I can’t believe the things that happen to me
I guess that I should have seen a long, long time ago
Letters you write don’t help me get through the night
So I’ll just turn out the light
And sleep here all alone
The opening lines of All the Love in the World by English by English rockers The Outfield, from their debut studio album Play Deep (1985). Curiously, the trio was far more successful in the US, especially for their other well-known song, Your Love.
Casey: It’s not the end of the world.
Bianca: Well that’s easy for you to say. I don’t have a date.
Jess: I can fix that. Er… Jack Rebus?
Bianca: Tiny hands.
Jess: Mark Warshaw?
Bianca: Smells like trash.
Jess: Ah! Charlie Piper.
Bianca: Charlie Piper, my cousin Charlie Piper?
Jess : People don’t know that!
Bianca Santos, Mae Whitman and Skyler Samuels in the teen comedy The DUFF (2015). The letters in the title, pivotal to the film’s theme, stand for Designated Ugly Fat Friend. The DUFF does not necesarily have to be ugly or fat, but is the least popular within a group who is exploited by others to get closer to the more popular members.
With the release of Ready Player One, said to feature numerous 80s references, it’s clear the 80s phenomenan shows no sign of abating. So I thought I’d include the opening titles of eight recent shows set during the 80s that highlight just how distinctive the decade. From the comedic like Everybody Hates Chris and The Goldbergs to ones with more serious themes like Stranger Things and The Americans.
How many of the shows have you seen? Why do you think it’s so continued to be so popular?
Simon Masrani: You created a monster!
Henry Wu: Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.
Irfan Khan and B.D. Wong in the sci-fi adventure film Jurrasic World (2015), the fourth and latest film in the Jurassic Park franchise. You can see my largely positive thoughts on the dinosuar-fuelled fantasy in my review here.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the music video. It’s such a great form of expression and when done well, really adds extra dimensions to the song. Here are eight of my favourite videos from well known artists that took imagination to new levels.
Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.
As said by Slim, the “prince of the ranch”, in John Steinbeck’s novella masterpiece Of Mice and Men (1937). Set during the Great Depression, it tells of two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who dream of earning enough money to buy their own land. However problems continually arise due to lack of understanding of Lennie’s mental disability and his fiercesome strength.
Nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world.
Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) in the Netflix smash Stranger Things (2016 – ). Set in 1983 and fuelled with 80s nostaliga, it tells of a geeky set of boys in a small town who encounter mysterious forces when looking for their friend, who suddenly goes missing.
I’ve a huge passion for music, as shown by the fact I’ve listed 119 different artists (and counting) on my Music page, as well as numerous others in posts such as Impressive Foreign Language Songs, Mostly Instrumental Songs and Awesome Songs of Seven Minutes Plus. But while those later links have covered artists as varied as Metallica, The Stone Roses, LCD Soundsystem, Aphex Twin, Grandmaster Flash and Moenia, there are still some fantastic singers and groups I’ve not yet managed to include. So here’s a post celebrating those I haven’t yet included, fittingly with an extra song shoved in. How many of them do you recognise? Which was the one you heard most recently?
There are many good reasons for drinking,
One has just entered my head.
If a man doesn’t drink when he’s living,
How in the hell can he drink when he’s dead?
Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone. Ireland is a wonderful country and I hope those who haven’t been get a chance to visit. Celebrating the Emerald Isle, you can find an Ireland film quiz here, a review of the Guiness Storehouse here, a review of Dublin Park and Pheonix Park here and a Gr8at of Kilmainham Gaol here. Not to mention some of the best quotes from Ireland’s finest comedy Father Ted.
Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.
The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) who sadly passed today. As well as his scentific genius, the legendary Englishman was considered a true inspiration for not allowing his motor neurone disease hold him back. The 76 year old’s wonderful sense of humour was also reflected in his cameos in shows like The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory and Futurama.
