The Event - Issue 128 - 03 October 2001

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Plus: Roots Manuva Interviewed Fringe Festival Previewed Internet Movies Reviewed

CAFE BAR During the day, Cafe style dining serving anything from cheese on toast to pot roasted knuckle of lamb MONDAY NIGHTS

4 Bottles 4 a fiver Choose from a selection of oleopops and beers TUESDAY NIGHTS

Student night skool dance with old prices pints and bottles only £1

Treble vodka and Red Bull only £3.99 ,

A pi nk an d pur pl e s tr i ped. dis app ear ing cat wi t h kil l er mood swi ng s and a s l eazy perma -s mil e? And they s how this to kid s .. . ?

Whi lst it is a we ll kno wn secr et t hat benea t h the su gar - swe et ex teri or of t he Wa l t Di sney co nglomera te l i es a wor l d of

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WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

03 Shaken not Stirred

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Coffee Br eak Bits from here and there: Roots Manuva Competition

Looney Toon s Knowledge 05 Inquisitor 06 Intern et Movies 04

Di sney may not be the paragon of innocence aft er all

Love

Subvert

After t he infamous internet market c rashes last year, web companies are hitt ing back with a much more ente rt aining way of getting yo u to buy the ir product...

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Ro ot s Manuva The British hip-hop star waxes lyrical about beats, compa-

bored anim at or s with depr aved i magin ations, eager to make thei r own amusing s tamp on th e current work - in - producti on, how many of yo u have s potted t he hi dden s ubte xts that occur in all the Disney Cla ssics . t he s taple f il ms of our yout h?

Read on to fi nd out more ...

15 Singl es Stereophonics; Turin Brakes; India Arie; Dreadzone; Elbow

16 Film Amelie; The Score; The Pledge

18 Vid eo One Night at McCoo/'s; Bridget Jones' Diary

19 TV/Radio Lost; Joined; National Poetry Day; Soaps

20 Ar ts Mystery of Charles Dickens: UFOjVampire Hunter's Handbook; Ennio Marchetto; The Secret Rapture

Listings: 22 Listings The best guide to what' s on in Norwich. Ever.

ny pressure and rap music across the pond

08 Norwi eh Fring e Hig hlig hts of t hi s year's art s fest iva l

Enjoy a bottle of wine together with nachos and dips for only a fiver everyday 4-7pm FRIDAY NIGHTS

Apres work party with DJ OTTS and more SATURDAY NIGHTS

09 Jonathan Miller The Event t alks to the highly acclaimed artiste

10 TV Spinoffs Taking a light-hearted look at the quick-fix cash-ins.

11 Da vid Neilson Corrie's Ray Cropper c hats about life on The Street

12 Nemo ne Radio One's latest addition to the Superstar DJs takes time out to chat to The Event.

13 Cinefile lt's the Saturday Salsa

M iller's Crossing

as Mr Chris James heats up the house with the best in chart and dance

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Rp 1ews: 14 Al bums

No. 1 Farmers Avenue, Norwich Tel. 0 1603 765512

Editor-in-Chief · Adam Chapman • Editor · Markland Starkie • Arts Editor · Charlotte Ronalds • Rim Editor - Merek Cooper • Music Editor · Anthony Lovell • Ass istant Music Editor · Kieren M cSweeney • TV/ Rad io Edit or · Llz Hut chlnson • Assist ant TV/ Rad io Editor · Gemma O' Donnell Thanks to · Kieren, Llz and Merek for their (mostly) newl y found Quark skills • Cont ributors · Metin Alsanjak · Janine Azzam · James Brown · Phll Colvin · Sam Rlgate · Wes Rnch · Andie Francis - Andrew Fuller · Jamie Murray · Serena Murray · Tessa North · Mischa Pearlman · Kieren Pearson · Jonathan Rolfe · Laura Self · John Stevens · Mark Wheeler · Catle Wilkins · Luke Wright · Matthew Wright

Pulp; Garbage; P Diddy; Therapy?

The Event is published fortnightly

by Concrete: Post: PO Box 410 , Norw i ch, NR4 7TB Tel : 01603 250558 Fax: 01603 506822 E-mail: su.concrete@uea.ac.u k Printed by : Eastern Co untie s Newspapers, St Andrew's Bu si ness Park, Norwi ch

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Coffee Break 03

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Events:

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National Poetry Day

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Competition:

Since 1994, National Poetry Day has been established as one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. Held this Thursday, this year's theme is 'journeys', with the idea that poetry has numerous ways of allowing you to journey (get it?) to a new world. Our very own Andrew Motion (pictured right) has commissioned 14 new poems to be written for Radio Four and no doubt other random words passing themselves off as abstract poetry will also be recited. But does National Poetry Day actually mean anything, or is it just an excuse to give poor failing artists a day's worth of glory and publicists just a little bit more attention? Well find out for yourself as Ottakar's is having an open mike session and will no doubt attract all sorts. Also, what with the Norwich Fringe currently up and running there should be no excuse for people not being in an arty mood. After all, this is a university .

Next

. . . w1n w1n w1n Roots .Manuva . . w1n w1n w1n . . . w1n w1n w1n

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Super Furry Animals Currently at the forefront of his field , Roots Manuva (who Is Interviewed on page 07) recently graced The Waterfront with his presence. Whilst he was here he very kindly gave The Event signed cds and artwork to give away. If you would like to win these then just answer the following question correctly. The winners will be picked at random:

The spiky punk popsters play in the LCR on October 10, and will be taking time out afterwards to talk to The Event about their latest album, Rings Around The World, playing concerts in surround sound and other stuff. (pictured right)

Philip Pullman

Q. Which village In Jamaica does Roots Manuva 's parents come from?

Answers should be put Into the Concrete competition box, located near the reception desk In Union House (or emall us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk) with your name, phone number or emall address and favourite colour.

Pullman 's last novel, The Hour of the Spyglass, was a long list nominee for the Booker Prize, even though it was aimed at children (the first children 's novel ever to be recognised in such a way) . The Event talks to him about his plans for the future .

Have you ever thought of joining the Territorial Army?

• Get paid around £28 pounds a day and earn an annual bonus • The opportunity to travel abroad •

Develop personal and leadership skills

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Help to gain your driving licence

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Challenge and adventure- have some serious fun~

TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.reserve-forces-anglia.org

r•:.a

OR CALL 0845 603 3232 ~E THE sEsT Wednesday. October 3. 2001

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Knowledge: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - no . 52

ove

' • • During October parents and children will crowd at the gates of Disneyland, Orlando for its 30th ann1versary. They'll be expecting a clean, family day out, but few people wi ll know that amongst Walt Disney's finest creations lurks a world of drug addicts. hallucinations, pornography and society dropouts. Walt Disney, the staple diet of our film 'IJL:t"' .vill never be the same again ... Text: Jo Locke

Who They?

'60s West Coast psy chedelic combo famou s for ... well , not muc h reall y, exc ept the genius and madness of head honc ho Arthur Lee. Currently a victim of California's " three strik es" legal sy st em, he's serving time for illegal posses sion of a firearm .

Madness Indeed.

Sort of. As well as song titles like The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This , the three albums reco rd ed by Love's orig inal line-up comb ine complex melodies, unusual harmonies and a paranoia deeper than the re st of the hippi e scene . There are hints of Lee 's apocalypti c vision in songs like A House Is Not A Motel. lt was the incongruous mi x of beautiful tunes and pessimistic or political lyrics (" the news today will be the movies for tomorrow ") that made Love the more interesting alternative to other bands of the time. But the attitude of the group set them apart from the '60s scene in a way which made it hard for them to cross over. A member of Janis Joplin 's band , Big Broth er and the Holding Company, said that Lee and eo. should have been cal led Hate .

elcome to the Hundred Acre Wood. The home of a bunc h of animals who bask in the sunshine of eternal childhood bliss. Or so we thought. Recent Canadian research has broken the surface of the seemingly innocent world of A .A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, to reveal that the loveable cha racters are indeed "seriously troubled individuals. " The Bear of Very Little Brain is apparently using crack cocai ne to co pe w ith his Attent ion Defic it Hyperactivity Disorder. He will do anything to get 'hunny' and will even steal it from his friend Rabb it. Pooh also attempts poorly thought-out ideas of how to get his gear, for example when he disguises himself as a rain clo ud to steal from the bees (remember the song , Little Black Raincloucf? ). Needless to say, he literally gets stung for it. Pooh also suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He thinks of getting the White Sugar virtually all of the time, and repetitively counts.

His fixation in getting high has even led him to neglect his body , highlighted by his significant obesity.

Pooh 's best friend Piglet on the other hand is a scraw ny little stoner, which has resulted in a Generalised Anxiety Disorder. He can't cope in the outsi de worl d and cowers behind Pooh declaring "it's a little Anxious to be a Very Small Animal." Piglet is obsessed wit h being caug ht by hephal umps and woozles, and it cou ld be t he emot ional t rauma of trapping hephalumps that has made hi m reliant on skinning up.

Piglet's stripy friend is also a drug abuser. Tigger, the al lbouncing crazy tiger is completely hy peractive, and heavily addicted to Ecstasy. His recurrent risk -taking habits combined with his impulsive sampling of unknown substances in the Forest are a really bad example for Roo . Tigger's really into his pills, and states "Tiggers don't like honey .¡ He's sometimes so off his head that he thinks he has met another Tigger. "I've found someone just like me . I thought I was the only one of them ." In fact it was really his own reflection.

Roo is another serious cause for concern. Coming from a single-parent household he 's more likely to get into the wrong crowG. Roo, missing a father figure, looks up to Tigger as a role model. Kanga is rightly overprotective and can see Roo

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Back to the beginning then .. .

Love's first album was re leased in t he mid-'60s, after t hey had been the first rock band to sign to the then predominantly fo lky Elektra label. Lee had previously worked with Ji mi Hendrix, and recommended The Doors t o Elektra . With the band's other songwriter, the late Bryan Maclean , he produced Love, wh ich was unlike almost anything else re leased at the time. Unusual though it was, novelty value didn 't sell records, and each successive album sold less than the one before.

So what 's the point?

The point is the recently re-released masterpiece, Forever Changes ( 1967). it's seen by some to be the L.A. Sergeant Pepper ... At the time , Lee thought he was about to die , and he intended the album to be his last word.

Anything else?

Love were notable as the first major mixed-race rock band.

The grou p picture on the cover of t he fi rst album caused quite a stir. But it wasn't prejudi ce that stopped the band making it real ly big. Whi le t hey were able to pack halls in Los Angeles, their refusal to tour elsewhere in the States made them mainly a local sensation. But Arthur Lee remains a force to be reckoned with, and recorded a variety of new material in the nineties, including a live album wit h Shack .

In retrospect .. .

" Somebody said to me, you know that I could be in love with almost everyone 1 I th ink that people are the greatest fun 1 and I wi ll be alone again tonight my dear" Tessa NotfJJ

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getting into some deep shit, hanging out in the forest at night, the floor littered with empty bottles of malt extract and smoked thistle butts. Th is cou ld be a likely outcome as Kanga is quite likely to have several more illegitimate joeys in the near future , and won't have the financial resources or time to cater for Roo 's adolescent needs.

Let 's not forget the 'why don't we all kill ourselves and get it over and done with' donkey. Eeyore is a man ic-depressive who is overdosing on Prozac . The evident loss of his tai l signifies that he can no longer get an erection , a side effect of ant idepressants, whic h has resulted in a loss of self-esteem and sense of masculinity. On the other hand, Rabbit has an ac id addiction that has taken over his life . He is extraordinarily self-important and even bel ieves that he has rel atives of different species. He obsessively organises peopl e, even against their will , and is constantly fidgety due to the comedown. He's obsessed with growing 'carrots' , wh ich he exchanges for his fix . He also occasionally dabbles in 'hunny ', but won 't share any with Pooh , especially after he broke into Rabbit 's house to steal some.

Christopher Robin holds the whole Down Town area together. He' s a blatant drug pusher and the animals are entirely dependent on him . Christopher Robin is rarely in the Hood, and th ere is a great sense of relief when he turns up. Indeed most days are spent searching the smal l boy out .

Furthermore, Chri stopher Robi n is t he protector against hephalumps and woozles, emph asisi ng the paranoia that has taken over the Forest. The Hundred Acre Forest was in fact never a place of enchantment , but of dysfunctional screwed up little animals. A place of disenchantment .

No less enchanting is the 'Practically Perfect ' Mary Poppin s.

In the 1964 film about a seemingly magical woman who gets a job caring for two youg children, the eponymous heroine (sic ) is depicted as a carpetbag-holding control freak that disposes of the other candidates for the nanny job, and then refuses to give referees . Mary and cockney chimneysweep, Bert, obviously have had run-i ns in their past, and it has been suggested by Chris Haskins, HIS 2 that they in fact met in a detox programme . The sexual tension between them comes to a climax before the LSD induced trip into the pavement picture , where t hey are transported into a cartoon.

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Inquisitor: on the up , in t he c hair

With a CD available in the shops and a UK tour scheduled for October, e are one of the few talented bands to make it out of Norwi eh. The Event speaks to Ben, Reuben, and Jim to find out more ...

Who are your Influences?

Neurosis, Faith No More, Iron Mai den ... not musically, but the attit ude. They make absolute ly no apolog ies about being metal.

How do you feel about being labelled 'hardcore' by the press?

I t hink if you c lass yourselves as hardcore that impl ies you're part of some elitist group who think they're too good to be metal. We don't play music to be part of a scene. We play cunting loud music, we drink beer and we do it for a laugh.

How has living In Norwich affected the band?

I think living in Norwich is a massive influence because it is full of so many narrow-minded shit·heads and townies. it's the graveyard of ambition. Even when I did a music course they said, "Norfolk is the black hole of music, no one ever gets out." That's not entirety true but it does make it exceptionally hard because as soon as you say you're from Norwich you're a joke.

What have you got planned In the near future?

