Volume XVIII - Otwo - Issue 10

28th February 2012 Issue X Volume XVIII

OTWO

The Arts & Culture Supplement of the University Observer

Pixie Lott d OTWO talks to pop starlet an r budding fashion designe

Also inside >>

Therapy? | Wal

lis Bird | Doug

Jones | Jimmy

Pardo

“If you’re into racing you’re going to be blown away; if you’re not, you’re going to understand why other people are” Asif Kapadia, Director of Sen

na

OTWO

contents Page 3 – Regulars

Emily Mullen hacks down a few cyclists... with her words, and Aoife Valentine assigns Hotness and Notness to things or whatever.

Letter from the Editors

Page 4 – Spiritual & Gender-related Advice Ah, you know the drill – Dixon and Mittens are here to justify their respective existences through whimsical advice giving.

Page 5 – What’s On

Elizabeth Beecham chats to former Dramsoc Auditor Edwina Casey about her latest play, Purple, now in production at the Project Arts Centre.

Page 6 – Fashion

Sophie Lioe explores some grunge alternatives for your spring wardrobe, and shines the spotlight on the importance of stylists today.

Page 9 – Food

Elaine Lavery is here once more to tell you the virtues of eggs and wine. Maybe don’t consume them together, but whatever floats your boat.

Page 10 – Travel

Jon Hozier-Byrne sinks his teeth into San Diego, while Colm O’Grada takes a look at the British Virgin Islands and Chloé Duane tumbles all the way down the rabbit hole to the Alice in Wonderland Restaurant in Tokyo.

Page 12 – Games & Technology

Beloved Japanese franchises are the order of the day as we review the latest Soulc=Calibur and Final Fantasy installments, and Steven Balbirnie sits down with Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mercher.

Page 14 – Cover Feature

Aoife Valentine spoke to Pixie Lott as she made her way to the airport. Did they finish the interview in time? There’s only one way to find out, but the answer is yes.

Page 16 – Film & TV

Senna director Asif Kapadia discusses his amazing year and his thoughts on the role of the documentary maker. Also in Film this issue, we review Margaret, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Michael, the Foursome debate the worst of Alan Rickman, and Caitríona O’Malley ranks some inspirational films, while Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin takes a trip down memory lane with Doug Jones of Pan’s Labyrinth and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame.

Page 22 – Music

Interviews with Therapy? and Wallis Bird, plus all the latest reviews, Mixtape and the ever-brilliant Duffington Post.

Page 26 – Special Feature

Jon Hozier-Byrne is back to converse with comedian and podcaster extraordinaire, Jimmy Pardo.

Page 28 – Backpage Bants

The SU candidates may be short on ideas for their campaign videos, but this issue’s VoxPoppers certainly aren’t, and George Fox sits the Ordinary Level.

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Issue 10 – Grand Prixie Lott Hey Fwends, It’s Issue Ten, what is this nonsense? With only two issues left now that this masterpiece has been completed, we’ve been refusing to succumb to laziness and sleep-deprivation and have brought you an issue as packed as a twenty-eight page supplement can get, almost entirely filled with seven different kinds of awesome.

If we’d added even one more, Otwo would have probably exploded. On the cover this week, we have Pixie Lott and her legs. That’s all we need to say about that, so let’s move on.

We also have Asif Kapadia, director of the BAFTA-winning documentary Senna, whom Dermot O’Rourke interviewed recently.

Senna is miraculous for many reasons. For one thing, it is an amazing film in its own right, but it is also solely compiled from found footage – no new footage was recorded, nor any talking heads included – and it probably packs more of an emotional punch than any film released last year. We saw it at Cineworld last summer; it was far from a soldout showing, but we’ve never seen so many grown men cry in our lives.

Dermot and Asif debate the role of the contemporary documentary filmmaker and relive what has been an intense year for the British director – see the results on page fourteen.

Issue Ten is jam-packed with interviews, including Therapy?, Wallis Bird, comedian Jimmy Pardo, Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, and the extraordinary creature-feature actor, Doug Jones. Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin spoke to Jones, who has carved an ample niche for himself in Hollywood as the go-to-guy for physical performance. He wouldn’t be recognised by many cinema-goers as he is usually under some manner of transformative prosthetic, costume or make-up, but he has surely left an indelible impression on fans of Guillermo del Toro and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has made for an interview of great interest.

Beyond that, Fashion this week concerns the role of the stylist.

Sophie Lioe looks into the rise and rise of a position that was of no value to the industry a decade ago and speaks to Eimear O’Reilly, contributor to American magazine Carbon and budding stylist in her own right, on the issue.

That’s enough to be getting on with, don’t you think? If it isn’t, well, you’re in luck – there are all the regulars, such as Dixon, Duffington, other things beginning with D, I’m sure, or maybe not, I don’t remember. It’s grand anyway; you’ll enjoy it, have a read there.

xoxo, Aoife and George

cycle path!

What’s hot and what’s not

What’s Hot Malteser Bunnies

Pinterest

Creme Eggs may have claimed Easter as ‘their’ time, and everyone might have previously been obsessed with the ins and outs of how you choose to consume yours, but if ever a Malteser in the shape of a bunny needed to pull back the reigns on that market, it’s now. Next year’s C&C officer should not rest until these become part of the normal, and not seasonal, Mars range – a much more worthwhile cause than most of the nonsense they promise.

Described as “4chan for women,” Pinterest is a virtual notice board where you can ‘pin’ images you find across the web to various boards. Visting the front page does result in pictures of countless cute animals, imaginary weddings, cupcakes and motivational words, rather than pedobear, lolcats and other such things that are now classified under the ‘man’ category, apparently. It’s all very pretty, in any case.

Crêpes on Campus

All is forgiven when it comes to the mental queue systems in Readers Café now that they’ve installed a permanent crêpe-making whatsit. All the fun of Lemon, for half the price, without having to leave campus; what is this nonsense? They even do savoury ones if you’re into that sort of crazy action. Om nom nom nom. Now, if they could just get some bread in the evening time, all traces of Nine One One would be forgotten.

What’s Not PETA’s new ‘Go Vegan’ campaign

PETA are not Otwo’s favourite animal rights activist group. In fact, PETA are not Otwo’s favourite anything, and their latest YouTube video, aimed at encouraging people to turn vegan, has merely cemented that in our minds. Glorifying domestic violence, particularly in such a non-sensical manner, along with their numerous other offences anytime they try to do anything, should mean PETA have to disappear forever.

Scouse Brows

Strong brows have been a recurring trend for the last few seasons but stencilling in your eyebrows in shades eleven times darker than your hair, and making them about half the width of your face, is really not on. Sure, your eyebrows shape your face, but there’s no need for them to take over your entire head. Relax with the ol’ pencil, there. We’re not even sure if you possess real eyebrows anymore.

Northern Ireland

Dear YouTube, stop showing ads before my YouTube videos, and more precisely, stop showing ads telling me how great Northern Ireland is. Sure, Northern Ireland is lovely, but rarely does a trip there work out quite like those ads. Northern Ireland doesn’t look like that day-in, day-out.

Stop lying to us, YouTube.

by Aoife Valentine

OTWO

soapbox

If your transport involves only two wheels you’d better watch out, as Emily Mullen is on the warpath against any cyclists invading her road

C

yclists, you make me want to run you over. Not that I actually would unless you pushed me, then I would happily go to prison for your murder.

Every morning, there you are, slowing making your pedal-y way through the byways of UCD. Taking your sweet time, in the middle of the road, having the bants with your fellow cyclicistic home slices. You are a breed apart from the Sunday pedalers, lycra arses I like to call them; the middle-aged men who zoom on their racing bikes with their unreal helmets and their penchant for tight-fitting cycling shorts. Although they are still cyclists, they exude a sort of Mark Cavendish-esque sexappeal, which you, sir/madam, do not. You don’t wear reflective clothing, you are not aerodynamically efficient and you are not a hobbyist. You are a different breed, the UCD cyclist, with a stupid school bag and one of your trouser legs rolled up for no good reason.

A part of me dies any time I see you starting your journey moments before I round the corner, or abruptly using the roundabout with no form of indicator, not even an arm gesture.

I see you overtaking fellow cyclists, slower cyclists – a dirty, dirty habit I’m sure you picked up at your ‘A cyclist’s guide to thug life’ meetings, held in the Astra Hall from four to six every Thursday evening.

What I want from you is a compromise: stop skipping red lights, and I will stop the ranting and the public humiliation. If you think you have enough right to be on the road than obey its rules. Those lights are red for a reason. I suggest snipers at each crossroads for cyclists that jump lights, and hop onto the path willynilly. You like our roads when it suits you, but as soon as you see the red light and the half-a -minute added on to your sitting-on-a-saddle time, you take to the path. Not when you are cycling at two kilometres an hour, and making motorists frustrated and placing them in precarious positions, no, not then.

I know you have your reasons for cycling – saving the whale, lack of funds and/or not needing a licence to cycle. I think that there should be a licence for you; every other wheeled vehicle needs one bar you. There should be an exam that you should take, a humiliating one, where you must demonstrate proper pedalling techniques and obey the rules of the road on a tandem bike, with the examiner seated behind you. Cyclists that are only learning to cycle, i.e. children, should wear L-stickers, and cycle in a padded jacket until they obey the rules of my road.

As a mouthpiece for the CCAH (Cyclists’ Crimes Against Humanity); I am antidangerous cycling and pro the proper use of the rules of the road. On your bike, you say?

Think again.

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OTWO

Mystic Mittens’ feline fortunes Taurus

Virgo

Gemini

Libra

May 14th – June 21st After years of good service, Café Brava will turn on you and your stomach.

Before her month-long holiday, Mittens drops some pearls of wisdom for you lucky, lucky non-cats once more Aries

April 19th - May 13th You’ve learned what trolling is and will decide to vote RON on everything. Tragically, no one will learn of your devilish and totally original wit due to the humourless secret ballot.

Dixie Chicks, you’ve gotta help a gal in need.

I’m in a dilly of a pickle, Dixie baby, and I just don’t know what I’m going to do.

I’ve started this new job, see, but this little lady who calls herself my boss she’s just got no clue. She doesn’t seem to get the fact that I’m a somebody in the big bad world, and so she’s talking to me like I’m a nobody.

How do I make this doll see that I’m the kinda girl who already talked her way to the top and isn’t going to sit pretty at the bottom of the food chain? I could bat my lashes at the boys, but try as I might; I just can’t bring myself to try batting for the other team.

Dixie, baby, you’ve just gotta help me out.

Yours, Ginger Nutz Listen here ‘Ginger Nutz’, First off, let me shake your hand for being the first lady-type girl to write in to me; you’re breaking new ground, Ginger. Somewhere a group of feminists (I believe the collective noun is a ‘murder’) are looking down on this article, where you ask for advice on batting your eyelashes at men to get respect in the workplace before signing it off with a pseudonym that contains the word ‘Nutz’, and deep down, they’ll know it was all worth it.

Speaking of your moxy moniker, ‘Ginger Nutz’? I don’t know what’s 4

June 22nd – July 20th You will be attacked by an overzealous canvasser. However, it will be you who will be causing the physical damage.

September 17th – October 30th Drawing dicks on campaign posters is always a great idea, and in no way does it make you look like one yourself.

October 31st – November 23rd Ladies, it’s a Leap Year. Propose to the first man you see (who isn’t related to you) tomorrow, and Mittens will ensure your eternal happiness. However, if he’s an undesirable just ignore him and move on to the next one.

Cancer

July 21st – August 10th You are tired and out of shape, so go to the gym and try to at least look like you are doing something about it.

Treadmills are always good for posing next to.

Capricorn

January 21st – February 16th Pick a Campaigns candidate and communicate your fist to their face/ boobs.

Aquarius

Scorpio

November 24th – November 29th Scorpio, you remind me of a man I once knew named Hank. He had a penchant for supervillainy and hammocks. Just thought you’d like to know.

Leo

Ophiuchus

Words with Friends is just Scrabble. Shocker!

You will spoil your ballot, because you are shit.

August 11th – September 16th

Sagittarius

December 18th - January 20th Drop out and go and find your true self... in a dole queue.

November 30th – December 17th

February 17th – March 11th Buy milk. You need the calcium, and to support our dairy industry.

Pisces

March 12th – April 18th In a shocking turn of events, you will be elected SU President.

Congratulations, let’s hope you’re only a mild disappointment.

Leave your questions for the dashing detective on the Dixon Coltrane Facebook page worse, the use of the nuts with a ‘z’ like you’re some kind of flapping mag for the shop keep’s top shelf, or the fact that you claim you have testicles, and ginger ones at that. Listen, I don’t know you. You might be tall and skinny, or some other kind of worse body shape, but there’s one thing I do know; you have balls. And I like a woman with balls.

