Dungeons and Dragons is a pretty shameful thing to do, right? I mean, it's hilarious, these people all rolling dice and taking hit points off an imaginary character. Ha ha! Lo$erz. The ad in the link is funny because the D&D admen aren't even trying to portray the game as be anything other than 'pretending to be an elf". I can see how D&D Corp must be wondering how they can muscle in on the World or Warcraft and Everquest action, seeing as they were the original RPG.
I don't play online role playing games, and I don't think I would, because I am a weak, weak man, and I would lose everything within a month of signing up. But, I did used to play dungeons and dragons as a kid, d12s, d6s, maps on graph paper, some bastard playing at God and just making things up as he fufils his role of "dungeon master". It doesn't seem so shameful when I think of it in child context, but to think adults still do it.
But then, you've got nutter like Vtini, Dr. When and Stefanos who actually do go out and play roles for real. Is this shameful? You'd be a dick to suggests that these people should be ashamed of doing what they like, right?
Anyway, the crux is - do you have any hobbies or past times that have a bad press? Apart from spending time talking to people on an internet chat board. Is there anything that you'd like to do, but are probably held back by your own stereotyping?
Also - bonus topic! The increasing acceptance of adults engaging in imaginative play - should this be seen as moving forwards or backwards in terms of the way we communicate/interact?
BYE!
[ 10.10.2005, 08:59: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
Writing poetry is probably as shameful as it got for me: we're talking really bad, lousy stuff in the summer of 1990 - reeling under the influence of Kerouac, Plath, Hughes - all those 5th-form classics. It's hard to overstate the feelings of embarrassment and self-loathing that take hold on the rare occasions I stumble across such material (the last time: while mining a stratum of "papers" in the coalface of accumulated childhood junk in the 'far room' at my dad's place). It's no surprise that poetic souls tend so often to be suicidal; anyone with an iota of self-knowledge feels their trigger finger itch upon re-reading teenage versifying.
Eventually, I guess, I developed a sense of shame and grew out of it; think it was around the time a peer of mine (not Omikin) shared his Jim Morrisson-influenced opus with me - sensing, no doubt, a kindred soul - and it dawned on me that writing poetry could, in certain cases, be worse than interfering with, you know, little girls.
ps. To Benway - thanks for the mag, I read it on the train back to Yo'sha and thoroughly enjoyed it - especially the NOES2 piece. Cannot agree with your correspondent on Eli Roth, but there it is. Look forward to seeing the second issue.
Posted by herbs (Member # 101) on :
*hand up*
I have joined an amateur operatic society. And it is just as you would imagine. There's even a lady vicar, a gay musical director called Malcolm, and a four-strong committee in charge of making the tea during the break. There's even a guy who comes every week, sets up a little table, and seems very important, but he just runs one of the raffles.
I joined because I love singing in a group, and this lot do a musical every summer, in the illustrious surroundings of the Kenneth More theatre, Ilford, and I've always wanted to be in a musical. But before I can flounce around the stage in a big dress next year, I first have to endure this year's Christmas show, which is a revue of 40s music, together with cringe-inducing over-literal dance moves. I've laughed out loud at some points at what we've had to do, to be met with quizzical looks. Everybody takes it so seriously.
What's more, somehow practically everybody I know has got hold of the performance date, unbeknown to me, and is going to come to watch me do ridiculous motions - 'I'm thinking Fosse here' [Malcolm] to 40s staples. It will be the most shaming couple of hours of my life.
[ 10.10.2005, 09:18: Message edited by: herbs ]
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
*hangs head in utter shame*
Back in the 80's I used to bowl. A lot. I was very good, even toyed with the idea of attempting to do it on a professional level.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
/stands up
I love flyfishing.
/sits down
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
No, hang on. People have this preconception that game fishing is terribly expensive, and elitist and not for dirty little proles.
But it’s not true! I’ve met simply dozens of people on the river who’ve never even seen a butler!
Really though. It does irk me. Fishing is the biggest participation sport in the country, more people fish than go to watch football yadda yadda yadda. The kit’s not expensive – less than coarse fishing, certainly, and you can get a day on a decent lake for £30-40, with a half-day for about £20. This compares pretty favourably with a ticket for a Premiership match, which is 90 minutes of overpaid fuckwits falling over.
Of course, there are the £400 a day stretches of the Test, but that’s a bit like saying that hotels are expensive if you’ve only ever been to the Ritz.
