BYLINE ISSUE III
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What’s Inside...
Headlines of Byline: FILM & TV “This week, we’re delving into the depths of all things TV as we discuss how long should a good series last and if your screen is actually broken or if the TV execs have just gone colour-blind”
MUSIC “This week Byline Music gives you the top music news, reviews of Sounds From A Safe Harbour and Couglan’s Live Music festivals and gives you the lowdown on rising stars on the Cork music scene .”
ARTS & LIT “Colm Furlong reviews Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs and Brian Conmy examines what happens when you change one aspect of a comic character”
Editor: Xander Cosgrave Designer: Robert O’Sullivan Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown Music Editor: Holly Cooney Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Furlong Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson Fiction Editor: Austin Dowling Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill Comics Editor: Dylan O Connell
GAMING “Amy O’Callaghan offers us an alternative to ‘Netflix and Chill’ while Jack O’Doherty eagerly anticipates the release of the fourth game in the Fallout series.”
HUMOUR “Lauren Mulvihill looks at the latest fashion trends from this Autumn season, while Joanie Laurer talks about the immigration crises that has stricken UCC in the last few weeks.”
Byline Comic of the Week by Dylan O Connell
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FICTION
EDITOR - AUSTIN DOWLING
Out of My Hands by Austin Dowling
That my son won the national lottery on the eve of his eighteenth birthday did not, as I expected it to, tear my family asunder. I took care of that. I had heard the same stories as everybody else. Stories of families who at first think themselves blessed by their acquired fortune only to find themselves consumed by insatiable existences and warped judgement. At my encouragement, my son kept our family name anonymous and we carried on as we were. I would visit my mother in her nursing home two afternoons a week and my husband remained a teacher. Our son, you could say, had it worst. Never wanting to offend my wishes, Damien finished out school and kept the news of his winnings from even the closest of his friends. I knew it would be difficult for us not to be lavish when he reached university, so I resisted sending him anywhere special. He stayed at home and studied a Management course he would never make use of in the local IT. Until the evening Damien confronted me about inviting his new boyfriend to tea our lives had followed a peaceful path. Oscar, the boyfriend, had been introduced to myself and my husband with the kind of nonchalant arrogance only our Damien could assume. We swallowed our shock; so what if we didn’t know that our son liked boys, he had a boyfriend now so it was time we got used to it. It was a Monday when Damien wound me with the first twist of guilt. ‘I want to pay his fare when we fly to Rome at Christmas. I can’t allow him to pay his own way with the kind of money I’m hiding away’ said our Damien from the kitchen table as I boiled our evening meal. ‘You pay for your Oscar and his mother will make us the talk of Killbehan’ I responded and kept my back to him to hammer home my disappointment at the mere suggestion of such a risk. ‘I was planning to tell him about my winnings when he comes to tea on Friday. You and Dad will be there, so I’ll do it on your terms. You’ll have the chance to scare him into secrecy’. Before he had a shot at making himself the victim of the situation, I devised for him a resolution, ‘Tell him it was our present, me and your father’s, on account of how happy we are to see our son with such a pleasant lad’ ‘He’d never believe that mam, he knew how afraid I was to tell ye in the first place’. Damien had begun to rewrite his recent history to suit his own ends. Just a few months back and that boy couldn’t care less about our opinions on his new
boyfriend the moment they waltzed into our humble abode hand-in-hand. I was still living in hope that our discussion would subside so I served us up our dinner and the topic died until he’d wolfed a mouthful of pasta from his plate. ‘I’ve finally found somebody I can share everything with and I don’t want to be keeping secrets from him. It’ll kill what myself and Oscar have got going before it’s even begun. You and Dad could never have kept my winnings a secret from one another, so how do you expect me to keep something as big as five million euro secret from Oscar?’ ‘You’re not comparing like with like. I’m married to your father’ I responded. Despite his knack for turning his more recent history on its head, Damien was still the boy I raised him, so he dipped his head towards his plate and ate the rest of his meal with a muffled chew. At first when Damien won all that money, I never thought it would be a curse to have to hide his winnings from everyone we knew. We’d never have to worry about losing our home or missing a car payment, and we’d also never have to worry about losing our way living our lives like kings. It would be a liminal state of private financial relief, and when Damien graduated college he’d emerge from the depth of our expectations and could emigrate somewhere unheard of like everyone else’s Johnny and spend as thriftily as he pleased. Damien had kept one secret to preserve our happiness already for years, so I trusted him to handle another for the comparatively minor length of the end of his bachelor’s degree. Friday night arrived and so did Oscar. He brought with him own-brand cake from the garage he worked in down the road and went silent when I confided I couldn’t enjoy it owing to a private and inherited condition. I had cooked up a roast and settled on an expensive bottle of red for the centre of the table. I don’t think that meant anything to Oscar because Damien certainly didn’t bat an eyelid at it. And they only seemed to have room for half a glass each. With our collective plates emptied and the meniscus of the red sinking to the level of the table, Damien forced a nervous clearing of his throat, ‘Mam, I’ve given Oscar’s family half my winnings to keep them quiet. We’d never have gotten around to spending them at this rate, anyway’ In that dull moment of unreality where my heart skipped a few beats and my brain struggled to catch up to the here and now, I somehow didn’t drop my glass. I didn’t even feel like I could afford to anymore. My son’s life, his boyfriend and his winnings, suddenly felt very much out of my hands.
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HUMOUR HEADLINES Socs News: 100s of UCC students feared to be under influence of the Imperius Curse Politics: Investigation launched into suspiciously high number of pork manufacturers supplying 10 Downing Street Religion: “OK, but next time we’ll really mean it” say Armageddon theorists following ‘Blood Moon’
Music: Guy at party plays ‘Wonderwall’ unironically Film: New film where a group of people try to save Matt Damon at great expense from certain doom sounds weirdly familiar
Bizarre Allegations Against Cameron Cause Political Arms Race Worldwide by Langdon Alger
In the days following the public airing of a number of allegations against British Prime Minister David Cameron a storm has quietly been brewing among the global political elite. While for years rumours of the drug fuelled sexual depravity PM Cameron had apparently taken part in was whispered about at formal events such as UN Meeting’s and Angela Merkel’s annual Hot Tub Partypalooza now that the allegations have become public knowledge a new type of arms race has begun. The attention that has been afforded Cameron by Twitter, braver news organisations and social media outlets worldwide is the most attention anyone has paid to British politics since Scotland briefly
changed its relationship status with Westminster to “it’s complicated” for a few days last year. While not necessarily positive press movements like #hameron prove the adage that no press is bad press as more people now know who David Cameron is than ever before. In an effort to also raise their public profiles politicians from around the world are trying to quickly put together their own set of bizarre allegations to skyrocket their popularity. In an attempt to raise her profile and to distract from a number of other allegations being thrown at her and her camp, Hilary Clinton was first out of the gate to try to capitalise on this newfound source of free advertising. In what many hoped would finally be a reveal of the
sex life of Bill Clinton, the leaked allegations from the Clinton camp included that Hilary had “cheated on a test in 2nd grade, inhaled marijuana in college and actually didn’t like the saxophone that much”. Little media attention was paid to the allegations. More successfully Barack Obama has seemingly engineered the perfect series of allegations to raise his profile as his time in office begins to run low. Reports that President Obama “had unprotected sex with an AK47, getting the gun pregnant and then taking it to get a late term abortion” has cause an uproar. While Democrats defend the assault rifle in question’s choice to get a legal abortion they highlight the need for better education on safe
sex and proper care for firearms. Republican’s on the other hand are staying surprisingly quiet on the story in apparent confusion about even considering criticising the right of anyone to do whatever they want with a firearm, even an abortion to which they are morally opposed. When asked if allegations of a previously unknown sexual history would be breaking any time soon, Taoiseach Enda Kenny quickly responded that he would not engage in “such ridiculous game playing… Unless Sinn Féin do it first in which case I totally had sex with a car or something”.
