Monday, 2 July 2007
Protection by Michel Gondry
Tom recently brought to my attention the new Massive attack video (although it turns out it's actually more than six months old?!) which sees a young woman drink herself into oblivion in her home over the course of an evening. This theme echoes one that I have become interested in over the last year because of my proximity to Stokes Croft in Bristol - an area that, despite undergoing significant regeneration in recent months, is still something of a melting pot of alcohol and drug addiction.
I described my personal experience of this rather earnestly in a blog I wrote last year when I first moved to the area which I called Beggars can't be choosers. Despite the fact that there's been quite a lot of water under the bridge since then, I'm still very much enamoured to the culture and personality of the area, in particular it's seemingly paradoxical warmth and friendliness. Of course, upon closer inspection, you realise there is no paradox and this is something which I'm looking forward in due course to discussing here in The Bettany Blog.
The Massive Attack video in question can be viewed here on YouTube. I decided not to embed it into this blog because I found another Massive Attack video which explores the similar theme of urban disaffection, which I prefer greatly, both because the song is one of my favourites and the video was directed with great artistry and skill by Michel Gondry, who, along with Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham is one of the best music video directors of his generation.
I guess I decided to publish this blog and this video because I'm hoping to use The Bettany Blog as a means to further explore the problems that exist in inner city areas like Stokes Croft - as examined in Massive Attack's song and Michel Gondry's video - and this hopefully provides an interesting avenue into a subject which is close to my heart.
As for Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham, who can forget The Beastie Boys' Sabotage and Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy?! A warning though before you click on that last link: Come to Daddy is violent and disturbing - aurally as well as visually!
I described my personal experience of this rather earnestly in a blog I wrote last year when I first moved to the area which I called Beggars can't be choosers. Despite the fact that there's been quite a lot of water under the bridge since then, I'm still very much enamoured to the culture and personality of the area, in particular it's seemingly paradoxical warmth and friendliness. Of course, upon closer inspection, you realise there is no paradox and this is something which I'm looking forward in due course to discussing here in The Bettany Blog.
The Massive Attack video in question can be viewed here on YouTube. I decided not to embed it into this blog because I found another Massive Attack video which explores the similar theme of urban disaffection, which I prefer greatly, both because the song is one of my favourites and the video was directed with great artistry and skill by Michel Gondry, who, along with Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham is one of the best music video directors of his generation.
I guess I decided to publish this blog and this video because I'm hoping to use The Bettany Blog as a means to further explore the problems that exist in inner city areas like Stokes Croft - as examined in Massive Attack's song and Michel Gondry's video - and this hopefully provides an interesting avenue into a subject which is close to my heart.
As for Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham, who can forget The Beastie Boys' Sabotage and Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy?! A warning though before you click on that last link: Come to Daddy is violent and disturbing - aurally as well as visually!
Burma: Peripheral to Westerners' vision?
While the war in Iraq captured everyone’s energy and indignation, right on our doorstep exhausted, terrified Burmese and ethnic peoples face an age old conflict which roars and screams unabated. This war had its roots in British Colonial authorities forming alliances to divide and rule Burma. For some 60 years the people of Burma have witnessed and experienced conflict...
One for Dad, I think.
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Peep Show
I've been awfully blogshy over the last couple of weeks, a state of affairs which isn't good, especially considering I'm responsible for instigating this chronicle. Jake has been waiting for me to post something because, after all, this is supposed to be The Bettany Blog not The Big Brother Blog (although now that I mention it a post condemning the evils of that wretched show might provide some outlet for me to vent my frustration at the mediocrity of popular television, but I digress) and recently he's been the only contributor.
Jake has entered into the spirit of this bloggish endeavour with more enthusiasm than the rest of us put together, which isn't so suprising really since over the last few years he has usurped me from the position I held undisputed during the early noughties as The Bettany Media Man, becoming very media savvy indeed... I still find it hard to believe that his multi-tasking skills are so profoundly tuned that he can work and watch TV simultaneously, but as business is booming I can't really criticise anymore!
So, what's he been watching recently while he's been working? After all the high quality TV (and admittedly not so high quality - Jericho was a bit of a stinker, but still I watched!) he's introduced to the family I'm pleased to say I've finally been able to give something back. I had to go all the way to Australia to discover Peep Show, which is a bit bizarre since it is a thoroughly homegrown British comedy. However, Jake and I both agree that Peep Show is very certainly the best sitcom since Extras... the fact that technically it came before Extras is, frankly, a trifling irrelevance.
This clip is actually the very first scene of the very first episode, which was screened on Channel 4 back in September 2003. Series 5 has just been commissioned and I'm downloading Series 4 as we speak! Although I'm tempted to synopsise the show for you by way of an introduction to it, I figure it's probably best you work it out for yourself.
Jake has entered into the spirit of this bloggish endeavour with more enthusiasm than the rest of us put together, which isn't so suprising really since over the last few years he has usurped me from the position I held undisputed during the early noughties as The Bettany Media Man, becoming very media savvy indeed... I still find it hard to believe that his multi-tasking skills are so profoundly tuned that he can work and watch TV simultaneously, but as business is booming I can't really criticise anymore!
So, what's he been watching recently while he's been working? After all the high quality TV (and admittedly not so high quality - Jericho was a bit of a stinker, but still I watched!) he's introduced to the family I'm pleased to say I've finally been able to give something back. I had to go all the way to Australia to discover Peep Show, which is a bit bizarre since it is a thoroughly homegrown British comedy. However, Jake and I both agree that Peep Show is very certainly the best sitcom since Extras... the fact that technically it came before Extras is, frankly, a trifling irrelevance.
This clip is actually the very first scene of the very first episode, which was screened on Channel 4 back in September 2003. Series 5 has just been commissioned and I'm downloading Series 4 as we speak! Although I'm tempted to synopsise the show for you by way of an introduction to it, I figure it's probably best you work it out for yourself.
Monday, 18 June 2007
Sunday, 17 June 2007
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