Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, published in Buzz's October issue.
Mr. Nice
A biopic starring Rhys Ifans about the life of notorious drug smuggler Howard Marks is to hit UK cinema screens this month.
Ifans stars as the Bridgend-born Marks in film {Mr. Nice} (pronounced like the French city rather than the adjective, apparently), named after his autobiography of the same title, which is directed by Bernard Rose and also stars Chloë Sevigny as Marks’ wife, Crispin Glover, and Omid Djalili.
Marks, who is friends with Ifans, shot to fame as an international marijuana smuggler, believing that the drug should be legalised, through a string of high profile court cases, as well as links with the IRA and the mafia – and he was often seen as a political criminal rather than merely a drug smuggler.
The film, a comedy-drama that made its debut at the SXSW film festival, follows his life; through his times at Oxford University, as a teacher, his steps into the drug business and the life that follows it, as well as issues regarding the legalisation of the drug.
Mr. Nice will be on cinema screens around the UK on Fri 8 Oct.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Monster Jam (Tour Preview for Buzz Magazine)
Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, published in Buzz's October issue.
Monster Jam!
Four-tonnes worth of fuel-guzzling metallic beast, 2,000 horsepower engines, $250,000 worth of engineering, 66-inch tyres, lots of noise, freestyle motocross, and American men with facial hair driving monster trucks. Can you guess where this is leading yet (I reckon it was the mention of monster trucks that gave it away, or possibly that darn headline?)... Monster Jam is back in Cardiff!
This year visiting the Millennium Stadium in October for one day only, the tour brings some of the world’s most famous trucks and drivers across the globe, performing flips, spins, wheelies and jumps – as well as generally destroying things as they go.
One of this year’s drivers coming to Cardiff is current Monster Jam World Freestyle Champion Charlie Pauken, who drives the legendary Grave Digger truck. We had a chat to him about what it’s like to drive one of these 10 feet long and 11 feet wide beasts, which can reach 100mph and are capable of jumping off of ramps to heights of over 100 feet, for a living.
“It’s pretty wild,” Charlie says, casually. “One trick I like to perform is the flat wheelie, but as I’m driving the truck through a wheelie I like to stick my hands out and wave to the crowd. I’ve got so comfortable in the truck doing the tricks now that I think: “’I’m not doing anything else, so I might as well just wave to the fans!’”
Isn’t that a little dangerous? “I’ve been knocked out twice and I broke my hand a few years ago,” he says. “It can be dangerous, but I’m in one of the safest vehicles out there to be crashing into things.”
Safe? Pff. Why bother doing it, then? “To me it’s always about the kids,” he says. “Putting a smile on a kids face, that’s everything to me.” Which is lucky, because any kids (or adults) can head down before the event a little early (if they buy an extra ticket for a few quid) to meet and get their photos taken with the drivers of this slightly crazy, but definitely exhilarating, sport. Sounds pretty cool.
Sat 9th Oct, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Info: 08442 777 888 / www.monsterjam.com. Tickets: £20 for adults, £10 for children.
Monster Jam!
Four-tonnes worth of fuel-guzzling metallic beast, 2,000 horsepower engines, $250,000 worth of engineering, 66-inch tyres, lots of noise, freestyle motocross, and American men with facial hair driving monster trucks. Can you guess where this is leading yet (I reckon it was the mention of monster trucks that gave it away, or possibly that darn headline?)... Monster Jam is back in Cardiff!
This year visiting the Millennium Stadium in October for one day only, the tour brings some of the world’s most famous trucks and drivers across the globe, performing flips, spins, wheelies and jumps – as well as generally destroying things as they go.
One of this year’s drivers coming to Cardiff is current Monster Jam World Freestyle Champion Charlie Pauken, who drives the legendary Grave Digger truck. We had a chat to him about what it’s like to drive one of these 10 feet long and 11 feet wide beasts, which can reach 100mph and are capable of jumping off of ramps to heights of over 100 feet, for a living.
