Been a manic few days for us. Firstly we had half term, which automatically means I'm tired. Dealing with lots of little bastard kids all day is hard work!
Then I had to give up my day off because we got word through that one of the directors of the company was coming up to see us, see how the shop runs. Their words not mine!
Howard and I finally recorded the podcast. It was relatively painless for me, mostly because Howard is a clever, clever man and knows how garageband works. At least I think that is what it is called? I went with a compilation story about telling stories, which you may have read a version of further down this page, and a couple of stories featuring one of my favourite people in the world, Kerry. I rambled a bit, but hopefully people will find it charming rather than annoying. Howard is much better at this stuff than me, all those years of stand up and performing have given him a perfect radio voice! His recording went really well too, enjoyed his story of dying on his arse at a stand up gig.
So then it was technical stuff time, we found some free music online, edited it into a funky theme tune and voila. Howard submitted it to itunes and 2 hours later we were approved. We finally went live on itunes on Sunday evening, so far the feedback has been mostly positive, but it has also so far been family and friends. So we will see!
Howard again surprised me by setting us up a website, designing some logo's and getting us an email address for the show. Feeling like something of a slacker...luckily I came up with the name. 'Aurally Fixated' it became, and to make up for not knowing how to do any of those other complicated Mac based things, I hit Facebook hard, plugging the show left, right and centre, creating us a group/fanpage type thing and inviting what seems like the entire population of York to join us. Going well so far.
What else? Well, think I'm in the process of setting up a Theatre Company with Helen, my assistant manager at work. We want to make contemporary adaptations of interesting things into plays for grown ups. All the theatre in York seems to be youth groups or shakespeare based. We want to make a stage version of Chasing Amy, although having rewatched most of it, it might be a touch too rude for the good people of York. Clerks it is! I tweeted (yes I know that makes me a twat) Richard Kelly, writer/director of Donnie Darko to ask his opinion on a stage version of Donnie Darko, only to be told it had been done already. Denied! But that does save us a job, means there is a script already out there...
Turns out I might have to play Silent Bob, well I'm fat but not too fat to fly! Just for Kevin Smith fans that one. No, in all seriousness, I think my role will be non stage based, I'm no theatre director, and I'm certainly not an actor. I think I will be the ideas man, and in charge of finding the funding and support for the group. Oh, and I think I will have some wanky title like Ideas Consultant!
If you made it this far, why not go to itunes and download our podcast, Aurally Fixated? Or you can go to our website aurallyfixated.podbean.com and email us on aurallyfixated@live.co.uk.
Monday 22 February 2010
Saturday 20 February 2010
Podcast a-go-go!
It seems, to quote Miss Penny Lane, that ‘it’s all happening’. Howard, being the technical marvel that he is, has created us a website, got us cleared through Itunes and even got us an email address. It would appear as though ‘Aurally Fixated’ is a go. By the time you read this we should be hitting the itunes store. I really enjoyed recording the first one, Howard is a radio natural, and I think people will like our little show.
We had some issues coming up with a name for it. Originally it was going to be ‘Telling Stories’, which I like, but there were way too many things with the same name, so back to the drawing board we went. Inspiration hit me at work of all places, ‘Aural Fixation’, but then Howard checked it out and there were loads of them too, so he tweaked it a little and voila! We have a name. I have even come up with a new story for the next episode, you will of course have to go download it and listen.
The broadcast is also available at our website aurallyfixated.podbean.com, but the website is very basic and Itunes is probably easier. Anyway, enjoy!
We had some issues coming up with a name for it. Originally it was going to be ‘Telling Stories’, which I like, but there were way too many things with the same name, so back to the drawing board we went. Inspiration hit me at work of all places, ‘Aural Fixation’, but then Howard checked it out and there were loads of them too, so he tweaked it a little and voila! We have a name. I have even come up with a new story for the next episode, you will of course have to go download it and listen.
The broadcast is also available at our website aurallyfixated.podbean.com, but the website is very basic and Itunes is probably easier. Anyway, enjoy!
Sunday 14 February 2010
The Day I Died....
The title doesn't mean anything, just had that Just Jack song in my head all week. So it has been a ridiculously busy weekend at work, as expected. Very tired, but came home to find Caroline cleaning the house, having baked a cake and being about to prepare dinner. I knew there was a reason I keep her around! That was a joke by the way.
So we have set a date, calm down mum, it's a date for the first podcast recording. I'm just sifting through all my favourite stories, trying to find the right one for our first show. I think I have what I want to say more or less sorted, just hope people like it. If nothing else, it will be a nice chance to hang out with Howard, which I always enjoy.
Too tired to write coherently tonight so here are some things I like at the moment:
Chris Jericho
CM Punk
Just Jack
Castle
Fox's Crunch Extremely Chocolatey Cookies
Having cake made for me!