Lovely day in the fresh air, always moving = good exercise, lovely and quiet and contemplative, you get to kill stuff and then eat it.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
I played role playing games and I loved it.
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by herbs: ridiculous motions - 'I'm thinking Fosse here' [Malcolm]
lololol of the day.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
Where to begin? I've done the teenage poetry thing; a shame compounded by the fact that a lot of what I wrote remains in VP's custody, where I can't really control its deployment. That's pretty bad.
Then there's the obvious shame stuff like reading comics, playing computer games etc etc. Oh and roller-skating. People seem to find the roller-skating really odd, although its actually quite pleasant. Having said that, I am aware that being a nearly-30 year old marketing exec skating round Hyde Park listening to Green Day on a Sony MP3 player does kind of scream 'wanker!' louder than almost anything else mentioned on this thread.
[ 10.10.2005, 09:33: Message edited by: Thorn Davis ]
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
After a "take up something new" thread, I promised Modge I would join a fencing club. That was about three years ago and the closet I've been to an épée since then is losing my temper (Haha, 1980s Deben High School reference: epee (Abr epileptic fit) - to lose one's temper in a berserka style. eg: "I'm going to throw an epee".
I expect to see Modge in Stratford, carving a 'Z' into the rear of some Bulgarian hopeful in the 2012 Olympics.
[ 10.10.2005, 09:39: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
When I was kid they advertised rpgs with women wearing scanty outfits and holding big swords. Worked as well.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
I'm not sure the Olympic committee would let Modge get away with that Roy.
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: I expect to see Modge in Stratford, carving a 'Z' into the rear of some Bulgarian hopeful in the 2012 Olympics.
I expect Modge to fuck Rick J up with one of those weird swords that are like radio antennae over on the 'Pettibone' thread.
She'll nick him on one of the major arteries in his neck with a 'Have at you, varlet' - but in French. And he'll be like: Argh Modge help me I'm dying, and she'll be sat there like: No fucking way, you totally dissed my husband you odd little bitch.
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: I expect to see Modge in Stratford, carving a 'Z' into the rear of some Bulgarian hopeful in the 2012 Olympics.
Well, y'know, I did join a fencing club last year. I did a "beginners course" of 10 weeks and really, it wasn't that good. I mean the fencing was good, wielding a sword and poking it at people, lunging around and all that. I liked that. But, the tutor was no good. He was an excellent fencer, but a dreadful teacher and the classes were dulldulldull. We had about 7 weeks of classes before he let us practice with an opponent, and he used to spend so long correcting each individual in the line that we'd spend 20 minutes "practising" the same little movement. It was quite disappointing because I'd wanted to try fencing since I was a childe and not being allowed to leap around the room/swing from chandeliers whilst slicing at someone was a bit of a let down. I'd try it again though with a different teacher and with my own mask, as wearing one that is shared amongst umpteen people in the club is a stinky experience.
I don't think I've had an embarrassing hobby since I was 8 and played bowls (as in carpet/grass bowls). I even won two (2) trophies which my mother still proudly displays in her hall. I was also quite good at darts and pool as a teenager and played in a couple of inter-youth club competitions. I think those skills come from being shipped around from pub to pub by my father when I was too young to be left home alone. See also: caddying skills.
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
Oh, that's a shame to hear, Modge. I am thinking of doing a fencing course in my winter break (in the same way as I said I'd do ice skating lessons this year).
I flew to the other side of the world for geeksome LOTR stuff, but you all knew that already.
Fan fiction writing is the one hobby that I find completely unfathomable. Why on earth would you want to read somebody else's limp attempt at copying a great writer, or their limp attempt at copying a mediocre/bad writer? I've met fan fic writers, and they're seemingly well-educated and otherwise normal, indeed some of them are good friends now. But they write stories about what happened at Sam Gamgee and Rosie's wedding in faux-Tolkien style. How can this be right?
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
veep, I think it could be good - fencing, not fanfic, I too find that a bit baffling. The club I was at had two tutors, one who was pretty good and then my one. I think it is just sometimes the case with things like this (I've had a similar experience with yoga) that you get people who are pretty good at the sport and very enthusiastic about it, but they're just not able to teach well at all. Do try it though, it was more fun than I am making out.
Posted by squeegy (Member # 136) on :
quote:Originally posted by Modge: I don't think I've had an embarrassing hobby since I was 8 and played bowls (as in carpet/grass bowls).
lol. Reading that reminded me of joining recorders after school thinking it was something to do with video recording and I'd get to borrow loads of cool videos to watch. The tragic thing was nobody told me otherwise until I got there and they thrust a wet plastic flute into my mouth. Also we didn't even have a fucking video machine so God knows what I was thinking.
