ILL SUGI - Meditate

Meditate on this Meditape.

ILL SUGI spinning it on them tape bits and stuff.

Re-birth of tape!

Oz: De-cleansing Soap

‘Now, normally when you see a special about jail, it’s on regular TV and there’s a lot of shit they don’t show. Oh, not the HBO jail specials...’

- Chris Rock

The above quote is one I used before to describe HBO's 'The Wire', but if there was ever an HBO show to attribute this quote to, it's 'Oz'. But where 'The Wire' unfolds like a novel, 'Oz' is a more formulaic approach to television, playing out like a soap opera.

''Oz': The name on the street for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, Level 4.'

- Augustus Hill

The line that greets nearly every episode, introduced by wheelchair-bound cop-killer Augustus Hill. Like all US TV shows, each episode of 'Oz' comes with a moral message, quickly to be forgotten by the start of next week's episode. But, unlike the convenient closures to justify thirty minutes of ignorance typically displayed by US sit-coms, the messages present in 'Oz' are less easy to swallow, offering no solutions and posing a question rather than an answer to the audience. In this sense, 'Oz' acts as a lesson in social studies.

But this is one side of 'Oz', a show that fills many roles: a violent drama; a platform for social comment; a critique of the US prison system; homosexual titillation; entertainment camp enough to match any soap opera; an addition to rappers' pension funds. But watching 'Oz', there are several things, good or bad, that are evident throughout:

There are no easy answers:

Tim McManus, head of the 'Emerald City' wing of the prison is part prison warden, part liberal sociologist. His belief is that prison should be more about rehabilitation, not punishment. 'Emerald City', therefore is an area where the prisoners have greater freedoms, with a more open policy, with glass cells offering literal transparency, and everything out for all to see.

But, these pesky criminals don't get this, exploiting the freedoms offered to get away with (actual) murder, betraying McManus' trust in them, failing to learn lessons, for the most part. McManus' constant struggles to keep Omar White out of trouble are a father's trying to do right by his prodigal son, only to see him fail time and time again. In the age of neo-liberalism, we all spout how change comes from greater understanding to get through to people rather than simply punishing them, but for this to happen requires greater social change and transformation, McManus realising this every episode.

August Hill's lectures throughout each episode also pose difficult, often unanswerable questions about the workings of US political structures, prison systems and man's general inhumanity to man. To see social change, humanity needs to evolve, but the human mentality can't keep up with the endless pace of the modern day milieu.

Weren't you in 'The Wire'?!:

'Oz' ran on HBO from 1997-2003; 'The Wire' starting in 2002. Much of the cast of 'The Wire' popped up in 'Oz' before, many in smaller roles, before making bigger names for themselves in the seminal show. 'Oz', while trying, can't match the same level of depth in its commentary; a more short-hand version of society's ills, but is a quicker and more easily digestible form; a more casual watch. All round, it has the feel of an audition for what was to come.

Alongside the cast of 'The Wire' are many Nineties rappers popping up here and there, with Method Man and LL Cool J making brief cameos, while Lord Jamar and muMs are in more regular roles; the latter often reciting his poetry to reflect storylines. 

That, and Ernie Hudson from 'Ghostbusters'.

Sausage-fest:

There are a lot of dicks and arses in 'Oz'; literal and metaphorical. There are a lot of excuses for largely unnecessary male nudity within the show. Whether it's getting thrown naked into the 'Hole' for naughtiness, good ol' fashioned buggery, or just standing about with your tackle out, pissing into a bucket, every episode comes complete with some quick flashes of meat and two veg. Part of the contract for featuring is that all of you must feature.

Obviously being an all-male prison, there are various boy-on-boy (usually Nazi-on-middle-class-whitey) romances/violent bum sex scenes, but the amount of nudity is usually unnecessary. Notable scenes where Irish naughty boy Ryan O'Reilly walks into the evening light to show off his semi-tugged falace; and Chris 'bi-sexual sociopath' Keller pissing into a bucket while in the 'Hole' for ten seconds of non-meaning television.

The creators and writers would not suggest homosexual titillation for the show; and the number of typically tolerant rappers in the cast would also suggest as much. Perhaps, being a 'soap', it is to keep the housewives interested.