Student Believes People Care About His Leaving Cert Results by Lauren Mulvihill
Science: Scientists prove that whoever cut you off in traffic that one time specifically did it to piss you off
TV LISTINGS 4
TG4, Monday @9PM: 3 hour block of Spanish language programming to see if anyone even notices RTE1, Tuesday @7PM: Donal Skeehan launches new youth oriented cooking show Neflix and Chilli
Many regular visitors to the UCC campus this week have been left red-faced upon discovering that Aaron O’Donnell, 18, is under the mistaken assumption that his peers actually give a shit about what he got in his Leaving Certificate. Mr. O’Donnell, who achieved an A1 in Honours maths and wants to make sure you know about it, has thus far remained oblivious to the discomfort of those around him as he continues to seek out gaps in conversations that will enable him to bring up the fact that he received 580 points. The Leaving Certificate results were released on the 12th of August this year with a
significant amount of press attention; but not enough, it seems, for the first year student. “I thought I could forgive it the first time he mentioned it,” Aaron’s housemate, Kasper, admits. “I reckoned he was just making small talk. But now it’s like, ‘do you want tea? I’m great at making tea, because I got an A2 in chemistry’. He left a note on the kitchen table the other day that turned out to be his results. He literally left his results on the table for me to read.” Despite the fact that Aaron is already in university and so clearly did well enough to get this far, he inexplicably appears to believe that
staff and students deserve to know exactly how well he did. The biochemistry student’s incessant chattering has been described as “insufferable” by unwilling listeners. “I’m sure he’s a bright young man,” says one prominent lecturer, who prefers to remain anonymous. “But I swear to God, I was going to give him a dig the other day in the Old Bar if he opened his mouth one more time.” While college campuses generally do not implement rules against this sort of showboating, unwritten codes of social behaviour have long frowned upon it. Many who fall prey to this unusual mannerism will
eventually get their heads out of their arse and move on with their lives, but this difficult transition may take several weeks. Many leading experts believe Mr O’Donnell’s behaviour may be the result of a misguided attempt to impress his peers and fit in, while others believe he’s just a bit of a tit. “It’s getting really bad,” according to housemate Kasper. “He’s taken to cutting his sandwiches into triangles and measuring them so that he can find their cosine. Says he’s ‘just trying to get some use out of his mathematical knowledge’.” Aaron O’Donnell declined to comment.
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HUMOUR
EDITOR - LAUREN MULVIHILL
UCC Immigration Crises Reaces Fever-Point by Joanie Laurer
A huge influx of migrants within University College Cork has caused tensions to run high on campus in recent days. Many members of what is arguably the university’s most vulnerable subgroup, Arts students, have been attempting to migrate en masse to science courses, putting intense pressure on the Department of Physics and the Department of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (BEES) to deal with transfer applications in particular. As well as causing stress high up in each department, many science students have vocalised their concerns regarding the “disturbing” trend. “I understand that they mightn’t be happy where they are,” one anonymous physics student claimed in a statement, “but I don’t want them coming in here and taking my seat in the lab, and then
maybe taking my job in the long term.”
Many factors have been used to explain the sudden migratory trend. Economics students have put forward the theory that this is a result of the increased pressure on young people to get a college degree, therefore forcing them to accept a place on a course in which they have little or no interest. Students of social sciences believe its root may lie in the strain that the anonymity and uniformity associated with Arts can put on students. One student, who hopes to transfer to a chemistry-based course, spoke to Byline about his decision to apply for transfer:
“People don’t understand that I’m just as capable of studying science as they are. Many of us got the same qualifications in the Leaving Certificate. I want to work hard and move on with my life. We’re all scientists, and I think we could get on really well.” Others have responded to these claims as being “horseshit”. Self-proclaimed ‘Keeper of the Course and the Scientific Way of Life’, Noel Shatter, is vocal on this subject. “They’re just different to us! They think differently, they act differently – the sciences and the arts have nothing in common. They’re going to come in here with their crackpot, airy-fairy notions, and they’ll destroy this institution from the inside out!”
While students of Government have remained largely unhelpful on the issue, the School of Law has issued statements in an attempt to reassure aspiring scientists that the Arts students are well within their rights to apply for a change of course at this point of the year, and have pointed out that there remain spaces to be filled in several scientific studies courses. Mr. Shatter has rubbished these claims.
“We have our own problems,” he reasons. “Our own kind who actually wanted science from the start, and didn’t get in, for example.” UCC staff hope to reach a solution in the coming weeks.
The Fashion Report, Autumn 2015 by Lauren Mulvihill
Style circles have been alight with gossip about this month’s hottest new fashion trend, the ‘thighbrow’. Beloved of Instagram celebrities, the thighbrow is the name given to the line that appears at the top of your thighs when you sit down. If you’re thinking the media is making a big deal out of nothing, you couldn’t be wronger. The thighbrow has had a massive knock-on effect, inspiring some of this season’s hottest trends.
The ‘Fauxse’
Bellbow
Bankle
Doorso
If you’ve ever thought that the only thing missing from your makeup bag was a DIY nose job kit, look no further than the ‘fauxse’, the latest nasal trend that has been wowing audiences at Fashion Weeks around the globe! Simply by covering your nose in papier maché and sculpting it into perfect high-fashion shape, your new fauxse has the power to transform your entire face. All it takes is some contouring and the ability to breathe exclusively through your mouth to work this trend like a celeb!
Thighbrow? What thighbrow? We’re all about the bellbow this season. Bellbow refers to the ideal bell-shape you should be seeking to achieve with your elbow while your hand is resting on your hip. Through simple diet and exercise, you too can sculpt bellbows to envy the bells of Notre Dame Cathedral. Many top supermodels have drilled a small hole into their upper humerus in order to insert a small, metallic device which will ‘chime’ in the wind. This is a trend that is clearly here to stay!
Are you sick and tired of carrying your money around in a clutch or a bag? Are you seeking a practical and fashionable alternative to keeping your valuables safe on nights out? What you need, then, is a bankle. Trimming down the talus and navicular bones at the top of the foot will leave you with a handy concave space into which you can strap your keys for a stress-free night on the town. Detoxing with Moo Moo’s Purple Herbal Tea ™ will help to distort that anatomy fast.
Anyone who has any interest in fashion knows that no matter what your body type is, it’s the wrong one. Say goodbye to that confusion, because we’ve finally found the ideal shape: the doorso! The goal here is to make your torso resemble an average door. Channel your extreme 80’s look with right- angled shoulders, and make the world envious of your evenly-spaced rectangular abs. Keep it up until you can’t move without rotating 180 degrees from right to left, and your swagger will make every wannabe fashionista green with envy!
Look Autumn-AZING this season with these top trends – remember, it’s only impossible if you’re not trying hard enough!