Unfortunately these type of things still happen to me. Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
VP, if only there was somebody here who was an expert in audience studies and fan culture, eh?
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: Fan fiction writing is the one hobby that I find completely unfathomable.?
I'm no expert on fanfic, but if you look at the work of - say - established horror writers in working up a 'Cthulhu mythos' around a handful of extant works by HP Lovecraft you can see much of the same impulse at work. Similarly, in the days when publishing was much more of a matter of knock-offs of the Latest Big Thing, whether that happened to be Robinson Crusoe or Pamela Andrews, there'd be be - I'm sure - as many lame stabs by besotted imitators as there were rip-offs by mercenary hack writers.
The inter-net just facilitates this sort of thing among non-professionals and - most importantly - makes it more transparent to the rest of us (anyone can visit a website whereas it isn't as if you're able to eavesdrop on the actual meeting of a 'society').
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
TMO FanFic was one of my favourite threads ever.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Thank you Vogon Poetess for voicing what I've always thought about Fanfic, but was too fluffy and liberal to say....
I admire you all for the commitment and focus involved in sustaining a proper hobby. Thank you also Modge for making Fencing not sound glamorous and sexy as I thought it would be. If someone could do the same for ice-skating so I can stop vaguely considering it, I'd be grateful.
They're not exactly hobbies but I guess running/jogging is fairly unfashionable, if not as lethal as rollerskating. Hiking is definitely unfashionable (and cliched to boot) and involves the wearing of unattractive trousers, waterproofs and stupid hats. Also being overtaken by rock-hard fell runners who are the ubermensch of the mountains.
What about embroidery? I did that for a few weeks one long-ago skint winter but, in typical style started out with a very large canvas which I never finished. I also thought that it may have been an indicator of an incipient nervous breakdown and had difficulty wielding a needle with one hand and smoking materials with the other, so it didn't last long....
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
i have a friend off the internet who writes britney spears fanfic. what ive read is pretty funny- britney sitting around in her dressing gown, scraping her toenails clean with the edge of her amex gold card, eating cheez- wizz, having the odd boredom wank, watching csi, just musing. i once stayed up until 3 am reading harry potter slash. girl- on- girl harry potter slash. featuring, like, two of the girl pupils being enslaved by one of the lady teachers. the reason i am not being very specific about which pupils and which teacher is because i have never actually read a harry potter book and so the only female character i know is hermione. and none of the girls were past the age of consent at that stage so i guess it was actually gay paedo harry potter slash. thats not very cool is it.
also yes i am a reenactor.
[ 10.10.2005, 11:41: Message edited by: dance margarita ]
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: Thank you also Modge for making Fencing not sound glamorous and sexy as I thought it would be.
I think the trouble with it is that until you are really good, it's a bit boring - much like learning to play the piano. Playing scales for hours and hours is way less fun that knocking out a bit of Chopin, but sadly necessary. Watching good fencers is exciting, and there is something a bit sexy in watching them being sweaty and skillful and sort of violent in a refined way. Unfortunately, doing beginners lessons mainly involves wearing a plastic breast plate, a sweaty glove and mask, and wiggling your thumb around to try to control the foil.
However, I did like the (very balletic)traditions with the formal greetings and bows, and all the lunging and stabbing. If you could persevere for long enough to have a proper fight(and buy your own equipment so you're only inhaling your own stale sweat) I reckon it would be good.
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
quote:Originally posted by dance margarita: the only female character i know is hermione. and none of the girls were past the age of consent at that stage so i guess it was actually gay paedo harry potter slash. thats not very cool is it.
my husband would be grateful if you could pass on the url.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
That's like any martial art though, isn't it? You start out with drills, forms, kata and practice the same movements over and over again until you've burnt yourself a new reflex arc. It must be the same with ballet...
And then after you can hold horse stance/plie/a lunge for over half an hour do they get you onto reverse spinning roundhouse/pas de plutot/chandeliers.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
NB - I'm not saying being a gay paedo is that difficult. They'll let simply anyone into their gang.
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
quote:Originally posted by Modge: my husband would be grateful if you could pass on the url.
it was on an lj community. i cant remember the name of it, but could find it for your husband with some ease i reckon.
[ 10.10.2005, 11:52: Message edited by: dance margarita ]
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
Maggie, do all re-enactors take a vow of abstinence regarding the shift key?
