The Rum Diary

I’m probably not a great authority to write about this film, being that I have never really paid much attention to the work of Hunter S. Thompson in my life, neither having read or viewed much of his written work. While others have his books and posters adorning their walls, for me he is merely a name and something about drugs. I’m not sure…

From watching interviews with Johnny Depp – on Newsnight of all places – you would think this was a political film about ‘truth’ in journalism. The film only really hints at this, however, focusing more on the fun and wild aspects of the time in Puerto Rico.

The whole film, therefore, feels a bit like a precursor to something that never comes, with little real depth or intrigue. The style also disappoints, expecting more from ‘Withnail and I’ director, Bruce Robinson.

More a Twitter feed than diary, this entertains on a basic level, but I can imagine that this isn’t the hugely insightful piece that Hunter S.’s fans would have craved.

School of Herring

I am often found sat in my high-backed armchair, with my semi-circular toilet mat, ready to catch any resulting man-mess that may result from watching a Richard Herring DVD or listening to one of his many podcasts. Not quite at the Andy McH standings, but I often frequent his shows, follow his daily life on his blog and generally filling a minted cumpkin over everything he does.

I remember watching ‘Fist of Fun’ in the mid-Nineties, though probably remember Kevin Eldon’s Simon Quinlank character and the girl in boxing gloves on the title sequence more than anything its two stars did. But with the second coming of Stewart Lee in recent years, the names Lee and Herring popped back into my consciousness.

Numerous DVDs have since been purchased and shows attended, but with the sheer amount of work that he puts in, it has been Richard Herring that I have been to see do his stand-up routines, more so than his smug, on telly partner.

For the last couple of years I have now found myself having spurts of repeatedly seeing Son of Keith over a two-month period. This time last year, I went to three of his ‘Richard Herring’s Objective’ recording, as well as an AIOTM (AIOTM) recording and his live show ‘Christ on a Bike’, all while reading his latest book: ‘How Not to Grow Up’.

Earlier this year, saw all six (count them) AIOTM (AIOTM) recordings attended; and now once again, I find myself attending 75% of his ‘Richard Herring’s Objective’ recordings, alongside seeing him at the Lyric in Hammersmith with old pal Mr Stew Art Wee, and his new tour ‘What is Love, Anyway?’ And why not read a second hand copy of his beautifully-titled first book, ‘Talking Cock’, while I’m at it?!

The thing that makes Richard Keith different from other comedians is the public nature of his life. With his daily blog, ‘Warming Up’ and regular (or sometimes irregular) podcasts with Andrew Collings (sic.), pretty much everything that goes on throughout his days is captured on some medium. The endless DVD extras he provides are testament to this.

Seeing him live feels like seeing an old friend you have been following on Facebook rather than a famous stand-up. His cast of regular audience members always down in the front, there for support.

Maybe this is at the detriment to his wider career, with his calls to ‘just wanting to be on the telly’ thwarted by a small, but obsessively loyal fan base. His act though, while at times being a little unfriendly for a mainstream audience, is always good, if a little rough around the edges, like TV’s Emma Kennedy’s clackerlackadackdack. His second series of ‘Richard Herring’s Objective’ feels like a good progression from the first, which was more a watering down of his ‘Hitler Moustache’ routine, and his storytelling is reaching its peak.

So, enter the months of October, and later November, and it all starts again, and with the aforementioned shows attended recently this means that I have seen him perform the Ferrero Roche routine around five or six times these last few weeks, two in one day, and it keeps getting better. Oh yes, the ‘Motorcycling Clothes Shop’ sketch has nothing on this! I also now have shit loads (count them…well, two) signed copies of the ‘What is Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurve, Anyway?’ programme. I now also have a signed copy of a ‘Complete Cumpkin’; literally hours of fun.

With the first series of ‘Fist of Fun’ due out on DVD in December, I doubt there will be any waning of my Herring obsession anytime soon. I’m sure he will be in my dreams all Christmas…in a high-backed armchair…with a semi-circular mat you put around the toilet…

Every 14 Days...(6)

Kappa (Akutagawa Ryunosuke)

On reading alone, ‘Kappa’ would seem like a book written by a man at the point of madness. A man is thrown into the ‘kappa world’ to live among these strange, mythical creatures from Japanese folklore, gradually learning their idiosyncrasies and customs.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke was at the point of madness when writing one of his longer works; finished not long before his suicide. On writing about the kappa world, he looks at all aspects of life: politics, religion, love, war, law, entertainment, health, etc., serving as a critique from an outsider’s perspective. Obviously doubling as a critique of the Japan in which he lived and how customs often get in the way of logic and sense to an onlooker.

Akutagawa himself was marginalised at this stage, being in and out of psychiatric hospitals, and so chose to look at society for what it was from a distance; and saw madness in the method.

Days to read: 12

Days per book: 15.3

The Japanization of Modernity: Murakami Haruki between Japan and the United States (Rebecca Suter)

This is a book written in English by an American about a Japanese author that I bought in Hong Kong. Read coincidentally to coincide with the UK release of his new work ‘1Q84’, Suter’s work is essentially a PhD look at his work across cultures in both Japan and the US.

Mainly looking into his shorts (ho ho), the differing reception of his work in the US and Japan is compared, with more traditional critics in Japan believing his works are not Japanese in style or content. Western critics, however, are more praising of his work and his look into identity from a global perspective.

Indeed, Suter believes that Murakami’s use of Western reference points in a Japanese setting give him a global appeal that is both normal and exotic at the same time. A timely conclusion with his latest offering creating midnight openings on its release.

Days to read: 39

Days per book: 16.5

I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan (Alan Partridge*)

‘A real corker!’ (Toby Anstis)

With every Tom, Dick and Harry feeling the need to tell us about their – quite frankly pitiful – lives, I thought it best that I, Alan Partridge, set the world to rights with my follow up to the Loddon Eye Best Seller, ‘Bouncing Back’.

Think of the book as thus: An all-out, balls-to-the-wall account of my life, career and the bits in between. Shooting from the hip and taking absolutely no prisoners, much of what was written was deemed ‘too hot’ by my original publishers, Penguin. ‘Goolies to that!’ was my uncompromising response. Harper Collins being a much more thorough company, I decided to take my work to them instead.

So, sit back, relax, grab a mug of Nestle’s Milo Nutritious Energy Drink, prepare a dictionary and thesaurus (it gets a little tricky in parts) and do not p-p-p-p-pick up a Penguin. Pick up a fantastic Harper Collins. But don’t take it from me, take it from mambo soul crooner, Lou Bega…

‘This is my mambo number 1!’ (Lou Bega)

*I would like to make it categorically clear that, contrary to controversial e-rumours on the world wide website, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Rob Gibbons and Neil Gibbons (whoever they are!) wrote not a jot of this mini-masterpiece. Every ruddy word was written by me, Alan Partridge.

Days to read: 11

Days per book: 16.2