The Days Of Vinyl

If you're a serious hifi fan, you'll eschew digital renditions of musical classics - whether Beethoven or Woody Guthrie - in favour of classic vinyl recordings.

My earliest records were vinyl records. LPs (Long Play): 33⅓, EPs (Extended Play): 45 and Singles: 78 revolutions per minute - rpm. 12 inch, 10 inch, 7 inch.

Remember?

Anyway, I am now a vinyl. An old 78.

Matchmaking

I entertained various friends and family over Christmas with my "lost socks" tale. Sorting out my sock drawer in preparation for festive visiting, I discovered eight unmatched socks. Weird.

I know, not at all entertaining. Dunno why I blathered on about my socks, as though anybody would be interested. Turned out that someone actually listened and, on my recent birthday, I received these:

Yesterday I wore two of these:

At the same time. Not a pair.

Now I understand. I was brought up to regard wearing non-matching socks as a Crime Of Fashion. No longer; it's the New Normal of Fashion. And I've gained eight (previously useless) socks.

Nicknames answers

• the Desert Foxes are Algeria
• the Eagles of Carthage are Tunisia
• the Lions of Teranga are Senegal
• the Falcons of Jediane are Sudan
• the Elephants are Ivory Coast
• the Lions of Chinguetti are Mauritania
• the Scorpions are Gambia
• the Blue Sharks are Cape Verde

Post your score in Comments!

The Power of the Dog

This movie, a dramatisation of a novel by Thomas Savage, is already receiving a number of award nominations. For me it's an art film, by which I mean that it's more than just a visual narrative; it embraces various art forms. From amazing Montana landscapes to a modernistic score performed by what seems to be a string quartet with occasional piano, with authentic 1930s paraphernalia such as motor cars, clearly numbered acts and a very wide screen, the movie begins with an impressive cattle drive which defines the central location of the story.

The title is taken from Psalm 22:20: “Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.” Director Jane Campion (of Top of the Lake) has said "The power of the dog is all those urges, all those deep, uncontrollable urges that can come and destroy us". It also felt to me to have a sense of the "black dog" of depression.

I mulled over how much to tell of the whole story or to avoid spoilers for you. I have tried to follow a middle path, to tell enough to encourage you to watch the movie but not to make it a fruitless exercise. I might not succeed so you may want to watch it before reading further.

Phil and George Burbank own a ranch and the film centres on their relationship. They are shown as very different siblings; Phil is the practical, physical rancher and George the manager. They don't really much like each other. Both are lonely but deal with that differently: Phil relishes being on his own whereas George seeks to alleviate his loneliness by marrying local inn owner Rose, whom Phil takes an instant dislike to and calls a "suicide widow". There's a scene where George says to Rose "how nice it is not to be alone". Rose has a son Peter who is mocked by Phil and the ranch hands for his effeminate ways.

These are the four characters whose journeys we follow. There are hidden depths to Phil and Peter; eventually Phil comes to see great worth in the young boy and helps him develop ranchers' skills, particularly when he discovers that Peter saw his father hang himself and now his mother is deteriorating into alcoholism. Peter responds, growing surprisingly self confident and determined.

George and Rose are frankly less interesting and become peripheral to the narrative.

Phil himself has hidden depths. In one scene the Governor, visiting the ranch, reveals Phil was "Phi Beta Kappa in Classics at Yale". This is my main reservation about the film: none of Phil's background is explored or explained - how did this educated and cultured man end up as a cattle herder? - and I wanted there to be more to this character, less of it hidden. He helps Peter to grow but doesn't do so himself.

In Top of the Lake, Campion has a clear feminine focus, so strong that "men are bad, women good" pretty much sums up the theme. Here she hints at effeminate male sexuality with some homoerotic scenes and suggestions - but no more than that, it's subtle suggestion, nothing more. I'm not sure it adds anything to the film but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a second reservation for me.

My final issue is that the strong, wide visuals and excellent musical score really mean that I wished I had seen it in the cinema to get the full experience. This may be a reservation about my TV rather than the film. Overall I believe this a worthwhile film, it's pace is near perfect, the acting is excellent and the characters well-defined and well contrasted. If you watch it, let me know whether your thoughts are different from mine.

Nicknames and a Quiz

I've written before about the esoteric names of football clubs - the Go Ahead Eagles and the Stuttgarter Kickers. But today is about nicknames. I don't know how or by whom these names came into being but Arsenal (originally Woolwich Arsenal) are the Gunners, Wycombe (home of the Windsor chair) Wanderers are the Chair Boys, Ipswich (home of Ransomes) Town the Tractor Boys.

I'm not sure whether their womens' teams are the Chair Girls and the Tractor Girls [Ed: actually the latter: Yes]; sounds like a good name for a movie. According to CNN, a 20-year-old woman nicknamed "Chair Girl" was filmed hurling a chair onto a freeway from the balcony of a high-rise building in downtown Toronto. Someone called Patrick Walsh has an album called Tractor Girls. In the interests of rigour, I got my researcher to listen to track 2 Girls With Tractors; he said it sounds like every other country and western song that's ever been written.

Moving on, my interest in nicknames has been re-stimulated by watching the (mens) African Cup of Nations. Today was Nigeria (the Super Eagles) vs Egypt (the Pharaohs). Yesterday I watched Morocco (the Lions de l'Atlas - Atlas Lions) vs Ghana (the Black Stars).

By and large the names of animals predominate. I challenge my readers to guess which countries are represented by (NO CHEATING):

• the Desert Foxes
• the Eagles of Carthage
• the Lions of Teranga
• the Falcons of Jediane
• the Elephants
• the Lions of Chinguetti
• the Scorpions
• the Blue Sharks

That morphed into a Geography quiz I think. Answers in two days' time. I'm expecting a plethora of 100% correct answers from my erudite audience.

I'm looking forward to the commentators' attempts when Comoros (wherever that is) play: they are The Coelacanths.

Frankly these are all deeply unoriginal, if authentic. Much better, the Ethiopian team is known as the Walias, which are "on the sweeter side of Ethiopian beers with tones of fruits and honey. It’s very light and golden in colour and retains its head much better than some of its competitors" according to youngpioneertours.com I'll have one of those please!

I know, it's a brand name. But so are Red Bull Salzburg and Bayer Leverkusen. 

With whom are we most angry?

Maybe contemptuous of, rather than angry with ...

Novax Djokovic?

The Serbian Government?

Boris and Carrie?

His Royal Humbug who marched his troops up to the top of the hill?

The inventor of the Platinum Pudding idea?

I'm going for Martin Reynolds, the principal private secretary to the Prime Minister. His crime? Being stingy. "Bring your own booze"? What kind of party host does that? A mean one, that's who.

And no, that's not a misprint, Novax.