I know dd's allergic. But why you?
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote:Originally posted by Modge:
quote:Originally posted by dance margarita: the only female character i know is hermione. and none of the girls were past the age of consent at that stage so i guess it was actually gay paedo harry potter slash. thats not very cool is it.
my husband would be grateful if you could pass on the url.
LOL and [choke]
But then you'd have to whip out your epee and spend the next 12 months defending his honour. So is it really worth it?
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
quote:Originally posted by Carter: Maggie, do all re-enactors take a vow of abstinence regarding the shift key?
I know dd's allergic. But why you?
the answer is in the question, doctor.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
Jesus. Is Carter the only person who didn't twig that dance margerita and discodamage were the same person, like, straight away?
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: Jesus. Is Carter the only person who didn't twig that dance margerita and discodamage were the same person, like, straight away?
No. But then again, I don't really care either. For what it's worth, I'd have no problem if TMO was just one person posting under a variety of ID's. As long as I'm amused.
[ 10.10.2005, 12:07: Message edited by: ralph ]
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
Shut up Thorck.
Why the fuck is everyone changing usernames? I mean. What.
Jesus. I blame Barbelith. One existential hissy-fit and they're off to subtly modify their over-long ficsuits like a tribe of cobbler-helping elves.
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
Carter, you're absolutely right (about the training at least ) which is why I think it was largely the tutor I had that put me off. If you have beginners in these types of sports/arts you have to be sure to make it interesting as well as teaching the technique. There's no harm in letting your beginners have a bit of a fight/try double pirouettes even though you know it is going to result in a big mess, because it is often fun and keeps their interest.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
And who would the cobbler be in that analogy Carter?
Just asking.
No, I didn't spot the new username either.
Posted by Modge (Member # 64) on :
I bore myself sometimes.
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
ive had the same username for about three years now, i fancied a change. also i thought a new username might help me be a bit more chirpy because i seem to keep pavlov's- doggy- style posting these huge screeds about how loathsome my life is, as if i was louche or benway or someone. when actually im remarkably happy most of the time nowadays, when im not pre- menstrualising or post- imbibulation. so yeah. shut up carter, you mong.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
Can I call you Maggie? It makes me think of the Simpsons.
Posted by Endemic (Member # 821) on :
I changed my username because I was bored of people going Louche: depressed nihilist. It didn't fucking work, then, did it?
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Edemic is hardly the chirpiest choice of username.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
quote:Originally posted by Modge: If you have beginners in these types of sports/arts you have to be sure to make it interesting as well as teaching the technique. There's no harm in letting your beginners have a bit of a fight/try double pirouettes even though you know it is going to result in a big mess, because it is often fun and keeps their interest.
Oh yeah yeah, for sure. When I was doing Tae Kwon Do we'd have weekly mash-ups, which were comically rubbish but did at least teach you the value of blocking. And if you did get through someone's guard with a kick that looked more Streetfighter than 8 Ace, you'd buzz off all happy to practice harder than ever.
OJ - good point. Probably Their Lord GM. Who knows, the analogy just seemed to fit.
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: Edemic is hardly the chirpiest choice of username.
She's hardly the chirpiest of users.
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
quote:Originally posted by Carter:
Can I call you Maggie? It makes me think of the Simpsons.
you can call me whatever you like. except for ********. or baggyfanny.
shit maybe i should have changed my name to baggyfanny. or bingowings! i was going to change my name to bingowings way back in the day, like, 2001. or something. i dont know if i could carry it off now.
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
wow, the filter has asterisked the 'face' in ********.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
Apparently being into snooker is something to be ashamed of, but I've never figured out why so I'm just going to assume that the people who dislike snooker are retarded.
Posted by Samuelnorton (Member # 48) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Apparently being into snooker is something to be ashamed of, but I've never figured out why so I'm just going to assume that the people who dislike snooker are retarded.
Agreed. I don't play much these days, but used to get in a couple of frames every day when I was at school. Interestingly, I had a Steve Davis 'autograph' cue as well.
And yes, I used to play D&D - first at school, and then more recently while I was living down in Hampshire where around eight of us would gather together once a week and act like cast-offs from LOTR. I remember Nightowl was very confused by the apparent absurdity of it all.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
I'll stand up and be counted and say that I like snooker Ringo.
It's not really a hobby though is it? Unless you stalk Ronnie O'Sullivan or something.
eta: Unless you mean that you actually play it and I'm just being stupid....