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GAMING Games to Play with A Date Amy O’Callaghan gives you an alternative to ‘Netflix and Chill’ Gaming with your boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other or “friend” is literally one of the cutest things you can do, just trust me on this. Granted, it’s not a stroll on the beach or a candlelit dinner but you do get to shoot things together which is sort of adorable really. So I’m here to suggest some good games to play with your S.O. Regardless of your skillset, there’s bound to be one that you’d both like. First things first, the obvious choice: Mario Kart, and its often forgotten but just as amazing cousin, Super Mario Bros. The Wii and Wii-U versions of these games are absolutely brilliant and are much more fun to play with someone else than on your own. A word of warning however: maybe don’t play these games if you really like the person. Few relationships survive the dreaded blue shell or accidentally pushing your S.O’s character off a ledge in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Pictured: A Relationship-Ender If Nintendo isn’t your thing, there’s also plenty of options on the various Sony and Microsoft consoles that will appeal to both casual and experienced gamers. For the casuals, I heartily recommend Minecraft’s co-op story mode, which I personally find much more fun compared to playing single player because two players can work together to find supplies and build shelter, which is sort of cute when you think about it.
If hiding from Creepers doesn’t sound fun, then any game from the LEGO series will do. Commonly thought of as just for kids, the LEGO games are surprisingly entertaining and have their own brand of humour which appeals to all ages. As well as that, coop mode is especially encouraged as players work together to solve puzzles and use their individual powers to advance through the levels. There’s also plenty of options, ranging from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, so you’re bound to find something that both you and your “friend” can enjoy, there’s literally one for everyone. Now if you’re both more experienced gamers, or just so happen to want to act your age for some strange reason, there’s still a few options. Borderlands, Diablo III, Halo and Resident Evil are all from a variety of different genres and have different gameplay styles, so there’s bound to be one that would
suit both of you. Regardless of whether you’d rather hack and slash games such as Diablo III or a first person shooter like Halo, they all have excellent co-op modes that are really fun and enjoyable to play.
Hopefully these suggestions will be helpful and you’ll have fun gaming together, and you know, if all this fails, just watch Netflix or something.
Tokyo Game Show Recap By Jonathan Soltan Tokyo Game Show 2015 has come and gone and, while the show usually doesn’t offer much to those of us living outside of Japan, this year has bucked the trend (although maybe not if you don’t own a Playstation).
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One of the bigger announcements of the show was that, not only is Danganronpa 3 confirmed to be in development, but it will be coming to PS4 in addition to the Vita. Not bad for an incredibly weird Japanese visual novel series that started out on the PSP. While it’s great that
Spike Chunsoft get to put their game on the big screen, don’t be expecting anything mind-blowing since they’ll have to keep the scope of the game within the capabilities of the Vita. Another big announcement was the reveal of Bloodborne’s “The Old Hunters” expansion. Showing off some remixed boss fights and awesome looking new weapons, this will most likely be a must buy for anyone who liked the original game, especially for people who got the platinum trophy (*cough* me *cough cough*). And, if you’re one of those people who didn’t like the faster combat of Bloodborne, you still have Dark Souls 3 to look forward to next year. While killing Lovecraftian horrors with a giant buzz-saw is all well and good, the announcement that got me the most excited is one that most of you probably don’t really care about. Gravity Rush 2 got announced! Properly this time!
The fact that the game will be on PS4 is somewhat of a bummer for me, since the original felt so specific to the handheld. Unfortunately, no one knows better than Vita owners that Sony is slowly, but surely, getting all their good franchises as far from the Vita as possible as the console slowly peters out.
Another huge downer from the show was something we all knew was going to happen: Persona 5 won’t be coming out in 2015. All we know now is that it will release sometime next summer, which means sometime in 2017 for us in Europe. Sony also finally gave Project Morpheus the very safe name of
Playstation VR while still not giving us a release window for the product.
While TGS may be over, there’s still Paris Games Week and Playstation Experience to look forward to later this year so don’t worry if there wasn’t enough here for you. There will undoubtedly be more surprises in store for everyone, since nothing is for certain at these shows… except that the Playstation Vita will continue to slowly die.
EDITOR - AOIFE GLEESON
GAMING
What Games Can Learn from Dark Souls’ Difficulty By Darragh Murphy When I first heard that Dark Souls III was confirmed back in June, the trailer and the hype that came along with it completely overwhelmed me, so much so that I gave into the temptation of buying the revised version of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (and yes, it is most definitely worth it for those needing some sort of confirmation to get it). While doing what I did best in the game, sprinting headstrong into an area thinking no foe could possibly harm me only to instantaneously die, It sprang to mind that this, among few other games, actually gave me fulfilment in completing a task or defeating an enemy. Since no one was telling me how to do it or when it should be done, it
was only me and my trusty fingers that gave me a sense of accomplishment. What the Souls series does so well is the sense of independence the player gets when exploring a new area, facing a new enemy or even trying out that fancy new weapon you just made. There are barely any tutorials or guidelines for the player to read and then execute which many games in recent memory tend to do (like Assassins Creed: Unity, Far Cry 4 and Arkham Knight). These games are by no means doing anything wrong, as hints or helpful upgrades do let the player feel empowered and complete their mission in a fantastic spectacle of stylish moves, but this is
what these kinds of games expect you to do, not that you had much freedom to do it any other way. In the end, you may feel that your character is absolutely kick-ass, but comparing that to the feeling of overcoming a tremendous enemy from the Souls series, you know who feels kick-ass? You do, because it was you who figured out that learning a pyromancy spell would destroy your enemy, not a guide saying “have you tried...”.
wanted it. This makes the story quite a personal experience, as it’s up to you to figure out what happened to this land you’re put in and what exactly is your end goal. There are still too many games where it’s too clear what’s happening, so much as to already know what’s going to happen at the end, I’m looking at you Arkham Knight. These are just a few things that certain games can learn from the Souls series.
It isn’t just the gameplay either. It’s also the way Souls games don’t deliver their stories on a plate and serve it to you, in fact they barely serve it to you at all, however, it is all right there if you
In Anticipation of Fallout 4 Jack O’Doherty lets you know why you should be excited for Fallout this November I could attempt to convey to you the indescribable awesomeness of Fallout 4. Indeed, I could attempt to discuss the incalculable scale, perplexing beauty, and immeasurable depth of the game. However, were I to commit to such an idealistic endeavour, I would certainly fail in the task. This is partly because the title has yet to be released but fear not, I’m not attempting to review a game that isn’t even out yet. Here, I want to briefly discuss what I expect will be one of the biggest videogame launches in history. Considering that Collector’s Edition of the game sold out across North America in less than twelve hours, that arguably isn’t an unrealistic expectation.
Of course, a multitude of popular videogame franchises produce titles that yield huge sales statistics, yet one need only observe the seemingly boundless hype surrounding Fallout 4 to understand the sheer size of the fan-base behind the Fallout series. Both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were extremely well received and enthusiastic fans have been awaiting the next instalment with great anticipation. Rumours appeared at the end of last year, which reinvigorated hype and theorising surrounding the game. It was officially announced on 3rd June and properly unveiled at E3 in Los Angeles later that month.
around the project, which greatly bolstered the ‘wow factor’ which followed the initial announcement. Additionally, the release date for Fallout 4 is set for the 10th November, 2015, so fans don’t have long to wait.
