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Video | March 22, 2014

Saturday Night Movie: The Man who Fought the Planners – The Story of Ian Nairn

An excellent documentary, and an excellent entry point to Ian Nairn – after watching this you’ll probably find yourself trawling YouTube for more original footage. Here was a man who fought against the destruction of old towns, yet did not consider himself a conservationist. A man who railed against the follies of town planners, but who could appreciate decent modern architecture. This programme also harks back to a time when TV could just be a passionate, articulate and informed person speaking to camera without any gimmicks, and could still be compelling and vital.

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Video | March 5, 2014

Taking Chances

A new Sharon Van Etten track, a taster for her new album Are We There, due for release in late May. Her previous album Tramp is one of my favourite albums of the last few years. Van Etten can clearly write great songs, but can also create a mood. It is a kind of nebulous concept, but her songs have this feel that you just don’t hear elsewhere, sort of smoky, monochrome, but also heartfelt. Rough around the edges without just sounding a bit baggy. Read the rest of this entry »

Video | March 1, 2014

Saturday Night Movie: Don DeLillo Documentary

This documentary was broadcast over 20 years ago, yet a lot of it still feels relevant and true. Don DeLillo worked on the documentary alongside the BBC, touching on the themes of a lot of his novels and explores the interplay between the media, public violence and conspiracy. It is fascinating stuff and more imaginative in presentation than your usual author profile. I just wish they had commissioned a whole series.

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