“It’s pretty wild,” Charlie says, casually. “One trick I like to perform is the flat wheelie, but as I’m driving the truck through a wheelie I like to stick my hands out and wave to the crowd. I’ve got so comfortable in the truck doing the tricks now that I think: “’I’m not doing anything else, so I might as well just wave to the fans!’”
Isn’t that a little dangerous? “I’ve been knocked out twice and I broke my hand a few years ago,” he says. “It can be dangerous, but I’m in one of the safest vehicles out there to be crashing into things.”
Safe? Pff. Why bother doing it, then? “To me it’s always about the kids,” he says. “Putting a smile on a kids face, that’s everything to me.” Which is lucky, because any kids (or adults) can head down before the event a little early (if they buy an extra ticket for a few quid) to meet and get their photos taken with the drivers of this slightly crazy, but definitely exhilarating, sport. Sounds pretty cool.
Sat 9th Oct, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Info: 08442 777 888 / www.monsterjam.com. Tickets: £20 for adults, £10 for children.
Breakin' Convention Dance (Show Preview for Buzz Magazine)
Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, published in Buzz's October issue.
Breakin’ Convention
Breakin’ Convention is a critically acclaimed annual festival of hip-hop dance theatre and, now in its seventh year, visits Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre at the end of this month to kick off its third extensive UK tour.
Curated and hosted by hip-hop artist Jonzi D, the tour brings some of the world’s best hip-hop dancers around the UK – from Paris’ Phaze T (“casually astonishing” – The Independent) to Sebastien and Raphael (“the most outstanding use of theatrical performance and video projection” – Too much Flavour), of Perpignan and Berlin respectively – as well as giving some of the best local talent a chance to perform to hometown crowds.
As well as dance, the show, which is the only of its kinds in the UK, also brings an international workshop programme to each city, including graffiti writing and freestyle circles (where audiences are often seen to join in), animating each venue’s foyer area. It should be a fun few nights indeed.
Breakin’ Convention, Fri 22-Sat 23 Oct, Wales Millennium Centre. Tickets . Info: 029 2063 64 6 4 www.wmc.org.uk
Breakin’ Convention
Breakin’ Convention is a critically acclaimed annual festival of hip-hop dance theatre and, now in its seventh year, visits Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre at the end of this month to kick off its third extensive UK tour.
Curated and hosted by hip-hop artist Jonzi D, the tour brings some of the world’s best hip-hop dancers around the UK – from Paris’ Phaze T (“casually astonishing” – The Independent) to Sebastien and Raphael (“the most outstanding use of theatrical performance and video projection” – Too much Flavour), of Perpignan and Berlin respectively – as well as giving some of the best local talent a chance to perform to hometown crowds.
As well as dance, the show, which is the only of its kinds in the UK, also brings an international workshop programme to each city, including graffiti writing and freestyle circles (where audiences are often seen to join in), animating each venue’s foyer area. It should be a fun few nights indeed.
Breakin’ Convention, Fri 22-Sat 23 Oct, Wales Millennium Centre. Tickets . Info: 029 2063 64 6 4 www.wmc.org.uk
Doctor Who Live (Theatre Preview for Buzz Magazine)
Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, published in Buzz's October issue.
Doctor Who Live
Feeling a little too old and grown up for hiding behind the sofa from all the monsters on Doctor Who? Sensible enough to have realised that a flight of stairs would stall those Daleks for long enough for you to escape were they to storm your house in the middle of the night? So tough that not even the biggest and baddest of Cybermen could stop you from enjoying your morning newspaper on the bus to work? Perhaps a Dalek flying towards your face in a live arena will fix all of that growing up and maturing that age has done to you... Say “hello” to Doctor Who Live, the BBC Worldwide audio and visual production that comes to Cardiff International Arena at the end of this month.