Bethesda had done exceedingly well in maintaining secrecy
This article is almost superfluous, in fact, it
It seems as though Bethesda has exceeded all expectations and produced what looks to be an extraordinary addition to the realm of gaming. Fallout 4 promises to blend the beloved elements of past titles with modern technical capabilities (relating to dynamics, graphics, etc.) and an enthralling new story. It looks like a flawless combination of the old and the new.
needn’t exist. Those of you who intend to get Fallout 4 will do so irrespective of what I, or indeed anyone, has to pre-emptively say about it. The game will not merely be a commercial success within the industry, it will almost certainly constitute the crowning achievement of the entertainment sector this year. Of course, one must be cognizant of how successful titles such as Grand Theft Auto 5 have been. I predict Fallout 4 will even surpass such towering creative triumphs. At the time of writing this article, Fallout 4 is due to be released in 53 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes, and 58 seconds.
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INTERVIEW with
Gavin Dunne
Gavin Dunne is a Cork native and has gigged around the country for years. More recently though Gavin has found success under a different name: Miracle of Sound. After never finding the success he wanted endlessly gigging, Gavin started to write songs about video games and, 300 thousand subscribers and 82 million views on YouTube later, he’s never looked back. Occupying a unique niche as an independent musician making songs largely about games but also about TV and movies, the Miracle of Sound project has led Gavin to financial independence and popularity. Sitting down with the man himself for a pint or two, Byline asked Gavin about his independence, his musical niche and the pitfalls of social media.
BYLINE: In an Irish examiner piece from this March you were described as “the most successful indie artist in Ireland”, do you still self-describe as ‘indie’ ? GAVIN DUNNE: That was kind of a misquote, I said “one of the most successful” and it came across very arrogant. What I was trying to say was that it’s amazing I’ve been able to do this and reach the level of success that a lot of Irish artists who are on labels find it difficult to reach. I was kinda making a point that you don’t need a record label, that was what I was trying to say there *laughs*
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I think everyone’s definition of indie is different in every media that has indie things, I think I’m about as indie as it gets since I do everything in my bedroom. I’m completely independent, by every definition of the word I’m independent. No record label, no PR, nothing. All I have is an agent who’s trying to get me into some film and TV stuff but that has nothing to do with the main gaming side of stuff. BY: Is that a guild or something else? No it’s an actual agency in Dublin, Lisa Richards’ agency, they have me on their roster. It’s a really good agency. Anything outside of my main Miracle
of Sound project is a bonus, like soundtracks, ads, TV anything like that. It’s not something I’m actively pursuing; if I like it and I think I can do a good piece for it I’ll do it. I did a soundtrack for a short film this year that was in the Galway film festival and hopefully it’ll be in the Cork one as well. That was really nice, it was a darker piece. I got put on a rom com at one point and that just didn’t work at all. That was not playing to my strengths. BY: Since you managed to break big as a type of indie artist do you have any advice for others? Well it’s really hard for me to give advice to bands who aren’t niche the way I am because my success came from taking the stories people already liked and making something new out of that. That’s how Kate Bush broke big by doing Wuthering Heights. It’s hard for me to give advice on that because I’m not going to say “just make something about something people already like” because people aren’t going to do that you know. People focus their stuff on personal songs, I would say though that social media is huge for everyone now. Also this whole idea of you gig until you get a record deal is bullshit. I was fed that line of bullshit for about 10 years in the music industry and you can gig and gig and gig till you’re blue in the face and
you might never get anywhere. BY: Did you spend that long gigging with bands? Yeah I’ve been in and out of bands since about 1997. Miracle of sound is my third big project, it started about 2010. One of my first songs, Commander Shepard, was around when Mass Effect 2 came out. So its 5 years since the first MOS song on September 9th I think. I still wake up every day wondering how am I going to sustain this job, not realising that the years are going by and it has been sustainable BY: Are you happier when you meet your monetary goals or when your channel hits major milestones as a metric for success? It’s more to me about just being able to do what I want, like I think this sounds so pretentious to so many people but money should never be a motivator. I love having and making money because it means you have an easier life, an easier time just doing what you want. But it’s never been the main motivator to me. I’m not going to lie though it is very nice to have been making a good living the last few years. I make more now than my old boss who told me music wasn’t a job it was a hobby.
BY: You were saying in a recent podcast that you don’t care what the new Assassin’s Creed is like but what the song is gonna be?
BY: You work on other people’s stories, making something new out of them, a lot of the time those stories are from games. Do you try and make those songs accessible to people who may not know the games? Yeah about 60/70% games, the thing is I’m not a huge fan of the early MOS songs because they’re very kind of obviously fan art and you know they’re very obvious references, it’s all a bit novelty is the word I think I’d use. What I try to do now is try to write the songs in a way that someone who never played the game in their life gets some kind of emotion or story from the song. So the songs can speak on a general level. Maybe it’s an ego thing but every artist wants to be respected in that way you know, for something to stand on its own. BY: So when the majority of your stuff is about games you very much exist in the gaming sphere, is it a challenge or an advantage? See the thing is I have a very boring life and I’m happy with that, I don’t really have that much to write about in my own life and when I do I do. Like I put out a metal album this year which is 10 songs that had nothing to do with anyone else’s things, they were all personal songs. I had that out of my system and I dunno, I love stories in games and TV so actually sometimes I prefer writing about people whose lives are far more interesting than mine BY: It has worked out well for you, you haven’t had to build a career music wise by building on genre fans, you have to build on a more general gaming audienceYeah actually and that’s a huge bonus for me as well because one of the big problems I always had when I was in bands was that there was no one genre that I would stay in. You’ve probably heard that in the songs, they’re all completely different. Classical, jazz, metal, blues, rock, pop everything.