Using my pre-scientific detective intuition, I’d bet ten dimes and a Daim bar that you are as tall and skinny as they come, as I’m sure they often do.

No piece of ankle is so confident with the cut of her jib and the lash of her eyes without good reason. You’re a lady with a lot on her plate, but I’d be willing to bet you only move the food around to keep a trim figure. After all, you’ve got jibs to be cutting.

These eyes have seen your kind before, and it’s a kind that’s kind to these eyes – but that doesn’t mean you can sail through life on your looks. I’ve had a dozen dizzy dames dance into my office, wanting me to solve the case of her dead husband who she almost definitely killed. Women need to be proactive about their career, or the old boys club will just take you for a ride, and that ride is a one-way ticket to Palookaville, with a brief layover on Layover Drive.

Dixon Coltrane Real Men Smoke on Airplanes Well Ginger, you gotta put the brakes on that ride, start screaming and know when is best to get off.

I didn’t just get the title of ‘Private Dick’ because I was a jerk in boot camp – I pick up on things. I’d wager that your boss is older than you, because she’s your boss – classic detective work there.

We know there are boys in your office, because you said so in your email – boy, I’m sure making my money this week.

We already know that you’re a girl with more leg than a mutated spider, who happens to have normal-sized legs in-

stead of spider legs. So, odds-are-evens that your boss is sexually threatened by you, because she’s no longer the apple of the shy guy’s eyes and misses the longing looks from across the office she’s grown so accustomed to. So, what do you do about it? One, you could always wear shorter and shorter skirts until she finally loses her jealous little mind, or you could just kill her, and save you the trouble. And when you do, I’ll be right here in my office, waiting for you to pretend it wasn’t you.

That’s the rub, Dixon Coltrane

PurpleHaze

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Fashion OTWO OTWO

As a striking Norwegian drama takes to the stage in the Project Arts Centre, Elizabeth Beecham speaks to UCD alumna Edwina Casey about her directing of Purple

f your last interaction with the dramatic arts was in the form of Leaving Certificate set texts then perhaps you should take a trip to Temple Bar’s Project Arts Centre to see Purple, a play by highly acclaimed Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse.

Thankfully, British playwright David Harrower has translated it into English for those whose Norwegian may be rusty. Fosse himself has described its style as “extreme realism”, and the action centres around a group of teenagers in band, rehearsing in an old, abandoned factory.

An exploration of adolescent angst drew UCD alumna Edwina Casey to direct the piece.

Casey is now a seasoned director and explains to Otwo how her time with UCD’s Dramsoc awakened in her a desire to delve into the directorial aspect of theatre. One can feel Casey’s warmth as she recollects the creative hub of Dramsoc. It was there that her emerging talent was nurtured, and she enjoyed a freedom to work on projects that she became passionate about. These experiences ultimately shaped her career ambitions, and upon completing her degree in English and Classics, she chose to pursue directing.

Her next move was to the Gate Theatre, where she worked as an assistant director and endured a “baptism of fire” that proved to be a fantastic learning curve.

“The play is all about teenagers ... and the codes of behaviour that you experience as a teenager”

Casey decided to develop on these practical experiences and was accepted to the directorial programme of the prestigious London Academy of Music and Drama. The twelve-month intensive course offers only two spaces annually and allowed her “the run of the school, to go and work with the actors and the technicians.” Her greatest lesson from LAMDA was, she believes, relating with the actors on deeper artistic level.

While the play centres on angst and darker emotions, its director represents a quietly inspiring Irish creative, realising her ambitions to produce visceral, intriguing work, which can only be a positive for Dublin’s theatrical landscape. The play centres on a band rehearsal and the dynamics between the band members and the drummer’s girlfriend. “The play is all about teenagers ... and the codes of behaviour that you experience as a teenager,” Casey believes. Thematically, it touches on grief, miscommunication and the redemptive power of love – fertile ground for any director no doubt. With no character descriptions or detail “apart from the words on the page,” no doubt Casey’s interpretation will be unique.

One senses that Casey has a distinct confidence in her own vision, which will make Purple an engaging and deeply memorable experience for any audience.

Purple is running at the Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar between February 21st – March 3rd.

Tickets are priced at €8 - €12.

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OTWO Fashion

G

runge does not exactly have the most pleasant connotations in the world. When coupled with the word ‘nineties’, it is easy to dismiss even the thought of dressing as though black is the only colour in existence and adopting a more than dodgy haircut. Yet this may just be the perfect antidote to the pretty pastels and whimsical

Michael wears: Leather jacket · €59.99 T·shirt · €11.99 Jeans and shoes · models own Christine wears: Maxi·dress · €29.99 Jacket and shoes · model’s own

florals that have been bombarding us since the fashion world uttered the words Spring/ Summer 2012. Embracing this season’s darker side is the perfect balance to the clichéd, obvious and sometimes sickly-sweet shades that we are drowned in every time we walk into a high-street shop. At the high-end

of things, a grungy aesthetic could be noted in a number of collections of Spring/Summer 2012. The iconic skull image of Alexander McQueen from seasons past is the perfect accompaniment to your outfit, and you will find it emblazoned on anything from scarves to t-shirts – just avoid wearing too much at once! The trick is subtlety – a few keys pieces mean that you can embrace this trend without looking like you are going to a Halloween party. A leather jacket, androgynous boots, metallic accessories – take your pick. Keep in mind the dishevelled hair and smoky eyes

Christine wears: Skull top · €16.00 Black skirt · €24.99 Leather jacket · as before Shoes · model’s own

g r ung

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Fashion OTWO

of the nineties grunge look, the best part being that there is almost zero effort required.

This look has been around for decades now, but it can be interpreted in so many different ways; its versatility is surprising.

If you do not feel like going head first into it, you can simply add edge to your outfit with some bold, structured jewellery or a pair of biker boots. It also serves as a handy tool to balance out a girly outfit; spring florals and dainty skirts can be toned down with a leather jacket and a whack of kohl eyeliner. Take inspiration from off-duty models such as Daisy Lowe and Erin Wasson as well as everyday celebrities like Fearne Cotton and the Olsen twins, who rarely go out the door without a checked shirt, bed-head hair and a pair of Doc Martens. Grungy can also go glam for a night out – take some chunky heeled black boots, sheer materials in dark colours (such as the New Look skirt

featured) and add some metallic highlights via your jewellery and make-up to prove that the grunge look does not have to be taken literally.

Guys can relive the glory of their Nirvana-loving days by following along the same lines as the girls – grunge is all about adopting a unisex wardrobe, the male and females versions of the same pieces. The leather jacket is still essential, just throw on a band t-shirt and perhaps a pair of Converse to tone down the look and bring it up to date.

Models: Christine Mangan and Michael O’Donnell Photographer: Caoimhe O’Donnell Stylist: Sophie Lioe All Clothes: New Look

by Sophie Lioe

Michael wears: T·shirt · €12.99 Leather jacket · as before

Christine wears: Leopard print jeans · €19.99 Scarf, jacket and shoes · model’s own

ung e

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OTWO Fashion

The stylist has rapidly become a vital part of today’s fashion; Sophie Lioe talks to Carbon contributor and stylist Eimear O’Reilly, and explores how they came to such dominance

T

he source of power in the fashion industry is a difficult thing to ascertain. Where does it emanate from, and who holds the majority of it?

One major player that has often been overlooked, and has only come to prominence within the last decade, is the stylist. Once a nonexistent post within the complicated web that is the fashion industry, the job of a stylist has gone from model dresser to creative dominance over magazine editorials, runway shows and high-fashion campaigns. Stylists, such as the influential Katie Grand, are responsible for the overall image of a brand in many ways – what would be the use of all those beautiful clothes if nobody had any idea how to put them together?

To find out more about the stylist’s place within the industry, Otwo spoke to up-and-coming Irish stylist Eimear O’Reilly, who is a regular contributor to American fashion magazine Carbon as well as commanding a growing presence at a more local level. According to O’Reilly, styling is not just glorified dressing-up; a stylist “will have more of an eye for it. She’s thinking about it ... it’s more of an art form.”

It isn’t just a random assortment of clothing according to the stylist’s own personal taste, “it’s basically marketing really” and “not just looking at magazines, looking at trends, but looking at the customer as well.”

The customer, ultimately, is whom it’s all about. In times of recession, perhaps it is true that the stylist has even more power in her hands – the power to pick and choose from companies and brands all vying for their presence to be felt, and ultimately for their clothes to sell. Take the crossover between the fashion and film industry, with the neverending cycle of red carpet events and awards ceremonies that provide the perfect platform for not only the stylist, but the designer and the actor as well. Elie Saab, for example, enjoyed overnight success way back in 2002 when Halle Berry wore one of his dresses on the night of her Oscar win. Suddenly his name skyrocketed into the public consciousness, and now rarely a Hollywood awards show goes by without one or two of his glamorous works being showcased by a few A-list names. When the combination of players strikes gold, such as in this case, the stylists who make these momentous decisions

take credit, and suddenly, they are an expensive, but crucial, commodity that every celebrity wants to get their hands on.

Ironically, in today’s celebrity-obsessed world, even the stylists themselves have become famous. Take the formidable Rachel Zoe, who has dressed everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Keira Knightly, and has become such a recognisable fixture in the fashion world that she landed her own TV series, The Rachel Zoe Project, and she has even gone on to establish her own clothing line and media group. She is the perfect example of the sheer power that stylists can wield when armed with the right clients and drive to make it to the top; enough to convince anyone that stylists aren’t merely over-priced personal shoppers.

Not even the music industry can avoid the seemingly unstoppable influence of the stylist.

Do you love Lady Gaga’s out-of-this-world ensembles? Do you think Rihanna just wakes up looking insanely edgy and cool? Think again.

Gaga would be nothing without her showstopping outfits that never, ever fail to grab everybody’s attention, all thanks to the genius of her stylist Nicola Formichetti and assistant stylist Anna Travalyan, both named by O’Reilly as huge inspirations in the fashion world. “They have ensured her style choices have become so synonymous with her image that it is impossible to picture her in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt; she just would not be Lady Gaga.”

So are stylists are worth their high price tag and prestige? According to O’Reilly, “there are a lot of good ones out there who do deserve it,” and it is impossible to dismiss their significance in today’s industry. The publication of Stylists: New Fashion Visionaries

by Katie Baron, due out next month, is another vindication of stylists and their creative influence, featuring twenty-five of the most prolific stylists who have “all transcended the role as it was ten years ago.” It appears that the industry has recognised and is commending the role, giving it the attention it deserves.

Stylists may be only one component in the execution of an applauded runway show, or an iconic ad campaign, but their work provides the link between the consumer, the client and the product, without which, the fashion industry would fall apart at the seams.

The forgotten trendsetters Above: Nicola Formichetti for Uniqlo’s Fall/Winter 2009 collection Right: Katie Grand for the spring 2011 Loewe campaign

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Food OTWO

An exciting experiment

NOM NOM NOM

with Elaine Lavery

Appreciating Wine As Elaine Lavery begins a wine-tasting class, she explains why we should choose our wine with more care

Walking on eggshells to avoid a minefield of puns, Elaine Lavery knocks out a few over-easy ideas of things to do with eggs

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n order to encourage us to eat more eggs, we are told that ‘an egg a day is ok’. Inspiring much? Possibly not. Eggs are probably the most versatile food there is, and they are also inexpensive, low in cholesterol and full of protein, vitamins and minerals. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner and are acceptable to meat eaters and vegetarians alike. There is so much that can be done with eggs that many cookbooks, particularly of the French variety, have entire sections dedicated to them. Eggs and typically egg yolks are the central character in a number of sauces and accompaniments. Without eggs we wouldn’t have famous dishes such as spaghetti carbonara or steak Béarnaise. We wouldn’t even have mayonnaise for that matter.

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

On a weekday, all you might be able to manage is a boiled egg and a slice of toast. Delicious and all as that is, a lazy Sunday brunch is where eggs for breakfast really take the spotlight. Poached, they can be transformed into a delicious plate of eggs Benedict if you have the patience to make the egg-based Hollandaise sauce. Serve on a lightly toasted English muffin with a slice of good baked ham or smoked salmon for real indulgence. If your preference is for a sweet breakfast, whip up a batch of pancake batter. Thin, French-style crêpes are delicious served simply with butter, sugar and lemon. For thick American-style pancakes, reduce the quantity of milk and add a spoonful of baking powder to your batter. Serve with crispy bacon and maple syrup, tuck in and enjoy.