So we have set a date, calm down mum, it's a date for the first podcast recording. I'm just sifting through all my favourite stories, trying to find the right one for our first show. I think I have what I want to say more or less sorted, just hope people like it. If nothing else, it will be a nice chance to hang out with Howard, which I always enjoy.
Too tired to write coherently tonight so here are some things I like at the moment:
Chris Jericho
CM Punk
Just Jack
Castle
Fox's Crunch Extremely Chocolatey Cookies
Having cake made for me!
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Defying Gravity...
So, two blogs in one day, I'm on fire! This one will be my review of world renowned and fawned over musical Wicked. I'll be honest, I have read Gregory Maguire's novel and quite enjoyed it, but I don't think I would read it again. It added little to one of the great stories of our times. So when Caroline wanted to see it, I said okay, the stage show has won awards and praise left, right and centre.
We arrived to find that the lead would be played by the understudy, I'm okay with that, and then that the Wizard would also be played by the understudy, okay. Then I realised I recognised the guy who should have been playing the Wizard. Ah well, with a show like this you come for the show not the cast.
Settling into our seats the set design is fantastic, there is a 30 or 40 foot dragon thing suspended from the ceiling and a massive map of Oz hanging on the stage. Looks pretty good.
The woman playing Glinda does a good impression of the woman playing Glinda in the original film, but she missed a couple of notes early doors and I did not have high hopes! She recovered well though.
I really hope the understudy gets a leading role somewhere soon, she was fantastic, helluva voice and I believed her acting! Her name is Ashleigh Gray, big future.
My main problem with Wicked is that for a musical it only has one catchy song, and I only know that from Glee. I'll give credit, that is a catchy song, but still, every other musical I ever saw had more than one memorable song. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, but I feel like that was due more to the comic timing of Diane Pilkington playing Glinda and the fine work of Ashleigh Gray as Elphaba than any particular quality in the writing.
I just think it would have worked so much better as a straight play. It felt an awful lot like the characters were singing as an excuse for something to do. It was exposition, but it wasn't well done exposition. Now as I stated, I read the book, enjoyed it but am no purist but a lot of the detail missing from the show was what made the book interesting.
In short, I found Wicked to be not nearly as good as I was hoping, and about as overrated as I expected. I expect to get abuse for this review from lots of people who love it, and that's fine, I'm neither a homosexual male nor a woman and therefore the appeal of people singing exposition is lost on me a little. So there you have it, Wicked, is okay.
We arrived to find that the lead would be played by the understudy, I'm okay with that, and then that the Wizard would also be played by the understudy, okay. Then I realised I recognised the guy who should have been playing the Wizard. Ah well, with a show like this you come for the show not the cast.
Settling into our seats the set design is fantastic, there is a 30 or 40 foot dragon thing suspended from the ceiling and a massive map of Oz hanging on the stage. Looks pretty good.
The woman playing Glinda does a good impression of the woman playing Glinda in the original film, but she missed a couple of notes early doors and I did not have high hopes! She recovered well though.
I really hope the understudy gets a leading role somewhere soon, she was fantastic, helluva voice and I believed her acting! Her name is Ashleigh Gray, big future.
My main problem with Wicked is that for a musical it only has one catchy song, and I only know that from Glee. I'll give credit, that is a catchy song, but still, every other musical I ever saw had more than one memorable song. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, but I feel like that was due more to the comic timing of Diane Pilkington playing Glinda and the fine work of Ashleigh Gray as Elphaba than any particular quality in the writing.
I just think it would have worked so much better as a straight play. It felt an awful lot like the characters were singing as an excuse for something to do. It was exposition, but it wasn't well done exposition. Now as I stated, I read the book, enjoyed it but am no purist but a lot of the detail missing from the show was what made the book interesting.
In short, I found Wicked to be not nearly as good as I was hoping, and about as overrated as I expected. I expect to get abuse for this review from lots of people who love it, and that's fine, I'm neither a homosexual male nor a woman and therefore the appeal of people singing exposition is lost on me a little. So there you have it, Wicked, is okay.
London Calling...
Well, spent the last few days in London. I have a strange relationship with London, I'd call it a love/hate relationship, but I can't. I don't like it. The people are rude, soo rude! Take today for example, popped into a shop, which shall remain nameless but is a pretty big tourist destination shop just off Leicester Square, to get a couple of very cool T-shirts. Walked in, directly to the part of the shop we needed to be in, said hello to the guy working there and proceeded to decide on the shirts. The guy followed us around, and I don't mean he kept a discrete eye on us, he was a foot away from me. Everytime I turned he was there, almost breathing down my neck. I picked up a shirt, and he reached past me to tidy the space I had left, within 2 seconds of me picking up the shirt. He was about 30 seconds from me telling him to piss off when I realised Caroline (my girlfriend) was complaining to the staff. Just so rude!
