Here is a quick round-up of some recent things I’ve encountered.

Snowboarding Holiday to Morzine, France – 7/10
This was an exceptionally decadent and predictable holiday. I was apprehensive from the off and my worst fears were realised quickly; picking up a rental car drunk is risque, having 7 grams of colombian snow delivered to the chalet is silly. Resort towns are especially vacuous places at the best of times but that sense is worsened by being surrounded by outstanding natural beauty.
As a pursuit I’ve decided that snowboarding isn’t as good as it ought to be; once a certain level is reached it is lazy, you go up the mountain and then down the mountain, you don’t do a huge amount of work, the main focus is on loafing between times and spending huge amounts of money. Perhaps I’m bitter that I’m not that good, and I’m very poor.
I went with 5 male friends as a last hurrah and that seems fair. I’m not sure I can subject myself to that type of holiday again.  That is aside from the discomfort I felt at being so decadent and being surrounded by such wealth and privileged. (I’m sure there is a good Bourdieu passage about sport and social class.)

Still a lot of fun.

Music
Madness – Total Madness 10/10
This is the sound of London and fits well into a canon of British bands describing the pedestrian and the sublime. Wish I’d discovered this when I moved to London.

The Proclaimers – The Best of The Proclaimers ∞/∞
Re-visited while on holiday. The glee I felt when a group of naysayers all sang Sunshine on Leith together was immense. Mon’ the fuckin’ Hibees.

Four Tet – New Energy 8/10
Pretty darn cool eh.

The Boomtown Rats – The Fine Art of Surfacing 9/10
Re-visited in the winter. Quality album which is archetypal for lots of indie music which I admit to listening to.  Also as pertinent and universal as a pickle on patty.

TV / FILM

A Star is Born /10
Dreadful. Very uncomfortable, physically and emotionally.
Not sure I ever wrote about this, maybe I did…
Interestingly the main producers are a ticket selling website and the single has gone number one. Funny that production/synergy companies should attempt to replicate the sensation of caring about a musician and the corresponding story arc in order to sell us music. It would appear that live music is dead and so are pop stars.

Maniac 9/10
Really hit the note for me. Interesting, cathartic, funny, quirky. Made me not dislike Emma Stone which is a first.

Luther 4/10
So tragically BBC. I despise being sucked into this telegraphed nonsense because while you may not know what will happen, you can be sure you’ll be left unsatisfied.

Legends of the Fall 10/10
Re-visited just after Christmas. Forgot the full glory of this. Slightly personal in that it’s three brothers (of which I am also a part). Not an actual recommendation, unless you cream for Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in which case this is for you – and everyone ever born.

Valley Uprising – 8/10
Watched on the fly and got enough out of it to then go to watch Free Solo the next night. Cool bit of history and some pretty good cinematography and weird characters.

Free Solo 10/10
It is Rad. Death defying, really draws you in. You know whats going to happen. Eventually you’ll be right in either case I’d imagine. I’d seen Valley Uprising the day before and it still not tiresome. Miles better than Meru which I’d seen much earlier.

Sex Education 7/10
Ok relaxed viewing. Odd cross-over between the UK and US. Noticeably progressive but not in a BBC way.  Fits into the UK Skins, Inbetweeners, etc shows but in a nice way.

Ted Bundy 5/10
It’s a bit creepy isn’t it. Not that entertaining either, which makes it more creepy.

Fleabag 9/10
The female Peep Show. Very well written at times but also very white and middle class. Hopefully it leads to big things but it will probably open ground for similar RADA type British female actors.

Current Affairs
Brexit 10/10
Couldn’t be going better really, could it?

Maybe I’ll read a book soon.

Mr Hummels.