There's the October tour. Kerrang! are coming to do a feature at the London show. Rock sound have been realty good to us as we lt. We're on their cover CD next month.

"Jessica Marlowe, a writer on the Mary Poppins subtext, has declared that little Jane' s fanaticism of Mary Poppins verges on lesbian fantasy" They fly about on uncontrollable free-range merrycgo-round horses, whi lst Mary and Bert frolic away from the children.

The whole scene ends as the rain cascades and washes the picture away. The tri p is literally over. But it doesn't take long before reality is again transported into the narcotic underworld.

A spoonfu l of sugar helps the medicine go down? Mary Poppins forces the kids to take heroin, and they have a trip that makes them think they have the power to tidy up their playroom by magic. Building bricks stack themselves, whilst wooden soldiers march about. The 'sugar' wears off, but leaves them eager to abuse more drugs. Remember the scene where they're all laughing in the old man's house, sitting at a table that floats around the ceiling? The drug loses it-s power when they feel sad, and they literally come down to the floor. Mary Poppins gets annoyed with Bert because he's encroaching on her drug-pushing territory.

He's probably done it before.

Jessica Marlowe, a writer on the Mary Poppins subtext, has declared that little Jane's fanaticism of Mary Poppins verges on lesbian fantasy, and that Bert was a sexually abused child. Mrs Banks has a crush on Emmetine Pankhurst and Is 'titillated' by the idea of being chained to railings. However, reports that Katie Nana supposedly loses the children so that she can masturbate with a tree branch, we think are a bit too reliant on speculation and subtext.

Not to mention the schizophrenic homosexual Admiral Bloom, who believes his house is a ship, even though he's never been on a boat in his whole life. But that would surely not be suitable for a children's film.

If you can never watch Mary Poppins again in the same way, you'd better cross A/ice in Wonderland off your favourite list too. At ice follows the White Rabbit down the hole into the world of the unknown, and then hangs out with a caterpillar that smokes purple haze sitting on a

magic mushroom. Not to forget the little 'cakes' and pieces of the mushroom in question she eats before she starts shrinking and growing to abnormal sizes. Furthermore, the Cheshire Cat is undisputedly on ecstasy and not only keeps disappearing, but can't stop smiling. lt's not just drug abuse that has infiltrated the many etassic children's fi lms; alcoholism also plays a part in the undertones of the Disney Classics. Dumbo, the story of the elephant with abnormal ears is a social outcast from the day he's born. He eventually discovers booze (who can forget the utterly disturbing pink elephant scene?) and subsequent ly finds that he can fly. His dependency on drink to keep him ·up' becomes gradually worse, until he meets the crows, a similar set of outcasts who embody contemporary drug culture. They give him a black feather, which represents his addiction and becomes a focus for his declining mental and physical health. If that wasn't enough, Fantasia is riddled with drug-fuelled scenes of infamous dancing pink hippopotami, and out-of-control cleaning equipment. The section of the animation set to The Sorcerer's Apprentice

by Paul Dukas, is itself a flashback . Mickey Mouse· Disney's iconic paragon of all that is good in life - in Sorcerer's cape with magical capabilities brings t he kitchen brooms to life. Whenever you hear the music you then have a flashback of the scene, the exact effect of taking acid, the focus of the whole film. lt may be that, having read this, you might not be able to watc h Disney in the same way ever again. But, whilst the cloud that spells 'SEX· in the sky in The Lion King, and the pictures of erect penises that appear in various windows in Basil the Mouse Detective mighthave be quickly dismissed as 'coincidence' by the Disney studios, you have to take it with a pinch of salt. Watt Disney made films pnmarily for the innocence of children. If you do see something else within his films, it could well be your own problem.

Do you feel that you are benefiting from the revival of heavy music?

I'm not knocking the exposure but it can be bad. I'd rather be exposed for being a good musician than for riding on the back of somebody else or for what clothes we wear.

So the Adldas sponsorhlp didn't come through?

Fuck Adidas! Do you see how much they charge for a pair of trousers! Sorry, can I just say that Red Bull is available in the shops and Vans shoes are realty comfy!

I hear that you' re about to record some new songs.

Since Ben joined we've written seven new songs. This new stuff is on a totally different level of maturity and energy.

We've all learnt a lot, especially as Ben has done a tot of recording himself. Straight after this tour we're going back to the studio to record a couple of tracks for release on compilations.

Have any record companies approached you?

There has been some interest. it's surprising seeing as we haven't contacted anyone. it's much better to make the record company buy your record- that way it 's on thei r initiative and they're giving us money!

Any amusing stories to tell?

Welt, Jim decided to navigate a skateboard hatfpipe white drunk in his van. We played t his skat e festival and they made the mistake of giving us money to buy beer before the show. After we had a crate each they decided to let us know that we had to move the van so we loaded in about ten grand worth of equipment, the band and a couple of ·other people who came down with us. I think something gave way!

What "How it's a band.

would you have etched Into your gravestone? can you be so grave as to misunderstand my spirit."

Sokraphtorbia lyric. They're a Swedish black metal We should respect their arrogance!

Kleren McSweeney

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

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eem1n Where can you watch the latest . mov1e by Ang Lee or Guy Ritchie for free? Merek Cooper leads the way ...... hese are dark days for t he Internet. Once a g leaming white elephant for entrepreneurial start-up kids and hungry advertisers wishing to reach that all-im portant demographic, it is now a graveyard of failed business enterprises. With the tech-bubble well and truly burst and profits declining, no one seems to know what to do next .

There must be a way to make money from t he Inte rnet , cla im the experts. But how?

Of the number of new advertising techniques being road-tested on the web in the wake of this uncertainty. it is the automobile behemoth BMW that has succeeded m making the biggest splash. Realising that the public patience 11as been tested to the limit by ult ra-annoying flashi ng banners, and that c lickthrough rates from pop up windows current ly run at a dismal 0.5% according to technews.com. BMW realised it was time to cllange strategy. If Mohammed is disinterested in the mountain put something spangly at the summit and sooner or later he will pay it a visit. Or as BMW 's North American Market ing V. P. Ji m McDowell puts it, "we t houg ht maybe we need to enterta in our custome rs instead of just advert ising to them."

And entertain them they did. At a staggenng cost of nine million dollars, BMW set about coercing some of the world's top film di rectors into producing a series of short but effective films. Shown exc lusively on the BMW webs ite and all featuring the c ream of BMW 's impressive fl eet of roa d roc ket s, t hese fil ms have co llect ively become known as The Hire series and have attracted an estimated five million curious surfers smce their initial rel ease.

Aimed squarely at the high earning end of the wage bracket, the te n minute epics are designed to lure discern ing 40-someth ings into purchasing a spanking new " Beemer" in t he hope of recapturing some of that elusive youth with the promise of the James Bond-st yle adventures that are showcased in the films.

But don ' t let the fact that as a student the closest you will get to one of these luxury cars is to be run over by one, put you off; The Hire makes for an intriguing hour's view ing whether you can afford a silver BMW 530i or not. And w ith free Uni ve rsit y interne! time ( how wi ll we live wit hout it ?), t he cost of seei ng Ang Lee or Guy Ritchie in action is completely free, as long as you are not precious about giving you r name. emai l address and postcode out to the good people at the BMW motor company.

The Hire stars Clive Owen as an unnamed mercenary driver contracte d to perform vari ous ri sky assignmen t s, and although the BMW logo does seem to feat ure rather prominentl y, the directors were given complete creative contro l, and it shows. Each director is eminent ly recognisable and for those real enthusiasts there is even a DVD-style voiceover in which the director gives

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us a first -hand accoun t of the filmm ak ing proc ess . Spi c ing up t11e already bu lg ing pac kage is a seri es of bac k stories t l1at bind all the fi lms toget her and leave clues to a web hunt at the end of wh ich you can win a collector' s edition of the entire series.

Oh, and for those anti -capi tali st consumer terrori st s out there, don't worry about compromising your precious morals, personally the advert s for the ca rs left me cold and I haven't started dreami ng about Dynami c Stabil it y Control and Xenon low-beam headligl1ts quite yet. What is refreshing is the fact that for once a lot of thought and originali t y has gone into what is essentially a gloried advertising campaign. and I'm sure that this generation of TV Babies has enough savvy to know when they're being sold somethi ng it doesn't want . and can fee l free to enjoy t he entertainment on offer.

Ambush - John Frankenheimer

Unfortunately, The Hire beg ins with the least inspiring fi lm of the bunch. Ambush, despite being written by Se7en writer Andrew Kevi n Walker, foll ows the pretty formu laic pattern lai d down by John Franke nlle imer's prev ious wo rk: bi g ex plosions, big g uns and even bigger insurance policies, presumably. Owen plays the driver who gets into a spot of car t rouble when his passenger (Tomas Milian) is held up for the consignment of diamonds he is smuggli ng. Boy with toys and very little else.

Chosen - Ang Lee

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With his t rac k record of peri od pieces and subtle mood studies, it was with great su rprise that I found Ang Lee's name on the list of t his most co ntemporary of projects, bu t Lee proves that you can't keep a good man down, not even with a heavyweight corporate millstone like BMW. Featherweight and ethereal comedy abounds in th is ta le of a young Tibetan boy , ferried by Owen's drive r from a recent ly arrived ship to a safe house 111 the suburbs. Sw1tch to the voiceover for maximum entertamment value wh ere Lee , ever the family man (h1s son Mason plays the lead ,) makes the startling revelation that in real life he drives

a 95 mini van .

The Follow - Wong Kar-Wai Another surprisi ng inclusion with an equally surprising cast that includes Mickey Rourke in full "''ve completely let myself go and I don' t care " mode and t he ever excellent Forrest Whittaker in yet another understated performance. Agai n Owen is the ubiquitous dri ve r, but th is ti me Wong plays him like a modern day Phillip Marlowe, all existent ial voiceove r and noirist overtones.

Definitely the most art -house of the bunch, The Follow is a smooth meditation on the moral code a private eye must maintain when tai ling a subject.

Star - Guy Ritchie Arguably the most talked about addition to the quintet and certa inly the most likely to generate tabloid headlines, Guy Ritchie ropes in his wife for a bit of self-parody and she stands up we ll.

Madonna is the star of the title (who else?) and is brought down to eart h by a less t han gentle car ride w ith Owen. Full marks must go to dangerously blase Rit c hi e who, in t l1e vo iceover, gives the superstar presence that Madonna brings to the film as the reason he cast her, only to add as a casua l aside, "and she's my wife of course." No , really?

Powder Keg - Alejandro Gonzales liiarritu When A mores Perros was re leased earlier th is yea r, lnarrit u was proc laimed as a Mex ican Tarant ino, mainly for his effortless mixing of plot strands and st ory lines that called up memories of 1994's Pulp Fiction. However, unlike Tarantino, lnarritu is a comp letely original and breathtaking fi lm maker, as comfortable co mmenti ng on polit ics as he is wit h t he emoti onal life of individuals. Powder Keg easily humbl es all others on offe r here , and is worth t he dow nload t ime of t he whole pac kage . Stellen Skarsgard brings the heavyweight acting ta lent as a wounded war photographer fleeing the corrupt clutches of a South American government. The Swede is qu ite simply stunning and I narritu even manages to coax a heartfelt performance from the usually average Owen; one can only hope t he Mexican's next fea t ure includes these two. Great th ings wi ll undoubtedly come from this talented young man whose former professiOns 1nclude being the number one DJ in Mexico City and a commercial sailor.

All films featured can be found at www.bmwfilms.com Pictu res (Clockwise from t op left) : 1. Adriana Lima in The Follow 2. A BMW 3. Cl1ve Owen as "The Driver " 4. Wong Kar-Wai

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anuva With two cri t i cally acclaimed albums under his belt, Roots Manuva claims . that it's all 1 n the beat. The Event went to meet the man and find out more.

Text: Mike Miller hink hip-hop and you will instantly th ink of Eminem, misogyny , gangsters, and drugs, right? Roots Manuva is different; his sound is 路.a hip-hop based, intense, lyrical expenence. lt draws reference from the Amencan style and kinda uses English slang. it's hugely inspired by the sound systems of England and the big mobile DJs. " And the man commonly known as Rodney Smith enthuses that it's not his alter ego. "When I first came up with it I was an engineer in a community studio in Brixton. There wasn 't much of a scene for home grown products, it was just me putting some thoughts onto wax and seeing what happen~ and here's where it's taken me. " it's been a long way too . His &acond album Run Come Save Me has been out since the middle of August to widespread crit1cal acclaim . He's been nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the MOBO awards, and is currently embarking on a sold out tour of the UK, including a majestic show at The Waterfront. His sec ond single , Dreamy Days comes out this week, a song "that I didn't want to be the second single. I wouldn't mind it being the third one but I was told that we'd have a silver record by Christmas. I am waiting to see, I don't believe it ."

Rodney does not like the state of the music industry . He stayed with Big Dada Records, despite the undertones of Sony 's grasp.

"They assured me I could do exactly what I wanted . They said

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to me, look at Finley's [Quaye] album , he does exactly what he wants to do, just give us three singles and we'll be fine. Things always change, don't they? I just wanted to be around people I could trust. " And he hates the idea of being a media darling . He has often been touted as the saviour of UK hip-hop, something that he is not happy with. "In terms of business success there is not that much going on, as the first album sold 25,000 in a year and a half, which is not a load of records. it's nice to get praise and whatever but it's a hype thing and that 's all it is, and it 's beginning to piss a lot of people off. There is a whole community of MCs that have worked just as hard as me and probably have more right to call themselves 'the saviour of UK hip-hop' than me 'cause I am primarily a studio bod w1th an ear for a weird beat and there's more to hip-hop than me."

As someone who has his roots in Jamaica, Rodney notes his influences as bands like The Specials, Bob Marley, Yellowman , Smiley Culture, and Tinpot Aurey. Not to mention the Blockheads. "it's monotone rhythm ic words that he [I an Dury] was doing , and that is rap, is it not?" However, as he confesses, "I like things like Turin Brakes and Travis and I appreciate a good melody and a good song ."