There are little moments I do like, but they are merely small moments in a sea of vile! I like the tube, but I don't like the stupid people who travel on it. They run like their life depended on it, when another train will be along in 2 minutes.
As the cliche goes, I'm English by birth, but Northern by the grace of whatever deity you pray to!
There are little moments I do like, but they are merely small moments in a sea of vile! I like the tube, but I don't like the stupid people who travel on it. They run like their life depended on it, when another train will be along in 2 minutes.
As the cliche goes, I'm English by birth, but Northern by the grace of whatever deity you pray to!
Saturday 6 February 2010
New York, I Love You...
So, we booked our trip to New York last night. Looking forward to going back, seeing a few different things. It will be nice to go back and not have to do the basics again, Caroline has now been before. Means we can explore a litle more.
On the agenda for this time will be: Chelsea and the Village, NYU campus and surrounding area, Tribeca, AMC in Times Square (The A-Team movie comes out while we are there!), Radio City and this time we will actually do the NBC tour. This might be the bit I'm most excited about. Visiting the SNL set, which I have become a massive fan of over the last year or so, will be amazing. NBC is much maligned, having just gone through the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien shambles, however, they also make the aforementioned SNL, 30 Rock, Community, Chuck and Heroes. They also made Scrubs and Lost! So I cut them some slack, plus they do really good T-Shirts. I fully intend to visit the NBC shop, stock up, then the HBO shop, stock up!
Hopefully we will find time to explore the boroughs a little, there is an amazing wrestling shop in Flushing I would love to hit up.
Not sure what kind of show we will go see this year, I'm sure we will see one, just got to narow the list down. Avenue Q last year was great, not sure there is much else around that I fancy. Either way, I'm very excited to be going, would love there to be a wrestling show somewhere nearby we can go to, not been to a live one in ages.
Well, off I go to organise myself for our London trip...
On the agenda for this time will be: Chelsea and the Village, NYU campus and surrounding area, Tribeca, AMC in Times Square (The A-Team movie comes out while we are there!), Radio City and this time we will actually do the NBC tour. This might be the bit I'm most excited about. Visiting the SNL set, which I have become a massive fan of over the last year or so, will be amazing. NBC is much maligned, having just gone through the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien shambles, however, they also make the aforementioned SNL, 30 Rock, Community, Chuck and Heroes. They also made Scrubs and Lost! So I cut them some slack, plus they do really good T-Shirts. I fully intend to visit the NBC shop, stock up, then the HBO shop, stock up!
Hopefully we will find time to explore the boroughs a little, there is an amazing wrestling shop in Flushing I would love to hit up.
Not sure what kind of show we will go see this year, I'm sure we will see one, just got to narow the list down. Avenue Q last year was great, not sure there is much else around that I fancy. Either way, I'm very excited to be going, would love there to be a wrestling show somewhere nearby we can go to, not been to a live one in ages.
Well, off I go to organise myself for our London trip...
Thursday 4 February 2010
Bazinga!
Okay, so Christmas is over. Thank Christ. And now it is time to get back to the real world. Well, my version of it anyway.
Have been inspired by Howard! Talking to him about his non job leaving him lots of time to write. I should be organised. We talked briefly about maybe doing a podcast, think I would enjoy that, and it would be good! He is funny, I have my moments, could be amazing, could be shit! I'd lean more towards amazing.
Thinking I should apply for that TNA Internship. How cool would that be? Being there for Hogan and Bischoff taking it down from the inside? Be a shame, but a great experience.
Here are some things I like at the moment:
Chuck
Motor City Machine Guns
John Casey
Community
smodcast.com
Glee
Booking holidays
Eve Torres
Abed and Troy
Heading to London this weekend, not somewhere I generally like being, but it will be nice to get away for a few days, maybe do a little shopping, see a show. I may blog again before then, hopefully I will have something to say next time.
Have been inspired by Howard! Talking to him about his non job leaving him lots of time to write. I should be organised. We talked briefly about maybe doing a podcast, think I would enjoy that, and it would be good! He is funny, I have my moments, could be amazing, could be shit! I'd lean more towards amazing.
Thinking I should apply for that TNA Internship. How cool would that be? Being there for Hogan and Bischoff taking it down from the inside? Be a shame, but a great experience.
Here are some things I like at the moment:
Chuck
Motor City Machine Guns
John Casey
Community
smodcast.com
Glee
Booking holidays
Eve Torres
Abed and Troy
Heading to London this weekend, not somewhere I generally like being, but it will be nice to get away for a few days, maybe do a little shopping, see a show. I may blog again before then, hopefully I will have something to say next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)