Oh yeah it’s gonna be based on like 90s era happy Mondays, oasis, all that good stuff. Yeah for me that’s all I need sometimes, cos the new song about AC isn’t really going to be about AC it’s going to be about the Industrial Revolution in London and the idea of the rich using the poor and that’s such an easy thing to write about, with so much scope to make a song that someone who has no idea what AC can enjoy BY: You work with Jim Sterling and and Laura Dale (gaming journalists/critics) on Podquisition (gaming podcast), is that fun for you? Do you consider it an additional aspect of your work? Oh it’s absolutely fun, if I had a different job I think I would still be doing that but they certainly are a lot of fun BY: That show has a lot of reach between Jim and Laura’s outlets and twitters and your twitter following and all that. You have more twitter follows than a lot of people at IGN (large gaming website) proper now so do you consider yourself a tastemaker, this term that’s being thrown at Pewdiepie and the like? No my job is very different to theirs, not so much Pewdiepie but definitely Jim and Laura, their job is to critique games where as I just celebrate the good bits of games that I like. I don’t have to talk about the bad bits if I don’t want to where they do. They pick up a lot of flak for that from the gaming public, gamers don’t like having their medium criticised. It’s a funny one because criticism helps things to grow, if I didn’t listen to criticism when I started this project it wouldn’t be where it is now. In honesty a lot of what I was doing was shit and people were vocal about that. When people point out what they don’t like in a constructive way people should listen, I dunno what it is about that vocal subset of gamers that when something gets a review score under 9 it’s a tragedy like I don’ know, I don’t get it
BY: If you look at people like Jacksepticeye if you know the Irish YouTuber guy, he has a similar thing where he doesn’t have to critique anything and has no onus to anyone but when he likes something sales rise, is it something you’ve ever been conscious of, something you ever wanted? Yes, I’m kind of indifferent to it. Actually I like it, it means I don’t ever have trouble from developers for using their footage and things because they know that this stuff is free advertising for them. They see the views on the song and go hmmm. Depending on the song, at the start some songs would take the piss out of some games and I kinda
cut back on that cos a I know a lot of people in the industry now and I feel bad about it. I made such a conscious effort in the last couple years to cut negativity out of my work and life and that’s really hard to do in the gaming community and I just don’t want to express negativity through my work if I can avoid it since there’s enough of it on social media. I try not to get involved but when you have 4 or 5 pints and see something that annoys you, the rant begins. Sober you then wonders why did I do that, delete, delete, delete BY: You made a point there about the kind of backlash you can get for an innocuous comment on twitter, does that seem more severe among the gaming community? Gaming is a young medium, before the last 5 or 6 years it hasn’t been subject to the same criticism other media forms have and we’re not used to it. I think there’s just a thing that like the vast majority of people who are gamers are very savvy with online and forums and it’s been a way for, I don’t think it’s unfair to say a lot of gamers are quite introverted and the internet has been a way for them to express themselves. I’m the opposite because to me gaming is my me time. My friends are mostly musicians and not gamers so I’m trying to explain things like “gamergaters” and “SJWs” to them and they wonder if this is actually real stuff
BY: There was a period over the last few years where people seemed sure console gaming was dead and mobile would take over. Did you ever have a backup plan for that situation? I don’t do plans, I don’t do plans. It’s just not me, I can’t, I’d love to. I don’t go by the whole rock and roll lifestyle code, I can’t, I’m terrible with money. My girlfriend has to manage all my finances, I’m terrible. People ask me what my work method is, its chaos. I might have a riff here, a line over here, a melody in on project that might fit into another one. This should be self-evident in the art, when people ask what inspires you, did you not listen to the song? You know *laughs* You can check out Miracle of Sound on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/miracleofsound, follow him @miracleofsound, purchase his music at http://miracleofsound.bandcamp.com/ Before October 9th you can also purchase ALL of Gavin’s music for pay what you want at https:// groupees.com/miracle and help support charity
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ARTS & LITERATURE Review of Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (Spoiler-Free) Colm Furlong examines the final chapter of the trilogy of Jacob Portman, by Ransom Riggs First came the New York Times number one best seller Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, then came its sequel Hollow City, and finally, on the 22nd of September Ransom Riggs’ Library of Souls was released. This book concludes the thrilling adventures of Jacob Portman and his band of friends in style. Picking up right where its predecessor left off, Library of Souls is a rollercoaster from start to finish. This is by no means a bad thing. There is a consistent sense of threat from the enemy in Library of Souls, and the novel is permeated with a sense of fear and tension as it races toward its conclusion. The stakes are high throughout, and the increasing pressure felt by the protagonist and narrator ensures that this volume truly deserves to be called a page-turner. You will not want to put it down until you have finished each of its 458 pages. Riggs is an author with a unique style like none other I’ve come across. Throughout the course of the trilogy he has blended his fascinating storytelling talent with a series of mesmerising vintage and found photos in order to
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deliver a unique reading experience; and Library of Souls is no different. Like the preceding volumes, this book is chock full of beautiful photographs which only serve to draw the reader closer to the world of the story. They allow us to develop a real connection with what the characters see, what they feel, and how they interact with what is around them. Riggs thus delivers a whole new level of immersion in the world of peculiarity. The photographs are all authentic, and all unaltered bar the digital processing they underwent. Riggs notes how he sourced them all from flea markets, and from various collections and archives across the world; a true testament to much of the work that went into this series of books. These photos are not the sole reason I name Riggs a great writer; he has an amazing talent for the craft which is made clear throughout the series. Library of Souls has numerous vivid, enriching descriptions throughout the text which breathe further life into the incredible story he is telling. That very story also serves as proof of the author’s talent. Riggs has generated, as far as I can see, and entirely original concept
in these novels. He has created a whole world which centres on the concepts of Peculiar life and Loops, and this world is developed to an incredible extent in all three novels. Library of Souls has the honour of fleshing out much of the background to this world through its relevance to the narrative. This history does not take away from the novel; in fact it makes it better. Not only that, but the author also writes with a huge level of emotion throughout the novel; sometimes in the most unexpected of places. We are invited to sympathise with the protagonist through his first person narration on numerous occasions. Along with this, the level of emotion the writer invested in this work can clearly be felt in each and every carefully crafted word. The series from start to finish is an emotional journey for the characters, the author and the reader alike, and the emotional climax is more than eclipsed in Library of Souls. The series of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children is highly worth a look for fans of great storytelling, and for readers looking for an original concept to sink
their teeth into. In fact, the series has proved so popular overseas that the first volume of the series, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been picked up for a movie adaption, directed by Tim Burton, scheduled for release in March of 2016. In conclusion, Library of Souls is a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. I highly recommend it; however I strongly advise starting with the first volume of the trilogy, as you will be lost if you have not read them in order. For fans of science fiction and young adult novels, these books are definitely a must read. While they are popular across the pond in the US, truly not enough people this side of the Atlantic are aware of these brilliant novels, and it is time that was changed. I urge you all to go out and treat yourself to this fantastic series.
EDITOR - COLM FURLONG
ARTS & LIT
A Thor By Any Other Name? By Brian Conmy There are a few constants in life. Death, taxes and comic book fans being mad at something. In recent years one of the most common sources of fan fervour has been the trend of changing certain aspects of existing comic characters in film or in the comics themselves. While this is by no means a new trend it is one that has gained a certain level of attention it didn’t have in the past. For instance, a number of the most popular comic book characters alive today have gone through a number of changes over time to arrive at the status quo many of us know them for today. These changes include the characters origins, power set or any other number of things. The types of changes that seem to cause an outcry nowadays though fall into three broad categories, when a character’s sexual orientation, gender or ethnicity is “changed”. For instance the modern incarnation of Batwoman has had her origins changed to include the fact she is Jewish, for which there was seemingly no backlash, and that she was queer, for which there was a predictable and vocal backlash. This anger arose before the comics featuring the character actually being shown to be having a romantic relationship with a woman even hit store shelves and yet cries of “political correctness gone mad” and “social justice warrioring” were filling many comment sections and fan boards. Yet for someone who is a more casual fan of comics, rarely picking them up weekly as the stories are ongoing and instead looking over arcs sometimes
years after they’ve finished, I would say now is the best time to be a comic fan because of trends such as these minor alterations to existing characters. My favourite of these and the focus of this article is a topic I have legitimately gotten into more than one heated debate about. As it stands in Marvel Comics mainline continuity, Thor is a woman. While initial reports on this change to the character were met with disturbing vitriol I personally believe this has been the most interesting thing to happen to the character in quite some time. To clarify, the Thor you know from the popular Marvel movies has not suddenly been transformed into a woman in the comics. Instead for reasons that have yet to be explained Thor has lost his ability to wield his hammer Mjolnir, the source of a large amount of his powers. His father Odin who placed a mystical enchantment on the hammer is also unable to wield it and as such for a brief period there was no active Thor in the Marvel universe. Then however a mysterious, and for a time unknown, woman placed her hands on Mjolnir and raised it thus being granted the powers of the God of Thunder. An interesting thing happened when she gained these powers though, the famous inscription on the hammer changed:
‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if She be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ A one letter addition to this inscription
which went unchanged for decades in comic history has given us a completely new take on what it means to be Thor. And while we know that Thor Odinson (the son of Odin, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the films) will return to his mantle of Thor at some point in the future, for now the only new Thor comics anyone can read feature a no nonsense, feminist, amazingly powerful woman as the title character. While some will say this isn’t a big deal, that a woman has wielded the hammer in the past, I disagree. Sure Storm of the X-Men (as well as a frog named Throg, a horse alien named Beta Ray Bill and even Superman) has held aloft the hammer in the past but these stories have never been as big or as continuous as the current change to the Thor mainline continuity has been. Some will argue that rather than “change” Thor to be female a new character should have been created for people to enjoy. While this is a lovely ideal it’s not a realistic one, new comic books are extremely hit and miss in terms of building a readership and staying afloat financially. Even Marvel and DC are constantly launching and killing new comics that fail to gain a foothold on the sales charts. Instead if our best option is to find a way to reimagine existing characters into new and interesting variations then that’s the type of comic I would like to read. While sometimes these changes can be somewhat token, a character like Alan Scott (a Green Lantern) who was originally straight suddenly being gay
in a new continuity, even these smaller changes that are given less attention or importance can be positives as we find ways to bring better representation to comic books. While these changes don’t work at times, successes like the new Thor show they are worthwhile risks. On a final note I would like to point out that Marvel is relaunching a series that nobody has seen for a number of years, Devil Dinosaur. Originally the large red dinosaur character was paired with a young caveman friend Moon Boy. This time around though the T Rex look alike will be paired with a character called Moon Girl, a young character of colour, in a series designed for all age groups. This is just one of the new line of Marvel comics designed with representation in line, the most notable of these being the runaway reimaging of Ms. Marvel as a young IslamicAmerican girl.