After a busy day, there is no simpler or more satisfying supper than something concocted with eggs. Based on what’s in your fridge and store cupboard, be adventurous. An omelette can be enjoyed plain or with a filling of ham, cheese or tomato. My personal favourite is to fry

some sliced onions with green peppers in olive oil to add to my two-egg omelette (hint: when making an omelette, add a few drops of water to the eggs before whisking). If making a meal for two or more, a frittata, which is like a thick omelette, is ideal. To make: mix six to eight eggs with some milk, add a selection of fillings, such as cubes of Feta, sundried tomatoes and strips of roasted red peppers, season and cook in a frying pan drizzled with olive oil over a medium heat for about five minutes. Then place under a grill for a further five minutes until just cooked through.

Flip out onto a large plate and slice like a cake to serve. If it’s been a really tough day and an omelette or frittata is beyond your capabilities, gently scrambled eggs with pan-fried chorizo is particularly good when served with a sprinkle of paprika.

Finally, a nod must be given to the humble egg’s contribution to the wonderful world of desserts. Some egg-based desserts such as baked alaska economically use up both constituent parts of the egg – the yolks are used in the icecream and the whites in the meringue coating.

Egg yolks themselves form the base of anything custard or ice-cream based (think sherry trifle, crème brûlée, crème caramel and panacotta).

But what to do with all the leftover egg whites?

Egg whites are used as the binding in various icings and frostings, but the best uses for them are in the making of macaroons, meringues and pavlovas – the latter of which is beautiful served with whipped cream and any combination of berries or tropical fruit. The best tip of all is that you can freeze egg whites to be defrosted and used as the occasion calls.

More than just a small part of a greasy morning-after-the-night-before fry-up, experimenting just a little with eggs could lead you to something much more delicious than the dodgy fried alternative.

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here is a singular class of student wine drinker; the Tesco ‘White of the Week’ kind. The drinker is female, the wine is at room temperature and the container is a mug, unless you’re me. The amount of wine glasses I have left in student digs, or found broken in my handbag after a night out in protest would make Madame Bucket proud.

Most undergraduate students have not yet acquired a taste for wine. Drinking wine is a means to an end and that end is nothing more than to get annihilated. Indeed, many Irish people do not get past this point. Consumption of wine in Ireland has grown almost fivefold in the last twenty years; however, ninety-six per cent of the market in Ireland is for bottles costing twelve euro or less – it is then not much of a surprise that the Irish go for quantity over quality. In saying that, superb bottles of wine can be acquired for about ten euro.

There are six factors which affect how a wine tastes: grape variety, soil, climate, vintage (the weather of a particular year), viticulture (how the grapes are grown), and vinification (how the wine is made). The French have a word – ‘terroir’ – to describe the interaction of the climate, the soil and the landscape in giving character to the wine. In terms of climate, the best grapes grow between thirty and fifty degrees north and south of the equator. Interestingly, the lower the nutrients in the soil, the better the grapes produced, as the roots of the vine are forced to grow deep into the soil for the required minerals.

Two-thirds of the world’s wine is produced in Europe (the Old World), with Italy, France and Spain contributing the biggest outputs respectively. Looking to the New World it is California, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand that dominate. Apart from the differences in characteristics of the wine produced, a major difference between Old and New World wines is that in Old World wines are usually named after the region they come from (e.g. Chianti, Chablis, Rioja) whereas wines from the New World they are usually named after the grape variety (e.g. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz).

There is so much to learn about wine. My advice: be curious, seek advice, and don’t always go for the cheapest bottle on the shelf.

9

OTWO travel

Hidden Gem

Alice in Wonderland

restaurant,

Tokyo

Looking for a multi-dimensional dining experience? Tokyo’s Alice in Wonderlandthemed restaurant has just what you’re looking for, writes Chloé Duane

An Extra Virgin Experience On a once in a lifetime trip, it’s plain sailing for Colm O’Grada in the British Virgin Islands

I

t should come as no surprise that Tokyo is the centre of themed restaurants, given the large popularity of costume play throughout Japan. But how do you feel about eating Cheshire Cat pie? The Alice in Wonderland restaurant, in the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, keeps things family-friendly with the interior design (and menu) based on the 1951 animated movie inspired by the book by Lewis Carroll.

The restaurant was designed by a Japanese studio called Fantastic Design Works and the space is divided into a variety of different sections, all representing a particular aspect of the movie, for example The Mad Hatter’s tea room, emerald green hedges surrounding table booths, chessboard floors and a bizarre stack of giant books in a room with a tiny entrance door. You’ve been changing sizes all along, remember? It’s not exactly for the claustrophobic however, as ‘cosy’ only begins to cover it.

But let’s get down to business – what you really want to hear about is the food, right?

They have everything you might imagine a Japanese restaurant to have, including sushi and salads as well as pizza, but all with a twist. The appetisers come placed on a chess board, the pizzas are decorated like playing card soldiers and if you really are feeling adventurous you could chow down on some ‘Green Caterpillar tuna avocado sushi roll’, all served up to you by a waitress dressed as Alice herself, and completed with a cute ‘Eat me’ tag, just for kicks.

This unusual restaurant is environmentally friendly, extremely quirky and will serve you one of the best and interesting meals of your life, even if the whole experience is a mildly trippy. If you ever find yourself wandering the streets of Tokyo, this truly is a gem worth checking out.

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P

icture for a moment that clichéd marketing image of the perfect beach, beautifully isolated, with the sun blazing in a clear blue sky above crystal clear cerulean water. There may be a yacht involved, perhaps some scantily-clad bronze figures holding cocktails, lounging in the sand. We’ve all seen the posters and television slots, advertising some far-off holiday destination. The reality is often not so perfect; perhaps just out of shot of the idyllic image you have in your head are the high-rise hotels, hoards of tourists in various shades of sunburn, and loud, obnoxious night-time activities focused around the tourism hell generally referred to as ‘the strip’.

Not so in the British Virgin Islands.

A mecca for sailing fans, the majority of visitors here sleep onboard the myriad yachts that occupy the pristine Caribbean waters. There are, of course, hotels, but generally of the boutique, five-star variety with corresponding room rates. Besides, to stay in the same place would be to miss the point; the freedom of having your own boat means that a change of scenery is only a short sail away. Tortola, the largest island, hosts the main airport and several towns (including Road Town, the capital) that are ideal for stocking up said boat. Most boat charter companies are also based here, making it a natural starting point. The real beauty of the BVI, however, is to be found on the smaller islands that lie not far off the coast on all sides of the capital.

Just an hour or two to the south is Cooper Island, potentially the most charming of the BVI. This

tiny island has a great bar, accessible by simply jumping off your boat and swimming to shore.

The ‘official’ drink of the BVI, the Painkiller, is a potent cocktail of rum, coconut, and fruit juice, with the trademark sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

The strength of these vary wildly from bar to bar, but thanks to a lack of specific alcohol taxes, they tend to be heavy on the rum.

Virgin Gorda, a larger island to the east, is the location of the Baths – a must-see natural formation of rocks that is an ideal snorkelling spot. The clear water makes it easy to observe the tropical fish that are abundant in the area; some of which (think four-foot-long Barracuda) have an eerie habit of remaining motionless and staring at you from the depths beneath. Locals will tell you that they are not aggressive, but it’s probably best to leave them alone.

Towards the north of Virgin Gorda, the Bitter End Yacht Club is an ideal place to rent a sailing dinghy and explore the bay before enjoying dinner on Saba Rock. Unlike the nearby USVI, the BVI doesn’t get a lot of visiting cruise ships, which is a good thing as having a couple of thousand tourists suddenly dumped on a small island doesn’t do much for one’s sense of tranquillity. As far as dining is concerned, restaurants are pricy and tend to cater for American tastes (burgers, ribs, wings etc.) so eating on board can often be a better call. Arriving at a mooring early is also wise as they are usually first come, first served and you don’t want to find yourself struggling to find an overnight spot come sundown.

Everyone will have their own unique BVI experience. Good sea legs and sun-sense are certainly important, but the picture-perfect beaches, chilled-out atmosphere and sense of freedom that sailing brings will soon make any worries you bring with you, and indeed the rest of the world, seem like a distant memory.

travel OTWO

San Diego

S

Not just a one-stop shop for Irish students on a J1, Jon Hozier Byrne tells us why San Diego far outranks its more talked about Southern Californian counterparts

an Diego is a city of contradictions. At once a militaristic mecca and a haven for the surfing post-hippies of the world, San Diego represents a cross section of American culture; old and new, conservative and progressive, all basking in glorious, choking Californian sunshine.

A city born and raised on the American military, you cannot escape the armed forces in even the most highly-cultured jaunt to America’s Finest City. Battleships and aircraft-carriers line the coast, which is also dotted with monuments to the better days of America’s foreign policy, such as the stunningly kitsch, unfortunately-titled Unconditional Surrender, featuring a twenty-five foot replica of the famous V-J in Times Square photograph, or even the poignant (and strangely, talking) bronze statue of USO comedic legend Bob Hope performing for wounded soldiers. An omnipresent naval command base, the fantastically amusing acronym ‘SPA-WARS’ is emblazoned on street signs across the city, and even the majority of the museum-filled Balboa Park’s institutions focus on the history of the military, space exploration, and war veterans, perhaps at the expense of the disappointing Natural History and Art museums.

San Diego is not a city that touts itself as a cultural hub, however, and nor should it; it is a travel destination firmly rooted in recreation.

The two main beaches, the tautologically titled Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, are not just idyllic surfing hotspots, but liberal centres of Californian youth culture. Ocean Beach in particular is a throwback to the late 1960’s, and an evening spent there cannot but end around a hastily constructed bonfire, listening to an idle longhair fid-

dling on acoustic guitar. Pacific Beach, the other main student area, is far more urbane, and has a roaring nightlife after the sun goes down, not to mention a beach filled to the brim with seals - the imaginatively named Seal Beach.

San Diego’s premier tourism draw is perhaps the ridiculous yet somehow marvellous duo of Sea World and the legitimately world-famous San Diego Zoo. While the former offers up-close encounters with all manner of aquatic life, the latter provides an exceedingly rare glimpse of the giant panda. High culture they are not, but regardless, no trip to Southern California seems to be complete without a visit.

Less recommendable are the seemingly ubiquitous night trips to Tijuana that Irish J1 students find so alluring. Sure, you won’t break a dollar when buying a cocktail, but rohypnoled beverages are endemic, as is random violence – in the one, solitary night this writer visited the Mexican border town, twenty-seven people were hospitalised due to gang violence, including one unfortunate our party found on the floor of a nearby McDonalds. Best to stick to the kitsch statues and killer whales.

All in all, however, it is the people that make San Diego a joy to visit, as its denizens would give our own population a run for their money when it comes to offering a welcome. Indeed, the city is somewhat reminiscent of a sun-bleached, charming Belfield, not least because half of our student body seemingly flock there every June. At once quaint, calming, and immensely entertaining, San Diego may not match the other major Californian cities in terms of culture, but it wildly surpasses them in terms of the people to meet and the experiences to have.

11

OTWO Games

powered by

REVIEWS

Final Fantasy XIII-2 SoulCalibur V

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a rare occurrence in the Final Fantasy franchise; it is a direct sequel to a previous game. Only a handful of these exist, such as Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.

XIII-2 is set three years after the events of its predecessor and follows the story of Serah, the sister of XIII’s principal protagonist, Lightning. For anyone who hasn’t played the previous instalment, XIII-2 includes a primer guide to fill you in on the story up to this point. The essence of the plot is that Serah now lives in an alternate timeline where everyone seems to have forgotten the fate that befell her sister at the end of XIII, and with the help of a time traveller named Noel Kreiss from 700 years in the future, she must attempt to set this right.

The altered timeline to Final Fantasy XIII-2’s plot is significant in that it introduces the main gameplay dynamic, the ‘Historia Crux’, which helps to separate the game from its predecessor. This allows Serah and Noel to jump between different locations and timelines within the universe of Final Fantasy XIII, in a way that is similar to, though less effective than, the time travel featured in the classic RPG Chrono Trigger. This feature does allow the game much more freedom however, as the ‘Historia Crux’ allows for more exploration, less linearity, multiple endings and cameo appearTitle: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Publishers: Square Enix Developers: Square Enix, Tri-Ace Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Release Date: Out Now 12

ances from Hope, Snow and Sazh.

Aside from time travel, the other main changes to XIII-2 are all related to its battle system. The ‘Active Time Battle System’, along with its paradigm shifts, has been retained, but there are some notable differences to these battles when compared with those of XIII. First of all, visible enemies in the field have been replaced by random encounters that older Final Fantasy fans should be familiar with. The second change is the introduction of quicktime events.

Rather than revolutionising gameplay, these seem more like a token gesture towards player participation during the game’s lengthy cut scenes.