Small World:

As with any good soap, 'Oz' revolves around about two places. But here, the cast are in a prison, rather than the self-imposed narrow universe of typical soap operas.

Apart from grainy flashbacks as to what brought each character to Oz in the first place, everything is contained within its walls. All scenes are indoors, in a small number of locations, creating a claustrophobic feel, reinforcing that monotonous world of everyday life in a prison.

There is no going outside: Once you're in, you're in.

Is it Really Like this?!:

'There is no yelling, no fighting, no fucking...'

- Diane Whittlesey

I've never been to prison; no really! Least of all a maximum security US prison. I've not even been to the US Embassy. So, I come in ignorance. But, harking back to Mr Rock's comment earlier, is it really like this?!

All the prisoners are greeted to the above rules; all of which will be broken within their first twenty-four hours, if they survive that long, of course.

But c'mon: All this sex, murder, drug trafficking, pissing in buckets - all overseen by corrupt guards that have their price - how true to life is this? This is a question I can't answer, but the televisualisation (my word) of prison life here is to entertain the audience, in the same way that any soap will show a fantastical (not my word) version of reality.

Not my Brother and Fuck your Mother!:

'In Oz, you don't have friends, just people that look like you.'

- Miguel Alvarez

One thing that's always got me about US popular culture - and I could be wrong here - but there is often a preoccupation with what makes us different, rather than what makes us the same.

In one episode in particular, McManus has his designs on a 'The Warriors' style world, where four delegates from each of the ten known groups will reside in Emerald City. These groups include: the Arians, the Italians, the Homeboys, the Hispanics, the Christians, the Bikers, the Muslims, the Gays, the Irish and, of course, the 'Others'. Naturally, chaos ensues.

But in 'Oz', there is very much an air of self-segregation, each group keeping among themselves, choosing to either do business or fight with each as the winds change. A dangerous 'Us' and 'Them' culture exists, one still with us today with recent political changes.

As Augustus Hill's lectures would suggest: 'Can't we just all get along?!' To which each and every episode responds with a unanimous 'No!'

Everybody Dies:

In the same way that everybody gets their tackle out, everybody must die! Most episodes introduce a new character to the party, and, more often than not, they may no longer be part of the cast by the start of the next episode. Fed to the wolves of Oz, outsiders are often met with aggression, often resulting in death.

Death row is a predominant feature of 'Oz', often posing the moral question as to its existence. But, with the sheer number of killers committing further and further murders while in prison, pretty much everyone in 'Oz' should be there, failing to rehabilitate themselves. The last series (not season), seeks to resolve a number of the long-running plot-lines, culminating in key characters' deaths. Many are sent to Oz to die, though this is often the result for those that aren't.

I originally watched 'Oz' on Channel 4 late night, in the days before it decommissioned 'Big Brother' and simply became Big Brother. Due to the scheduling, I watched the odd episode here and there, rather than following the storyline through. Though, to be honest, as with any soap, it's pretty quick to pick up the storylines.

Recently re-watching it in its entirety close to two decades before it was launched, it's clear that this is a show largely from the Twentieth Century: before 'box-set' series became endlessly drawn-out developments, unfolding like novels, post 'The Wire'. This is more a magazine, providing easily digestible social comment and political looks at life.

A prison drama, this shows some of the darker sides of the US, intentional or not. 'Oz' is a world where drugs, violent crime, sex and prejudice rule; and good intentions are punishable by death.

Or is it just me over-thinking everything and being confused about my own politics, here?! I should probably be locked up. 

MIGHTY MARS - Fantastic Romantic Radio #10

Mr. DJ MIGHTY MARS with a bit of the ol' Fantastic Romantic Radio, number 10 in the series, in fact. Called 'Cold Heat'?! 

Do I hear Scha Dara Parr 'Nice Guy' and EVISBEATS and that?! Oh yes...

Tunes and words, Mr Man!

Same Again...?