The lyrical experience that Roots gives us is both one of bizarre confessional experiences and many drug references, but not the

''A mer i ea Owns The World! '' deprivation that has been suggested. "My Dad always said that you ain 't experienced no hardship. When he was seven years old, he was walking two miles JUSt to get water. I was just one of those who never went on a proper family holiday. A family holiday for us was going down to Wales to see my auntie. " So what does he make of American hip-hop? " I see it just like Quentin Tarantmo films: it's just entertainment. Kids take it out of context sometimes; it 's just stories. Real gangsters aren't going to tucking s1t down all day and write lyrics exposing their own personal life. America is a very strange place; it is a very young country with a lot of freedom . There is room to do things on a scale that cannot be done here, it's not just music; we are bombarded With its films, everything! AMERICA OWNS THE WORLD! Even within the bonehead gangster shit there are a few artists among all this, I like Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, but there are a lot of criminals out there that are turning crack money into music and telling tales about it. Does it really matter? Fuck it , it's all the melody and the beat : 路 Nevertheless, there is no doubt this is not the last we will see of him . " I would like to have a back catalogue in 15 years of at least 20 different albums, not like always me rapping but similar things that I invested in and developed in my studio and things like that . A&R? I hate tucking A&R. There needs to be a medium between the art ists and machine that put outs records.

Because there is room for some serious innovat ion in Brit ish A&R . [Just] pimp the game before the game p1mps us."

Live Review: The Ke n ee

;)ection

As is usual with Belle and Sebast1an gigs, the crowd appeared to be mainly shaggy and wearing school ties like it was going out of fashion, all seeming very excitable and eager, as if they had discovered something new and very cuttmg edge . Being the geek that I am, I knew very little of the band, apart from the fact that they were termed as a "Glaswegian Supergroup", combining the sounds and talent of a diverse a range of band members from Arab strap, Astrid, Mogwai, Mull Historical Society and (of course) Belle and Sebastian, lead by Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol who is, in fact, Irish and not Scottish at all. Having said that, a few members of the supposed group (for instance, Adrian Moffat from Arab Strap) were conspicuous by their absence, whilst other members who were not billed on the original group line-up (namely Lee Gorton from Alfie) turned up randomly to sing on a couple of tracks.

The performance was, as expected, a very quiet affair. The band decided to do the whole set sitting down and were merrily drunk (or at least intoxicated by some substance). which made it quite entertaining, enabling them to give good banter. Will you please be there for me and If there is I haven 't found it remained soulful, earnest and fun, without sounding childish. Although, however nice the sound was they weren't somehow ... enough. Their sleepy songs and timid delivery initially created a warm , fuzzy atmosphere, but as the set wore on the general feeling became overwhelmed by a dragging monotony .

Don't get me wrong . The Remdeer Section performed very well. But I think it would have been more enjoyable had the organisers banned the audience from standing crushed together at the front and, instead, handed out duvets and perhaps a nice hot drink.

Ed Webb-lnga/1

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The Norwich

• Fringe • be Norwich's biggest

This year's arts festival is set to and best yet. Luke Wright points out the highlights ...

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ack Dee, Jello Biafra, Super Furry Animals, Cambridge Footlights, Toby Litt, Mark Thomas, Roger McGough, Peter Hammill. Phew. What do all these little people have in common? Well, they're all performing at the Norfolk and Norwich Fringe Festival. In fact these people only make up a small proportion of those set to make the first two weeks of October two of the most important in the region's cultural calendar.

Now in its third year, the Fringe has been used to running alongside the older and more prestigious Norfolk and Norwich Festival of Arts. However, with that particular event being

rescheduled for May 2002, the Fringe is being made to fend for itself, and it's not doing too bad a job, either. There are, on average, about six or seven events every day from Friday September 28 to Sunday October 14, mostly at places like the Art's Centre or The Playhouse, though many of Norwich's pubs and smaller venues are also getting involved. But don't get too excited, not all of these are big name acts. Whilst quite of a lot of what's on might get your granny choking on her false teeth with excitement, it won't appeal to the average student especially as the Fringe has managed to protect one of the cultural world's greatest evils: cabaret. However, all said and done, there are loads of plays, bands, poets, workshops and art exh ibitions that look very promising.

"Norwich has always had a healthy arts scene," says the festi val's theatre co-ordinator. Eve Stebbing, "but due to a lack of support and integration too much of our home grown talent has gone in search of recognition elsewhere. We hope that the Fringe w ill put Norwich firmly on the cultural map and establish it as the place to come for cultural and arty events."

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busy schedule of events but also create a greater community spirit and awareness within Norwich's cultural and artistic scenes.

"So many good events pass into obscurity simply because people are not aware of what is on offer. With an official occasion such as the Fringe the more underground movements and scenes within Norwich will be given the necessary platform to gain them recognition."

And there will be many people hoping that this does happen; those of you involved in the Norwich Arts scene will know that its main problem is that not enough people know it even exists.

Norwich is better known for its alleged sheep fornication and incest than it is for playwrights or poets and whilst this may be unfair, humorous stereotypes are hard to shake off; simply ask any slapper from Essex.

However, the Fringe is hoping this will be its breakthrough year and already there has been a lot of talk around the city about its programme which was released last week. The programme is available free from many shops, pubs and venues around

"Norwich 1 s better known for its alleged . sheep fornication and incest than it l s for playwrights or poets"

Picture: 1 . (top) Super Furry An imals 2. (above) Jello Biafra

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So is Norwich the new non-Scottish speaking Edinburgh? Well no, let's not get carried away, the Edinburgh festival has been running for many more years and also has the benefit of reputation. However, Edinburgh is not what it once was; much like Dr Ore it's gone from being the voice of the underground and streets to being all about name dropping and money. This is where Norwich's Fringe comes in to its own, offering big name acts yet not forgetting where the future is coming from, though on a smaller scale. it is this proposed mix of nationally renowned figures and local talent that makes the Fringe such an attractive event; this is a festival that is just as proud of youth theatre company Young Sole Rebels as it is of the deadpan genius Jack Dee. So okay, youth theatre may seem a little crap for some of us but then, no one's going to force you to go. This attitude simply means there is a greater diversity in acts during the two weeks, and by not selling itself out completely to big name acts at big name prices the Fringe can help promote performers that will one day come back to rip us off but for the time being are still unspoilt and genuinely talented.

This is all very well I hear you say but surely the Fringe is just a kind of glorified list ings, an excuse to make a lot of fuss (and perhaps more money?) over what would be going on anyway.

And this is a valid point, seeing as places such as the University and the Arts Centre do offer a full programme of events all year round . However, as Eve Stebbmg argues, there is more to Fringe than simply the acts themselves: "With this festival we are hop1ng to not only add to Norwich's

October 3, 2001

Norwich and it's well worth a look. There is also a website: www.fringefest.co.uk, which includes full listings, artwork and a virtual festival that the organisers hope will raise the profile of the Fringe across the world.

Taking a quick look at what's on offer produces quite a long list of highlights: the Tennesse Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire runs at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 5 with both evening and matinee performances on many of the days. Ennio Marchetto, the Italian comedian and "living cartoon" is at the Norwich Playhouse on Saturday 6 October. Comedian Jack Dee performs at the Theatre Royal on Sunday 14 October whilst the University's own Chill 'Em Jazz Cafe has a special performance from hip-hop poet Ainsley Burrows on Monday 8 October. TV's funnyman Mark Thomas plays the Maddermarket Theatre on Thursday 11 October and the Sewell Barn Theatre on Constitution Hill has a three-night run of George Orwell's Animal Farm commencing on the same day. This is not to mention the music, ranging from the Super Furry Animals and Charlatans at UEA to Mark B and Blades at the Waterfront. Peter Hammill at the Assembly House on Monday 8 October and Opera at the Playhouse.

Finally, for those into extreme sports, the Bedlum Festival has joined forces with the Fringe to bring us more live bands, skateboarding related events and a variety of competitions. Rock on Norwich.

Anyone who's Interested should check out the webslte or contact Dots and Squiggles on: 01603 627862.

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'' I hate celebrity'' •• Acclaimed author, director, artist, physician (the list goes on) Jonathan Miller talks about his hatred of the • mov1es, British critics and that most modern of evils, fa me . .. Text: Liz Hutchinson 1

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h, dear" groans Jonathan Miller, as a bejewelled, respectable looking lady loudly announces his entrance to the empty hotel lounge, " I know him, yes I do, ooh ooh yes that 's it, it's Jonathan Miller." Triumphant, she jumps from her seat and promptly spills her Earl Grey, momentarily distracted from the man himself. Looking somewhat relieved , Miller shakes his head as he takes his seat .

Rather embarrassed and feeling quite honoured to be sitting with someone who can provoke such a reaction from a staid pensioner, I ask if he gets recognised a lot and suggest that he is something of an intellectual celebrity. "People of that age seem to recognise me, but I hate celebrity " he grimaces, " it 's one of those things that if you appear on television you get well known and then there are magazines and journalists who refer

to that as celebnty . I just happen to qo things in public and therefore one gets known by more people than you know. that 's all celebrity or fame is."

Pretty impressively , Miller pops the bubble of so called 'celebrity ' in one foul swoop; I decide I like the man. " I suppose one of the nice things about being a so-called celebrity is that you have license to go and ask people things. You can ring people, they know who you are and therefore you can pin them down and say 'I 'd like to come and meet you and talk about Dutch paintings of the seventeenth century .' There really is no other advantage to being well known. " Jonathan Miller has every reason to be bias~ about fame and celebrity, having achieved public recogn ition 1n so many areas, originally as a physic ian and later as a director , author, art historian, radio personality, art ist. .. I comment on what must be an

"Maybe i t was his t as te of Amer ic a that cau sed Mi ller to comment once tha t Eng l and was ' a me an, peevish 1 i t t 1e c out1 t ry ,.,

Photo Credit: Will Benthall

impressive CV. "Well, yes I have done a lot of things, but then I have lived a long time " he chuckles. So what is your main job then? " it'S JUSt what I'm doing at the moment really. I suppose you would have to say I'm a Theatre and Opera Director but I gave up having what you would call a job a long time ago when I stopped being a doctor which is a serious, continuous job. I suppose you would have to say I'm a migrant worker.''

Migrancy is certainly an expression that becomes more apt as we talk further , as in his role as director and also art historian , Miller has travelled extensively . "I've just come from Florence, where I was doing an opera. I enjoy visiting the places I work . I especially like Berlin, Paris, and Florence is very nice, Padua is even nicer. But I don 't like tounsm, in fact I hate it, it's ghastly, but I do like work ing in different places and then having a justification for being able to go and look at pictures, but if I had to do it as a tourist , I think I would detest it ." I begin to realise that Miller IS not one for classification, as a 'celebrity ' . or a 'tourist' . which probably explains his constant change from interest to interest, not wanting to be labelled or recognised for one particular thing. ask Miller how he came to be involved in the arts. "After qualifying as a doctor I, perhaps rather imprudently, took a vacation job act ing on the stage at the Edinburgh Festival wtth Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett. it really blew me out of medic ine and I went on to New York where I was asked to do other thmgs like writing for the New Yorker anq d1rectmg plays and operas. so one thing led to another; I got distracted really ."

Maybe it was th1s taste of America that caused Miller to comment once that England was " a mean , peevish little country ".

"When I said that , I was exasperated by the way the critics wrote about me , I thought it was small minded and peevish. As you get on , you get tired of it and think 'oh sod you.' When you have been doing it as long as I have - 40 years - you begin to realise it 's a damned impudence."

Miller seems to have a store of scathing comments for those who annoy him. This includes modern film directors. All of them.

"On the whole, I don't like those modern films, I think they are very silly . I like the films that were made in the thirties, which were much grander and more intelligent, now you just get rotten, lousy films. I th1nk the best film I have seen recently is Best in Show, and then there are absolute abominations like American Beauty, which I think was terrible."

I ask if he has ever been tempted to produce a film. "I already have" he sniffs in a 'done that , got the T-shirt' kind of tone, "I did AI ice in Wonderland for the BBC about 30 years ago, with people like Peter Sellers." Miller also presented a series called the Body in Question for the BBC . I suggest he may like to reinvent himself as a television personality, "Well, its very hard to do it now because most of television is to do with making over living rooms and cooking and, er, I don't do that ." Miller is also a great actor, according to him that is. " I acted on the stage when I did Beyond The Fringe but I haven't had any training at all. I don't think you need it, you're either good at it or you 're no good at it. I think it's the same with directing, you can either do it or you can 't ." Arrogance yes, but I suppose it makes a change from the self-deprecating whinges of other public figures . I challenge him to name his greatest achievement, "Usually the thing I have done most recently is the thing I am most proud of but I think my production of Tosca that I did in Florence about 15 years ago was very good, and I think my Mikado was rather good .''

I wonder why , being so arty, Miller didn't do an arts degree? " I'm very pleased I did my medical degree and did a lot of science . History of Art is something you can pick up by doing what I do, by going all over Europe. I know most of the art galleries of Northern Europe, by heart . I can tell you every single picture in the Vienna gallery , or the Berlin gallery .. . I know all of them. I sometimes wish I had stuck with medicine but I've enjoyed doing what I am doing and I think I'm quite good at it .''

An eminent physician, an acclaimed director, a distinguished author ... and also a chart topper it would seem, as Jonathan was voted number one perfect partner by female execs in 1991.

"Really? " he drawls, "Well , I didn't know about that. I think my wife would have difficulty in thinking I was the perfect partner.

Well , we have been marned 45 years, but I don't th1nk I'm the perfect partner. I don 't think anyone is perfect ."