Doctor Who Live follows Vorgenson, a new character played by Nigel Planer (Neil from The Young Ones, performances in We Will Rock You and Chicago), who is described as ‘an inter-galactic showman’ and the Doctor’s biggest fan. Vorgenson, who was adapted exclusively for the show by {Doctor Who} executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat, travels the galaxy with his clever invention, the Minimiser – a machine that can summon any Doctor Who character as part of his travelling show dedicated to his hero, the Doctor.
As he travels, Vorgenson brings a wide range of monsters to the stage for his audience to see, with terrifying live voices provided by Nick Briggs. Briggs, who creates the voices for the likes of Cybermen and the Daleks for the award winning BBC television show, will also play the role of Winston Churchill – another of the characters summoned by Vorgenson using the Minimiser.
The live show brings together music, live performances from top actors, optical illusions, special FX (including a flying Dalek), pyrotechnics and video scenes of Matt Smith as the Doctor shown on giants screens on stage; promising the same suspense, excitement, and terror that {Doctor Who} has provided for almost 50 years.
Doctor Who Live, Thurs 28-Sun 31 Oct, Cardiff International Arena. Tickets start at £25. Info: 029 2022 44 88 / www.livenation.co.uk/cardiff
Doctor Who Live
Feeling a little too old and grown up for hiding behind the sofa from all the monsters on Doctor Who? Sensible enough to have realised that a flight of stairs would stall those Daleks for long enough for you to escape were they to storm your house in the middle of the night? So tough that not even the biggest and baddest of Cybermen could stop you from enjoying your morning newspaper on the bus to work? Perhaps a Dalek flying towards your face in a live arena will fix all of that growing up and maturing that age has done to you... Say “hello” to Doctor Who Live, the BBC Worldwide audio and visual production that comes to Cardiff International Arena at the end of this month.
Doctor Who Live follows Vorgenson, a new character played by Nigel Planer (Neil from The Young Ones, performances in We Will Rock You and Chicago), who is described as ‘an inter-galactic showman’ and the Doctor’s biggest fan. Vorgenson, who was adapted exclusively for the show by {Doctor Who} executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat, travels the galaxy with his clever invention, the Minimiser – a machine that can summon any Doctor Who character as part of his travelling show dedicated to his hero, the Doctor.
As he travels, Vorgenson brings a wide range of monsters to the stage for his audience to see, with terrifying live voices provided by Nick Briggs. Briggs, who creates the voices for the likes of Cybermen and the Daleks for the award winning BBC television show, will also play the role of Winston Churchill – another of the characters summoned by Vorgenson using the Minimiser.
The live show brings together music, live performances from top actors, optical illusions, special FX (including a flying Dalek), pyrotechnics and video scenes of Matt Smith as the Doctor shown on giants screens on stage; promising the same suspense, excitement, and terror that {Doctor Who} has provided for almost 50 years.
Doctor Who Live, Thurs 28-Sun 31 Oct, Cardiff International Arena. Tickets start at £25. Info: 029 2022 44 88 / www.livenation.co.uk/cardiff
Frisky and Mannish (Comedy Tour Preview for Buzz Magazine)
Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, and can be found online here.
Frisky and Mannish – The College Years
Following their much loved and critically acclaimed debut show School of Pop, as well as a string of awards at various festivals, musical-comedy duo Frisky and Mannish return with follow up The College Years, visiting Cardiff’s St David’s Hall as part of their UK tour this month.
Laura and Matthew, who formed their comedy act in 2008, are known for hilariously re-arranging well-known (and sometimes much hated) pop songs such as those of Lady Gaga, as well as merging modern pop culture with history or classic literature, like their Kate Nash rendition of Wuthering Heights.
The pair were featured as ‘talents to watch’ by The Sun, but don’t let that bother you – real newspapers love them too, such as The Guardian and The Independent who chucked adjectives such as “joyous” and “wildly talented” at them.
The College Years is the sequel to their schooling debut and provides more of the same, but better, according to reviews. It sees the likes of Florence and the Machine covering Peter Andre, Noel Coward singing Lily Allen, and Dizzee Rascal performing a duet with Shirley Bassey all to side-splitting effect and, at 10 quid, is a bit of a bargain too.
