Meanwhile this looks to be of interest at the newly reopened MAC arts centre in Brum. I spent much of my youth watching films at the MAC [and the Triangle], I still can’t watch Apocalypse Now without remembering the Chinese lady who screamed, shot up in the air and all but landed on my mate Phil when the tiger appeared during the ‘never get out of the boat’ scene at a showing there. Also remember seeing Clive Barker do a very entertaining talk there which we skived school to see if memory serves.

More recently I seem to recall their film program becoming quite mainstream so I’m hoping we might see a return to showings of the occasional obscure gem, or at least that I might get to see the next Alex Cox film when/if it gets a UK release. Certainly great to have the centre back and I look forward to a visit in the near future, not too sure on the new website, looks nice but not that great at delivering useful information, time will tell I guess…

I’ll certainly be tuning in to have a listen though as I can’t resist things regard local talk radio, well, apart from the actual Talk RadioSport station. I can’t see me making it along to the show, or to be a ‘performer’ , given the work backlog and the fact I’m aiming to get to the Screamin Festival in Spain at the end of the month, but you never know…

I should add some details;

introduction

Radio Z is the last station on the dial before the static and the microwaves and pulsar radiation.

The hosts of the night time show Tuning Out know all about facing down the void. Each night they start the show blank, with nothing planned, armed with just a stack of charity shop records and six hours in which to calm the world’s chaos and settle its people down to sleep.

This is a theatre show, which is also a radio show. You can listen to Tuning Out at home on-line via our website but true excitement comes when you visit its extraordinary studio in the theatre and become privy to presenter’s deeply compromised off-mic World.

Improvised afresh each night the show relies on content in part from messages and fragments of writing sent in during the course of the show by its listeners and audiences, both live and at home.

mac’s new Media Studio will be open for visitors wishing to contribute to the show and wireless facilities will be available throughout the building.

More about Tuning Out with radio z, which is on 13-15 May, here

I bought a very cheap Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet form Aldi, or maybe Lidl, some time ago. This shirt design gave me the excuse to have a play. I was quite pleased with the results, and it created far less mess over the garden, the carpet and the curtains than chucking paint at a canvas by hand like I normally do tend to. Anyway, have a look…

Three Counties MG are an MG based car club covering Staffordshire, Worcestshire and Shropshire run by enthusiasts to promote interest in MG cars throughout the Midlands area.

Speaking personally its the only ‘music’ station I regularly listen to, well, okay, I do listen to Brumcast on Rhubarb Radio too but thats just the once a week, Several of the shows on 6 Music fulfill the two things I want from music radio. Presenters who are enthusiastic for what they do and music I’ve not heard before. Its been good to hear John Peels name mentioned so often within the pieces I’ve read about the station and I think it true that the station as a whole goes some way to replacing a lot of what he did for both new and old music.

When ever the license fee discussion comes up I think that both 6 Music and BBC 7 justify the cost to me. I can’t say much of the output on many of the other stations and certainly a large portion of the TV content does for me.

As I saw someone write on Twitter

John Peel would be spinning in his grave. Quite possibly at the wrong speed

Incidentally the box set contains a different ten films to those listed on some websites, including the place I bought mine from, but for a little over a tenner I’ve no complaints. I was going to work my way through them in order but given the very Basic dutch packaging, that I can’t read, and the numerous AKA’s for each title I may just start with the first disk.

I shall report back…

*I should explain the post titles is one of the films American titles, also know as ‘Al Capone enantion trinita’, ‘Der Dicke in Amerika’, ‘2 angeloi tou samata’ and the original ‘Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli’

Its passes the two requirements of ‘good’ music radio in my book; One, The presenter isn’t annoying, in fact Eric has a great line in amusing assides as anyone whos seen his live shows or read his book will know, and Two, I ended up buying a CD from a band I’d not heard of before after listening to it. Result.

You can ‘tune in’ here for as long as it continues.

I would happily pay to see it at a cinema, I’d buy it on DVD, but it seems you can’t do either, the only way to see it so far is on the BBC. ‘Fantastic thats free’ I here you cry, but alas, when it was broadcast on digital tv I was away on holiday, and for its terrestrial premier of last night, well, the early hours of the morning to be precise.
Me? I was unaware it was on and fast asleep have driven round half of Wales yesterday. I know I’ll see it eventually some how, but its a shame that a possible gem like this from arguably the most interesting British director working today it goes unannounced, untrailered and is screened at a time when people might happen upon it.

I wonder if I’ll see this Searchers 2.0, or Repo Chick first. Only time will tell…

{insert tumbleweed here}