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With the arTival of Hollyoaks: Movin' On on our screens, TV spin-offs seem to have reached an all -t i rne low. With this 1 n mi r'd The Event takes a look at the main offenders and offers some superior alternatives Text: Gemma O'Donnell and Elin Jones

he powers that be in television are messing with our schedules. Lately our screens have been inundated with spin-off series and late night specials. This could be cons idered to be a win ning formula- take a show. say for this example Hollyoaks, put it on after the watershed, add fa ncy new t it les and make the characters swear. People will tune in right? Of course they will. Who wouldn't tune in to witness James Redmond's (aka Finn's) peachy pert arse being speared on a lads holiday in Barcelona? Or Ruth wa ndering around in her underwear- every episode? it's not just soap specials that have been on the rise in the last few years, spin-off shows have j umped on t he bandwagon, tak ing a formula that works and sensationalising it to boost ratings.

Hollyoaks: Movin' On has taken t he format from its ever-popular late night specials and turned them into a series in their own ri ght. We are pro mised sex, scandal, sex and , well, more sex actually. While the viewer may be thinking. "fantastic, they are good to us." as t he new series inco rporat es the more pretty characters and concentrates on them alone, we have been lul led into a false sense of security. If any of yo u have actually seen Hollyoaks: Movin' On, you will agree that it is trite. No amount of raunchy w itt ic isms and rub ber cat suits w il l make it superior to the original. Hollyoaks is popu lar among its viewers because it's cheap, cheerful, and graces our screens at teatime. Or Sunday mornings. And as students you won't need me t o t ell yo u that t hese are very important times of the day .

Movin ' On begins just before the pubs call time, and although this allows it to be a little more free regarding its content. the plots are weak and it feels weird. I don't want to see Ruth waving a di ldo at me whilst wearing a naughty nurse's outfit. I don't want to hear Tony swear. it's like overhearing your parents having sex. What the people at Hollyoaks seem to have forgotten is that the late night specials were a one-off, that's what made them 'special·. Hollyoaks: Movin' On. however, is trying to keep the momentum going for four months. And speaking on behalf of all students with minuscule attention spans. that's far too long.

Lucky for us. then. that the bigw1gs at the BBC only throw us a few Eastenders specials a year. We all remember Ricky's stag night, Phil getting shot and Roy telling Pat, " I don't like your earrings." T11ese are historic moments in soap, moments that are fantastic, funny , and sensational because they only occur every six months. And every six months you have the perfect excuse to gather your mates around the TV screen, purchase huge tubs of overpriced ice cream and bond over t11e latest drama. Another reason that Eastenders has succeeded where perhaps Hollyoaks failed is that these special hour-long episodes tie in with the plots from the preceding weeks. Movin'

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On is not so much a spin-off but a digression, a boring storyline t hat has drifted off on an unnecessary tangent. The same cannot be said about, say, the St eve Owen Vs. Matthew Rose trial.

How many people were root ing for poor Matthew?

The viewing figures speak for themse lves. these one-offs are big business, and more people tu 1ed in to watch Phi I Mitchell get shot than witnessed the Big t3rother fmale. This 1s due to the fact t hat soaps, in some casE·s. can be seen as ex t ensions of family. We probably cared more about watching piggy Phi I get his co me-uppance because we'd been following hi s dastardly antics for several years (though not for much longer, I'm sorry to report). You may be surprised to read that 'Bri tai n's

Martin and Alex could discuss how to avoid childhood pregnancies ... and Ruth could wander around in her bra and panties wielding a dildo. A trip to The Loft would obviously be in order where Geri would pull Martin, Zoe would pull Finn and Lewis (this is the late night special, remem ber - t hreesomes are allowed) and Jamie would pull Tonia (fat mingers seem to be h1s type) . And should anyone drink too much and need their stomach pumped they could pop down to Casualty (with a script as good as this who cares that Chester is hundreds of mi les away from Bristol?) . You thought viewing fig ures were high when Phi I was shot? Just you wait for the first gay sex scene between Finn and Frank Butcher ...

I don't want to see wavin g a dildo at me whilst wearing a naughty Ruth nurse's outf it. "'Hollyoaks:

Movin' On feels weird.

Qu ai nt est Soap Opera' Coronat ion Street was the very first to ex peri ment with t his format, back 1n the early '90s when Ri ta's nast y hubby Alan got stopped m his tracks (tracks, get it!) by a huge t ram. Th is was the original hour-l ong spec ial, and it must have worked because it attracted a mul titude of complaints and praises. Coronation Street was also the first soap opera to broadcast a live episode, and although it only confirmed my gut feeling, that t he actors shoul cl sti ck to panto, at least it had the balls to try something new. Corrie also deserves a mention here because w ithout it there migl1 t llave been no hour-longs and no "GROW UP, SASKIA!!! " . a/by City, Frasier, and Angel are now omnipresent on our screens, but there was a time, many moons ago when they were a just a twi n!< le in some director's eye. These are t he spin-off success ston es. shows that have established themselves in their own right and have rightfully gathered a huge fol lowing of their own . Wllile I am loath to admit I watch anything starring Lisa 'I only blow celebs' Faulkner, Ha/by City is now a more permanent fixt ure than its mother show Casualty.

So what's next in this dubiou-. genre? Perh aps, bored of transposing characters into their own series . directors will pool thier creative genius and produce the first cross-channel super-soap .

Consider the possibilities if you wi ll. Sonia, Zoe. Martin and Jamie from Eastenders and Ton1a and Sarah-Louise from Coronat ion St reet are considering University options. They attend an open-day at Hollyoaks Community College. Imagine the high-jinks they wou ld get up to v..llen unleashed in Chester: Sarah-Louise and Sonia could discuss teenage pregnancies,

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Pictures: 1. (top from left to right) Martin Kemp; Joe Absolom aka Steve Owen and Matthew Rose in Eastenders 2. (above) Terri Dwyer aka Ruth Benson in Hollyoaks

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Hi s cha racter Roy Cropper is known as a l ove abl e f ool who marrie d a man b~t as Catie Wilk in s found out , Dav i d Nei l so n who pl ays hi m is actua lly a very normal man who watches Seinfeld, shops in the 1oca l s upe rmar ket and is learning Spanish with his wife ... oy Cropper blundered on to the cobbled stones of Coronation Street six years ago, and it was unknown then how popular, or even how insane the character would become. But the man behind Britain's favourite anorak is a far cry from the anti-social confusions of Roy Cropper. He is interesting, chatty and incredibly funny.

David was thought of for ~the role after doing a stage play with one of the writers of Coronation Street whom he had also been at drama school with. "The part was originally written for six episodes, • David reveals, "The character started out as a bit of a Norman Bates. He came on and was trying to comfort Deirdre, (who'd just lost her husband) but he was actually just freaking out. At one point, the script makers were thinking of turning Roy into a psycho, who Mike Baldwin would order off the street.· Luckily for us, this didn't happen, as the idea of a psychotic Roy is far too much for my fragile mind. David agrees. 'I thought he was funny, I didn't see him as a psycho, just inept, and thought it might be fun to play him that way.' The writers . liked this side of Roy, and started to write in more of it. 'After something like that happens the writers and the actors exist off each other.'

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"The script makers were thinking . of turning Roy into a psycho" David has always been a working actor, with various television roles in numerous programmes, including The Bill and Casualty, not to mention his theatre successes. He has written and directed several successful plays, including Robin Hood, the Truth behind the Tights which he tells me Is · on at the moment . in Finland, in Finnish, • if I wanted to catch it. As for his present role, "Life before Coronation Street was great. All that 's changed is that I've got more money and I'm no longer anonymous.· Despite all this previous success, he describes walking onto th~ set of Coronation Street as "like walking into Madame Tussauds, being surrounded by all those famous people. But they' re a fantastic crew to get on with, and now I'm one of the waxworks.• I then ask David a question I've always wondered about actors, about whether he ever slips into Roy Cropper when he's at home with his family? He chuckles, "once the anorak comes off it's much easier to get out of character. When you are him so much of the time, you can start to feel occupied by him, especially when people recognise you and address you as Roy." Do you get recognised a lot then Roy, I mean David? 'Yes, a lot, especially in Manchester. And not just in this country, all over the world. I can be on holiday somewhere and people still come up to me and say 'it's you, isn't it?' it's quite funny really, because you just know you're going to be on their postcard home.-· However, David enjoys this, "You can make someone's day.· He goes on to tell me about one such happening. "Once my wife was In a supermarket and she overheard some people talking about me shopping there before. One of them said that they had seen me and that I was just as scruffy in real life as I was on the telly. Luckily my wife found it quite amusing.'

So what does the real David do to relax after a hard day's filming (if not supping an orange juice in the Rovers, clutching his bag)? Well, his favourite television programmes include Bob and Rose, Brasseye, and Seinfeld. "I go to the gym, and run about three mites, three times a week if I can. I go otlt with friends, I love the theatre. I'm also learning Spanish with my wife Jane," I' m impressed by this, "Really?" I ask. • Si." Walked into.that one. So are the crew of Coronation Street amongst the friends that David relaxes with? "Yes, the crew are a great bunch of people, not just the other actors but the cameramen, the lighting men, they're all terrific.· "Are you at all like Roy Cropper?" David laughs at this question,

" I can't really answer that. I don't think I am, but my wife might give you a different answer.· I asked David what had inspired him and his wife to run the London Marathon in 1997. "I was asked to by the NSPCC, and I'd always fancied it. So I did, in four hours and 20 minutes, I seem to remember.· I remark that this is no mean feat, but he assures me that "The hard part was the training, all through the winter for five months.·

''Once the anorak comes off it's much easier to get out of character'' Favourite story lines for David have included the Amsterdam story tine, and his first year on the street. " I enjoyed the Amsterdam storyline, partly because it was great to go away with the crew , we had a brillipnt time. I love working with Julie

Hesmondhalgh who plays Hayley and those were particularly well written episodes. The first year of being on Coronation Street was fun because Roy hadn't been pigeon-holed yet. No one really knew who he was, it was like a viewer had walked onto the set. I enjoyed ttiat."

I asked David what he thought of the recent Wayne kidnap storyline, "I enjoyed working with Gary Damer who plays Wayne. he's great to work with, but I did think that some of what Roy did wasn't like him, he's not normally that clever, as he thinks so literally.· o how did David find the 40th anniversary live episode? "I found it okay because I've done a lot of theatre. it was harder for some people. We nearly couldn't do it at all because there was a big storm on the street that day, and it was going to be too dangerous with all the electrical equipment and engineering, but a few hours before we were due to start filming the storm cleared and we were allowed to go on. I think it was technically brilliant. • I end with a question that must be pondered by soap fans everywhere. So David, do 'you watch Coronation' Street? "We have to, to make sure we're doing it okay. Sometimes I record it and fast forward to my bits.· I laugh at this and he hastens to add, "To see if I'm doing it right, or if I could improve. I prefer watching it when I have smaller roles, as it's easier to step back and enjoy what it is. it's quite amusing for me to watch because I know who's just had a quick cigarette and what 's just off shot. I can see behind the cameras. •

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' "'I was working on reception at Kiss. Someone asked for the tippex and then asked me to voice their ad on air. I then got into programming, and did the entertainment show.

Radio One heard me and it went from there'" views, live lounges and One Big Sundays, not to mention keeping Jo Whiley's seat warm whilst she was on maternity leave. "I never expected to do some of the things I've done.

Th& year has absolutely flown by," she states. Picking out some of her favourite moments was obviously going to be hard. " Basement Jaxx were really good fun, James from Starsailor, Pied Piper and Master of Ceremonies were just fantastic -they jumped all over the studio." Rumours have it that her interview with Johnny Depp resulted in her acquiring his phone number. " Now that would be telling," she coyly replies upon enquiry. " He's actually a normal looking guy.

Angelina Jolie was lovely. A bit off the wall, but stunning."

Nemone remains un-starstruck by the big names in the music industry, but admits that it was something else interviewing Janet Jack son. " She kept her sunglasses on the whole time, which was a bit off-putting, but she was really lovely. She was a lot more down to earth than I thought she'd be, although she's surrounded by her people. She was telling me about how she'd gone out with her dancers the night before, who'd made her go on the dance floor and dance to her own tune, and that she was really embarrassed; not how you'd imagine Janet Jackson to be." ust when one might think that Nemone's whole life revolves around music, you find out that she's an impressive athlete, and actually went to Australia ~o try for the Olympics. "lt was prob<!bly the hardest thing that I've done. I was really pushing myself," she explains modestly. " lt was an amazing experience, terrifying, absolutely terrifying. There I w::~s at the top level, and Donna Fraser walks past and I thought 'Oh my Godl' But it's inspiring.·

J e f i r st t hin g to no ti ce about t he r isi ng sta r of Rad io One is ·her voice .

It ' s l i ke a bar of hoc olate . He r deep and creamy to nes are ade for rad i o like pr ali ne is made fo r 1 or so the s. Nemo e o e

Text:

Jo

Locke

event Wednesday,

he up-and-coming presenter of Radio one's Saturday breakfast slot never imagined she would graduate and host a show with two and a half million listeners. "I never set out for a career in radio," she explains. As a ps,rchology graduate of the University of Manchest er, she instead had aspirations of working in clinical psychology. " I was work· ing on psychiatric wards and several research projects, but as t ime went on, you know, I just realised I wasn't ready for this. I was fresh out of university and wanted some fun andJife experience. lt was too hardcore."

Beyond the voice visage lies not just the average radio DJ, for Nemone·s musical talent stretches far beyond the cut and cue of the latest 12 inches. Her classical flute training and expertise in the saxophone "lave helped pave the way to her present success. She explains "You don't realise at the time that things you do when yru're younger are so important in shaping your future. I had no lcea. • But whilst she is classically trained,

of the tunes and snapshot moments that have been the foundations to her musical inspiration. "There weren't any cool clubs at home. lt was nothing like London," she explains. "'Instead we went to house parties where my mates usually DJed. My roots are definitely in the hrp-hop that was around at t he time."

Nemone doesn't real ly believe in Fate, more that she w as in the right place at the right t ime. " I was working on reception at Kiss. Someone asked for the tippex and then asked me to voice their ad on air. I then got into programming, and did the enter· tainment show. Radio One heard me and it went from there".

