strongest since 'Sweet & Lowdown' (his last fully realised classic).

COMEDY - Sexy Sexy Song.

Animal at his greatest during a performance of "Fever." Still quality stuff. I've also just learnt that FAO Schwartz runs a service to have your very own muppet extra made up to order... How good is that!

MUSIC - Ukelele Bush

Two words for this particular Kate Bush cover done with an army of ukeleles... De Finitive.

VARIOUS - And Now For A Break...

My name is Prince, and I am funky.

POETRY - Small Moments at 3am

Thoughts at 3am in the morning...

Small moments and lonely hearts,
tablets, heavy eyelids,
wine, wine and kissing
sweet lips and dark thoughts,
Obsessed yet vacant,
Defeat defeat defeatist
imagination bristles and grabs hope,
tablets, wine and writing,
obsessed yet sweet
kissing lips and grabbing hope
defeat, defeat, defeating
small moments with a lonely heart

P. Davidson 9/05/09

MUSIC - Mark Mouse

Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon cover the excellent Modest Mouse's 'Ocean Breathes Salty' and the end result is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in.
In my head, in my heart, in my soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't think so.

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get.
You get away from me.
Collected my belongings and I left the jail.
Well thanks for the time, I have to think a spell.
I had to think awhile.

And the ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both grow old.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I hope so.

VARIOUS - Oh Lord Bless the Late Late

You can just watch this on repeat and it will always bring a smile to your face.

VARIOUS - Joss Knows Best

Thinking thinking thinking about writing writing writing and why why why? Maybe inspiration will come from Joss Whedon chatting about the who and why are wherefores of it all.

MUSIC - Get Me Away From Here

Because sometimes it be that way...

ART - Slowly Downward

Stanley Donwood has been one of Radiohead's chief collaborators since 'The Bends.' Not surprisingly his work is a strong mix of political angst, stream of consciousness soundbites and side swipes at consumerism in a nice post millennial milieu of anxiety. And they're very good too.

MOVIES - RIP Dom

In respect for Dom Delouise and because it's so damn funny.... here is part of the end scene from Blazin Saddles. The infamous 'French Mistake.' He only has about four lines in this but each one is a huge laugh.

MUSIC - Unplugged Nostalgia

Heard 'State of Love and Trust' recently and it brought back all these unplugged and glorious memories. Dear lord did i nearly wear down the VHS of this one.

LITERATURE - The Great Gonzo

Where were you when the Laughter stopped?

There was no laughter tonight, only the sounds of doom and death and failure - a relentless torrent of death signals: from the sheriff, in the mail, on the phone, in my kitchen, in the air, but mainly from Maria, who said she felt it very very strongly and she understood exactly why I was thinking the way I did / do, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't help her self. It was the death of fun, unreeling right in front of us, unravelling, withering, collapsing, draining away in the darkness like a handful of stolen mercury. Yep, the silver stuff goes suddenly, leaving only a glaze of poison on the skin.

Hunter S Thompson

VARIOUS - High Front, Low Comedy

A picture paints a thousand words... Most of these words are 'tee hee hee...knob.'

COMEDY - L'Izzard

Lego animation to help illustrate particularly wonderful flight of Eddie Izzard fancy. From the great days before all the acting and the stand up as a side line. Bah!

VARIOUS - Guitar Face.

It's a fine line between pulling a hard rocking guitar face and looking like you've guffed in your pants. Prince, being the master of everything of course, seems to have followed through.

Most of these pics look like after shots for the phrase 'pull my rock finger.'

VARIOUS - Well Made Geekery

Here is some well made fan based geekery of a 'star wars / star trek' hue. Here we see the death star blast seven shades of shynola from the Enterprise. This is good star wars fun. How good? Good in the 'George Lucas had nothing to do with this' good way.

MUSIC - Stacks Of Beauty

Someone who makes you want to pick up a guitar and make your heart break sound as elegant and elegiac. Bon Iver and this great track.

This my excavation and today is kumran
Everything that happens is from now on
This is pouring rain
This is paralyzed

I keep throwing it down two-hundred at a time
It's hard to find it when you knew it
When your money's gone
And you're drunk as hell

On your back with your racks as the stacks as your load
In the back and the racks and the stacks are your load
In the back with your racks and you're un-stacking your load

I've twisting to the sun I needed to replace
The fountain in the front yard is rusted out
All my love was down
In a frozen ground

There's a black crow sitting across from me;
his wiry legs are crossed
And he's dangling my keys he even fakes a toss
Whatever could it be
That has brought me to this loss?

This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization
It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away
Your love will be
Safe with me

COMICS - What A Super Bastid.

Following on from Batman's apparent hatred of the Boy wonder we have this little collection of comic book covers that helps to illustrate that even though Batman may think Robin is a gimp, he still doesn't have the same level of hate that Superman has for Jimmy Olsen. I think the 'pal' bit of the title was supposed to be in inverted commas. What an arse.

COMEDY - Lo-NRG Whimsy

A fine exponent of lo-energy whimsy of David O'Doherty-esque stature is Demetri Martin. He has now gone on to star in the latest Ang Lee film and been cast opposite Brad Pitt in a movie. Not bad for a man who self proclaimed that he has hair like 'a gay beatle.'

MUSIC - Jesus, This is good...

And to help clense the pallet here is Radiohead with a cover of 'Ceremony' by Curtis, Sumner, Hook & Morris. What a pleasant surprise courtesy of the internet. See also their cover of The Smith's Headmaster's Ritual for other greatness. This one does it for me though.

VARIOUS - Jesus, this is just wrong...

Is there anyway to watch this apart from slowly... with your mouth open... blinking... hoping it's not a dream... then blinking again and questioning much you thought about life, love and everything...

VARIOUS - Jesus, this is just awful...

Bosco, entertainment for irish kids through out the ages. But dear god isn't this all sorts of bollocks on a stick. Particularly when it goes into the old clock sound effect. Fuck my felt hat.

VARIOUS - Why no Robin?

Christopher Nolan has said that his new imagining of the Batman series will never include an appearance by the boy wonder... I wonder why?