[ 10.10.2005, 12:51: Message edited by: OJ ]
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
I stalked Ronnie O'Sullivan once. Years ago, I went for him outside the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield and got his autograph. I made him sign it "All my love, The Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan."
It was actually for my flat mate, but I don't think The Rocket believed me.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
No I do play as well although not as often as I would like. I also have a Ronnie O'Sullivan branded cue... Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Fantastic Jonesy. How was his hair looking at the time?
I seem to remember not going to some press junket that he was going to be at once because I was a bit tired.
So I'd be a shit stalker. See also How I failed my ligging exams and All the famous people I never quite got around to standing in the same room as, because I couldn't be bothered. Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
He was only about 19 at the time, so I think he had the bowl cut number back then. Quite a few girls, including my flat mate and also my then girlfriend, fancied Ronnie even then - despite the hair.
Years later, he pulled up in a limo on Upper Street and asked a work colleague if she would like to come back to his hotel. She said 'no' and he said, "I'm Ronnie O'Sullivan, the snooker player."
She politely declined. My old flat mate would have been in there like a Tony Drago clearance (fast).
[ 10.10.2005, 13:07: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
To be fair to the girl, he does have that funny little voice doesn't he? I can't imagine it's the greatest turn-on.
Now Alex Higgins I have actually met. Not to speak to you understand because he appeared to be Not Speaking in quite a scary way. He was also tiny and quite wizened.
eta: Why did you change Alex Higgins to Tony Drago? You've made it look like I'm just randomly boasting that I once saw Alex Higgins and didn't speak to him. Which is somewhat odd behaviour.
[ 10.10.2005, 13:11: Message edited by: OJ ]
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: eta: Why did you change Alex Higgins to Tony Drago? You've made it look like I'm just randomly boasting that I once saw Alex Higgins and didn't speak to him. Which is somewhat odd behaviour.
I don't know what you're talking about, but I can change it to Alex Higgins if you want an excuse to name drop.
[ 10.10.2005, 13:16: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Hey OJ, if you lived in London and you fancied going to the theatre at some point during the next two weeks, what would you go and see? Apart from Two Thousand Years which is booked up until doomsday.
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: which is booked up until doomsday.
Has doomsday finally been scheduled? What's the date they finally settled on? Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
The run ends some time in February.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Ooh, good question. As I don't live in London these days I'm not exactly up to date with what's on there.
If it does tour to London after Christmas, I would definitely recommend seeing Kneehigh do Tristan and Yseult (http://www.kneehigh.co.uk/ty2005.html). I've not seen it myself yet, but on the strength of their Bacchae I'm really looking forward to it.
What are the options?
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
I have written Olsen Twins, Morrissey, Kirsten Dunst/Natalie Portman and Luke/Leia Skywalker fanfiction (as a writing "experiment", mind... to see whether I could do a decent job of this form I tended to hold in contempt,or whether it was harder than I thought). I suppose one story would have been enough of an experiment, but it was the first week of January, I was alone, I had a big bottle of Laphroig, I was on Livejournal... these things happen.
I also played Dungeons and Dragons, Judge Dredd, Traveller and some superhero nonsense, Golden Heroes I think, with Roy, when I was 16. One of my best characters was Judge Huxtable , with a (quite good) biro drawing at the top of my "character sheet" of Lisa Bonet wearing the distinctive Judge's helmet, eagle emblem and shoulder armor.
jesus. Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
OJ:
Tristan & Yseult looks like it might be dancing a bit too close to the banks of the River Wanky for my taste, but if it comes this way I'll take your word for it and take the plunge. Then I can I stalk you across ten boards if I don't like it.
As for options, at the moment there are none. I will compile a short list and ask your opinion.
ETA: I suspect Black Mask will love that link to "Cornwall's oldest love story".
[ 10.10.2005, 13:50: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
I see your point - but the thing I loved about the Bacchae was the exuberant physical energy of it, which is not so wanky, even though the words "Hungarian performance artists" might lead you in that direction.
Sorry, I'm not much use as I don't know what's on.... I might be tempted to check out The Bush theatre, The Lyric Hammersmith or Menier Chocolate Factory (saw some of fantastic Paines Plough season there). But then I like new writing, physical theatre and a smattering of classics especially if there's a tragedy involved somewhere. If you were, say, a big fan of musicals this might be worse than useless.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
I'm not a big fan of musicals. Neither am I a big fan of physical theatre. Theatre de Complicite is French for "Save you money", for my mind. I favour interesting characters over visual spectacle and narrative over style. I'll happily sit through a good production of a classic and I'm not averse to something modern. I also like pina coladas and getting drunk in the rain.