She's never looked back. Positively brimming with ent husiasm for her job, she explains that "the best thing about it is that it doesn't feel like work," and that "I'm so lucky: I get paid for doing something that is so fun, and I get to play music that I love."

The second thing that you notice about Nemone is how nice she is. She chatted away about her life and experiences without hesitation. though it's not like she's had no practice. To her credit, it didn't sound like the well-rehearsed spiel that is required if you give interview after interview. Despite a heavy

"Rumours have it that her interview with Johnny De pp resulted in Nemone acquiring his phone number .... you should have no ill~;sions about Nemone's modern musical experience.

Her first taste of fame was not as a radio presenter, but as the lead singer in a band called The Thumpersaurus People, with Tom Findley of Groove Armada. She laughs when she recalls some of their finer moments. "What can I say apart from it was six blokes and me! " Refusing to go into any more detail she swiftly moves on to their amateur success. "We played college gigs and eventually got to The Mean Fiddler in London. We took a coach of people. I started off a silly dance move on stage, which everyone copiec, but didn't take off. We thought it was hilarious."

At this point Nemone starts to reminisce about her teenage years spent in Cambridge. She pauses as if getting flashbacks

October 3, 2001

work schedule she's taken her newly found fame in her stride. "lt's really weird when people recognise me" she explained. "I actually forget that millions are listening because they're not in the studio. I try to imagine that I'm talking to my best mate most of the time".

But being famous has brought her the occasional laugh with her mates and boy friend. She remembers a time she was DJing at Essex University, and was recognised, much to t he amusement of her boyfriend. "These guys were standing by the stage and one of them turned to him and said, "Is that Nemone? I wouldmate - wouldn't you!?" She laughs as if she's j ust heard the story herself. "And my boyfriend turned round and said, 'well actually I am... and I do,' and the bloke kind of skulked off."

Nemone's first year at Radio One has been a whirlwind of inter-

Nemone is also very keen on extreme and dangerous sports. " I just love the adrenaline rush and the sense of achievement," she enthuses. "I would say I want to try wake boarding, but I did it last weekend. I'd love to try sky surfing or even extreme boarding, where they take you JP a.mountain in a helicopter and you have to get down. I'll need more snow boarding practice first though." Nemone seems to like life In the fast lane and it comes as no surprise that she likes to feel the wind in her hair "I'm not a fa:;t driver but I'd love to drive a Fl car. lt'd be amazing; she says.

There is no doubt that Nemone's new show will be popular with Radio One's listeners. A mix of live music, new competitions and top tunes will start Saturday mornngs off the right way, whilst the new Sunday show will be "chilled out for those recovering from their hangovers." On the other hand, Nemone's Ideal day would be broadcasting from California. "I'd love to do the Saturday show from the beach, do a bit of surfing, water-skiing, go for a long run, and go out in the evening." She believes that it's not a good idea to plan too far ahead career-wise, but nevertheless knows where her enthusiasm and strengths lie: "I really hope that I can amalgamate all the things I do, but who knows what I' ll be getting up to." She's definitely a here and now person.

An air of professionalism entwined with approachability, delicately draped with charisma and smothered with modesty Is the recipe for this radio parfait. Nemone's life motto Is "keep looking forward,'' and she will. She may not be the most famous name on Radio One's schedule, but it's not hard to predict that she's going to go far. Sarah Cox had better be careful.

Nemone can be heard on Radio One every Saturday and Sunday at l .OOpm

Go on then, make me an offer I can't refuse...

A gangster epic where hood, and gun for hire -Tom Reagan (Gabriel Burn) plays two·warring families against each other in a nameless city in 1920's East coast America.

But Isn't that like in...

Yeah. This film's central idea was based on Dashlell Hammett's novel Red Harvest, the original inflence on Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (Enter Mr Eastwood) and Waiter Hill's Last Man Standing (Enter Mr Willis).

OK, wi.s eguy, tell me more.

This dark, yet visually stunning film from the Coen Brothers explores the mind and conscience of the ambiguous main character. Reagan may be at the heart of Miller's Crossing, but we are never sure if he has one himself. We also never really know where his allegiances lie and so he takes on the persona of the mysterious, self-preserving, lone'l"hero, best represented by Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name. Reagan even caries the symbolic props of a western hero the hat, the gun and the stoic expression.

0 brothers, who art thou?

The sibling film makers are recognised by their quirky visual style; larger than life characters; genre crossing plots and complex themes. Their best known films are Fargo, The Big Lebowski and 0 Brother, Where Art Thou? and actors that have worked for them include John Goodman, Nick Cage, Steve Buscemi and George Clooney.

Oh yeah ... them. Why haven't I heard of this one then?

The Coens are darlings of the independent film world and their films. though critically aclaimed, rarely do exceptional business at the Box Office. Miller's Crossing (1990) is a lot darker, more complex and less comercial than the slew of gangster films that also appeared that year, and as such found it hard to capture the same large audience as GoodFel/as and The Godfather Part Three.

So w111 I like lt or will I be sleeping with the fishes?

If you like your cinema with a bit more edge. style and wit than most of the drivel Hollywood churns out, or if you're just looking for a cool, exciting and action-packed gangster flick, then you can't beat Miller's Crossing.

Best Bit? Gangland boss Leo sits in bed in his silk dressing gown, munching on a cigar, with Danny Boy playing on the gramophone. Two gangsters arrive unannounced and silently kill Leo's bodyguard, but accidentally knock over a candle which starts burning some papers. Leo smells the smoke, calmly puts down his cigar, grabs his gun, hides under the bed, shoots out the legs of one of the assassins, jumps out the window, shoots the other hood through the window and tommy guns a car load of mobsters...all before the song ends and perfectly choreographed with the music. Phew .

Sam Fltgat e

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

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14 Albums

Pulp:

w Love Life

'

Pulp have (quite literally) gone back to their roots and recorded an album quite unlike anything they have done before.

Having entertained us for the best part of two decades with tales from seedy suburbia, they have now left the concrete jungle for the English country garden. And a quick glance down the track listing, with song titles such as Weeds, Trees and Birds In Your Garden gives an accurate impression of the album's running theme. Jarvis always was a bit of a closet hippie (by which I don't just refer to the bellbottom pants and the old man's shirts) and this time he's going back to nature, man.

According to Cocker: "this record deals with fundamental things. In some ways I suppose it's qui~e childlike. We stripped away all things and in the end we were left with bare earth, trees and nature."

Nevertheless, for an album that appears to aim for the organic feel, it is surprising how much of the media focus has concerned the band' s choice of producer, 60's icon Scott Walker.

The album had a troubled birth, the band ditching their original producer and everything t hey had so far recorded in the early ~ part of last year. Work started again in October with Walker on board.

The enigmatic Walker has been long respected on the British music scene, cited as a major influence by the likes of David Bowie and Bryan Ferry, but this marks his first excursion into the production of anyone's work but his own. His touch can be felt In the grandiose orchestral and choral backing that accompanies many of the tracks here, such as Trees. scheduled to be released as the album' s first single (a double-A side with Sunrise) on October 8.

Fears that Pulp may have entered the rather hairy and real-aledrinking world of folk rock are hardly dispelled with the drumbeat-with-bells opening to the album's first track, Weeds. This proves to be a false alarm as the guitars kick in, but the net . result is ultimately disappointing. The lyrics are still there, with another finely tuned paean to those on the margins of society, but the tune is pure pop and lacks the dark claustrophobia that made much of This is Hardcore such a disturbing but Impressive piece of work. This comment is applicable to much of the album. Only Minnie Timperley, Roadki/1 and Wickerman have that dark edge that make Pulp so special. The latter, a knowing nod to the rural paganism of the similarly titled Hammer Horror classic, is the album's standout track. Cocker chillingly narrates an epic eight-minute journey along the Rivers Porter and Don that is analogous to the constant threads that run through our lives. Tellingly the river flows through "brickwork conduits• of the stinking Victorian sewers that run under the city of Sheffield, and captures the gritty urban feel sadly lacking on most of We Love Life.

Elsewhere we have recorders, we have more bells, and Christ,

we even have artificial birdcalls generated at the " Institute of Sound & Vibration at Southampton University " . What we don't have is rocking tunes like Do You Remember the F.irst Time, bit· ing satire such as Common People or the catchy riffs of A Little Soul. The climactic guitar-with-full-choral-backing finale that makes up the greater part of final track Sunrise produces an unsuitably epic ending. This is pure prog rock bombast, not in

keeping with the rest of the album's more understated approach, and perhaps hints at the fact that Pulp are ready to come back to the city. After this aimless wander in the countryside most Pulp fans will welcome them back with open arms.

John St evens

7/ 10

Garbage:

P. Diddy:

Therapy?:

Bea utiful Gar bage

The Saga Con t in ue s

Shameless

Garbage have always been a truly original band, constantly pursuing a hybrid of melody and sonics, bile and beauty through a bold mix of grunge, dance and pop culture. This is an album of supreme confidence and is closer to reaching that goal than they've ever come before. Shirley Manson's prowess as both a songwriter and as a vocalist has matured beyond all expectations. She has never played the bitch with attitude better than on the opening track Shut Your Mouth, a cut that if the record company ever had the guts to release would be an instant angsty dance floor smash, the likes of which we haven't seen since the unrelenting Smack My Bitch Up. She has also widened her range as a singer. With Cup of Coffee she gives a touchingly vulnerable edge to the vocals without it ever feeling forced or contrived. Cherry Ups (Go Baby Go!) shows she's not all business and has a sense of humour as she parodies her rock chick sex bomb image with what can only be described as a bubblegum pop vocal. The depth of sound on the record is extraordinary with effects, strings and twisted samples hitting you from every direction, especially evident on the sassy funk of Untouchable. But for all their sonic experimentation and growth in range and confidenc·e. it's the heavy reliance on t radi· tional song writing principles which lets this record down. Just when you're getting into a song, they'll revert to a basic pop hook and flow straight back into the chorus, and that's the case with nearly every song here. Maybe I'm looking for something that 's not there, but for a band that obviously has the whole package they don't seem to be aiming very high. They seem content to produce mature pop songs for people who enjoy the instant gratification th at this music affords them, but can't stand the current pre-pubescent pap of Britney, N-Sync and the like. And I guess that's fine, because 'they do it almost to perfection. it's just a shame because there's a feeling this band could achieve so much more.

Kleran Pearson

Don't be immediately taken in by the seemingly excellent value . for money release from BMG/ Arista Records on October 8. The Saga Continues includes no less than seven interludes within the 25 strong trackllsting. The description ' project' is arguably a more suitable label than 'album'. Not all things should be valued at a cost however, and nowhere is this more evident than with Puff Daddy's latest offering, his third album. With so many artist s collaborating on one CD, it is difficult for such a release. to fail to appeal to previous fans. Faith Evans, Black Rob and earl Thomas all lend their vocal talents here, which accounts for the diverse style of music. Frem R'n'B to hip-hop, via soul and rock, P. Diddy and The Bad Boy Family create an urban atmosphere epitomised by the track Bad Boy for Life, currently ' mashing up' numerous hir:rhop nights in clubs across the country. The numerous Interludes, however, can prove somewhat annoying, adding little impact to what could prove to be an immensely well-produced collection of songs. The cautious use of "could" , however. suggests that although P. Diddy may have few problems in enticing his already established fanbase to this third offering, newcomers may find the album somewhat Inaccessible. lt is certainly not the type of album to have on In the background, purely for the fact that some tracks are irritatingly repetitive, most notably "DIDDY". Had they been omitted, this could have made for a more concise, yet better quality album.

Perseverance is the key with this production. The excessive use of samples and voiceovers may be annoying, but this is only a small disguise for what the album truly represents, which is essentially a very talented group of artists. Be patient and this may prove a very welcome alternative in your collection to the countless commercial R'n'B compilations currently avail· able. Be experimental, but just don't expect to love it first time around.

M ark Wheeler If

V/..LU

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October 3, 2001

.d.J

You can't keep a good band down. That's clearly the message as Therapy? return with this, their best album since 1994's classic Troublegum. Gone is the awkwardness and Jack of hooks which so dogged predecessor Suicide Pact- You First, as the band have rediscovered t heir lost pop sensibilities. But in no way is this a happy guitar record. This is deviant humour, as delightfully dirty as unprotected sex with your best friend' s mother. Therapy? are ready t o twist again.

There is a genuine sense of tribute about this album. The band throws in references lyrically to The Stooges, Redd Kross (remember them?) and The Ramones, and there are obvious musical nods to Sham 69 and Queens of the Stone Age, and even to the Glitter Band! But at no point do Therapy? fall into the old t rap of apeing anyone completely. Andy Cairns has surpassed himself in the writing department, leading to probably his most consistent album, and the well-balanced production of Jack Endino has helped the music to retain a raw, near abrasive edge. Don't fret though, pop fans; Therapy? have still got a hummable side to them· but it's the kind of hum a sawmill blade makes.

Kicking off with Gimme Back My Brain, the band makes a final attempt to lay the Troublegum ghost to rest, Cairns roaring "I'm sick and tired of going nowhere•, in an obvious reference to the classic track of the same name. Steady efforts in the shape of Dance and This One's For You follow, before we hit one of two real stand out t racks in the shape of I Am The Money. A tribute to late Northern Irish motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop is one of the cleverer efforts on the album too.

From then on it's a romp to the finish. with Tango Romeo the highlight of the tail end.

Therapy? are, guite simply, back to their best. Looking for something good? This one's for you then.

Anthony Lovell

3,10

Singles 15

Stereophonics: Step on my old Size Nines Dishwater. Dull. As. Three random words that this, the Stereophonics' latest offering to the single-buying masses, conjures up upon first listen. And the numerous listens after that. Releasing a live, acoustic version of the song instead of the album version is a good idea, but that's possibly the most interesting thing about this single.

