Writer's Block

I caught the first episode of the new era of the Daily Show night, helmed by Trevor Noah. Jon Stewart is an exceedingly difficult act to follow and I've had reservations about whether the relatively inexperienced Noah is right for the role. He got off to a good start, paying tribute to Stewart in a well judged opening segment. In this section, Noah alluded to the list of candidates who turned the job down. I'd be interested to know who was on it. The only one I know is of Amy Schumer, who wouldn't have been right for it. Although she'd probably have brought a new attitude which may have appealed. Then it was into some light heartened business about the Pope, with a couple of misfiring gags. One of them involved mistaking "AIDS" for "aides", a gag that was first made on South Park 13 years ago. You would expect someone at Comedy Central to know that. A second implying that the Pope has a big penis was salvaged by an off hand "What a waste......

In my teens, I used to buy a lot of CDs and merchandise from Drive Thru Records, who were the record label of a great many of my favourite bands. One of those bands were Midtown, a pop-punk band with rock and roll influences. I tried on a number of occasions to source their record "Save The World, Lose The Girl" without any luck. I am one of those people who occasionally peruses bargain racks in the vain hope of finding someone I want that I don't already own. Recently, I've taken to browsing through them in my local Poundland. Imagine my surprise when I fished out a copy of "Save The World, Lose The Girl". Perhaps sadly, the discovery made my day. But I'm going to crank it up loud and party like it's 2004.

I took in a free screening of The Intern in Oxted this evening. Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is a 70 year old widower who believes he still has a lot to offer the world. He applies for a senior internship programme at About The Fit, an online clothing company run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). Ben is assigned to work with Jules, who initially ignores him but soon finds his services indispensible. He becomes an increasingly large part of her working and family life, as she deliberates on whether or not to hire a CEO. The sweeping piano and orchestration employed by the film is calibrated to tug at the heartstrings and this is one of those films where you have to leave your cynical hat at the door. It's warmly endearing rather than laugh out loud funny, although those around me laughed heartily at scenes involving a break in and an overenthusiastic massage. I like Anne Hathaway a great deal and her character is similarly sympathetic, save for the quirky affectation of riding a b...

Yesterday was generally speaking a more positive day. Generally, I feel ok about myself when I've left the house and done something vaguely productive, whilst staying in all day leads to intense feelings of self loathing. Quite why this should be a surprise to me, I don't know. Anyway, that thing was the AAT's (Association of Accounting Technicians) career development day at Kings College. There were some interesting insights and observations into using LinkedIn and the AAT's online resources and a session on improving self-confidence*. What actually did give me some comfort was to get a sense of other people's experiences and to know that they are like me in terms of trying to get their foot on the ladder in a new career and having the same sorts of difficulties. It's given me a great deal to think about. I then headed into Holborn for some drinks. It was also good to see Chris (and his associated friends) before he buggers off to Helsinki, I assume he'...

I put Panic Stations onto my phone feeling a sense of trepidation, as both songs they had put out in the build up to the release of their sixth full length record had left me cold. Surely Motion City Soundtrack, one of my favourite bands, weren't going to deliver a stinker? The answer is no, but with a few caveats. It starts out promisingly enough, with vocalist and guitarist Justin Pierre uttering "Let's do this!" before launching into "Anything At All". It's a track that sees the band put their foot to the floor in a way that's pleasingly reminiscent of the raw sound of "I Am The Movie", their debut record. Then it's into an underwhelming trio that includes the aforementioned singles "TKO" and "Lose Control". The former is fine but unremarkable, the latter sounds like a bad Weezer song. It's probably the worst track the band have written. Panic Stations sees MCS moving away from the more polished production...

EDIT: I wrote some very negative stuff  on here on Friday night when I was in an absolutely terrible mood. While I think it's important to recognise when I am feeling low, I don't think it's necessary for me to write incredibly negative blogs about myself. Or if I'm going to do it, I should do it in a more eloquent way. It did however feature the quote "I spend far too time on social media in spite of the fact Facebook is full of unbearable self-aggrandising wank, idiots sharing nonsense and tedious fucking petitions". I fully stand by that sentiment. I also proceeded to hail Fulham's 4-0 victory over QPR and the redemption of Ross McCormack for his error on Tuesday night after he scored a brace. There were a fair few "We hate QPR" chants from the Fulham fans during the week. Much like a stopped clock being right twice a day, those chants are fitting twice a season. Those same fans were able to add the gleeful "You're getting fucked on...

It's probably time to assemble my thoughts on "Hope Fading Nightly" by Tellison, since I've listened to it something like eight times. In short, this record will speak to anyone in their 20s who is angry at themselves and the world about how things have turned out. I'm bang in the middle of that demographic. The lead single "Tact Is Dead" tackles that particular issue straight on ("Throw me into a Tube train, pay me the minimum wage. So I'll never earn more than my parents...). It's a big rock song that has set the tone for the rest of the record. "Helix and Ferman" is a singalong belter with an absolutely enormous opening riff that could easily be a single in its own right, as could the anthemic "Wrecker". "Rookie Of The Year" recalls the digital sampling of their debut album "Contact! Contact!" with a sporting metaphor that's a little on the nose. Generally speaking though, it's an al...