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo is a man that can be easily associated with that popular and age-old joke: ‘A South Korean film director walks into a bar…etc., etc., etc.’ Pretty much all of his films revolve around people sitting in some sort of establishment where alcoholic beverages can be purchased, discussing the ins and outs of their – usually sex – life, as the booze continues to flow. Most of the lead characters (typically male) are artistically-troubled film directors, serving in roles of university lecturers and film festival panels, where younger and more female humans are their subordinates, leading the still young enough Mr Director to try and make his power remove their underwear. If it’s in a drunkenly awkward scenario, the better.

Soo, what am I saying?! All of his films are the same?! That is something that could very much be said. A large proportion of his films revolve around a very similar premise and, being in the more art wing of the house, plot and story development are not major players. So, it could be interpreted that this is a one-trick pony, making the same old film yet again, which you didn’t much care for in the first place, like a sporting team that loses every week, never learning from their mistakes.

Interpretation number one out of the bag, what’s the second? A more positive light on his films would suggest a director exploring the different directions his characters can go, both within films themselves, but also throughout his body of work. Starting from the same point, he explores the right moves, the wrong moves, the very wrong moves, with good ol’ Captain Hindsight there at the end to let the protagonists know what they should have done. Life can switch in a moment, depending on a (usually drunken) impulse and can lead us to many different stories and success with each option open to us. The characters often languish in melancholy, unaware as to how much they truly are in control of their own destiny.

‘HaHaHa’ (2010) is a brilliantly-named film, though, as with most Hong films, is not as laugh-out-loud (that’s how you spell LOL) funny as the title would suggest. Two friends, one obviously a film director, meet for drinks before the filmmaker jets off for Canada. They discuss their recent adventures over beverages, discovering they have both just been to their small home town. Discussions soon turn to the fairer sex (sexist) and, known to the audience, but unbeknownst to them, they had both been having fun with the same girl while in town.

The shots of the present conversation are still in black and white, with the dialogue flowing over them, before the memoirs are played out for the camera; perhaps the film’s ‘gimmick.’ The two leads are pawns for the audience as we can laugh at the pair ending up in the same places with the same faces, though each is unaware that this was the case, with the same scenario played out, though the lead male changing each time.

This is an archetypal Hong film, involving drinking, liaisons with women, a film director, and repeating the same scenario to different outcomes. A subtle comedy, as they all are, what differentiates this film is the still shots to accompany the initial recollections before switching to the action and the male protagonist changing alternately.

Similar to this, but just involving one man, who works in film, are ‘The Day He Arrives’ and the recent ‘Right Now, Wrong Then’. In the former, a film lecturer arrives in Seoul to meet up with a friend for a few days. Along the way, he bumps into various characters and ends up in various amorous situations. The next day, he bumps into the same various characters and once again ends up in various amorous situations.

A 'Groundhog Day' scenario, the 'hero' essentially lives the same day three times, the people he meets and places he winds up the same, though the journey of the day varies each time. This, therefore, feels a little like watching a spot-the-difference competition, essentially watching the same short three times, just with some tweaks to the dialogue but always resulting in drunken conversations and lip-locking. This is very much a Hong film.

'Right Now, Wrong Then' follows this idea of the same situation being played out, though this time only twice: A film director gives an introduction to his new film at a provincial film festival. Bored for what to do next, he meets a young artist and the two gradually get talking, visiting her apartment, going for sushi and late-night drinking. To start, things go well, only for the relationship of the pair to worsen as the story progresses. This is 'Right Then, Wrong Now'. But we're only halfway through the film.

The second half starts 'Right Now, Wrong Then', with the same scenario played through, though this time the meeting of the pair starts off less than friendly and gradually becomes warmer as the story progresses. The main reason for this is the revelations that the director offers. First time around, he is flirtatious, wanting to meet the undies of the young artist, not revealing he is married, so when the truth comes out, it hurts. Second time around, he is more honest, letting it be known that he is married to start, perhaps why things are more cold to start. But as they get to know each other, feelings develop more.

A repeated criticism of Hong's films is that there is little end point to them: They are drunken bumbles that end up in poorly judged intercourse. Though 'Right Now, Wrong Then' has a bit more to it than that, looking at the nature of truth in relationships and how honesty is probably the best policy.