Tue 14th Sept, St David’s Hall. Info: www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk / 029 2087 8444. Tickets: £10
Frisky and Mannish – The College Years
Following their much loved and critically acclaimed debut show School of Pop, as well as a string of awards at various festivals, musical-comedy duo Frisky and Mannish return with follow up The College Years, visiting Cardiff’s St David’s Hall as part of their UK tour this month.
Laura and Matthew, who formed their comedy act in 2008, are known for hilariously re-arranging well-known (and sometimes much hated) pop songs such as those of Lady Gaga, as well as merging modern pop culture with history or classic literature, like their Kate Nash rendition of Wuthering Heights.
The pair were featured as ‘talents to watch’ by The Sun, but don’t let that bother you – real newspapers love them too, such as The Guardian and The Independent who chucked adjectives such as “joyous” and “wildly talented” at them.
The College Years is the sequel to their schooling debut and provides more of the same, but better, according to reviews. It sees the likes of Florence and the Machine covering Peter Andre, Noel Coward singing Lily Allen, and Dizzee Rascal performing a duet with Shirley Bassey all to side-splitting effect and, at 10 quid, is a bit of a bargain too.
Tue 14th Sept, St David’s Hall. Info: www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk / 029 2087 8444. Tickets: £10
Mary Chapin Carter (Gig Preview for Buzz Magazine)
Words originally for Buzz Magazine, written during a week's work experience completed in August 2010, published in Buzz's October issue.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare
Thurs 28 Oct
Mary Chapin Carpenter may not particularly enjoy the “country” music tag that she has had laid upon her for the last 23 years of performing, but unfortunately it’s a word I struggle to avoid when writing this preview. In fact, this label is not something only argued against by Mary herself, but also by music writers of her early days and throughout her career as a whole. They argue that Mary, despite being simplistically labelled on websites such as Wikipedia as a “folk and country music artist”, is much more than this – various individuals noting over the years that her sound is reminiscent of The Beach Boys, Motown music, The Beatles, and it is highly unfair, with her use of the likes of sitar, ukulele, and guitar loops, to describe her music with such basic labels.
This tag doesn’t seem to have hurt her career too much, though. With five Grammy Awards under her belt, 12 top 10 singles, and having sold over 13 million records in her time, American-born Mary to continues to have an incredibly successful career – and her visit to Aberdare, which is her only Welsh stop as part of her 10-date rarely seen UK tour on the back of her latest album {The Age of Mircales}, will undoubtedly be a popular one. Support comes from American singer-songwriter Tift Merritt.
Tickets: £25 advance, £27.50 on the door. Info: www.coliseum.rct-arts.org / 01685 881 188.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare
Thurs 28 Oct
Mary Chapin Carpenter may not particularly enjoy the “country” music tag that she has had laid upon her for the last 23 years of performing, but unfortunately it’s a word I struggle to avoid when writing this preview. In fact, this label is not something only argued against by Mary herself, but also by music writers of her early days and throughout her career as a whole. They argue that Mary, despite being simplistically labelled on websites such as Wikipedia as a “folk and country music artist”, is much more than this – various individuals noting over the years that her sound is reminiscent of The Beach Boys, Motown music, The Beatles, and it is highly unfair, with her use of the likes of sitar, ukulele, and guitar loops, to describe her music with such basic labels.
This tag doesn’t seem to have hurt her career too much, though. With five Grammy Awards under her belt, 12 top 10 singles, and having sold over 13 million records in her time, American-born Mary to continues to have an incredibly successful career – and her visit to Aberdare, which is her only Welsh stop as part of her 10-date rarely seen UK tour on the back of her latest album {The Age of Mircales}, will undoubtedly be a popular one. Support comes from American singer-songwriter Tift Merritt.
Tickets: £25 advance, £27.50 on the door. Info: www.coliseum.rct-arts.org / 01685 881 188.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Above: Jake attempts to consume a vegetarian-style hot dog at Latitude music festival, 2010.