RIP Spain Rodriguez

RIP Joe Kubert

Who we lost. What he left us. His art says it better than i ever could...

Ernest Borgnine RIP

I'll miss his tough mug.

RIP The Brigadier

RIP John Barry

John Barry composed scores for some of my favourite movies, including; 11 Bonds, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, The Ipcress File, Zulu, Beat Girl and The Knack; not forgetting the catchiest TV theme EVER - The Persuaders. Next to Punk Rock, i guess he was the soundtrack to my youth.

He did jazz and swing and classical, sometimes all at once. And like Ennio Morricone he has a distinctive and instantly recognizable style; elegant and lush, with sweeping strings and soaring brass.

But his real genius was the ability to find the heart of a story and thereby add more depth, drama and emotional wallop - it was never just background music.

They'd be half the film without him.

Thank you, John.

RIP Tony Curtis

'They gave me away as a prize once - a Win Tony Curtis For A Weekend competition. The woman who won was disappointed. She'd hoped for second prize - a new stove.'

Lux Interior RIP

Lux Interior, the ferocious frontman of garage punk/psychobilly band, The Cramps, died on February 4th, as a result of an existing heart condition. When i heard the sad news i wanted to pay tribute, but at the time i was far too busy wrestling deadlines(still am, but they're not the vice-like intensity kind).

A lot of you may never of heard Lux sing/perform, and I'm quite sure a lot of you wouldn't want to, but i loved the guy, and the band. They were a vivid and pivotal part of my youth; with their sexy, sleazy, growling, howling surf sound, mixed with b-movie trash aesthetics and shclock horror lyrics, it seemed like some mad scientist had sewn them together for my personal pleasure. And Lux, Lux was like some amphetamine-crazed voodoo preacher crossed with a rubber clad Elvis from Planet X, truly magnetic and deliciously, monstrously deranged.

And he looked great in stilettos.

I only ever had one opportunity to see The Cramps, and i blew it. Not got many regrets, but that's a biggy. But you can see the midnight man at work over at; http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/cramps-lux-interior-rip/

I raise a blood-filled goblet to you, Lux - give em hell!

Be Golden and Light

We lost Oliver Postgate last week, writer, artist, animator, pioneer and dream-maker.

Along with Peter Firmin he gave us some of the best-loved children's programmes of the 60's and 70's; Bagpuss, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine and The Clangers. All from a disused cow shed.

They broke new ground with their animation techniques, partly born from a need to work cheap and fast, and the results, however 'low-fi' compared to CGI wizardry, were - and still are - magical.

Growing up, my earliest memories are of watching Pogles Wood and Noggin, both different worlds, both instantly captivating. Simply told and beautifully constructed, they swept you up, soothed a troubled brow and flexed a hungry imagination. And to this day, when i hear his narration, that very distinctive voice, i get a shiver of joy.

See, and learn a lot more at; http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/

Thankyou, Oliver Postgate, my childhood would've been a duller one without you.