Step On My Old Size Nines is a very derivative song, and although Kelly Jones' attempts at pathos and poignancy don't go unnoticed they don't exactly Inspire either. "Are you gonna get old and laugh with someone?" he whines, and that's the problem. This isn't Bends-era Thom Yorke wailing brilliantly about his iron lung, but a sub-par Llam Gallagher (no, really) extending the last syllable of every line and destroying any potential there may have been for a powerful and emotive song. Towards the end, Mr Jones decides to repeat the word ·around" 17 times over a ridiculous 56 seconds. By that time, you really just want him to plss off and stop singing. The two B-sides, live acoustic versions of Everyday I Think Of Money and Just Looking, might be of interest to the already-converted, but will do nothing to tempt anybody else .

Mlscha Pear/man

Turin Brakes

Emergency 72

Unjustly pigeonholed with the New Acoustic Bedwetters, the Brakes answer their critics with this luscious single. The singer's fey breathy purr initially evokes Marc Bolan, soaring into a piercing falsetto with all the power and the glory of the young Richard Ashcroft. This single 's marred only by an underwhelming chorus that drags towards the end. it 's backed with a couple of ace B-sides. The epic six -minute Noose is perhaps better than the title track, veering from plangent guitar noodling to explosive crescendos. The First Time is a more melodic take on Radiohead 's recent work , in which mellow Nashville chord sequences unwind over fiuing static. Everybody Knows is sadly not a cover of the Leonard Cohen song but a disappointing indle strumalong. Nevertheless, th is is a fine single which shows up Chris Martin as the dreary little milksop that , let's face it, he always was.

Jamle Muffay

Elbow:

Dread zone: Be l ieving In It Good remixes are hard to come by and maybe that is what makes Believing In lt such a strong single.

From the chilled dance dub vi be of the Dubweiser remix to the up tempo drum and funk of the Trocadero remix , Believing In lt manages to accommodate the mood of the listener, skilfully blending an ambient crash-out vibe with a beat that could fill a dance floor .

However, the real gem on th is single has to be the Drumatic Twins rem ix. Recommended by house dance legend Seb Fontaine, t he mix brings out the aci d jau guitar lick with the dub bass-line to create a sound that is pure funk . To sum up the rev1ew, "The only way you 're gomg to get free is to get loose; And the only way you 're going to get loose is to dance; So come on! " Kleren McSweeney

Newborn -rndia Arie:

TV and rad io coverage, along with a Mercury nomination, have seen Elbow's profile raised considerably recently and this should take th ings a step further . Parallels to Radiohead and Coldplay will be made, but to be honest, it doesn't have the nerve tingling power of the former or the emotive appeal of the latter. Newborn starts as a yearning, acoustic song, albeit with some grating lyrics ( "I 'll be as deaf as a post, if you hold me like a newborn1 and what's all that morbid stuff about " corpses"? Anyway , it's the seven and a half minute album version which reveals the band's true prog-rockin' co,lours. Only after three or so minutes does the song shift into a higher gear and this is where its strengths lie. So is the single version just a glimpse of what Elbow can really offer? Go and find out at the Wes Finch Waterfront on October 23rd.

Brown Skin

Brown Skin from India Arie offers a unique blend of soul and acoustic flavours , with a truly melodic voice that soothes the airwaves.

The record is a great chill-out tune for the early mornings and the cafes, especially after a heavy night out, bringing even the highest flyers back down to earth .

The third track offers a remix of Brown Skin from the Urban Wolves, giving a blend of hip-hop and R'n' B for the fans of these particular genres.

The best aspect of India Arie's Brown Skin is the fact that it holds very few generic expectations, as the song itself is a blend of old and new R'n'B and hip-hop. As Arie states, "I just wanna be me ", and I truly recommend it .

Andrew Fuller

Talking About Drug Use ...

'The Experience of Hem-Problematic Illicit Drug Use ' Is a research project exploring the persona/Issues of drug use from the perspect ive of users themselves, currently In prtJ#ress at the University of East Anglia.

I am the pnncipal researcher looking into non-problematic drug use by those aged over 25 - a group that has been largely ignored so far in academic research about drug use. The research will be used to contribute to a better understanding of drug use, which IS often undermmed by sensationalised med1a reporting and biases in academic knowledge towards problematic drug use and addiction . lt is hoped that the findings of this project will have 1mportant theoret ical and political Implications. appreciate the sensitive nature of the topic , but think that it is important to fill in the gaps in existing knowledge about drug use. I want to talk tO anyone aged over 25 who incorporates drug use as part of their lifestyle, and considers this use to be non-problematic.

1

Interviews are currently underway, and prospective interviewees are mvited to contact the researcher, Ca1tl in Thoday , for further informat ion . All quenes will be t reated in the strictest of confidence, with no obl igation to participate Ca1tlm Thoday School of Psyc hosoc ial Stud1es. Eli zabeth Fry Bu1ld1ng. Umversity of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ. Tel: 01603 593632 (office hours). e-mall: c.thoday@uea.ac.uk If you prefer. please complete and detach the form below and return 11 via UEA internal mall . You w1ll be contacted shortly . ............... .................... ..................... ..

Name (use alias 1f preferred) ................. ................................................. .

Address (not essent ial ) Telephone Numbe~ ........:::::·.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::·.:::::::: E-ma1l ..................................................................................................... .

Preferred form of contact Post phone e-mail

Pictures: 1. (top) Stereophonics 2. (above right) Dreadzone 3. (directly above right) India Arie 4. (directly above left) Elbow

Thank you for tal(/,_ the trouble ro read th1s advert • IIOC>k forward to spesk.lfll to you

We dnes d ay, Oc to ber 3. 2001

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16 Film

Amelie from Montmartre 11

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Snubbed and den i ed a screen i ng at Cannes this year, Amelie enjoyed sweet revenge with a huge box office opening in France. Will the triumph continue?

As a nation, the first reaction Britain has to anything that comes through the Channel Tunnel is to send it back to the nearest Red Cross centre until it decides to go home. With this film we can make an exception. Prepare to transport yourself into the fertile imagination of Amelie, a woman with a wish to make the lives of others better. The film takes place in Paris just after the death of Princess Diana in 1997 where Amelie Poulai n is "a shy young woman with a pronounced taste for \ife'&'sma\1 pleasures ." But the drop of an ice cube leads her to a chain of events which invoke a willing ness to change the lives of other people around her. Though Ame lie's devotion to helping other people makes her happy, will she ever experience the love and intimacy she has longed for?

During an intense and sharply edited introduction (think Fight Club meets The Renault C\io adverts). we are dynamically introduced to the main characters in the film. Through a qu ick and concise voiceover we are not only told the names of each character. but also small snippets of information about them. For example, we are informed Raphael Poulain enjoys stripping off large pieces of wallpaper while redecorating, but is not partial to standing next to other men in urinals. it is these smal l glimpses of the inner workings of each individual's psyche that enable us to build up a vivid picture of their character. And, as anyone who's seen any other Jean-Pierre Jeunet masterpieces such as Delicatessen, City of Lost Children and Alien Resurrection knows, it's characters that matter, dammit! (yes I'm talking to you Moulin Rouge). The personalities of the people on the screen really come to life. it's as if Renoir had given up his day JOb to become a f1lm director.

Jeunet understands the importance of the look of each charac ter. alleged ly casting the part of Amel1e Poulain after seeing Audrey Tautou·s face on a poster for her last film Venus beaute. opposite his house in France. lt may have been a gamble at the

event

~~ednesday,

October 3,

time, but boy did it pay off. Tautou cautiously treads the fine line between child like innocence and mischief without ever becoming tiresome. She is also quite simply stunning, filling up the cinema screen with ease, reacting to the came ra w ith slight smi les and glances that let the audience feel as if they're there with her. The role of Amelie's reluctant love interest, Nino Qu incampoix, is played with aloofness by Mathieu Kassov itz, better known to the rest of the world as the director of the classic La Haine. Kassovitz seems uncomfortable with the romantic lead role of Nino, but it is precisely this unease which adds to the personality of a character which eternally seeks to avoid placing himself in the spotlight. I doubt the re is enough space in this review to give each of the actors the praise they deserve. Suffice to say that the Jeunet regulars should get credit , including the always excel lent Dominique Pinon playing Joseph, Serge Merlin as "the man of glass" and the man simply known as 'Rufus' playing Amelie's increasingly perplexed father.

Unfortunately the te rrorist attacks in the US overshadowed the achievement made by Amelie when it won the prestigious peoples choice award at the Toronto international film festival (Jeunet didn't even collect his award). But I sincerely doubt that this will be the last we hear of the film on the awards Circuit. Which is why you shou ld watch it now, before it wins the Oscars. Crouching Tiger has already shown us that we needn't be afraid of reading the subt itles (a word of warning though. don't sit too near the front).

In a world that is beginning to dangerously mirror the disaster epics, can we still class fantasy movies such as Die Hard or Con Air. escapist? Where do we look now for a new ex penence? Look no further than the eccentnc world of the young French woman , Amel1e.

Z ac Walsh

2001

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Fi 1m 17

The Score:

Directed by Frank Oz Starring: Marlon Brando, Robert de Niro and Edward Norton

Rumours of a trouserless 300 pound Brando stalking the set have done wonders for The Score's public profile. Such salacious set scandals fail to save this run-of-the-mill heist movie.

Three actors, representing the past, present and future of cinema star in The Score; Marlon Brando is the old rich guy who sets up heists for surrogate son Robert De Niro. De Niro himself is at the peak of his powers as a master safecracker, but is thinking about retiring. After pulling off a successful job Brando tells De Niro of another very large job -the only catch being the· high risk involved. The key to this last big score is Edward Norton - a young talented criminal who is the inside man that needs De Niro to break a very tough safe. De Niro eventually accepts (as these criminals always do) -partly because his friend Brando needs the money, partly because De Niro wants to retire with his girlfriend played by Angela Bassett. The rest of the film is very formulaic, and suffice to say you can-spot the two plot "twists• a mile off. While the big three put In adequate performances, the film's rigid structure does not allow them space to show how good they really are. Brando's last decent performance was in Apocalypse Now, while De Niro's was arguably in Casino. However they have proved themselves as great actors, and can hardly be expected to reach the heights of their classic movies every time. That said, if the plot hadn't just been a build up to a bank heist, I feel they would have performed better. Norton puts in a solid performance as he always does, but this isn't the movie to see whether he can make good on the promise of stardom, which his performance in Fight Club suggested. There is a sense of genuine tension in the plot and there are some nice camera angles but The Score Is just an average film with an above average cast. Moviegoers looking to see a vintage performance between the three actors will be disappointed. Because of this the film gets a 7 - it is entertaining but it is only a robbery film - no matter who's in it. Rent out Heat if you want to see De Niro put in a superb performancealong with AI Pacino, as a master criminal looking for one final pay off.

Matthew Wrlght

7/10

The· Pledge:

Directed by Sean Penn Starring: Jack Nicholson. Robin Wright Penn. Aaron Eckhart

Sean Penn's third film as director turns out to be his best yet. Jack Nicholson plays the embattled cop whose unsteady grip on reality begins to slip in this dark-hearted chiller.

Question: what do Benicio del Toro, Jack Nicholson, Sam Sheppard, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Har'ry Dean Stanton, Aaron Eckhart, Vanessa Redgrave and Mickey Rourke all have in common? Answer: they all star in this fantastic film from Ridgemont High graduate, Sean Penn.

Time was when Sean Penn had it all, he was Mr Eighties right

down to his frosted tips. He was mad, bad and dangerous to know and to top it all, he was married to Madonna. But times change and Mr Penn has mellowed somewhat. At 41 (yes real· ly) Penn is now establishing himself as a first rate director, critically if not commercially. He is a family man and apparently he even gave up his trademark cigarettes on his 40th birthday.

Throughout his notorious career, Penn's commitment to film has never been in doubt, despite his well publicised temper and his tendency for less than law-abiding activity, he has continued to clock up strong performances each one better than the last.

Who can forget his heartbreaking portrayal of doomed death row inmate Matthew in Dead Man Walking or his arrogantly pathetic jazz musician in Woody Alien's Sweet and Lowdown?

And it is perhaps a shame that he remained firmly fixed behind the camera in The Pledge, although this film can hardly com· plain of a lack of star presence.

Apparently Penn wanted to concentrate fully on the directing and distance himself from the action. Judging from The Pledge, this was a tactic that paid off. Based on a book by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt, The Pledge is Penn's most accomplished film to date. lt is by turns dark, mysterious and utterly chilling· all of which may account for its lack of business at the US box office when it was released way back in January. Never the less, Penn is unapologetic: "The American audience is very interested in being comfortable, so I was very happy to go out there and take a few people by surprise. • it is now out on video in the States and is building up a groundswell of goodwill, as people recommend it to their friends and discuss the baffling conclusion in cafes. All of which is good news for a film that richly deserves to be seen yet has been subject to an unfair run of luck which includes being withdrawn from the Berlin film festival due to a legal dispute between its American producer and ·its German distributor.

Nicholson plays the lead with characteristic abandon, revisiting the same thin ice between reason and insanity that he lpst trod with Kubrick in The Shining. Indeed, it is hard to remember a performance from Nicholson that has been this good since then.

Now ageing quite rapidly, Nicholson is given the perfect role of retiring detective Jerry Black hell-bent on honouring the pledge he made on his last day of official service. This promise turns to obsession as he hunt-s a child serial killer eerily referred to as "The Wizard", against all the advice of his dwindling bunch of friends. To give out any more information on the plot would surely ruin a film that is full of tightly written twists and surprises that will leave you both heartbroken and aghast. it's definitely not escapist and you will need a strong will to not be affected, but this film proves Penn's importance as potential saviour of an increasingly shallow American film industry.