All of Hong's films have a fish out of water element, with people arriving in places somewhat alien to them. 'Hill of Freedom', perhaps my favourite Hong film, features Japanese actor-man, Ryo Hase arriving in Seoul, a former linguistic teacher there, searching for a former student he fell in love with. But she's not there; sick, she has gone to the mountains to recuperate. Left on his own, he spends his days drinking with locals, sleeping with women and speaking hilariously broken English. Most of this is in English, making this perhaps Hong's most outwardly humorous film.

With her not there, he writes her letters, leaving them at her school reception. Though when she collects them, she drops them, losing their chronology. with no dates added, she reads them at random, the film played-out with no order of which to speak, again adding to the humour.

While still featuring a male role superior to that of his female love interest, this is something of a different film in that no one admits to being a film director. Rather than repeating stories with slightly different journeys, here Hong plays with non-linear storytelling. This is perhaps why it is quite short. Though kept light, here he is more creative and varied with his ideas.

The Japanese dealt with, Hong has also looked at Europeans in South Korea, namely the French. Though for 'In Another Country', Hong offers more of his usual offering. A writer starts a story about a French film director, naturally, arriving in a small sea-side town. Here she sits about, drinks, eats, gets bored, looks for a lighthouse and gets flirty with the local life guard. The same story is then told again twice, with the same cast, though the characters change each time, apart from the life guard.

Firstly, she is a French film director; secondly she is a woman arriving to meet her film director lover in secret as they have their affair; thirdly she is a woman recently divorced, her husband having left her for a Korean women.

Being a white woman, perhaps Hong is commenting on Korean attitudes towards Western women, everyone telling her she is beautiful, when all three guises of 'Anna' (played by real-life French female Isabelle Huppert) clearly are not. While the English dialogue is humorous in 'Hill of Freedom', here is too awkward, acted woodenly and none of the characters likeable. Here all Korean men are sexual predators and French women irritating and coquettish. There is no end to any of these three journeys, and this is a script that perhaps Hong should have left in another country.

Two potentially more conventional films from Hong are 'Nobody's Daughter Haewon' and 'Like You Know it All'. The latter features another film director in an unknown setting, taking on the role of panel judge in a small film festival. But he doesn't care much for it, more interested in one of the young organisers. Getting drunk, however, the night ends a mess, with the young female disappointed by him not taking a more senior role and protecting her when vulnerable. A falling out with a friend over his young wife also leaves him feeling a little mythed.

Taking some time off, he visits a film school where he lectures, meeting his old teacher, now married to his former lover. More drunken antics ensue, leaving our hero in a spot of bother, hapless when it comes to alcohol and women. Hong plays with Director Koo here, unwittingly finding himself in various scenarios where he ends up taking all the blame. Though as he keeps ending up in these scenarios, despite the new faces and different setting, he fails to learn from his mistakes, repeating the same scenarios. Ironically for a Hong film, however, this is more of a linear film, so while not a repeat of the same scenario, he is a man destined to go round in circles.

'Nobody's Daughter Haewon' has a similar elder man/younger female relationship, but is more from the perspective of the female, though not entirely. Feeling somewhat orphaned as her mother leaves for Canada, she re-ignites a secret affair with her former teacher. But spending time together, the secret is soon out, leaving Haewon feeling further alienated. More brooding than comedy, this is slightly more straightforward in terms of narrative, though is a somewhat complex piece.

These last two lack some of the ‘gimmicks’ of the previously mentioned, though are less distinct than some of his other works. Indeed, these 'gimmicks' can serve as the point of differentiation between his films: the stories similar, the way they are told is what you perhaps take away. Though not just similar thematically, Hong has a definite style exhibited throughout his films. His use of long takes gives a naturalistic feel to his films, the actors seeming to be thinking of what to say as the camera rolls, making it seem improvised and stuttering, though conversations don't really happen with the sharpness that films suggest. These long takes come with lengthy dialogue between characters, putting the world to rights over alcohol; the camera often zooming in to draw the audience to listen closely to what is being said.

