This week I went to the beautiful Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle’s historic independent filmhouse, for dinner and a movie with friends. The film in question was Brian Wilson biopic Love and Mercy, and within minutes I knew it was going to be one of the best films I’d ever seen. As a lifelong Beach Boys fan, I was aware, of course, of bandleader Brian Wilson’s creative genius and history of drug taking and mental health issues – but the extent to which these are intertwined and the horror of what Wilson went through mentally is mindblowing. Continue reading Film Review: Love and Mercy – The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson
Category Archives: Music, Movies & Books
5 podcasts for the easily bored
Long car journeys, housework, chilling on the sofa, insomnia… in my opinion, there is almost no mundane situation which cannot be improved by listening to a good podcast. According to Wikipedia, “A Podcast is a digital medium that consists of a episodic series of audio, video, digital radio, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed on-line to a computer or mobile device”.
Woah! That sure sounds like fun! Not. According to Eclectic Feel, “Podcasts are nature’s way of taking care of stress and/or boredom. They are nuggets of audio awesomeness, generally lasting 10 minutes to an hour, which you can download and listen to at your leisure”.
As someone who is a) eclectic by nature b) easily bored c) always on the hunt for the interesting and unusual, here are my top 5 recommendations, in no particular order, whether you’re new to podcasts or a podcast fiend like me. Continue reading 5 podcasts for the easily bored
First Aid Kit for the Soul
It’s a Friday night and Miss Dolly Parton and I (that’s my cat, not the real DP, in case you were wondering) are relaxing on the sofa. Me with a little glass of homemade Christmas spiced vodka and diet coke; she with her favourite cream faux-fur blanket, which is getting a good wash. Together we are writing draft posts and listening to some First Aid Kit. Continue reading First Aid Kit for the Soul
Things I found in the attic… Vintage Books for Girls
On a recent trip back to my parents farmhouse, I finally decided (after being assured that it was now probably a rat-free zone) to brave the attic – an activity I had been both looking forward to and dreading for years. What treasures would I find? And would they all have been eaten by rats?
The answer is – some treasures (depending on your definition of treasures), and some rat damage. I managed to salvage a fair amount with the help of one brave sister and our mum shouting instructions from below. Amongst the salvage were these beautiful vintage books for girls – had they belonged to my mum? My grandmother? Continue reading Things I found in the attic… Vintage Books for Girls
Inspiring Musicians: Tyler Lyle
Hi! Just wanted to share this gorgeous song by Tyler Lyle – “Werewolf”. I discovered Tyler a couple of years ago when his song “I will follow love all the way home“ was featured on one of my favourite TV shows (sadly now ended) – Private Practice. I instantly fell in love with the song and downloaded his beautiful 2011 album “The Golden Age and the Silver Girl,” which was released entirely through Bandcamp.
If you haven’t yet heard of Tyler, he has an indie-folk-with-a-bit-of-country style, and writes beautiful, heartfelt lyrics that can make you feel like you experienced the things he’s writing about along with him, or else can easily relate it back to your own experiences. He is currently at work on a new full length album titled “the Native Genius of Desert Plants,” funded via Pledge Music, which I’ve been privileged to contribute to. In terms of the album name, Tyler explains that “The native genius of desert plants is that they can survive a long time without water. It’s been three years and six months since my last album. That feels long enough.”
I love TED
I’ve spent a lot of this year on the road for work…endless 6-8 hour commutes alone to spend endless unwanted weeks away from home. After a few months, I became (temporarily) bored of almost all music (and I LOVE music), radio, scenery (and we’re talking epic scenery)…you get the picture. Repetition is not good for an eclectic mind. I have the attention span of a gnat. What kept me going was discovering podcasts (I know, I need to get with the programme, everybody else has been listening to podcasts for years, but up until now I just assumed that they would be an unwanted distraction from my very important “singing in the car” time). Continue reading I love TED
eclectic feel 