Merek Cooper

8/10 Wednesday. October 3. 2001

event

18 Video

One Night at McCool ' s ••

Directed by Harold Zwart

n-:11,.,....,

Starring· Liv fyler, f-A--++

"'1d John Goodr1an

Bad taste, bondage and a buxom beauty make One Night at McCool,s seem a tantalising prospect. Take a moment to consider the motives ...

Music-video director Harald Zwart unashamedly exploits Liv Tyler's volupt uous physicality for all it s worth , in t his funny but crude comedy. The fil m fee ls like a fifties detective-movie spoof, set in a colourful pop-art world.

The cleverly origin al opening t akes the traditional crime fil m liaison point the underground car park - and replaces it with the Bingo hall. lt also takes the hard-nosed bu sinessman of Wall Street and The Game, Michael Doug las, and gives him a big hairdo, a red tracksuit, fake teeth and a bad complexion. This is a good display of Zwart's ability to kee p his audience engaged through stylistic bombardment, even if he is not as worried about offending them along the way (something which may point to his screen advertising background).

The well -structured plot begins with a narrative recap of that one night at McCool's, the dive bar in which three men eac h meet their dream girl, embodied as Jewel (Liv Tyler) . earl (Paul Reiser), a lawyer, sees her as his smuttiest sex fantasy; Dehling (John Goodman), a police officer, sees her as the virtuous replacement for his dead wife; and Randy (Matt Dillon) , a barte nder, sees her as t he simple girl he'd like to move into his house .

Narrated from each man's point of view, we witness their helplessness as Jewel bewitches t hem, primarily from the waist down , and acts out the role of manipulative femme fatale.

This first movie to come out the production Company owned by Michael Douglas, Further Films, it boasts a fabulous cast, but lacks the depth to make it as a truly great movie . The main reason for this is the weakness of Jewel's character, which may be in part due to the filmmaker's fundamentally flawed concept of every man 's fantasy - a physically attractive female who gets dressed up whilst doing the housework . Now, I know a lot of men might be quietly thinking, "yes that pretty much covers me", but that's the whole reason why the direc t or knows he can get away with so much that borders on the taste less. One particular scene, which at best could be taken as a pastiche of an eighties playboy video, features Liv Ty ler plus hose, soap and a great deal of wetness washing a car, all in slow mot1on.

The overall effect of this tasteless set piece was to make me question whether thiS was just a moment of adolescent fantasy gone too far or was it that I had missed the joke somehow? If you can get passed this bad taste element , eventually you hit upon some very original seedy slapstick comedy of an overtly black nature. I 'I I leave you with a little sample: Regarding Liv Tyler, Paul Reiser exclaims "it's like having a porn star m my house. but she 's mak1ng salad" and it 's not long before he is chattmg devotedly to his kids on the phone while decked out in leather and chains.

In short, if you're willing to put up with the smut , don't miss this absurdly grotesque comedy. If not , stay away.

Metin Alsanj ak ;..

,/.l.v

Bridget Jones's Diary:

Directed by Sharon Maguire Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant

I ncom i ng! Fell as t ak e cover , your precious liv i ngrooms are soon to be i nvaded by a dru nke n horde of your girlfriend's be st mates.

Bridget Jones Diary; a frank and honest account of life as a thirty somethmg. lt 's almost a warn1ng to us that have recently progressed from 'teen· to 'ty' that when you hear the next age landmark, you don't drink less, you haven't met your true love and you are not suddenly a gourmet cook , throwing sophisticated dinner parties left right and centre . No, you are destined to a life of cheese on toast and takeaway pizzas, then there are support pants. bad hair days and a senous lack of a significant other .

A bleak picture isn't it? So, not only do you have to worry about being thousands of pounds in debt when you graduate. you also face the prospect of a frustratmgly single twenties and an ever expanding waistline, despite switching from cider (tres fattening) to gin and slimline tonic. Oh . and you also have to contend With your parents getting increasingly stranger. If Bridget's parents are anything to go by, those family holidays were nothing compared to the embarrassment that l1es ahead, as we see Bndget's mother play matchmaker, demonstrate a phallic like egg peeler and find a fancy man in the shape of a Bob Monkhouse lookalike QVC presenter.

Despite this scary look at our potent ially future selves, Bridget Jones is not even nearly a depressing film. This is partly because it 1s extremely funny but also because we kind of envy her; she bags two charming , rich men . she lives in a nice flat in central London (how she manages to afford thi s IS never actually explained). and has some brilliant fn ends. In fact , some of the best moments in the book involve one or all of her friends but unfortunately the length of the film den1es the audience some potentially knicker-wetting scenes . There are plenty of scenes

event the

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

however, that make you laugh like a tit. The acclaimed 'fight' scene for one , in which we see two execs played by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant flail around, apologising profusely to those who are in the fi ring line, and even pausing to sing Happy Birthday to a diner at a restaurant after crashing through the window.

Despite initial concerns about the plausibility of an American playing what is a quintessentially English character, Rene Zewellger shone as Jones, her Texan twang miraculously trans· formed into a passabl e middle England accent. Tak ing the part of cad Daniel Cleaver was also a good move for Hugh Grant , who w111 no longer be perceived solely as a rent -a- fool (c omplete w1th stutter), as he plays the charm1ng arsehole to great effect. Col m Firth is the smouldenng gentlemen as ever, looking pretty damned fme in his lawyers robes whilst also throwing a good punch to save a damsel in distress, sigh .

Bridget Jones the video (s sure to be a big hit since all those wimpy men who didn't dare go to the cinema to watch a 'chick flick ' will be flocking to rent it for their 'girlfriends', when actually they have been dying to see what has become a talked about film . And they will enjoy 1t, but of course they will never admit so. Meanwhile we girls can watch it time after time, eventually becoming brain washed to the point that "fuckwit" becomes a regular part of our vocabu lary (not excluding essays) plus we begin to spot those with smug married potential and st eer cl ear.

I'd rather be a funky spinster l1ke Bridget any day.

Liz Hutchinson

9/10

TV/Radio 19

Essential TVOl路

Lost C4 10.30pm Mondays

The stream of reality-based programmes tha~ have bombarded our screens for so long, is offering no signs of showing us mercy ... ever. This week Channel 4's Lost is poised to invade our screens. Beginning on the October 1' , Lost is a mix of Big Brother, Airport, and Survivor, so diehard junkies are in for a treat.

Lost creator Rob Davis says "I had the idea in the Caribbean after I'd had a bit too much to drink with my father-in-law ".

Clearly. Basically, three teams of two moronic, blindfolded people are flown halfway across the world and, wait for it ... they haven't the foggiest idea of where they're gojng. Their mission: to race back to Nelson's Column. "I thought this was a chance for some real adventure," raved Rob, "How do you get back from a place when you don't even know what country you're in ... these people were in real trouble." No Rob, these people are on telly.

As well as the contestants, the brave souls following them (the cameramen) also have no clue where they are, which was apparently an "adrenaline rush" (and probably a bulging pay packet) . The reward for the foolish contestant s? Well, in a cruel and unforgivable twist of fate, the prize is ... to do it all again!

Rob insists that "Safety was paramount" because funnily enough, simply stranding people in hostile environments can be hazardous. Therefore, two years were put into planning Lost, not to mention two whole days of S.A.S. training. To add "variety," hazardous terrains, like desert, mountain and jungle were used, no doubt to add to our viewing pleasure as we watch misfortune unfold with relish.

Plus, as in any successful reality programme, Lost also incorporates the magical element of the contestants being strangers ... cue hissy fits and temper tantrums a-go-go while stomping off across frozen lakes in Canada.

If nothing else, with Lost, mad producer Rob Davis demonstrates that with loads of cash and even more booze, drunken ravings really can come true.

Serena Mu"ay

Essential Radio路 National Poetry Day Radio Four

Essential Soaps: Take the phone off the hook, put the chain on the door and switch the kettle on. Done that? Good, because this week you're in for a blinder down in Albert Square. We've seen Phil thwarted by a bullet, dastardly Steve commit murder, and even mad Joe (or Jaw, as his mother called him) wearing a dirty green jumper and wrapping his worldly possessions in bacofoil.

However, these acts will pale in comparison with this weeks historic events. This week promises teenage mothers, hen parties, Eastenders fights that we all know and love, and incest.

Yes, incest. Because unless you've had your head stuck in a flowerpot, or The Guardian, you'll know that this Kat(Zoe/'Arry triangle had to be explained soon or our brains would explode.

You see, Zoe thinks she's off to Menorca with her good old Uncle 'Arry, but before she leaves she will discover two fundamental things; that her uncle Is her father and her sister is her mother. Poor old Kat, she may wear terrible lipliner that makes her look like a frog, but I might actually begin to feel compassion for her this week. As for Boon , well we always knew he wouldn 't last three months didn't we? I'm looking forward to his fight with Charlie this week , maybe he'll club him over the head with a bottle of Jamesons, or something, that's if he can cope with the double vision.

At the request of all around me, I will cease with this incessant wittering about Eastenders and move on to Chester and Hollyoaks, where Laura has her evil way with Mandy's car keys, stealing them the day before her test, and returning them at the last possible moment. The moral of the tale? Jealousy is a very bad thing that makes you be nasty to your friends .

Also on Hollyoaks, the sexual tension between Mandy and Luke has been brewing for years, and a naughty liaison is imminent, the Battle of the Bands goes pear-shaped, and at last Alex admits that he is still in love with Anna. Now maybe they can ride off into the sunset together on white horses, or maybe go as far as Birkenhead, on the bus.

What troubles me about Neighbours at the moment is the fact that nobody, absolutely no-one in that bloody town has actually addressed the fact that Toadie is a MINGER. Why do people talk to him? And , worse still, why do people fancy him? This week he is seduced by his would-be mother in law . WHY? Look out for a proposal too, as Darcy and Tess finally get their act together. Wedding bells in Ramsey Street!

Savour it while you can, they 'll be moving to Brisbane soon.

Happy Poetry Day! Thursday October 14th is a day dedicated to both avid and amateur poetry readers alike. For those of you who think poet路 ry is beyond your reach , or just a bore, think again as National Poetry Day involves many different elements of writing sure to catch anyone's fancy.

This year's selections focus on the theme "Journeys." Ten different poets are broadcast throughout the day; all of whom have written poems based on journeys. Some of the featured poets include Edwin Morgan, Pascale Petit, Paul Muldoon, Katrina Porteous, and Amarjit Chandan.

Poet Laureate and our very own prof. Andrew Motion selected each of the poems that will air on Thursday, his new poem, Thought For The Day, will air within the Today Programme in the morning (7:48am). He will also present a feature in the afternoon about the status of poetic craft in Britain today, and reflect on the day's theme, Journeys.

If you consider yourself far too cool to listen to Radio Four but harbour a secret passion for all things poetic, do not fear as you also can find the poems at www .bbc.co.uk(radio4.

Gemma 0 Donne/1

AndleFranc/s

路Essential

TV02:Joined-The Secret World of Siamese Twins C4 9.00pm Wednesday 3rd October

In a two part programme on Channel Four this Wednesday, which is to conclude the following week, documentary makers Mark Galloway and Stephen White will be trying to provide the most in-depth programme yet on conjoined twins (more commonly known as Siamese Twins).

With a rather large scope for the film, "we wanted to see how many twins there are in the world, how many parents are going through [separation] dilemmas ... and how many are separated," they have travelled the world to talk directly to the remarkable people who have managed to survive against odds wh ich are so badly stacked against them.

The rough guide for conjoined twins is one per 100,000 births but the overall survival rate is somewhere between 5% and 25%. Over the past 500 years historical records detail only 600 surviving sets which makes the main focus of the documentary , Alison Lawler and the trauma of her carrying conjoining twins, all the more intensely personal and unique.

The main moral dilemma to which the programme tries to provide some kind of answer is whether conjoined twins should be allowed to live out their natural lives, or should doctors be allowed to try to separate them, even if this means the probable or certain death of one child .

With the case of Jodie and Mary being so well documented in the press last summer, where one of the twins died for the other to live, this film should help show us the aftermath of such difficult cases across the world.

Director Stephen White describes making the film as "a very difficult process that took one-and-a-half years of researc h and filming", but it wasn 't without its much happier stories. Hassan and Hussein, two London-born conjoined twins who were separated, are now in their early teens.

After the separation both boys had only one leg each, but are still glad for the operation . They have their independence from each other but share a remarkably close relationship, literally they still sleep in the position they were born. Metln Alsan}ak

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

ev~nt

.

(_

20 Arts

Theatre Review:

f he

Mystery of Charles Dickens Theatre Royal

Spending an evening learning about the more perverted side of Charles Dickens does not sound like the kind of thing that can be transformed into a one-man stage performance. But Simon Callow, making up the funeral in Four Weddings And A Funeral had a dam n good go at it . Eit her reclining in a leather chair or flitting about stage in a frenzy of energy, he personified Dickens, portrayed some of his most renow ned cha racters and regurgitated quotes from such figures as Waiter Bagehot and William Blake. Written by Peter Ackroyd an d directed by Patrick Garland, the performance was designed to tell the story of Dickens' life in chrono logical order. Indeed the audience did come away feeling like they had just been exposed to a twohour lecture on his life and t imes. Yet this is perhaps one of the main flaws wi t h the performance: that it was not engaging enough for the audience and left minds to wander. Yet t here we re times when Callow was in his element, most noticeably when act ing out Dickens ' beloved characters; the murdering of Nancy by Bill Sykes was especially poignant . At other times, however, t he charac ters seemed to merge int o one wit h Dickens, suggesting that the performance wou ld have benefited from a few more actors. An actress may have been better for the younger female roles than the more-than-slight ly rotund and bearded Callow, though. Or maybe not, as he did bring something new to the 'ol d-hag' st ereotype. Dressed in a slick black suit and with a set design t hat consisted of off-set pic t ure frames, presumably to encapsulat e the stage and make the performance more personal, the au dience learnt how Dickens tried to disown his family, threw his wife out of the family house aft er 22 years of marriage, and at 43 embarked on an unusual relationship with an 18 year-old. He also didn't want any of the ten child ren he fathered, writing how they kept interrupting his work . Overall the biggest problem with the performance was the medium; it just didn't work on stage. But no doubt as a two-day Bank Holiday special, Radio Four would be onto a winner.