XIII-2’s cut scenes are cinematically superb, but they are more frequent than in even the most long-winded Metal Gear Solid title. At times XIII2 seems more like an interactive film rather than a game. The final change is the most drastic; rather than having a substantial team at your disposal like in most Final Fantasy games, Serah and Noel are the only playable characters. The rest of your team is composed of beasts that are caught á la Pokémon; a dynamic which Namco tried out in 2009’s Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, where it felt similarly out of place and underwhelming when compared to a properly rounded party of full characters.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is decent but unremarkable, and it isn’t unreasonable to expect more from as talented a developer as Square Enix.

by Steven Balbirnie

SoulCalibur has emerged as one of the most eminent fighting series of this age. Combined with Tekken, Namco’s other fighting franchise, the developer/publisher has obtained a predominant position in the fighting game genre. Yet despite having released over fifteen fighting games in as many years, Namco-Bandai has been relatively quiet as of late. It has been some four years since SoulCalibur IV, and the last Tekken instalment was released in 2009. So, what does SoulCalibur V bring to the table that its predecessors did not?

The answer is, sadly, not much. If you have ever played or seen Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat, both from way back in 1992, you’ll know the drill. Despite the capacity in SoulCalibur V to roll away from your opponent on an apparently different axis, the game is, for all intents and purposes, two-dimensional. The pull of the game is the rock-paperscissors method of pre-empting your opponents’ moves and memorising and executing combos (or, if desperate, mashing buttons randomly). It is a little frustrating that some of the more impressive combos are difficult to execute with the PS3’s directional key inputs, but on the whole the format is fast and furious.

SoulCalibur V makes a couple of slight tweaks to the Soul Gauge (a device brought in for IV to limit the capacity to deliver ‘super’ combos), Title: SoulCalibur V Publishers: Namco-Bandai Developers: Namco-Bandai Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox360 Release Date: Out Now

changes the wardrobe and combos of some of the characters, dumps a few of the previous instalment’s members (including the memorable Star Wars guests), and gives temporary bed and board to Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio. The game simultaneously removes or dumbs down a number of the extant single player features (bye bye Tower of Lost Souls). The single-player plot is painfully bad, introducing two new characters, Patroklos and Pyrrha, whose exploits are predominantly relayed through pencil-drawn concept art and budget radio drama special effects. The story gives some context to the fights, but is both sloppy and shallow in its execution.

The undoubted highlight of the game is the online and versus modes, both of which are slickly designed.

The game also inherits the character appearance customisation of SoulCalibur IV. V is additionally fitted with a training mode, which provides a useful means to learn off combos, although there is no specific guidance for newcomers to the series.

One would be tempted to say that SoulCalibur V is ‘old school and proud of it’, but a more honest assessment would be that Namco are being economically conservative by releasing a game that is virtually a re-release of their previous title. But, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Well, going by that philosophy you can just buy SoulCalibur IV, which ain’t broke, but is decidedly cheaper than SoulCalibur V.

by Duncan Wallace

Games OTWO

Karate for life Prince of Persia creator, Jordan Mechner, talks to Steven Balbirnie about his upcoming remake of classic beat ‘em up Karateka, and how the gaming industry has changed over the last thirty years

J

ordan Mechner began his videogame career in 1984 while still an undergraduate at Yale. During his time in college he developed Karateka and quickly followed it with the classic adventure, Prince of Persia; both of which were commercial successes. In 1997 Mechner released The Last Express, a thriller set aboard the Orient Express on the eve of the First World War. Returning to the Prince of Persia franchise in 2003, Mechner was creative director for the award-winning Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and also wrote the screenplay for the 2010 Prince of Persia film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Otwo catches up with Mechner as he returns after almost thirty years to remake the title that launched his remarkable career, Karateka.

When asked why he has decided to return to Karateka after such a long time, Mechner’s answer is straightforward; “Karateka is close to my heart – it’s the game that started my career. I programmed it on a 48K Apple II when I was in college. I’m excited to revisit it with today’s technology, because it’s now possible for the first time to make downloadable games on a modest budget that have beautiful, cinematic, immersive graphics and sound at a level that was previously only seen in triple-A retail console titles.”

While Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was a radical reimagining of its predecessor, Mechner assures Otwo that “the new Karateka will stick close to the structure and story of the original game, but the visual aesthetic and flow will be very different. We’ve reconceived the gameplay and look and feel to make it an experience that will be inviting and fun for today’s gamers.”

Karateka is one among various titles from the 1980s to see a recent revival. Mechner has a convincing theory for the reasons behind this renaissance. “I think the incredibly

A screenshot from 1984’s Karateka fast pace of technological change in the last ten or twenty years has created a kind of nostalgia for earlier eras, even among young people.

Look at two of the most celebrated films that have come out this year, Hugo and The Artist, both about silent films. They’re fascinating to us, because they recall a time when films were handmade, before CGI and all the summer blockbuster digital manipulation we take for granted now. I think something much like that is happening with video games. Those early games were handmade; they were individual personal expressions in a way that today’s mass-marketed triple-A console titles aren’t. The video game industry has grown and evolved so fast, even within the lifetime of someone who’s twenty years old now, that we can already feel nostalgic about its beginnings, and about the games we played then.”

The films of earlier eras have also provided a source of inspiration for Mechner. For Karateka and Prince of Persia, Mechner explains that “both games owe a lot to classic adventure movies. In Karateka’s case, it was the films of Kurosawa – most especially Seven Samurai, which is still at or close to the top of my all-time greatest list. For Prince of Persia, it was Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks in films like Robin Hood and Thief of Baghdad.” Some of Mechner’s other influences are more surpris-

ing. “Both Karateka and Prince of Persia were deeply inspired by early Disney animation – the way films like Snow White and Pinocchio were able to tell stories and create such powerful emotions through simple, hand-drawn animation. I learned a lot from those great Disney animators and even borrowed a few tricks, like using rotoscoping live-action footage as an animation aid.”

Interestingly, it was Disney that distributed the Prince of Persia film over two decades after the release of the original game.

Mechner had the task of writing the script and was placed in the unique position of adapting his own videogame for the screen.

This doesn’t seem to have fazed him however; “I approached writing the Prince of Persia movie as I would any screenplay adaptation. You can’t fall into the trap of literally copying what worked in another medium, whether it’s something you created yourself or whether it was created by someone else.” As both a game developer and a screen writer, Mechner is astutely aware of the respective strengths and limitations of both mediums. “The Prince of Persia game story is a story I wrote to be played, whereas a movie is meant to be watched. They are very different art forms, each with very specific craft and structural demands, and what works in one often doesn’t work in the other.”

Despite his passion for cinema, Mechner is glad to be back working on a game for the first time since 2003. He is very enthusiastic about how Karateka is coming together and about the opportunities offered by the gaming industry’s shift towards digital distribution. “I think Karateka is ideally suited for a downloadable game because the original was such a compact, straightforward, pickup-and-play experience, yet it also had a real human story that was told in a cinematic way.” Mechner sees great potential in the rise of digital distribution; “the shift to digital downloads, with games now being available to much of the planet through gaming consoles, PCs, tablets and smartphones, has liberated developers – particularly indie developers – in a way that’s tremendously exciting. For the first time since the 1980s, it seems possible once again that the next transformative mega-hit could come from someone working out of a garage or bedroom. We’re living through a thrilling time for the game industry, and I’m glad that Karateka can be part of it.”

As one of the industry’s key pioneers, it is encouraging not only to see that Jordan Mechner is returning to video games but that his passion for the medium remains as strong as ever.

Karateka will be released later this year on XBLA and PSN. 13

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I

t would seem that Pixie Lott is not one to sit back and relax. In the two and a half years since she burst onto the scene with her debut single ‘Mama Do’, she has topped the UK charts three times, released two critically acclaimed albums that have sold millions of copies across Europe, created four collections for the London-based fashion brand, Lipsy, and even starred in Fred: The Movie.

Currently promoting her latest single, ‘Kiss the Stars’, and attending as many shows as she can fit in at fashion weeks across Europe, it would seem at the moment it is all go for the twentyone-year-old London native.

When Otwo calls, Pixie is in a taxi, rushing to the airport to catch an early-morning flight to Milan, where Fashion Week has only just begun. Jetsetting from fashion week to fashion week across the globe may just seem like a day in the life, but it is not simply a case of hopping on a plane to see a collection come down the runway whenever she pleases. “I'm going to the Versace show ... I’ve been to shows before, but this is the first time I actually got to go to a few. I made them book it in early so I could fit it in the diary, but it was a lot of fun. I really enjoy watching all the new trends and new collections and that.”

Pixie made headlines as she sat front row at the Felder Felder Autumn/Winter 2012, Temperley London Autumn/Winter 2012 and PPQ Autumn/Winter 2012 shows in Somerset House last week at London Fashion Week. The media criticised her for changing her outfit multiple times in one day while attending shows, but as far as Pixie is concerned, that is standard practice at any fashion week, and not simply a small luxury she can afford to indulge in. “I don’t do that usually, but it’s funny; when you go to the show, you have to kind of try to wear clothes from the designer of the show, so I wouldn’t really wear a Moschino dress to the Versace show. When I was going to a different show, I had to change the dress.

It was a bit manic, but it was fun.”

She may be very much an advocate for high-street shopping and has even designed lines for the high-street herself, but she seems unsure of whether it should have a place showing during Fashion Week. “It is great for the designers, the classic designers, to show at Fashion Week because what's on the runway isn't always necessarily what you would wear in normal life.

It's good that you've got Topshop Unique [showing]; stuff like that represents the high-street really well, but I think when people go to fashion weeks they like to see the top-end designers because that's when you get all the grand outfits.”

As she has gotten more and more involved in fashion, Pixie feels her own style has changed quite a bit. “I 14

It’s all about Pixie As Pixie Lott rushes to catch the Versace show in Milan, Aoife Valentine checks in for a chat about collaborating with Stevie Wonder, her new sound, and dressing provocatively

“Obviously [Stevie Wonder] is one of my heroes so I was quite overwhelmed. It was quite a moment for me to meet him. I was blown away” feel like, maybe I've just realised that sometimes less is more – a classier theme – but I still like to mix it up.”

She is adamant, however, that she has never felt pressure to dress provocatively in order to sell records, nor is it a problem she feels young female artists face when trying to make it in the charts today. “I always like just dressing in what I feel comfortable in, so it depends how I'm feeling. I don't think people feel a pressure [though].

I think it depends on what kind of artist you are and what you feel comfortable in. Like for some artists, [dressing provocatively] is their thing and some people aren't into that, so I think it just depends on the artist.”

At this point there is quite the kerfuffle, as Pixie reaches the airport, shoots the taxi-driver some friendly goodbyes, and then realises she's left a suitcase behind in the car. Slightly panicked shouts of, “Oh no, there's one more bag in there! Aaah!” are quickly followed by apologies for the disruption in conversation as she manages to retrieve the case, clearly very grateful that the taxi-man hadn't driven off immediately. It seems that even for the briefest of trips, travelling light is not an option for Pixie.

Crisis averted, we quickly return to discussing the importance of fash-

ion in her life. It is very clear when her GCSEs, when she began recordshe is speaking that fashion is some- ing her first album, Turn It Up. “It was thing she cares massively about, and hard to juggle it all, because I was donot something she is merely forced to ing my exams and I had assessments have an interest in for fear a journalist in all my dance classes and everything. should ask what she is wearing as she I had to make the album, so I found walks down a red carpet. Having de- it hard to do it all. My family really signed collections for Lipsy over the wanted me to focus on [my exams] last couple of seasons, she now feels but I was obviously more interested prepared to go it alone, without the in recording, but we made it work.”

Her 2009 debut spent almost a backing of a high-street store. “It was fun to do a range, because it all comes year in the Top 40 charts; a mean feat in as part of the whole creative proc- for any album, let alone that of a newess and having my own line. I'd like to comer, and just last November she do it one day, you know, not as a col- followed it up with her sophomore laboration, so it's really my own line, effort, Young Foolish Happy. While but it takes up a lot of time so it has to Turn It Up was refreshingly electrofree, glittering pop gold, her second be done when the time is right.”

She is adamant however, that fash- album is a more mature, soulful offerion is a mere hobby in comparison to ing; something which she consciously music, which is where her heart truly tried to achieve. “I listen to lots of lies. “I could never abandon music for soul music, and although the singles fashion. I love fashion. I have a pas- are very up-tempo, the album is very sion for fashion, but I would never be much based in that so it kind of went able to stop singing or writing songs.” more that way and I think my next alInvolved in music in some way bum will go even more that way.”

As well as aiming to create quite a since she was three years old, Pixie attended a stage school specialising different sound this time around, Pixie in musical theatre. She knew from a was also keen to try and collaborate young age she wanted to be a pop star with more artists, something that she and musical theatre never really inter- felt her debut was lacking. She even ested her; she merely wanted to at- enjoyed the rare opportunity of duettend the school so she could sing and ting with soul legend Stevie Wonder. dance. She was still in school, sitting “It was amazing actually, just because

OTWO OTWO

I hadn’t really done collaborations on the first album and it came about really naturally. It kind of happened before I realised, and obviously he is one of my heroes, so I was quite overwhelmed. It was quite a moment for me to meet him. I was blown away.”

