Ten Recent Artefacts
The first in a highly irregular series in which I rave about my favourite cultural ephemera of the week/month/random time period.
Before I start, a few disclaimers: Firstly, I can’t guarantee this will be updated weekly. Secondly, there definitely won’t always be ten, but here’s a bumper edition to kick things off. Here are the best things I’ve seen, listened to, and visited so far in February…
1. Tim and Ed
The Bill and Ted of the BBC’s Winter Olympics coverage. Reporting live from a portacabin with their felt-tip-drawn flags and Metallica logos, Tim and Ed have been the undisputed stars of Milano Cortina. In a world full of archly ironic, know-it-all pundits, their sheer, gleeful enthusiasm, matey asides and insider anecdotes have been a delight. There’s not enough space here to include all their highlights – but who else makes jokes about snowboarders bribing officials, eating ‘concrete on toast for breakfast’ or having a harder job than ‘emptying the chemical toilets’? The dudes abide.
2. Small Prophets
You know this already. But Mackenzie Crook’s beautiful, odd, magical, gentle comedy is the best thing on TV so far this year. Lead actor Pearce Quigley delivered the best line among hundreds in Crook’s previous masterpiece, The Detectorists. (On paper, ‘Years of age?’ doesn’t sound very funny, which only shows how funny he is.) Given his head in this new drama, he’s been nothing short of a revelation. Randomly, Liverpool’s midfield legend Jan Molby even gets a brief cameo – but Michael Palin steals it for sheer pathos.
3. Train Dreams
After watching Clint Bentley’s deeply moving, perfectly paced film (which I am contractually obliged to describe as ‘Malick-esque’), I immediately ordered the novella by Denis Johnson, who I knew nothing about before but has already become one of my favourite authors. Eschewing conventional structure, it is a beguiling succession of interludes, in equal parts heartbreaking and enigmatic. And – even better – you can read it in an afternoon.
4. Tyler Ballgame – For The First Time, Again
From zero to overhyped hero, Rhode Island singer-songwriter Tyler Perry seems to divide opinion. The Guardian, rather confusingly, seemed to take issue with his obvious attempts to write ‘classic pop’, adoption of an alter-ego, over-annunciation, theatricality and occasionally strange pronunciation. (Although the example they quoted – ‘The cream will rot’ was actually a mishearing of a far more common phrase – ‘The cream will rise’.) Since all of the above could equally be applied to David Bowie, I think he can rest easy. Anyone who sounds like Roy Orbison singing Father John Misty is alright by me. (But, amidst all the influences bandied about, why has no-one yet pointed out that he often sounds exactly like Neil Sedaka? No praise higher.)
5. Fela Kuti: Fear No Man
There is so much to unpick about Fela Kuti. He was one of the most important, charismatic, consequential, complicated, revolutionary and inspiring figures in music. Jad Abumrad’s 13-episode podcast more than does its subject justice. From the incredible story of Fela’s mother (worth a documentary on her own) to Brian Eno succinctly summarising the effect of first hearing his music (‘This isn’t a song; it’s a place’) – this is, pure and simple, the best music podcast I’ve ever heard, pushing the format in ways that constantly surprise. Do yourself a favour.
6. Julian Barnes – Changing My Mind
A quietly bold extended essay on consistency and open-mindedness by one of the UK’s most brilliantly understated writers, written on the eve of his retirement. ‘We never think, Oh I’ve changed my mind and have now adopted a weaker and less plausible view than the one I held before… We always believe that changing our mind is an improvement… Well, we would think that, wouldn’t we?’
7. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
In the spirit of Julian Barnes, I watched a Guy Ritchie film and thoroughly enjoyed it. In this time and age, there’s something fulfilling about watching horrible white supremacist Nazis being killed with extreme, cartoonish violence. There’s nothing more American, lest we forget. (Even though, in this case, the heroes are mainly British and West African. And a great Dane.)
8. The World of Banksy, Brussels
Another changing my mind moment. I have always been a bit of a snob about Banksy. It took this rather sketchy, rough-around-the-edges show consisting entirely of reproductions of some of his greatest hits, to convince me of how important he is. I’m not sure how official it is (appropriately enough), but I’m glad I went. And it was worth it for the family attempting to exit through the storage cupboard at the end, too.
9. Charli xcx – Wuthering Heights
Deeply weird, John Cale-infused cello pop, anyone? Yes please.
10. Werner Herzog on Instagram
Just follow him. You won’t be disappointed.