This is a limited analysis of Hong's films, and I have not seen the full body of his works, though with a similar theme and style throughout, I'm not sure if I need to. Other directors with a similar number of titles to their name will have tried their hand at different genres and styles, though Hong prefers to stick to what he knows, perhaps the bumbling directors drunkenly floundering at younger women a reflection of his own life.

While for the most part enjoyable, perhaps it is time for Hong to call time on the drunken conversations in his films and head home to prepare himself for a new day and a new style. While each film has its own little gimmick, the fact that the characters and scenarios are largely interchangeable makes you sometimes feel you are watching the same again. 

New Tribe

Yes...indeed...

Walkman Shuffle Function Drops I

'The only thing that makes us truly happy is the shuffle function on a CD player.'

-Armando Iannucci

...or a Sony Walkman mp3 player (the future) in my case.

End of the Line...

Beastie Boys - The Lisa Lisa / Full Force Routine...



to Quasimoto - Discipline 99, Pt. 1

Evisbeats - Qualia

New arrivals - makes up for finding out your flat in Budapest has got damp...Courtesy of JetSet Records.

Bump them now!

Scruffnuk Dust - Introvert

Hip hop and that from India? Mumbai, in fact...I think.

Interesting noise sounds...from Scruffnuk Dust. Name and such: 'Introvert'.

Every 14 Days....(34)

Frozen Dreams (Tatematsu Wahei)

Tatematsu Wahei (wahey!)’s ‘Frozen Dreams’ was a book that I had spied in the old second-hand bookshop in Balham – you know, the one that’s now an estate agents. I didn’t buy it, because I’m your classic rubbernecker. Though recently at Camden Lock Books at Old Street Station, numerous copies were available on the cheap. I only bought one.

Noboru is the responsible student leading an expedition into the Hokkaido mountains in Northern Japan. Choosing the winter months as it would be quieter, though obviously a lot more dangerous, the group set-off, with the peak Poroshiri their goal, before they all head into the dreaded world of full-time employment.

To start, this feels like the sort of book you’d find in Robin Ince’s ‘Bad Book Club’, with a cover that seems a bit simple and naff, with the tagline ‘based on a true story.’ And to start, it does feel a bit like that. Slightly strange, and perhaps unnecessary, descriptions are included, alongside lusty images in the mind of key protagonist Noboru for the marriageable Yuko. Perhaps the translation isn’t that strong, strange considering it is by Haruki Murakami translator Philip Gabriel, but there’s something about the way it is written that just doesn’t work.

But give it time, and as the journey progresses, the book starts to come alive a little, happily as most of the characters die. Trapped under an avalanche, Noboru awakes to realise he is the sole surviving member of the party, but restricted by his predicament, he cannot move under the snow, and so drifts in and out of consciousness. And this is where the main crux of the story comes into play.  

As he drifts in and out, he lapses into a dream world where his future is played out for him. The story of his first job, apartment and marriage to the now-lying-dead-beside-him Yuko are told and their endless days spent climbing mountains together. It is the life the soon-to-be-graduate wants, but will now never have.

For this reason, ‘Frozen Dreams’ becomes something of an interesting story, with some nice ideas. Being that it is a fictional account of a fictional future, it is difficult to suggest exactly have much is based on a true story, but takes it away from feeling like a cheap and easy throw-away novel for holidaying. But the first half is a little weak and takes some credibility away from the book in the reader’s mind and, like Noboru, you wonder if it was a journey worth taking.

Days to read: 10

Days per book: 14.9

The Analects (Confucius)

'I'm not confused.'

- Alan Partridge

The works of Confucius are the sort of thing that you feel you should read as people refer to them here and there and you want to add your name to the guest list of this intellectual party.

Now, I’ve read such things as ‘The Art of War’ and ‘Hagakure’, so I’m accustomed to the style of these ancient teachings, much like members of the Wu-Tang Clan or Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are. These are short nuggets of wisdom to ponder, re-read and think ‘what the Hell is that supposed to mean?!’

The Penguin (quack quack) edition that I read has extensive background setting from D.C. Lau, which probably serves as a more useful read, giving the teachings some context and further explanation for the lay milkman, providing approximate timelines of the life of Confucius and those around him.