Pixie co-wrote both albums, and worked with a largely similar team of writers and producers for the two, something that she feels is important as it allows her be totally comfortable within the creative process. “You feel like you can just say anything and even if your idea is stupid, you can just put it out there.

I co-write with different writers and producers and that’s how it works.

I love a guy called Toby Gad who I’ve worked with since I was fifteen, and also two guys called Phil [Thornalley] and Mads [Hauge], who did ‘Mama Do’ and ‘Boys and Girls’. We always work well together.”

With the third single barely released from Young Foolish Happy, Pixie is already looking forward to getting back into the studio to get working on a third record. While she thinks it’s still too early to have any concrete plans in mind, she is continuing to write all the time, alongside everything else, and would particularly like to try and do a duet with another female artist. “When Brandy did ‘The Boy is Mine’, I really liked that song. I think it’s quite powerful when two girls do a duet instead of the usual boy and girl collaboration. I’m not sure who; there’s so many amazing females that I’d be up for any of them to be honest. I think when I get back into the studio, I might text a few and just see if they fancy it.”

It has been quite a while since Pixie last took to the road, and she clearly can’t wait to be touring again. “It’s been important for me to always be known as a live artist because that’s my favourite thing to do, touring and doing shows … I’m doing some shows and festivals over summer and then I’m not sure when the tour is gonna be but hopefully soon, because the ‘Crazy Cats’ tour was my highlight of the last two years so definitely soon.”

As Pixie reaches security, we realise the fatal flaw in telephone interviews as she rushes through the airport, checking in bags and making her way to board her flight – security are generally not amenable to people passing through what she affectionately terms, “the little beeper thing” with a chunk of metal pressed to their ear, no matter how vital the last sentence of an interview is.

“I have to go through security, and I have to put my bags through so I don’t think I’m allowed take my phone through. Is that okay?” With that, in a flurry of apologies, she disappears.

With Milan awaiting her, explaining her tour plans to Otwo is, understandably, not top of her list of priorities.

Young Foolish Happy is out now.

15

OTWO film

Touching the limit W

ith the line between what is real and what is fictional in films continuing to blur, it is now, more than ever, more difficult to differentiate between the two. Indeed, it is increasingly common to see fictional films employ a documentary aesthetic in an attempt at a visual grounding in the authentic. It seems nowadays, however, that stories no longer need to be fictionalised for mainstream audiences to enjoy. In recent years there has been an abundance of high quality documentaries that are finding their cinematic voice in intensified character portraits, rooted in the actual, and away from the shallow mediocrity of Hollywood’s recent standards.

Archetypical of this recent catalogue of pioneering documentaries is the highest grossing documentary of last year and recent winner of the BAFTA award for Best Documentary (and, just as pertinently, the University Observer’s film of the year for 2011), Senna. Senna is the story of Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian-born, three-time Formula One motor racing world champion and prominent philanthropist, who tragically died in a racing accident during qualification at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994.

Senna was as polarising and enthralling a figure as has ever been enshrined in motor

Fresh from his success at the BAFTAs, Senna director Asif Kapadia talks to Dermot O’Rourke about the life and times of a motor racing great and the ever-evolving role of the documentary film-maker racing lore, and the director of Senna, Asif Kapadia, is as gripped by the individuality of Ayrton Senna as much as the public were when he was in his prime. “All his layers; that’s what made him so amazing as a character. He was not a one-dimensional sports person ... he was a genius at what he did and he was an intelligent and eloquent guy.”

Kapadia admits, however, that he didn’t know much about Ayrton Senna or even Formula One before going into the project. “I’m not the world’s most knowledgeable person on Formula One, and I didn’t come into the film as the world’s biggest Senna fan, so I was quite impartial, and my job was to look at the material and say ‘How do we make this into the best movie that we can?’”

Senna was Kapadia’s first documentary film, and his past experience has in fact been in fictive film. He has previously directed award-winning fiction such as The Sheep Thief and the winner of Best British Film of 2002 at the BAFTAs, Warrior, but was drawn into the production by the character of Senna. “The

more I looked at the material I couldn’t believe how much footage existed, and then it was the fact there was so much drama in so many of the scenes. Senna is so passionate and charismatic and there’s something about him; he’s got this energy about him. Whenever he’s in a room there is something going on and when he opens his mouth he has something interesting to say.”

Kapadia’s experience in fictive filmmaking is reflected in the narrative of Senna, which plays out as a cinematic drama, rather than the non-judgmental observation with the usual talking heads, narration and voice-over we’ve come to expect from TV documentaries.

There are heroes for the audience to root for and villains to hiss at. The film gives a representation of reality rather than a reproduction of it. “It’s not called Formula One: Impartial Opinion, it’s like a movie. In a movie you have a lead character and your story is to tell their journey, to tell their story in the best possible way. You don’t watch Indiana Jones and say ‘I don’t think you were very fair on that bad guy.’”

Kapdia on set 16

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What is truly innovative in Senna is that every single piece of the film is archival footage.

Kapadia trawled through 16,000 hours of footage – an astonishing 625 days altogether – to construct the film. “I couldn’t believe how much footage existed ... so, for me, it seemed obvious very early on that we should make the film out of the footage that already exists.”

This was an unprecedented undertaking and took approximately three years to edit it down to a manageable one hundred-minute film.

“When you have an instinct, and you think this is the right way to do it, it’s not always the easiest task, and along the way there are a lot of doubts. A lot of people said ‘This is not going to work’, ‘It doesn’t work’, ‘Everyone tries to do documentaries like this and it doesn’t work.’”

Constructing the film entirely from found footage does mean that Kapadia did not contribute any of his own shots into the piece, and without directing the film’s subjects or deciding on the camera position or lighting set-up, his role as director was fundamentally altered. “My job on this film was to take myself out of the film,” Kapadia explains. “The easiest thing would have been to shoot interviews and cut them in and say ‘Look, I’m a director, I shot that, look at that lovely plant next to him, look at that interesting lighting that I’ve put on this guy,’ and actually, for me, that would have been one way of doing it to justify my role.” However, Kapadia recognised that his role as the director was, ultimately, to serve the material and use it to craft the possible best film. “Your job as the director is to tell the story in the best possible way, whatever that is, and in this particular case, it meant not putting my own shots in the film because they not would improve on what we already had.”

Senna has been a huge success – both critically and at the box office – and is a movie that has not only been popular among Formula One fans, but is a story with such universal appeal that it has transcended the niche.

“Manish Pandey [the writer of the film] was a big Formula One fan, and he wanted to get the facts right so the Formula One people would love it, and they do; they really love it. On the other hand, I wanted the film to work for people who can’t stand sport.” Kapadia himself is a big sports fan, particularly of football, but is all too

Kapadia winning Best Documentary at the BAFTA Awards held earlier this month

aware of the clumsiness and general ineptness at which some film-makers tackle sports. It was important to him to take an approach to the film that would not lose the interest of either audience, “and the way to do that was through character. This was a guy who was an amazing character, a passionate man who had really good beliefs, good ideals, who happens to be a racing driver. If you’re into the racing you’re going to be blown away; if you’re not into it, you’re going to understand why other people are, because when you see him drive around Monaco, it’s so visceral, it’s so fast, it’s so scary; then you will understand why people like Formula One, and that’s what happened; people saw that on the cinema screen and were blown away.”

The film recently received two awards at the recent BAFTA ceremony – one for Best Documentary Feature and one for Best Editing.

This is the first year that the Best Documentary Feature BAFTA has been awarded since 1989, and is an accolade of which Kapadia is particularly proud. “I’m really pleased about [winning the BAFTA], and I’m really happy to be the first to win it since it has come back, because it was missed, it was a black hole in the BAFTAs for a few years ... It’s a really positive

Ayrton Senna in a reflective moment

thing.” However, the lack of recognition Senna received at the recent Academy Awards – not even making the longlist of nominations – is nothing short of baffling to industry commentators and certainly dissatisfying for the Hackney-born film-maker. “At the time when it happened, it was a bit disappointing.

Now, it’s just the way it is ... it would have been nice to have been in the top fifteen.”

The re-introduction of the Best Documentary category in the BAFTAs represents a paradigm shift in the medium of documentary films; ensuring that they are now no longer viewed as inferior to fictive films. Documentaries such as Man on Wire have been recognised at the Oscars in recent years and, possibly more importantly, the films have resonated with audiences in cinemas.

“There are stories to be told; there is a lot of stuff going on in the world that doesn’t need to be fictionalised. It is much better showing the real footage.” The recent canon of high quality documentary films, including Senna, is challenging our ideals about what we consider to be cinematic in a film. “I think the line between them [fiction films and documentaries] is much narrower now. Technically, they’re much narrower, and also you can be almost more imaginative with a documentary than most people are with fiction.

“There are a lot of documentaries that are made about war zones or social issues, and I think they are best done in a more intimate way, with a smaller crew and with less money than the Hollywood version ... where you get actors to look poor or you get people to dress down.

Also, I think documentary film-makers are doing things that are far more interesting than a lot of fiction films.”

Kapadia is in good company, with prominent directors including Paul Greengrass and Martin Scorsese directing both fiction and documentary films, and he is enthused to continue exploring both avenues in the future. “That’s what I would like to do in the future as well – to be able to do both. It’s quite nice to make documentaries in between the machine of fiction film, waiting around for movie stars and waiting around for the script to be ready. It’s nice just to get a camera, go out there and shoot.”

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REVIEWS Title: Michael Director: Markus Schleinzer Starring: Michael Fuith, David Rauchenberger Release Date: Out Now

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arkus Schleinzer’s directorial debut is easily one of the most unsettling films made in recent memory.

The film follows the life of the titular character, Michael, a man who works at an insurance company, seems to shun any real human interaction, and dislikes any attention being paid to him. Michael’s dark secret is that he has a young boy locked in his base- for the boy. When he realises that ment, whom he eats with, watches Wolfgang is lonely, he tries to kidnap TV with, and routinely sexually another child (which makes for a abuses. Quite tellingly, Michael is an supremely disconcerting scene).

Austrian film, where there have been The film does not use much in the two high profile domestic imprison- way of a soundtrack; instead, ambient ment cases uncovered in recent years. noise is often used for effect. Every The young boy, Wolfgang, is left sound in the film is accentuated, one completely alone for the most part; example of this being the noise of the he is seen writing to his parents at one generator in Michael’s basement; it is point and giving the letter to Michael, a continuous source of tension, adding telling us that the boy has been led to the endless discomfort felt when to believe that he will eventually get Michael and Wolfgang are in the to go home. Michael’s behaviour is same room. The lack of music denies erratic at best, and there are times the viewer an escapist element of where he seems to genuinely care fictive cinema; it forces you to engage

m i c h a e l with the plot and not be distracted by any backing score, in a manner similar to the work of Michael Haneke. The one exception to this is a scene where Michael is driving and singing along to Boney M.’s ‘Sunny’, an exceptionally odd shot that adds to the viewer’s perception of Michael as human, albeit immensely flawed.

This is an unusual film. It is quite hard to describe as enjoyable, but it is an exceptionally interesting and well-made piece of work. It delves into the psyche of paedophiles, exploring their humanity and the nature of their crimes. The lack of

Margaret

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enneth Lonergan’s directorial debut, ing a plot to drive a movie forward, but instead You Can Count on Me, was released placing a ranging and probing interest on personeleven years ago to the applause alities and relationships. The film centres on the of cinema-goers and critics alike. character of teenage New Yorker, Lisa (played Shooting began on Lonergan’s follow with verve, conviction and precocity by Anna up, Margaret, in 2005, but due to editing conflicts Paquin) in the days and months following her witand legal battles, it is only being released now. nessing of a horrific traffic accident. Lonergan’s The film takes inspiration from former UCD willingness to use every technique at his disposal Professor Gerard Manley Hopkins’s novel Spring for the deepest exploration of her emotional enand Fall, whose main themes of a girl’s reaction to vironment and inner life deserves to be praised. mortality and mutability are central to the film.

This inner life allows a superb supporting cast Many may be instinctively dazzled by the to shine – notably Matt Damon as Lisa’s math film’s narrative approach, taking its cues from the teacher and J. Smith Cameron as her Broadway popular French cinematic tradition of not allow- actress mother.

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any real plot can be listed as praise or criticism – we don’t know how Wolfgang was kidnapped and we don’t know what happens to him after the film’s events – but the mild frustration that this causes allows the film a simplicity that enables it to focus on the interactions between two people in minute detail.