Charlotte Ronalds

Theatre Preview:

Book Reviews: UF-O Hunter's Handbook路 The most important thing to keep in mind whilst reading this book - and this may upset some but they need to be told - is: it 's not real. A must-have tor any paranoid and delusional fan of science fiction, or indeed, science fact (hmmm), this book tells you everything you need to know in the event of having a close encounter with an extraterrestrial life form. it contains case studies, a checklist for what to do when you see that pesky UFO and - most importantly - a section on "Conversation Starters with Friendly Overtones" for those moments when you are faced with an alien and wished that you'd polished up on your alien etiquette.

The handbook is presented in a fun , parody-li ke way and t he ironically labelled diagrams actually provide the majority of the amusement. it sneaki ly comb ines interesting bi t s of UFO t ri via with the more comedic elements, such as the "Are You An Alien?" checkl ist , which, by t ile looks of some st udent s around campus, perhaps should be left alone. The handbook also takes you carefu ll y through the different stages of UFO hunting, from how to spot a UFO to how to identify different types of alien beings.

Possibly the most useful section of the book is the UFO Hunter Identification t hat has space for a photograph and room to fill in relevant details about yourself such as name and number of eyes. A must for any fresher who fi nds dru nkenness their most common state and is prone to forgetting their identity.

So if in need of a little light amusement, t his book will probably suit you down to the ground (or should that be raise you to the sky?) - at the very least it should raise a bit of a gigg le.

Otherwise use it as a stocking-filler for your 'X-Files' obsessed litt le brother.

Laura Self

Vampire Hunter's Time and time again on television we are shown the correct way of dispersing with the average vampire , yet st ill too often we find ourselves cornered because we haven 't taken the right precautions. Are your slaying skills in desperate need of some improvement? Do you find vamp ire detainment a chore when combined with so many coursework deadlines? If so, your problems could now be solved with this informative and user-friendly manual, which covers not only the post-modern 'undead', but also legendary figures such as Vlad the lmpaler and Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Critical techniques are included on how to establish if you or someone you know is a distant ancestor of Dracula himself, so bloodsuckers beware- your days (or should it be deaths?) are numbered! The guide only contains photog raphs of actors, as real vampires have no reflection, but the rea l thing is represented in clear diagrams throughout. Few people realise that it takes more than just a stake to defeat one. A combination of garlic, holy crosses made from Chinese chopsticks and knotted pieces of string are all essential in distracting it from your real noble motives, not to mention your pu lsing jugular ve in . As we are ex pertly informed, keep the fiend busy by telling it a good story, though never invite one around for tea because when they enter your house they apparently become indestructible. Ever seen The Lost Boys? You can of course record your own gothic adventures in a handy notebook section at the back of the guide, as well as sign your personal 'Vampire Hunter Identification' card. You need never feel out of place at a Slayer convention ever again. There's even an index of vampi re books, films and programmes to aid your further research into the paranormal underworld. But remember : never go vampire hunti ng on your own. Especially in Norwich. Jonathan Rolfe

(!) CAN coNTROL THE WEATHER

I庐 LACK OF REFLECriON ... ......:~

r.: M~rr.hettO Playho use r

Not normally associated with the Norwich Playhouse, Ennio Marchetto's work is perhaps more akin to the glitzy and ritzy (ahem) lights of t he London Palladium. Yet Italian Marchetto's 'living cartoon ' actually consists of parodying famous people and the odd has-been, helped in part by t he destruction of a small forest. Usi ng cardboard cut-outs, Marchetto's act consists of thousands of costume changes, including the Mona Lisa, Ricky Martin and Dolly Parton. Chest and all.

Described as being a 'unique' performer, Marchetto's virtuoso performance, debuting in 1990, is a display of technical ingenuity, extraordinary physical dexterity and pure carnival entertainment. He even received the Olivier nomination in London and a Drama Desk nomination in New York.

Th is is not just a one-man show, however. Well , okay , there will only be one man on stage during the actual performance, but costume designer, Sosthen Hennekam, has also played a big role over the years. Also Marchetto's eo-director, Hennekam studied costume and fashion design in Paris, where he worked with Jean Paul Gaultier.

Coming to the Playhouse for just two shows th is Saturday , should cardboard , big red smacking lips and miming be your thing, then get in quick as tickets look set to sell out.

Charlotte Ronalds

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Arts 21

Theatre Review:

r

Mallarme had the greatest of praise for the blank page; he saw no need to add to a world brimming with superfluity. David Hare, along with other leading playwrights, should have kept this in mind when writing, with The Secret Rapture being a case in point. Some critics, notably Berkoff, have difficulty with the stylised approach of Hare, but as we step into the 21st century one stands accused of greatness, the other more seriously accused of rape.

The Secret Rapture is ostensibly an ultra-subtle and oblique social satire based upon the excesses of 'Thatcherite' Britain.

Many of the moral and social viewpoints now regarded as mainstream were only just beginning to seep into the British psyche, as Anthony Sampson comments "What I hadn't realised was that... by the end of the '80s we were going to be left with a rubble of values and principles and with much less morality."

Kirsten Riley, co-ordinator of Playwrights East and former UEA student, has not only taken on such a challenging piece but made her directorial debut with it. Riley is well known for both her ability as an actress and for adept casting but has only recently decided to take on the role as a Gu~st Director at the Maddermarket Theatre. The move to directing is perhaps not surprising, though the choice of play is.

In conversation with Riley during rehearsals the enthusiasm was more than evident and, in T.S. Eliot words, the sense that "between the idea and the reality falls the shadow" prevailed.

The play, like Skylight, is very personal and emotive. Both, in a sense that is purely '90s, have reduced the political ideas to the micro level and this is precisely the reason why the play is difficult to perform. No one character prevails like Jimmy in 1 Look Back In Anger, and the strength is the verbal interplay and spaces that each event contains. Riley insist~ that this is an intellectual evaluation of the '80s in that it describes "the way that values and ideals have seeped through and influenced those who seemingly gained under Mrs Thatcher's government."

The opening night has enhanced the standing of Riley and her debut, if not stunning, was admirable. Many in this theatre have taken on less and have only proved that Mallarme was correct.

The direction was controlled and the play maintained a level of fluidity and momentum from the first scene to the last. The plot is involved and considers the way in which the social values of the post-war era were cast asunder and how, in some ways, those that held them rapidly became out of touch with the rampant individualism of the late '80s. Riley impresses in the way

The Secret Rapture Maddermarket Theatre

she maintains both the light and dark without recourse to either farce or sentimentality. The cast in this production is very strong and is able to complement each other, while in Marion Sessions we can see everything that we wish to in a Conservative Junior Minister. In some ways this stands out as a rite of passage for each of the characters and Hare presents us with the cyclical nature of life and how events can change our own perspective. The only real drawback with the play is not

the politics, humour, cast, or even the set. but the younger audience. For many the '80s is not a conscious political period and one wonders how they can comprehend this period. But, as Riley states, "Yes, I do wonder how people who haven't known it will respond, but the play also has a story and hence works on several levels."

lames Brown

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22

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Film:

City

Planet of the Apes Ster Century Wed , Thu UC / Mon - Sun

A Knight 's Tale Ster Century Wed, Thu UCI Mon - Sun

Rush Hour 2 Ster Century Wed, Thu UC/ Fri- Thu

All films start at 8 .30 p.m. and are shown in Lecture Theatre One

Artificial Intelligence Ster Century Wed, Thu UCI Mon- Sun

Scary Movie 2 Ster Century Wed, Thu UCI Mon-Sun

Captain Corelli 's Mandolin Thu rsday October 4

Crazy/ Beautiful UC/ Mon - Sun

The Martins UCI Mon- Sun

The Mummy Returns Friday October 5

Fast and the Furious Ster Century Wed . Thu UCI Mon - Sun

The Hudsucker Proxy Cinema City Sat Oct 6 14.30 Sun Oct 7 17.00 Mon Oct 8 20.15

lS 1n Campus

Down to Earth Tuesday October 9

....

Heartbreakers Ster Century Wed , Thu UCI Fri - Mon , Thu

Shrek Thursday October 11

Jurassic Park 2 UC/ Mon- Sun

Late Night Shopping Friday October 12

What 's Cooking Cinema City Oct5 - 6 Oct 8 - 9 Oct 10 - 11

17.45 17.45 20.15 14.30 20.15

Moulin Rouge Cinema City Mon 3 - Tue 4, 14.30 20 .15 Ster Century Wed, Th u UCI Mon · Sun

Evolution Friday October 19

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event Wednesday,

October 3, 2001

Superfly Mojos Funk and hip-hop £3

Jitterbug 1 Jam Po Na Na Funky drum'n'bass 1 house Free b4 10pm. £2 after DJ Jam Hys Charts and Dance £1 Flockin' Sheep Ikon Charts and Cheese £2 b4 llpm

Lucky Break UCI Mon - Fri

Spy Kids Thursday October 18

Wednesdays

Meltin' Pot The Alibi Jazz. funk and soul

Le Secret Cinema City Wed 3 - Thu 4, 5.45

Blackboards Tuesday October 16

Clubs

Music: Gigs

WeRK Manhattans

Thursdays 70s Night Hys Retro £2 (NUS)

Wednesdays

Isotonic Kafe Da Progressive trance and house Free

Super Furry Animals LCR October 10 £14

Spank Time House £1 b4 11pm (N US)

Dreadzone Waterfront October 10 £8.50

Value for Money Liquid House £2 b4 11pm

Sat ur days

Bassment Mojos R'n 'B and hip hop

Gunz'n' Rozes Waterfront October 7

£71£6

Mond ays Mark B & Blade October 9 Waterfront £8 The Charlatans LCR October 13 SOLD OUT! !

Tuesdays The End (Feat. Earthtone9, Subvert and many more) Ferryboat I Waterfront 14th October

£91£8

Twisted Skunk I Bottom Heavy Po Na Na Discofide Breakbeat I funky breaks and beats and Lat in grooves.

Free b4 10pm, £2 after.

The LCR disco LC R (duh) £3 Charty Handbaggy The Loft Gay night

Fridays Delirium The Concept House, garage an d R n' B. Hy Times Hys Dance ant hems £3

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•

Hot Ikon Pop and commerical dance £4 b4 11pm lt's the Business Liquid £2 b4 11pm Marvel 1 Gas Station The Loft Hip hop, funk £3 b4 11pm, £4 after.

Gorgeous Manhattans Hardhouse and Trance £5 b4 11pm Elegance Mojos

Mondays Aockln' Sheep Ikon Charts an~ commercial dance £2 b411pm Funky Jam Carwash Liquid Retro £2 Underground Mojos Lo-fi and non-commerical lndie £2.50 (NUS) Play Po Na Na Disco, funk Free

Saturdays Meltdown The Waterfront lndie

£41£3 Satisfaction Hys House and Swing Status The Concept Chart and retro £ 3 b4 11pm, £3.50 after.

Refresh Ikon £5 b4 11pm Saturday Rewind Mojos Chart, dance, garage Butter Me Up 1 Underdog Po Na Na Funky house 1 jazz beats £3 after 9pm

Sundays Sunday Service Manhattans £2.50

A Streetcar named Desire Theatre Royal A dance version of one of Tennessee Will iams' most celebrated plays. Blanche DuBois stays with her sister, Stella and her fierce-tempered husband, Stanley.

Trouble inevitably follows ...

Mise.

R n' B Parkslde Po Na Na House Free b4 9pm , £3 after.

The Secret Rapture The Maddermarket Set against a backdrop of Thatcher' s Britain, lsobel has to deal with life after her beloved father's death ...

Until October 6

Tuesdays National Poetry Day Ottakar's Books Readings from Pen & lnc and open mike.

Funk Friction Owens cafe Bar Slinky Hys Club anthems Free with student ID.

Adult Storytelling Ottakar's Books Erotica or just books for grown-ups. Who knows?

Might be quite fun t o find out - and it 's freel Even better.

October 5

Students Only Liquid Commerc ial dance and pop £1 b410pm

Freddle Starr Ottakar's Books He'll be talking about his new book, Unwrapped, and answering any questions.

Should anyone actual ly t urn up, that is.

October 8

Ufe Time Commercial dance £1 (NUS)

Arts

e e

Melvyn Bragg (below) UEA Lecture Theatre One He'll be discussing The Soldier's Return , which won the 1999 WH Smith Literary Aw ard, and also answering

.The a t r e ~~~o~~~s~ions.

1

I Ennlo Marchetto The Playhouse The Italian 'living cartoon' ret urns. See ~ rts Previews for more details.

October 6

GRADUATE MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN SALES AND MARKETING Are you a competitive and highly self motivated team player, looking to progress as quickly as your talents and personality will let you?

If you answered Yes to this question, then a graduate career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car could be just what you are looking for. We are looking to recruit highly energetic sales orientated individuals who are willing to work hard, and have the same commitment to customer service that Enterprise has established over the years. We are looking for the Managers of our future. We offer a fast track into Management working for a privately held, multi-billion pound corporation; our need is to find individuals capable of continuing our phenomenal growth in the UK, repeating the success stories of North America and Canada. Your job will be to learn all aspects of our business from the ground floor up, dealing with all functions of running your own small business in the decentralised structure we operate. One of the great things about Enterprise is that its up to you how quickly you get to the top.

If you are a graduate, who thinks they can make the most of these opportunities, please send your CV with a covering letter to: Miss Joss Rutherford, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, HR Dept 51/UEA, Beechwood House, Depot Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CBB OAL. jrutherford@ erac.com Recruiting for the East England area www.erac.com

Picture: The Secret Rapture, playing at t he Maddermarket

We are an equal opportunity employer • t.

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Discount tickets on all the films all the time.

All you have to do is be a student. Nothing else.

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