There is a lot of repetition within the actual twenty books of ‘The Analects’ itself; coupled with Lau’s text you feel like you are reading the same pieces over and over. Also, outside of the actual context, many points seem to lack application.

Nonetheless, you will learn a good few things about how you should live your life: benevolence, basically. And how to impress people at parties you’re not invited to, sat alone in your bedroom, night after night.

Days to read: 21

Days per book: 14.9

The Book of Fathers (Miklós Vámos)

This is a book bought for me for a number of reasons - that number being two. For one, this is a Hungarian book and it was bought for me by my Hungarian wife as a birthday present. For two, this, as the title suggests, is a book about fathers, and the day before my birthday, I became a father for the first time, and thus will not get any birthday presents ever again.

This is one of those books that can be considered an epic: it's got more than like two hundred pages, or something. It charts the rise and fall of ten or so (I can't remember) generations of eldest sons, starting off around 1700, covering three hundred years of Hungarian history up to the new millennium. Naturally, not just a story of family lineage, this is a Hungarian history lesson, the many changes to the face a nation with ever-moving borders documented as times move on.

A time piece is found by the first of the eldest sons and is subsequently handed down to the next generation. Luckily, all have a son as their first born. Alongside this, a journal is kept - the titular Book of Fathers - which each son in turn adds to before passing it on. These two heirlooms combined mean that each father/son/Hungarian has the ability to see into the past or the future, using history to their advantage, or foretelling their demise. Each is gifted, yet flawed, changing their name, religion and even nationality, only to return back whence they came.

The family move across different parts of Hungary's geography, though starting Germany, moving to Debrecen, Eger, Pecs and Budapest, migrating around Europe and America along the way. Culture and the arts are developed, religion is persecuted and wars are fought as history dictates. But with a book as ambitious as this, it can often be difficult to get the ideas fully articulated.

With many characters to cover, they can't all be fully developed, with variation in the level of interest in each. Some pack a long journey into a short life, while others burn out slowly and quietly. Following the nation's history as well, much like some of the characters, you can see what's coming and so certain chapters in the Book of Fathers are building to the inevitable. The style of writing seems to develop as time passes, which could be to show the development of language over time, or laziness in the writing/translation.

As with any family, this is a bit of a mixed bag, but I like ambitious ideas, and while it may be a bit of a skim to fit three hundred years into one novel, the changing of the guard means that you don't get too bored with any one character. As we approach the new millennium and the book's conclusion, it feels appropriate in the current climate, with migration shown as something that has always happened, yet proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Days to read: 30

Days per book: 15.0

Content Provider (Stewart Lee)

As I don't read newspapers (they're essentially all scum that I wouldn't wipe my arse with, unless really desperate after Villa beat Sunderland away and the Sports Cafe in Newcastle doesn't have any bog roll, and someone had left one open on a page that just so happened to feature an article about West Brom), I don't get to read all these Sunday supplement articles by the comedians whose newsletters I otherwise regularly subscribe to.

So, following on from the likes of Brooker, Mitchell, Iannucci, et al, comes Lee. Largely formed by some of his Observer articles in the absence of David Mitchell - holidaying with his wife, and Charlie Brooker and his wife - there are also some other works for other publications, some not used.

Lee likes to mess around with his audiences, and many of these are subversive works, written in the guise of 'The Character Stewart Lee'. Much like his stand-up, there are lots of allegories to make political points, always tinged with the juvenile. You, therefore, aren't always quite sure how to receive each, some feeling genius, others just strange ramblings of a man that should get out more.

But ever the mischief, Lee wants you to feel that way. The majority of articles come with short introductions from 'the real' Stew Art Wee and are followed by some comments left on the publication websites in response to the works, the majority of which are negative, picking out the often deliberate mistakes, set as traps to lure the armchair pundit into moral outrage.

'Content Provider' confirms Lee as an enigma, intent on dividing opinion, as all good comedians should. Reading consecutively, this can get a bit grating, like cheese, and so should maybe should be consumed an article at a time, whenever you have five to ten minutes to sit down and put one away, you know, like a - don't say it - toilet book.

Days to read: 15

Days per book: 15.0