In a Nutshell: A deeply disturbing exploration into the relationship between a kidnapping paedophile and his victim. Probably not first date material.

by Conor O’Nolan

Title: Margaret Director: Kenneth Lonergan Starring: Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, J. Smith Cameron Release Date: Out now

Margaret can be easily discussed as a post 9/11 work. The script is constantly pervaded with trauma, rage and blame. This can be seen topically (due to wonderfully convincing heated classroom debates between members of Lisa’s class about Islam and American foreign policy), as well as thematically with Lisa’s normal, anarchic teenage life falling apart after attempting to comfort a dying pedestrian.

Lisa’s reaction to the trauma – assimilating her developing sense and understanding of the world – is the central node of Margaret, but, frustratingly, is never really fully realised. It seems that in seven years of post-production and editing the director still has not made sense of Lisa’s story. This is particularly evident in the film’s final hour, which seems like a heap of half-written and increasingly frantic and disjointed scenes when compared to the previous hour and a half’s beautiful, fully realised exchanges and impulses that rip at the seams.

By the finale, it is evident that this film has fallen under the weight of its own scope and is a strangled vision of what Lonergan had originally intended. And yet, in its own strange way, it is undeniably haunting.

In a Nutshell: Broken, yet deserving of acclaim.

by Jack Walsh

top 10 films to punch

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the air to

Clench your fist and get pumped up for the Top Ten this issue, as Caitríona O’Malley shows you the best films to make you beat up some atmosphere 10. All the President’s Men Political scandals make for gripping narratives, and this is certainly one such film. It reveals how reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein bravely challenged Richard Nixon by unearthing the sordid scenario that was Watergate. Triumphant and intelligent.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

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et in India and directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens with a bleak outlook on retired life in England for a star-studded cast including Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith. The characters decide to abandon their otherwise comfortable lives for India, where Sonny, played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), runs ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ – an apparently first class and lavish hotel suitable for elderly people.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is, at times, hilarious as well as heartbreakingly sad as the stories of the eclectic group of OAPs unfold. The multitude of characters would seem to make the film confusing, but a few characters soon begin to become prominent.

While Judi Dench (Quantum of Solace) is the narrator (and her story is central to the film), it is Tom Wilkinson’s (Michael Clayton) role that really stands out. His character, Graham, grew up in India and has now returned to track down the man with whom he had a love affair almost forty years ago. Wilkinson’s brilliantly convincing portrayal as both an eminent judge and a man in love leaves you constantly willing his story to return to the screen.

Maggie Smith (the Harry Potter series) on the other hand, plays Muriel, who is largely on screen for comic relief and is also, unfortunately, a source of elderly stereotypes. She plays a racist, bitter old woman feeling displaced by society, forced to go to India for a hip replacement. Although her interactions with Sonny do provide some humour and while her xenophobia does recede, her story is quite predictable and becomes increasingly tiresome as the film progresses. Meanwhile, the subplot involving Sonny and a love interest is a deviation from the narratives of the retirees and the central issues dealt with, yet manages to never seem displaced from the rest of the film.

Although the film has a great cast, it could have been better served with fewer characters and a deeper interest in mining its stronger stories for all of their dramatic and humorous potential. Despite dealing with the serious issue of the marginalisation of the elderly in contemporary Britain, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is ultimately a light-hearted affair and a film it is impossible not to be charmed by.

In a Nutshell: A delightfully charming film that is both satisfyingly feel-good and heartbreakingly poignant, although undermined by unnecessary stereotyping.

by Sara Holbrook

Title: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Director: John Madden Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel Release Date: Out now

9. Home Alone Wiley Kevin, with his arsenal of booby traps, hilariously injures burglars Harry and Marv and shows that a clever child can outwit any adult. Are you thirsty for more?

8. This is Spinal Tap A less obvious one, perhaps. However, after enduring indignities such as bread that is too small, exploding drummers, and getting stuck in an egg onstage, it’s comforting to know that the band find solace in Japan. Up to eleven!

7. The Breakfast Club This Top Ten would not be complete without reference to John Bender’s iconic fist pump. It epitomises everything great about getting one over on the principal, banishing social norms for a day, and dance routines in John Hughes films.

6. Grease Another musical entry. Some say that the ending isn’t so inspiring, since Sandy completely changes herself for Danny’s approval, but who can resist such belters as ‘Born to Hand Jive’ and ‘Beauty School Dropout’? It’s electrifying!

5. The Sound of Music There’s nothing like kicking Nazis up the (metaphorical) arses to get the juices flowing, and the warbling von Trapps surely do. The bounty of music helps Georg, Maria and the rest to show those Nazis that Austrians are made of sturdy stuff. Edelweiss!

4. War Horse Joey’s equine grit and resilience is heartwrenching and exhilarating. War cannot obliterate the unity of a man and his steed.

3. Up Oh Pixar, you ol’ charmers! Carl’s escape in a balloon-laden house is a victory for the little man being harassed by monstrous developers.

Carl, Dug, Russell and Kevin may be an odd bunch, but their robust hearts carry them through. Celebrate with a shriek of ‘Squirrel!’

2. The Goonies A scruffy gang vanquish the evil Fratelli family and rescue the Goon Docks. Children quash the selfish desires of profit-hungry adults. Sloth is evidence that ugly does not always mean evil.

Chunk doesn’t die of Baby Ruth withdrawal symptoms. Hurrah!

Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne

1. The Shawshank Redemption Frank Darabont’s prison epic is proof that, with the perseverance of one stoic Andy Dufresne, you can emerge clean from a shit-encrusted tunnel.

With Red as a sage soulmate, patient Andy doesn’t succeed with bombast or foolhardiness.

Doff your cap to the man who flicks a finger at a 19 brutal and inhumane prison system!

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Star of Pan’s Labyrinth, Fantastic Four, Hocus Pocus and Hellboy, physical actor extraordinaire Doug Jones tells Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin about mime, his work with Guillermo del Toro, and the future of the creature-feature

Miming his own business

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o many, Doug Jones is not a household name. More often than not he is known more for the imaginative and outlandish characters he has portrayed over the years, most notably in his work in Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films and the multi-Oscar nominated Pan’s Labyrinth. For almost thirty years, Jones has been Hollywood’s go-to masked man, rarely appearing in films or on television without layers of make-up and heavy prosthetics, and demand for his talents only continues to grow.

As a natural contortionist with a background in mime, and boasting an incredible understanding of movement, Jones has consistently drawn the attention of directors both at home in the US, and abroad, over the course of his busy career.

With an interest in performance and acting cemented at an early age, Jones found himself compelled to join a student-run mime troupe during his time in university – the ingeniously named ‘Mime over Matter’. “I joined that group and fell in love with the art form,” he explains. “You take verbal dialogue away and all the dialogue has to come from your facial expressions and your gestures and creating props that aren’t there. Worlds that aren’t there – it was mesmerising to me.” Indeed, Jones’ popularity with directors owes a great debt to the nuanced abilities he gleaned from his time

Jones as the Faun, with Ivana Baquero in Pan’s Labyrinth and at the Big Apple Convention, 2008 spent in the troupe, and mime still plays an important role in the actor’s life. Very recently Jones provided some 241 images of himself for Mime Very Own Book, a mime-themed coffee table book laden with pun-heavy captions such as ‘Mime after Mime’ and ‘A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste’, to name but a few.

Although he established himself as a solo mime artist after college, Jones’ aspirations as an actor persisted, and in 1985 he moved from his native Indiana (“Show business was not really prevalent in Indiana,” he sighs) to Los Angeles, California. After attending an acting class geared for television commercials, Jones attracted the attention of his first agent and was soon appearing in major advertising campaigns in elaborate costumes. “My first gigs that I got on TV commercials were costume character things,” he says. “That got me marked as ‘the guy who does that kind of work.’ So referrals kept coming from the creature effects industry and it would be one monster after another.” His entry into the niche area of “creature work” is still something that strikes him as completely auspicious, albeit unplanned, upon reflection. “I did not say ‘I want to wear rubber on my face and

Jones as Abe Sapien in Hellboy II: The Golden Army and as the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth 20

growl at people.’ That was not a goal,” he laughs.

“I get messages on Facebook and Twitter all the time now from young people like, ‘I want to do what you’re doing! I want to be a monster in movies!’”

Since his early appearances in advertisements, Jones has appeared in everything from supernatural family films (Hocus Pocus), French musical biopics (Gainsbourg), and an Emmy Award-nominated, all-silent episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That being said, the standout performances of his long and diverse career can arguably be found in his collaborations with Guillermo del Toro. “He is my favourite director, ever. Any director I work with now knows that Guillermo comes first. It’s an understanding we all have,” he enthuses. Having worked together on a total of four feature films so far, Jones and del Toro are keen to pair up again sometime in the near future on an adaptation of Frankenstein, with Jones playing (surprise) Frankenstein’s Monster.

While Jones appears to be at no loss for upcoming work of late, one would be forgiven for assuming that the current era of CGI and green screen technology leaves little room for the old rubber-and-face-paint ways of traditional special effects. Jones, however, is adamant that the digital age presents no real threat to members of the special effects industry. “For a while there when CGI and visual effects were getting better and better, we all thought we were going to be unemployed,” he admits. “And movies did try to create characters entirely from computer graphics. I think what you find is, that when it’s being drawn and rendered at a computer, there is still something missing when a person’s not playing the role. Even if it’s an Andy Serkis situation where he’s playing Gollum, where they render the character later, that gives a computer character more heart, more soul.” Citing his experience playing the Silver Surfer in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he explains, “That was a great combination of visual effects and practical effects. I think what’s happening now is that you’re getting more costumed characters with computer enhancements. I think the combination is what’s selling best now, and that keeps everybody employed.”

Indeed, Jones’ own work is a benchmark for a kind of artistry that can’t be mimicked by graphics alone, and proves that Hollywood’s demand for professional creatures is unwavering.

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Fatal Fourway Worst Villain Played

by Alan Rickman Alan Rickman is a topic of fierce debate this issue, but in which film was he at his most villainous?

Hans Gruber in Die Hard

Severus Snape in Éamon de Valera in Michael Collins Harry Potter 1-7,p1

That guy in Love Actually

Dermot O’Rourke

Aoife Valentine

Jon Hozier-Byrne

George Morahan

There is no denying Alan Rickman’s level of awesomeness is unparalleled.

It is his general superiority over you and everyone else that has allowed him to portray of some of the best on-screen villains ever. But I think we can all agree that of all Alan Rickmans’s villains, the best is, of course, none other than Die Hard’s Hans Gruber.

Gruber had masterminded the perfect plan to steal bearer bonds from the vault of the Nakatomi Corporation before Bruce Willis’ John McClane yippy-ki-ayed himself in the way to put a damper on proceedings. Despite that the Grubes really has the all the admirable qualities of a great villain. He is calm (when you don’t have his detonators), calculating, and appreciates a fine suit.

When certain people are uncooperative with his efficient plan he has no trouble dispatching them without hesitation. After executing the President of the Nakatomi Corporation, Mr. Tagaki, he dryly delivers the most cutting - if not the most villainous - line in cinematic history, “[Mr. Tagaki] will not be joining us for the rest of his life.” Cue mass hysteria.

Only a villain with the slick style of The Grubester could cause that much panic with such a delightfully evil quip.

Vote Grubesy for the win!

There is no arguing that Alan Rickman is probably the greatest man in existence. There’s no way you’re not totally in love with his voice, don’t even try to deny it, and really, let’s face it; we all loved to hate Snape in the books. Do not speak of the last book, you loved to hate him, forget what you know.

Sure, he’s played other villains, and indeed, other characters, but nobody cares what happens outside of Harry Potter, not really. He’s the creepiest man, with the greasiest hair, and both are essentials for any good villain. Probably.

Sure Bellatrix Lestrange or Malfoy are more worthy villains and much hotter in the films, but neither were played by Alan Rickman, and presumably for that reason, they fall into the latter category, but I digress. Rickman was the only person to know from the beginning, aside from J.K. Rowling, what Snape’s fate would be at the end of the books, and he played the part in the resulting films to perfection, sneering and exuding malice in his every movement. He is the meanest man there ever was.

Mostly though, he killed Dumbledore. Forget his motivations, it happened, and you cried. Yeah, you did. It’s Dumbledore. Who kills Dumbledore? What a dick.

As anyone who has seen the film Michael Collins in Junior Cert history will know, Dev was a scheming, power-mad bastard who single-handedly started the Civil War, because he was jealous of Micheal Collin’s badboy attitude, and the fact he was banging Julia Roberts. Ah, history.

Yes, our Pater Patriae was a dastardly little shit with the dress sense of Mr Ben and fewer social skills than your average SU electoral candidate.

Time was, you could hang on to the coat tails of a revolutionary hero like Liam Neeson, start a civil war, murder the lovable protaganist, and still stay in office for half a century.

That’s the public sector for you.