Now, where’s my big screen Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl movie Disney??
Other versions of Thor in the Marvel Comics Universe:
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An alien horse monster
Thrr Dog of Thunder
A cartoon dog
Throg
A frog person/actual frog
Thor/Jane Foster
A woman
MUSIC Pope to Release New Album?
International Music Project Arrives in Ireland
Pope Francis is not just the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, a friend to the people, Kim Kardashian’s new crush and an avid twitter user, now he’s added rock star to his resumé. The news has dropped that Jesus’ earthly representative has released a new rock album, interlaced with his sermons as yet another way to reach out to young people. The album, “Wake Up!, to be released in November features electric guitars and synth along with the Pontiff ’s most well received speeches and is reminiscent of an MTV Unplugged recording. Yes this is real and yes, this is actually good!
On the 12th of September global video project “Around The World in 80 Music Videos” arrived in Dublin to continue their mission to record a music video in 80 countries around the world.
Rock on Pope Francis!
Having started in their native Brazil in March the project is still in its infancy, but they’ve already travelled across Europe, working with a number of renowned artists. During their Irish trips they have worked with Mick Flannery, Cry Monster Cry, Delerentos and The Coronas.
The brainchild of Brazilian producers, Leo Longo and Diana Boccara, the idea is to travel the world, choose musicians and bands from the various countries and work with them to produce the perfect music video. This collaborative effort has worked seamlessly, with each video recorded in one single shot.
The couple keep the world up to date with their work through social media, with their YouTube, Instagram and Facebook accounts are garnering a lot of interest, with new videos added every Monday. With their global community growing by the day this could potentially be one of the most interesting musical endeavours being attempted this year. -Cailean Coffey
Sounds From A Safe Harbour Review
One of the most exciting new festivals on the Cork music scene, the calibre of music was second to none at SFASH. Here at Byline we wanted to explore the more unusual aspects of this intriguing festival so we sent Tadhg Coakley and Holly Cooney to review the less commercial side of the festival.
Juliana Barwick
Playing in the glorious surroundings of St. Luke’s Cathedral, Juliana Barwick, the daughter of a Louisiana preacher is a swirling amalgam of music and voice. She credits her childhood a capella church singing and clapping with her style but it’s much more than the simple ‘ambient’ tag thrown about these days. Eschewing formal lyrics, she blends single notes or chants into layers, coiling around percussive or piano surrounds. The mixture is intoxicating, reminiscent of African chanting with a backing by Steve Reich or Ólafur Arnalds. Not only this, but there’s an Icelandic influence that’s hard to ignore, when you consider her involvement with Alex Somers (associate of Sigur Rós and Jonsi & Alex), Amiina and guitarist Róbert Sturla Reynisson from Múm.
But it was all Juliana in St. Luke’s, with her keyboard and mixer putting down her own sweet refrains and entwining her music around them. The absence of lyrics or backing instruments and her lack of introduction to any of the songs or any interaction with the audience made for an unusual experience. Perhaps she was aiming at distance and a single piece of work but I think the audience would have appreciated some explication, given the way the songs meld and morph, repeat and repeat. She played for a perfect hour and we all left the richer for the experience of being in the presence of her winding and weaving arcing notes on their soft base. Gentle and strong, melodic and rich, she is the high priestess of her art, and it was fitting that she shared her magic with us in an old church, on a darkening September evening. A rewarding and compound experience. I hope she felt like a girl again, singing in a church, to the converted.
This Is The Kit
One of the more student friendly aspects of SFASH was the Nialler9 curated music trail which played host to acts in a variety of venues across the city. This is The Kit is the musical alias of Kate Stables who bases herself in Bristol and Paris and played the bodega as part of the festival.
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On this occasion she brought a four piece band featuring guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. Despite the irritating time delay, this gig was near perfection with the harmonic indie folk pop perfectly suited to the ambient surroundings of the Bodega. If you want to get a picture of what this band is like, imagine the cast of “This is England” meets hipster folk artists. Of course Kate Stables was barefoot, but this only added to her charm.
These are melodic folk songs you know the words to, mixed with a raucous style you rarely see from female musicians. It was a pleasure to see Kate and bass player Rozi representing real women in music. These are not pop princesses wearing the latest trends, but talented musicians whose delicate and harmonic melodies are intertwined with a blues sound that reminiscent of Warpaint. They created a wiggy ambience that was raw and exciting. Unfortunately though their set was cut short, and I was sad to see them go, especially as I never got the chance to see what sounds Kate was going to create with the forlorn banjo in the background. Til the next time…
MUSIC
EDITOR - HOLLY COONEY Coughlans Live Music Festival 2015 The best kept secret amongst the Cork music scene is Coughlan’s bar. A wonderful intimate space that feels like your grandmother’s living room there could be no better place to host a music festival. The starting point for many bands it seems they came out in droves to visit this special venue for the Coughlan’s Live Music Festival 2015. With a capacity of about 50 people it was amazing to see the calibre of acts, from Mick Flanney to Duke Special and everything else in between playing over the course of this week long event. Coughlan’s was the place to be and luckily we managed to get along to some of the best gigs of the week. Lourdes Barry and Holly Cooney give us their views.
John Blek and the Rats
The Lost Brothers
Duke Special
Last Thursday night Coughlan’s bar played host to immensely talented John Blek and the Rats. Opening their set with “Guard My Borders” from new album “Borders”, the crowd was captivated by the soulful voice of Blek. Since the release of “Borders” this band have come into their own by using darker elements and connotations while still remaining true to their Irish folk roots and this change of direction was met enthusiastically by the Coughlan’s crowd. The crowd were treated to a night of rhythm and intense creativity, though of course old favourites such as “Old Saint Catherine” and “Rosie” were the highlights of the night. John Blek and the Rats’ infectious mix of rhythm and Irish folk will no doubt capture many new fans with the release of their second album.
