Vince Cosmos Glam Rock Detective - Paul Magrs

Not read any Paul Magrs? Then you are missing out on some rather darkly sublime and eccentric company of an evening. Creator of Brenda, Whitby BB owner and part-time not your run-of the-mill sleuth who, shall we say, is a tad older than her given years, undertaking unusual crime solving with her faithful sidekick, Effie, in their own inimitable way. For some reason, I got it in my head that the actor Steve Pemberton would make a rather fetching Brenda when I first read 'Never the Bride' a few years back. To be honest the cover did it a bit of a discredit as the characters awaiting inside the book are beautifully darker and wittier than its strangely pastel book cover would imply. (In honesty, I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't for the intriguing back cover copy).  Great to see Cosmic Hobo has taken on the filming of his 'Vince Cosmos Glam Rock Detective'. This was due to be screened in the UK in January 2013 but seems to have slipped the schedule. Set in 1972, Julian Rhind-Tutt is cast in the lead role and suitably donned in befitting glam rock attire - an entertaining combo that can't be missed, surely?... 

St Olav's Gata, Oslo - Giraffe

If you wander up Akersgata and turn left into St Olav's Gata, just opposite the Decorative Arts Museum look up and you will see this glum little giraffe scurrying its way across the wall. Small tip if you are visiting any of the museums here, always have a 1 krone or 10 krone coin in your wallet as you will always be asked to put your bags in a locker before you go walkabout in the museum. Museums are free for everyone on a Sunday.

Old Town Norfolk Clothing - Beryl

Just had a look at Old Town and see they have added utility coat 'Beryl' to their no nonsense, pragmatic but utterly charming clothing range...
Photo Credit: Old Town

John Vogl - Andrew Bird Concert Poster

And here is said poster bought today from John Vogl commissioned by Andrew Bird...think I've banged on about Andrew Bird before in a previous post. He's rather good, you know.

A Renegade Art Fair Morning and A Lawless Afternoon

We dropped into the Renegade Craft Fair this morning on our way to Rough Trade in Shoreditch and I had intended to go for a walkabout to look for just a hair slide but got talking to Denver-based illustrator and designer John Vogl and bought an Andrew Bird screen print from him. John's work is beautiful; lovely colour palette and considered typography. A purchase of a Popul Vuh CD and a pair of heavy black 1960s glasses frames later from various establishments, it was back to Greenwich to see Lawless (screen play by Nick Cave - watch out for him as a corpse in the car at the very start of the film). Fabulous Guy Pearce plays one of his vilest characters to date superbly. Though I admit to spending moments glancing away from the screen when the brutal beatings were being dished out. 

Berberian Sound Studio

I fell in love today and that kind of thing doesn't happen easily. It was with the film 'Berberian Sound Studio' by Peter Strickland. Just me and two rather shaky on their pins oldies (must be a pair of original 70s Dario Argento fans) hunkered down in the Basement Studio Room of the Greenwich Picture House for a Noon screening today. If you haven't seen the film, do make an effort to seek it out as this is a gem of a film. A respected English sound engineer flown in from the pastoral genteelness of the Surrey countryside to work in a volatile and claustrophobic sound studio along side sleazy Italian directors, a cast of badly treated voice-over artists, a curmudgeonly Italian sound-engineer and a devilishly uncooperative administrator to work on an Argento style film. (For those not initiated in the world of Argento, this equals a lot of ear piercing screaming and supernaturally-based erotica). And a lot of attention is given in getting just the right calibre of scream. Added to which vocals from Trish Keenan (Broadcast)  are used added by James Cargill. I stayed in my seat as the credits rolled by; a fitting tribute to the much missed Trish Keenan and, unexpectedly, 'screams' by Suzy Kendall were credited (Ms Kendall played the lead role in 'Up the Junction' and was married for a while to Dudley Moore - his 'Song for Suzy' was written for her).

Gjetost

At Chez Carthorse, it's always time to stop for cheese and biscuits. I've now become hooked on brunost, a curiously mild, sweet and savoury dense brown goat's cheese with a caramel flavour from Norway. On first buying this in Oslo, I was struck how reminiscent this was of the infamous '70s confectionery the 'Caramac Bar'; one of my favourite sweets when I was a child. Cheese fact: the distinctive flavour of this cheese comes from the slow boiling of milk, cream and whey which caramelises the natural milk sugars. If I'm dropping by to Scandinavian Kitchen for a coffee on a Sunday morning, a few small barrels of Ekte Gjetost get put in the shopping basket. (In the background is page 61 of Signe Johansen's 'Scandilicious' where she suggests toasting the cheese with raspberry jam and a pinch of allspice - it makes a smashing gravy for vegetarian meat(less) balls too.