So what makes Dev the best (or indeed worst) villain who happened to be played by Alan Rickman? Well, rumour has it that should Éamon de Valera have won that coveted seventeenth term in office, he would have instituted a ban on kittens, invaded Canada again, and introduced a mandatory civil uniform of vampire capes.

Still not convinced? Historians agree that 1916 could have been a smashing success, had Dev not gotten distracted knicking tins of biscuits from the Jacob’s factory.

Once again, Dev let down the team with his wild preoccupation with cream crackers. Bane of our nation, that. Vote Dev!

Ha ha! Supremacy once more and I am honoured to be your victor. Being victorious is one of my favourite things, but every great champion needs an arch nemesis. And frankly, Aoife, Dermot and Jon aren’t quite as nefarious as required; they aren’t up to the challenge of rivalling my greatness, but Alan Rickman is, and he is a bad, bad man.

Revered throughout cinema for his ability to personify many fearful abstractions – the threat of eastern European communists, proto-Fianna Fáilers, and misunderstood wizards – Alan Rickman is one of the best bad guys going, but to see Rickman at his very worst you should just watch Love Actually.

In Richard Curtis’ dire romance anthology, the Rickmeister (as I call him, in my dreams) plays some guy who is middle-aged, awkward and distant from his equally middle-aged, bumbling and repressed wife, played

by Emma Thompson.

The pair seem set for a boring descent towards retirement and free bus passes until one fateful Christmas when Alan cheats on Emma.

What a dick, right? That’s not all though. Instead of the necklace Emma thought she was getting, Alan gifts her a Joni Mitchell album. He’s pure evil, that man. Oh, and the character’s name was Harry. Cunt.

Go on the University Observer Facebook page and have your say; who is the worst villain played by Alan Rickman?

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OTWO Music

H

aving released their thirteenth album, A Brief Crack of Light, at the start of this month, Therapy? singer and guitarist Andy Cairns is upbeat and positive with regards to its reception. “It’s been great so far. The reaction from the fans and the critics has been in a major part really, really good.” For a band often afforded the simple tag of alternative metal, the Northern Irish three-piece always reach far deeper than just one genre. Cairns proves to be very open and engaging with queries about the new ground explored on this album. “You know there are tracks on there like ‘Ghost Trail’ that are very into a sort of modern electronica, German new beat,” he explains, adding that another track is based on Duke Ellington’s work.

Twenty-two years is a long time for a band to stay together, particularly when the music industry has changed massively since they began.

Asking if there was a secret to their impressive longevity revealed a refreshing motivation from Cairns.

“We got into it for the right reasons, we really just loved the whole process of being in a band, writing material, being creative and getting the chance to tour the fruits of our labour around the place … I think we wanted to get into the emotive connection with the music as opposed to any aspirations for any kind of fame.” Not that Therapy? have suffered in the shadows; in the early nineties the band were at the forefront of alternative rock, in no small part due to the runaway success of their seminal album Troublegum.

The band’s time in the spotlight was fondly recalled. “We had a brief dalliance with the mainstream in the nineties ... you know Nirvana were in the charts, agitated guitar music was fashionable. It was enjoyable to have a few minutes playing to bigger audiences and touring countries we’d never been to.”

As for changes in the music industry, Cairns has retained the perspective of a man in love with music.

“I think it’s just different times, but you know music will never die. The media that the message is played through might die off and might reformat and reconfigure, but the actual music itself will never die.”

Therapy? were adored by their fans for their innate ability to create not just tracks, but albums in the true sense. Albums built around a coherent and defined creative and emotive direction are becoming an increasing rarity. Cairns’ sarcastic take on this new approach to popular music is succinct and cutting.

“I think if you make someone buy these songs which are two and a half minutes long and, they sound great 22

Still going strong after twenty-two years, Therapy? frontman Andy Cairns chats to Dan Moriarty about the secret to their longevity and the problems with modern music

Therapy? on a tinny mobile phone at a bus stop, or they’re fantastic for the iPod Shuffle, well then great.”

The early nineties was a vibrant time for Irish underground music, with bands like My Bloody Valentine, Whipping Boy and the reformed Stiff Little Fingers all producing highly acclaimed records.

Cairn attests to the influence of the underground music at the time, saying, “We all grew up through the punk and metal scene really.

We were very much into what John Peel played, and what we read about in sort of underground magazines [like] Warzone Collective and Hope Promotions in Dublin.”

Therapy? are notably thanked on Whipping Boy’s iconic record, Heartworm. Cairns is happy to reveal that the reason behind this was

their coming of age as a band alongside Whipping Boy, often playing on the same bill. They played their first “official” gig in Dublin alongside them, the first actual gig having been an unofficial twenty minutes playing in the Buttery Bar during the Trinity Ball. “We opened for Whipping Boy and within two minutes Fearghal [McKee, Whipping Boy frontman] was rolling around on the floor, and we were kinda going ‘This is pretty cool, we like these guys!’”

Perhaps the lasting impression Cairns conveys is an endearing old school approach to music. Conversation turns again to the idea of albums as a single musical statement by an artist, as Andy nostalgically recalls, “I remember buying London Calling by the Clash and I was thirteen and

taking it home and just closing the curtains in my bedroom and playing it three or four times in a row.”

Expressing his point further, he turned to wise words from the late, great Gil Scott-Heron. “He said if you go and listen to my album, he wants someone to put themselves in a corner, switch off all distractions and mobile devices for the next forty-five minutes and listen to the work he’s put into making this record for you.”

Therapy? may not be a household name, and three middle-aged men playing loud music are unlikely to adorn your younger sister’s bedroom wall, but maybe that is all the more reason to listen to them.

Therapy? play Vicar Street on Saturday March 10t.h. Tickets priced at €28. A Brief Crack of Light is out now.

Bird on the wire

Music OTWO

As Wallis Bird prepares for her latest European tour, she chats about condoms, coke, and not always being happy with Sally Hayden

W

allis Bird is hyper. “Too much coke,” she declares. “CocaCola that is!” This Meathborn, Wexford-bred ball of energy has just turned thirty.

A modern-day nomad, she is permanently in flight. Her wandering lifestyle is reminiscent of Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air, encased in the paradox that change can be familiarity. “I think the constant thing is that you always keep moving, that’s the only thing that has really been solid in my life since I was a child.” Bird is just back from Holland, a “really cool country, very open-minded system and beautiful landscape,” currently supporting Rodrigo y Gabriela in the UK before playing in Ireland.

Though Bird mentions a home she seems, somewhat admirably, to lack the standard human feelings of attachment. “It’s kind of part of the game to be on the road really ... It’s kind of incredible to be able to get out of a train or get out of a bus in a different country every day, in a different town, different currency, different language, it’s incredible. Traveling around, seeing all of this different culture. I mean, what’s not to love?”

At least she has an entourage, however; “I have my person who lifts me up stairs and who drinks my tea and makes sure it’s stirred. No, I think it’s just us, the band, and a tour manager. Entourage, like people hang around that make us look cool?

No. We always pick up a few people along the way, but it’s not really an entourage. We just kind of hang around, do our own thing, play the gigs, meet people after the show, party and go on to the next one. I suppose it’s a temporary entourage all the time.”

Signing with Island Records six years ago brought Bird to London, for better and for worse.

“The scene is excellent; it’s kind of the epicentre of the music business as such, but that doesn’t mean that it’s anywhere better than anywhere else. I prefer jamming at house parties as opposed to big serious gigs or going around and networking; all of that shite that comes with London.”

Three albums down, she describes her music as “the basic rhythms of a nation ... I would describe it as a healthy mixture of many, many different styles ranging from rock, to jazz, to reggae even.

It’s, oh fuck, you explain it for me, you’re better, you’re the journalist. It’s very style-blind.”

Musicians overcoming adversity seems to be par for the course with today’s X-Factor sobstories, but Bird is an authentic example. At just sixteen months old she was in a lawnmower accident, which led to five of her fingers being chopped off. Four were sewn back on, and as a result the originally left-handed songstress plays a right-handed guitar upside-down.

“Because I wasn’t allowed to do it after the accident, you know you have to rest your hand.

That made me want to do everything double the amount more ... It shaped me as a person, definitely. I work harder at a lot of stuff based on the fact that I grew up just wanting to prove people wrong.”

She is also one of a rare breed of musicians that will unashamedly reference their ego. “Mostly my success is quite simplified, down to just wanting to just play music for the rest of my life and live my life by that. That would be the only success that I really wish to have, but you know, because of my ego, I like to have that massaged every now and again, so I suppose I’m probably like most musicians in that way.”

Bird’s glee radiates from her music and her voice. It is infectious and undeniable. If there’s a secret to eternal happiness, Otwo believes she’s the keeper. “I do of course have a lot of sadness and elements of deep-rooted depression, I think everybody does, to be able to allow myself t o

get down and low, but I tend to work myself out of it, and I think the positivity is just in allowing myself to feel any way that I want to feel, and I think that’s where I get the energy to be positive.” Her life advice to students is to let loose, get practical experience and “always have condoms. Yes, always have condoms, that’s handy.”

And with such a pun-friendly moniker, Otwo asks her if she can bear the the inevitable associated quips. “Do you know what, out of all the interviews that I’ve had there haven’t been as many as I thought there would be. I think people might have found that a little bit too lazy or something. But no, it’s cute. Like a lot of people call me Birdy Bird. I’m sure for the release of the record there might be quite a few ‘this bird will fly’ or something to that effect.

Birds tend to sing to themselves and enjoy their own life, don’t they, and share it with us a little bit. That’s alright.”

Wallis Bird plays the Academy on March 9th.

Tickets priced at €19.

23

OTWO Music

album REVIEWS Memoryhouse Estelle The Slideshow Effect All of Me

The Cranberries Roses

B

D+

B

The debut album by Canadian dreampop act Memoryhouse, The Slideshow Effect, muses on several themes, most prominently death and representations of the past. Vocalist Denise Nouvion’s photography is included in the album and compliments the themes explored in the music. The potential of this album is realised when one accounts for the three forms of art featured: words, music, and pictures.

Some songs on the album are typically pop and feature catchy melodies (‘The Kids Were Wrong’), but overall the songs expect patience of the listener.

Some may be put off by songs such as ‘Little Expressionless Animals’, which has a tune and vocal harmony that will feel unfamiliar to those anticipating the generic. There are even hints at Asian influence on ‘All Our Wonder’, which is immediately alienating, but reveals itself over time. It may take several listens, but this an album worth the effort.

This is Estelle’s third album, her latThe Cranberries return after an elevenest since 2008’s breakthrough Shine, year interlude, with new material and the and it is certainly not worth the wait. obligatory whispers of that oh-so-elusive ‘reGuest vocalists abound, with Chris turn to form’. The verdict? They’ve exceeded Brown, Trey Songz, and Rick Ross all expectations; it’s a damn fine comeback. featuring on a few radio-friendly Roses departs from the familiar jams, but not for the better. WhatCranberries sound, replacing, for the ever your thoughts on Chris Brown, most part, the howling choruses with his presence on ‘International (Seria more sombre tone illustrated by the ous)’ is damaging to an already weak hushed ‘Roses’. ‘Raining in My Heart’ record. merges pop sensibility with O’Riordan’s Listener beware, every third track trademark melancholy, and fans of the here is a skit that can only be described heavier Cranberries sound are duly as Estelle having a chat with a few of obliged with the anthemic ‘Show Me’.

The album’s true forte, however, is its her mates. It is an attempt at inspiralush string arrangements. ‘Schizophrenic tional interludes wherein Estelle and Playboy’ boasts a dramatic orchestral some other nameless people offer some rock vibe and the lachrymose ‘Waiting words of wisdom they’ve learnt from in Walthamstow’ channels a downcast their mothers that come across as offensively inane. The two singles, ‘Thank Beatles to produce the moving pièce de résistance. Tracks such as ‘Conduct’, and You’ and ‘Break My Heart’, do slightly redeem the record, but they are the only ‘Tomorrow’ will prove too saccharine for tracks here that even attempt to explain many tastes, but Roses may nonetheless prove to be the comeback album of the year. how Estelle got this far.

In a Nutshell: Impressively complex and intelligent.

by Allan McKee

In a Nutshell: If you’re looking for some inspirational nonsense, this is the album for you.

by Sara Holbrook

Say Anything Anarchy, My Dear C-

24

Sinéad O’Connor How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?

B+

The musical backdrop of Sinéad O’Connor’s tenth album is ruthlessly demolished and reconstructed from track to track, employing churning new wave reminiscent of her early albums, stomping Bhangra and hushed piano-led pieces. However, one vibrant artery winds its way forcibly through everything – her voice. It’s that same incandescent croon that, particularly in the context of her brutal lyrical openness, makes recent preconceptions regarding her vitality seem foolish.