The Lost Brothers create the most touching and delicate music, full of storytelling and familiarity. The sweet harmonies and gentle guitar duo Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland were only better with the addition of Cork pedal steel player Dave Murphy who played with them on the night. Off the back of a hectic 2015, which saw them tour America with Glen Hansard and play festivals such as SXSW and Electric Picnic, singer Oisin Leech revealed their highlight was last Sunday’s afternoon gig in Coughlan’s. An afternoon of escapism was had with the boys taking you on a wonderful journey of musical storytelling from the old favourites to the new songs of critically renowned album “New Songs of Dawn and Dust”.
Certainly the highlight of the week was Duke Special, Ireland’s most wonderfully eccentric performer who ended the week long proceedings. For anyone who hasn’t the seen this man live the best description would be his combination ideas of silent film, the theatre and circus to create amazing Vaudeville inspired music. With Duke it’s best to expect the unexpected and that’s certainly what we got. From his biggest hits to sampling the music of German composer Kurt Weill the crowd was treated to a raw, scaled back performance from one of the isles best. The intimacy of Coughlan’s allowed us to see one of Ireland’s best exports in the snuggest surroundings and was certainly a musical highlight for me. Despite the popularity of large venues, the gig is a special one, a place I and many other hold dear to our hearts. Cheers to you Coughlan’s and cheers to the Coughlan’s Live Music Festival 2016, we’ll definitely be there!
Cork’s Brightest Rising Stars Based on our cover interview with Gavin Dunne, we decided to take a look at the ones to watch on the Cork music scene. Philip Hayden and Zoe Fitzpatrick give us the lowdown on their top three Cork acts.
THE ALTERED HOURS
ELASTIC SLEEP
THE ALKOVE
Combining sixties psychedelic rock with driving postpunk rhythms and old-school shoegaze, The Altered Hours are making some of the best music in Ireland right now. How lucky we are that they call Cork home. They’ve already toured Ireland, the UK and Europe, playing with such legendary psychedelic acts as The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Combining the dreamy vocals of Jefferson Airplane and the nauseating soundscapes of My Bloody Valentine with the sheer aggression of The Pixies, The Altered Hours are without a doubt one of the Irish acts to keep an eye on right now. Their debut album is out next January on Penske Recordings and Art For Blind.
It’s been a busy summer for Cork-based dream pop band Elastic Sleep, having played numerous festivals across Ireland. Their debut EP showed off their own particular interpretation of pop, channelling feelings of melancholy and frustration through their fragile melodies, raw guitar hooks and hypnotic rhythms all drenched in a thick layer of feedback. Make sure you check out their debut EP on Bandcamp, as well as their latest single Slip. A must hear for fans of Goldfrapp, Joy Division and Nirvana.
The AlKove is a Cork band formed in 2014, playing their own original old school rock’n’roll. Their lineup consists of Eddie Kelly on vocals, Alan and Andrew Kiely on guitars, Matt Twomey on bass and Seán Devine playing drums. The AlKove regularly play gigs in venues across Ireland, including the “96/1” Festival in Cork City’s Sober Lane, when 96 bands took over venues all over the city for one night. The AlKove have their debut EP “Now or Never” available on iTunes, and they are currently recording their first music video for “Catch Me on The Other Side”. They will be heading into the studio next month to record their next EP.
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FILM & TELEVISION Where have all the good roles gone? Inspired by Viola Davis’ speech at this year’s Emmys, Emer O’Brien explores the lack of colour still found on our screens. At this year’s Emmy awards, Viola Davis clearly stole the show, becoming the first black actress to win an award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Annalise Keating in ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder. In her emotional and thought provoking speech, Davis called for more roles in television for coloured women, stating bluntly “you cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” This speech reopened the troublesome conversation about representation and racial diversity on our screens. This year was the first time two black women were nominated for the same award at the same time, Empire actress Taraji P. Henson being nominated alongside Davis. Another coloured actress to win an award that night was Uzo Aduba, who celebrated her win as she was crowned Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the hit Orange is the New Black. The Netflix original series has been praised in the past for its hugely diverse cast, featuring black transgender woman Laverne Cox, among African-American, Asian and Latino actresses. Representation and diversity is handled quite differently by the other big winner of at this year’s Emmys. HBO’s Game of Thrones, which reached an audience of over seven million in the season four finale, came away with a record-
breaking twelve awards. Yet the show still faces difficulties with its portrayal of colour people. GOT holds its origins with George R.R. Martin’s best-selling series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is not exempt from criticism surrounding the lack of racial diversity. Last year, a female fan complained that there was only one African-American woman in the show. Martin responded on his blog by admitting to this shortage of colour in the series, but also promised more in the next book, in the form of “secondary and tertiary characters.” In a similar explanation of the lack of Asian characters Martin stated that the fantasy world of the show is an “analogue of the British Isles… there weren’t a lot of Asians in Yorkish England either.” But in a show that regularly features the likes of dragons and giants, these “realistic” reasons for the severe lack of representation do seem like a weak excuse.
Hollywood, which is unfortunately echoed on British screens, both big and small.
“Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest, sorry, best and brightest,”
In her Emmy acceptance speech, Viola Davis quoted abolitionist Harriet Tubman;
This problem doesn’t just exist on the small screen, however. Another area of controversy this year was the Oscars, where no non-white actors were nominated in any category. While this was acknowledged in a throwaway quip by the host Neil Patrick Harris; “Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest, sorry, best and brightest,” it points to a worrying trend in
“In my mind I see a line. And over that line I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.”
In the UK, the number of coloured people employed in the TV industry has decreased by 30.9% from 2006 to 2012. These numbers were drawn upon by actor and comedian Lenny Hill in his speech at the BAFTA’s annual TV lecture in March of last year. He added that “for every black and Asian person who lost their job, more than two white people were employed.” Despite small progress in some areas, both the TV and film industries seems to have gone backwards in recent years. Only one black woman has ever won an Academy Award for Best Actress, and that was in 2002 when Halle Berry won for Monster’s Ball. No black directors have ever won Best Picture or Best Director. nineteenth century is still visible on our screens today in the twenty-first. In our modern day society such inequalities are believed to be of the past, issues of colour are no longer a problem. However the colour-blindness evident on our screens portray a different reality.
The line that Tubman envisioned in the
Brief Timeline of Portrayals of African-Americans on Screen
1903
First film adaptation of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’; Beginnings of many stereotypes
1940
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Hattie McDaniel becomes first AfricanAmerican Actor to win Oscar for supporting role of Mammy in ‘Gone With The Wind’
1978
Last episode of BBC series ‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’ airs in July. It had a near30 year run with the British broadcaster.
1915
Release of Pro-KKK film ‘Birth Of A Nation’; Features racist overtones & ‘blackface’.
1958
Sidney Poitier first African-American actor to be nominated for an Oscar for a lead role; Would later win this award in 1963.
1986
The film ‘Soul Man’ revolves around the main character pretending to be “black” to get “black-only” scholarship for Harvard.
1927
‘The Jazz Singer’ released. First ‘Talkie’; ‘Blackface’ & cultural identity central themes.
1968
Reported ‘first interracial kiss on television’ occurs on an episode of sci-fi show ‘Star Trek’ entitled “Plato’s Stepchildren”
2013
‘12 Years a Slave’, a film following the life of a freed slave in 1800s is released, nominated for many Oscars, incl. Best Picture, which it won.
FILM & TV
EDITOR - OLIVIA BROWN
Can a Television Series Last More Than a Few Seasons? Philip Hayden examines if today’s series can endure the lengthy life-spans imposed on them. Before when people would ask me what my favourite TV series was, I would usually have listed the US adaptation of House of Cards somewhere towards the top of my list. However, after having finished season three, I now probably wouldn’t even mention the show at all. The first two seasons were a constant onslaught of plot twists, ever-changing allegiances and meticulously planned tactical manoeuvres. Season three on the other hand is just sloppy, comprising of a formulaic script, boring subplots and in my opinion, a rather dull finale. The writers decided to shift the focus of the series from its plot to its characters and it failed to make for an entertaining watch.
‘What people forget is that television series were originally written with one key purpose in mind: they should never end.’
never end. When the first television series were being created, there was no concept of a beginning, middle and end in terms of telling a story. Instead, the idea was to come up with a scenario or a concept that could be manipulated so that the viewer could be kept indefinitely interested in the show. The results were series such as Guiding Light which ran for over fifty years, comprising of 18,000 episodes. To put that in perspective, Coronation Street in its fifty year run has only numbered a relatively miniscule 8,000 episodes.
one episodes. It is important to note that the US adaptation was not met with negative criticism. On the contrary, the series actually became immensely popular and received almost universally positive reviews from critics during its first five seasons. However the final four seasons were met with lukewarm reception. These shows are essentially the same, simply adapted for different regions. Yet one is remembered far more favourably than the other, simply due to the writers’ determination to drag out their show to the bitter end.
‘Ricky Gervais’ awardwinning comedy The Office lasted just fourteen episodes. The US Office lasted two hundred and one episodes.’
Generally speaking, the most highly regarded shows are the ones that know when to call it a day. Breaking Bad; considered by some to be one of the greatest television dramas of all time, ran for five seasons. The home-grown Love/Hate; hands down the best drama to ever come out of Ireland, five seasons. The TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisted, one season. Fawlty Towers, two seasons.
However, now when I reflect back on the show, I realise that the writers didn’t have much of a choice. They essentially had to choose between doing the same edge-of-your-seat plot-based story or changing up the formula. In my opinion, both options would have inevitably failed, which prompts the question: can a series really last more than a few seasons?
This approach to writing obviously all changed towards the end of the twentieth century, as more and more screenplay-writers began ditching films to work in television. The resulting shows, which include The Sopranos and The Wire, redefined the medium and showcased what could be achieved with the television series. The modern television drama became more polished, more paced and more concise. However this money-grabbing nature of not letting a series end is still very much present.
What people forget is that television series were originally written with one key purpose in mind: they should
Ricky Gervais’s award-winning comedy The Office lasted just fourteen episodes. The US Office lasted two hundred and
‘How did it take 121 episodes to figure out who Gossip Girl was?!’ On the contrary, look at the shows that are not that well regarded. Grey’s Anatomy; once among the overall top ten viewed shows in America, now entering its twelfth season (264 episodes so far) - insert universal eye-roll here. Dexter; eight seasons (96 episodes), most fans just pretend seasons three
to eight simply didn’t happen. The Simpsons; twenty six seasons (574 episodes) –does anyone even watch the new episodes? Gossip Girl; how did it take 121 episodes to figure out who Gossip Girl was?! Lost; actually managed to lose 10 million viewers by the time the series ended (I’m seriously not making that up, you can look it up), six seasons (121 episodes). How many series could have been spared if writers just knew when enough is enough? The point is that a television series is simply a means of telling a story. Like any good story, it should be well written, well told and well put together. This means that the writers should at the very least have some idea of the layout of the show’s story –not just making it up as they go along (looking at you, writers of Lost). It’s simply not fair to deny loyal fans the ending they so desperately crave, all because the writers know that they’ve struck gold and they can just keep milking that cash cow. So, regardless of whether you liked or disliked any of the series I mentioned in this article, don’t be afraid to expect more from a television series. You’re investing your own time in it after all and definitely don’t be afraid to just walk away when you know a show’s simply not worth your time.
Longest-Running TV-Shows in History:* 1,1170 episodes to-date 815 episodes to-date
635 episodes total
15
*we think. It’s not very clear, and the waters are a bit muddy
A Leap forward for Bus Éireann Cork Adult, Student and Child Leap Cards
Leap Card is a pay-as-you-go smart card that is used to pay for public transport services. It is valid on Bus Éireann services in Cork City (Red & Green Zones). Adult, student and child Leap cards can now be used on the applicable services.
TOWER CLOGHROE
KNOCKRAHA
LISDUFF
ZONE 2 - GREEN ZONE BLARNEY KNOCKNAHEENY
BALLYVOLANE BLACKPOOL
GLANMIRE
RIVER LEE
ZONE 1 - RED ZONE
BISHOPSTOWN
WILTON
MAHON
UCC
BALLYPHEHANE GRANGE
ROCHESTOWN
DOUGLAS
AIRPORT BUSINESS PARK
CORK AIRPORT
MONKSTOWN
CARRIGALINE
RINGASKIDDY * This zonal map is correct at time of going to
FOUNTAINSTOWN
ZONE 1 - RED ZONE ZONE 2 - GREEN ZONE
20%
Bus Éireann Cork
Top up your Leap Card with Travel Credit and Pay-As-You-Go to save 20% Vs. cash single tickets.
Leap Cards can now be used within: Cork Zone 1 (Red Zone)
•
Cork Zone 2 (Green Zone)
print in October 2014. This map is subject to change as the scheme develops.
CROSSHAVEN
Bus Éireann Services Only
What routes in Cork are covered by Leap Card? •
The Green Zone covers suburban areas of Cork as far as Carrigtwohill to the East, Ballincollig to the west, Crosshaven to the south, and Cloghroe to the north. Route 215, 220, 221, 223, 226, 226A are within the green zone. Route 260 and 261 as far as Carrigtwohill is also within the green zone.
LITTLE ISLAND
BLACKROCK
DONNYBROOK
Cork City Leap Card Zonal Map
ZONE 2 - GREEN ZONE
CARRIGTWOHILL
RIVER LEE
CUH
GLOUNTHAUNE
MAYFIELD
FARRANREE
CIT
The Red Zone covers the area of Cork City covered by Routes 201 to 219.
HAZELWOOD
HOLLYHILL
BALLINCOLLIG
ZONE 1 - RED ZONE*
SALLYBROOK
Where can I buy and top-up a Leap Card? Travel Credit, or a range of tickets can be purchased at Leap Card agents (PayZone agents). Just look for the Leap Card sign. A list of Leap Card agents is available online at; www.payzone.ie
City Fare
Cash Adult €2.00
Leap Adult €1.60
Leap Saving! 20%
Cash Child €1.15
Leap Leap Child Saving! €0.92 20%
School Hours
-
-
-
€0.95
€0.76
Suburban Fare
Leap Card fares are 20% cheaper than cash single fares
20%
OR: If you are a more frequent traveller, you can also buy the following tickets for your card: Adult
Student
Child
Red Zone 24 Hour
€5.10
€4.60
€3.55
Red Zone 7 day
€21.00
€18.90
€11.20
Red Zone Month*
€78.50
€66.80
€36.20
Red & Green Zone 24 Hour
€8.15
€7.35
€5.60
Red & Green Zone 7 day
€35.00
€30.00
€22.40
Red & Green Zone Month*
€97.50
€81.60
€55.00
*MONTH REFERS TO CALENDAR MONTH. E.G. JANUARY