O’Connor’s characteristic defiance and forcefulness both perturbs and entices however, as she estranges the listener in ungainly passages where she has simply too much to say. Oppressively overt religious imagery threatens to alienate the casual listener in ‘Take off Your Shoes’ and ‘V.I.P’. The high points however, including ‘Old Lady’, ‘Reason With Me’, and ‘Back Where You Belong’, are magnificent, stirring and in the majority. Buck the trend and embrace her before everyone else comes round to it.

In a Nutshell: A real-live return to In a Nutshell: A triumphant, albeit form with moments rivalling former glories. occasionally flawed reminder of why

Sinéad is irreplaceable.

by Martin Gilroy

by Stephen Connolly

If you’re still stuck back in your angsty teenage years, without a warm fuzzy feeling in sight, then Say Anything’s latest album Anarchy, My Dear will be the perfect accompaniment to your rampant mood swings. Despite being one of the most anticipated albums of 2012, it’s mostly just disappointing.

It fits almost too snugly into the confines of the post-punk genre, with the songs becoming increasingly repetitive.

By the end of the album, they have all blended seamlessly into each other, leaving no lasting impression. The lyrics are predictably bleak and emotionally chaotic, reflecting the tempestuous history of the band, with lead singer

Max Bemis’ highly publicised struggle with bipolar disorder and excessive changes of band members.

The only songs worthy of a mention are ‘Peace Out’ and ‘Anarchy, My Dear’. While they remain predictably angst-ridden and bitter, they manage to brighten an otherwise dull and gloomy album.

In a Nutshell: Disappointingly unmemorable.

by Shauna Daly

Music OTWO

mixtape Great songs by awful artists

Even a stopped clock will tell the correct time twice a day. Stephen Connolly demonstrates how even the worst artist can stumble upon greatness The Sweet – ‘Fox On the Run’ Even The Sweet’s glittery loyalists were taken aback when their idols finally rearranged Bowie and Bolan’s leftovers into something even crudely resembling a classic. One of the few justifiable causes for pit stops along 1974’s aptly-monikered Desolation Boulevard, save perhaps to take a U-turn.

Mott The Hoople‘All the Young Dudes’ Herefordshire’s curliest were snatched from the mandibles of obscurity at the last moment, when they finally delivered the glorious ‘All The Young Dudes’. We see the question form on your cracked lips: ‘What expanses had these minstrels travelled, what rivers crossed, and sorcerers’ counsel sought in order to pen such finery?’ David Bowie wrote it for them.

Will Smith – ‘Miami’ Under a microscope, cells exposed to the flaccid lyrical belchings of this man have been seen to disenchant cells of the ear’s epidermis to such an extent that they opt out of the normal cell cycle, morphing into rancid growths of comparable malignancy. But, eh, this is fine.

Cream – ‘White Room’ Any distant-eyed uncle at the quiet end of a dinner table will mumble to you that unless tragically buggered on acid, the only way one could elute a gram of pleasure from Eric Clapton and the boys’ 1960s concerts was to be one of the moustached virtuosos indulging in instrument-assisted onanisms onstage.

Rod Stewart- ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?’

While his strip mining of the Great American Songbook may have many vomiting into their own cupped hands, this is gold, uncomfortable gold.

Politely ignore the slurred question and pop a chocolate into his mouth by way of encouragement.

Babyshambles - ‘Fuck Forever’ Emerging from the fumes of his own pungent self-mysticism and wet-eyed nationalism, Doherty initially promised to be an artist both vital and listenable. That promise was not honoured and had he not had written this, our pound of flesh would have been exacted. You can guess which pound.

Ringo Starr - ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ Like that of an ill-treated seed potato kept in a dark loft, Ringo Starr’s efforts under the lengthy shadow of his bandmates in the 1970s were pale and spindly, not to mention musty. This piece, however, thrived in reflected light of its co-writer, George Harrison. Fitting extended metaphor, we think, as Ringo Starr does resemble a potato.

Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Love’s Not a Competition (But I’m Winning)’ Always handy to have up one’s sleeve when trying to contend that Kaiser Chiefs communicated something more transcendental than the spirit and ethos of the Bash Street Kids.

Cher - ‘Believe’ If you, in a smoky bar back in the day, had suggested that the pinnacle of Cher’s artistic endeavour would be both at the end of the century and recorded in a pint glass, we would have laughed uproariously and advised the barman to hide your keys. Now who’s laughing? Absolutely no one, actually.

Razorlight - ‘Golden Touch’ Johnny Borrell is just the sort of guy who your parents steer you away from.

He’s the sort of anarchist who, on a class trip to Newgrange, will pass around a sneaky can of beer at the back of the bus, and deliberately wear his Doc Martens on PE day. Should their efforts fail, and you become ensconced in the circle of friends orbiting his colossal sense of entitlement, make sure he doesn’t remove this gem from his setlist.

The duffington post Ahead of Jeff Mangum’s longawaited, reclusion-breaking Dublin show, Cormac Duffy looks at myth and music, and why we too often confuse the two If you’ve ever heard Jeff Mangum’s name as the genius behind Neutral Milk Hotel, there will be a few things you’ll associate it with: a wailing, emphatic voice, gloriously shambolic instrumentation, more hipster jokes than you will ever need, and a riveting backstory.

The tale behind his Mangum opus, 1998’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, is one of music’s great creation myths, with threads of reclusiveness, rumoured schizophrenia and Anne Frank’s ghost. I already fear I am adding to the wasteful surplus of ink spilled about it, so I won’t elaborate. Research it if you’re unaware, but make sure to take the fawning purple prose it generates with a pinch of salt.

Yes, too much of what is written about the album latches onto this fable rather than its sonic qualities, but it’s not alone. Whether it’s the pioneering recordings of Robert Johnson, the enduring mystique of Charles Manson’s otherwise benign albums, or even the narrativelinked confessionals of Hospice or For Emma, Forever Ago, music is too often sown to its purported circumstances and backstory. It doesn’t even need to involve Satanism, murder, or woodland isolation. To be a musician living a double life as tabloid fodder is to see your personal life warped into an infallible lens for viewing your oeuvre. If you want to interpret the latest Cheryl Cole single, you’re better set with OK! than with a investigative handbook.

How we lean on these myths says a lot about us as fans. Put simply, is the tragic arc of an album’s narrative, deafeningly amplified by real life inspiration, the music lover’s answer to a spontaneous soap opera tram crash?

These albums are so prevalent because they have these easily spread chunks of info attached to them. No one wants to hear about the emotionally content bard who just wrote a very inventive cadence; tell us about the rock star who drove his motorbike off a hotel roof into a swimming pool of yellow M&Ms, or the bluesman who sold his soul to the Based God at a T-junction. That’s someone we’ll remember.

Faced with something I love as much as Mangum’s work, I’m resigned to a less reductionist spin. Maybe our yearning to know what every note of music means comes from our will to connect with the performer on some personal level. It would certainly explain why we cling onto these myths, regardless of how false they might be, hoping they will be musical Rosetta Stones, bringing us one iota closer to that elusive truth.

25

OTWO

“I’ve got oldschool show business to my bones” Fresh from an appearance on TBS’ Conan, comedian Jimmy Pardo and producer Matt Belknap talk to Jon Hozier-Byrne about the Never Not Funny podcast, the changing face of American comedy and the tragedies their show has faced

T

he phone rings, the long dull drone of an international number. All of a sudden, the line comes alive with an energetic vaudeville broadcaster’s voice; “Jimmy Pardo’s office. Hold for Mr Pardo please.” It is the unmistakable tones of comedian, actor and podcaster Jimmy Pardo, yet some part of Otwo believes him, and like a fool, quietly waits to be patched through. The silence is only broken by the deeper, husky sighs of producer Matt Belknap; “Totally ridiculous.”

Jimmy Pardo is as close to unique as a standup comic gets. On stage, he is as free-form and stream-of-consciousness as Ross Noble, as biting as Greg Proops, and as formal as Johnny Carson. Perhaps the best comparison, if one can really be made, is with Groucho Marx, Pardo incapsulating all of the manic energy, with just a touch of the irreverance that made Groucho a legend.

Matt Belknap cuts a different figure.

Restrained, sensible, yet hilarious in his own right, he served as Pardo’s foil before becoming, slowly but surely, a performer in his own right.

Together, the two host Never Not Funny, the comedy podcast that began a zeitgest in both podcasting and stand-up comedy.

“Jimmy and I, like all great love stories, we met on the internet,” explains Belknap, “I was a fan of comedy and I was writing reviews of stand-up shows on my website, and Jimmy, among other comics, started reading those reviews, and getting very angry at me because I was anonymously criticising people. Although I think I was 99.9% positive overall and probably 100% positive when it came to Jimmy but –” At which point, Pardo snarls across him, “Somebody might not know what numbers are.”

Balknap ignores him, continuing, “Anyway, in 2005 or 2006, I was doing a podcast for my 26

site, just interviewing comics, and I interviewed back on late night television and hit a home run, Jimmy and we had a lot of fun. We sat down at a and luckily erase the memory of that nightmare.” dining room table, at his house and chatted, and I Such is the rapport between Pardo and was thinking ‘Hey, Jimmy’s live show in LA, that Conan O’Brien, that the red-headed host has would be a great podcast too, just record that and become a regular guest on NNF, joining the put it out,’ and he said ‘You know what, I think it illustrious company of Mad Men’s Jon Hamm would be more fun to just sit at the dining room and Rich Sommer, Modern Family’s Ty Burrell, table and talk to my friends about comedy and and the great and the good of American comedy, stuff,’ and we did.” including Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Marc From its humble beginnings, Never Not Funny Maron, Maria Bamford and Andy Richter. has gone from strength to strength, consistently Never Not Funny has not just been a series of innovating podcasting, being among the first highs, however, with the tragic loss of the show’s to charge for a podcast, present video podcasts, videographer and Pardo’s brother-in-law, Andrew and gain the popularity necessary to transition Koenig, to suicide in 2010. Koenig, made famous the medium into live shows in theatres across for his role as Boner in the 1980’s sitcom Growing the country. “I like to joke that we’re the beta Pains, found a second life and a spiritual home on tape,” remarks Pardo, “I want to say I’m the NNF. “Andrew was never a guy that was looking first professional west coast comedian to have for that fame; he avoided all of those reality show a podcast, so you know, we kind of started things that embraced stars of the past, that wasn’t this whole thing, in a way. I guess people are what he was after, but I think he really loved being always giving us credit for that.” A remarkable a part of Never Not Funny, and he enjoyed showing achievement, noting how crucial the medium up here every week,” says Pardo, “He liked being now is to American comedians; “If you look at a part of something and being recognised for him our guest list, there might be three or four that and not for being the guy from Growing Pains.” don’t have their own podcast at this point.”

Both Pardo and Belknap remark on the political The cultural impact of the show has been so ‘fourth voice’ Koenig brought to the show, the profound that Pardo was a guest on TBS’ Conan absence of which they both acutely feel. “I’m a last November, promoting the annual Pardcast- clown and he wasn’t, and I do miss that.” a-thon; a twelve-hour live episode of Never Not Our interview drawing to a close, Belknap Funny held for charity. This represented a large and Pardo return to the whimsical, ‘yes-and’ turnaround in Pardo’s stand-up career, marking vaudeville-style act that made their name. When his first appearance on the late night talk show asked about his old-fashioned style, Pardo circuit, so important in American comedy, since remarks “I’ve got old-school show business to my his ill-fated appearance on The Tonight Show just bones.” after 9/11. “It was the perfect thing to cleanse, to “Now Jimmy, you collect old show business erase the horrible memory of my appearance on bones, is that true?” queries Belknap.

Jay Leno,” says Pardo, “It was one of those things “Yeah, that’s true,” retorts Pardo, “I’ve got Jack where you get the brass ring and then it sucked. I Paar over in the den, and truth be told I do have didn’t want to talk about it; I didn’t want anybody one Morey Amsterdam bone and if you guys ever to mention it, and it took almost ten years to get find another, let me know.”

OTWO

27 O2-7674-4 UCD Observer Panda.indd 1

23/02/2012 17:01

OTWO What

ridiculous stunt

would you pull to make a successful campaign video?

Ordinary Level

“Dress as Borat and jump in the lake.”

Ben Waff, 2nd year Arts

a

“I know the Canoeing Club always rides a canoe straight down the aisles of a lecture theatre.”

Michael Davis, English & Classics graduate

v

“Gobsmack Joe Brady, the Dean of Arts. Or pull Mrs. Brady. Actually, I hope I don’t get expelled for that.”

Ciaran Boylan, 1st year Psychology

“Run through Theatre L naked.

Do I have to do this now?”

Liam Florence, 2nd year History & French

28

“Climb up something and absail down. Library, maybe? Oh, the water tower, yeah! And hang a massive banner on it.”

Eimear Flavan, 2nd year Engineering

Voxpops: Jack Walsh Photographer: Caoimhe McDonnell