I don't go to the theatre often anymore, maybe once or twice a year. In recent years I've seen a handful of RSC Shakespeares which haven't really given me a hard on, plus the National's lukewarm His Dark Materiels maskfest and a decent interpretation of Midnight's Children.
The last thing I remember really enjoying was a production of Blue Orange with Bill Nighy.
It all probably sounds a bit lightweight to you (shame Niffer doesn't post much these days. You'd have liked her).
I will make you a list anyway, and you can tell me what to go and see.
[ 10.10.2005, 14:17: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by Abby (Member # 582) on :
I recently saw Richard II at the Old Vic, which was enjoyable. I was surprised to see Kevin Spacey in it, though my friend then explained that was why she bought the tickets. I was also surprised to see Ben Miles (Coupling) in it, but they were both very good, and I was gratified to see it got an excellent review in Metro, the highest accolade of all! The old chap next to us was heard to mutter that it was More screaming Lord Sutch than Richard II, but I dont think he would be a fan of 'modern' interpretations in general.
[ 10.10.2005, 14:38: Message edited by: Abby ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
No it doesn't sound lightweight. I wasn't aware that I was giving out the impression of a humourless cultural snob who only likes things if they have foreign words and mime in them. If they made Oompa-Loompas the musical I'd be there and I still have a poster of the NT touring production of Monkey! (I've just about managed to stop doing the actions though).
What was His Dark Materials like, apart from disappointing? It all seemed so complicated - booking three years in advance and trying to get the installments in sequence.
I see what you're saying about narrative,but I quite like a bit of spectacle in theatre sometimes (hence the excitement about the magical carnivalesque Tempest, which some of the critics panned - humourless bastards).
I guess the odd thing I've mentioned on here might be seen as slightly selfconsciously highbrow, but hardly obscurantist.
The difference between a provoking and wilfully difficult Mercury Fur and a fantastic Sweeney Todd (Opera North did a great one a few years ago) is only the same as the violent Japanese anime versus the slick, funny thrillers that film buffs around here might appreciate equally.
Ahem, violent examples there. Next up, whether to book for Salome at Christmas. Perhaps I should go for panto or ballet instead and spare the gore....
[ 10.10.2005, 14:48: Message edited by: OJ ]
Posted by H1ppychick (Member # 529) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: OJ:
Tristan & Yseult looks like it might be dancing a bit too close to the banks of the River Wanky for my taste, but if it comes this way I'll take your word for it and take the plunge. Then I can I stalk you across ten boards if I don't like it.
As for options, at the moment there are none. I will compile a short list and ask your opinion.
ETA: I suspect Black Mask will love that link to "Cornwall's oldest love story".
Myself and discomaggie have already separately seen this in Bristol, and both recommend it highly.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ:
What was His Dark Materials like, apart from disappointing?
The tickets were a gift so, thankfully, I didn't have to go through the booking process.
In some ways, 'disappointing' is the wrong word. I really enjoyed the books and I didn't hold out much hope of the stage version doing them justice. I'd already listened to Radio 4's effort and, while I tried my hardest to love it, it left me cold. So, all in all, The National's production lived down to expectations.
As I see it, the two main obstacles faced by a stage interpretation of His Dark Materials are, firstly, the sheer size of the original work. The writer (was it Pullman?) did a reasonable job of an impossible task, but even with an arse-numbing six hour double feature (we had a two week gap between Parts One and Two but a marathon single sitting was available), I felt significant scenes bounced across the stage way too quickly. The rich layers of the original work were, inevitably, stripped away to present the bare bones of a story. And it wasn't enough.
The second stumbling block is the presentation of the daemons. They were always onto a loser with this one but, bearing in mind the budget and profile of this production, I had hoped for some animatronic wizardry rather than the cut price episode of Fingerbobs we actually got. The excellent set and the slick scene changes helped suspend my disbelief for a few minutes at a time, but try as I might to focus on the daemon puppets rather than their black-clad puppeteers, my attention was always drawn from the amber spyglass, angels and armoured bears toward the mincing men in black bodystockings.
There were things to like about the production. During her feistiest moments, the actress playing Lyra was excellent; and, as I said, the set was brilliant. The score was also suitably haunting at times.
I seem to remember Kovacs hated the production a lot more than I. There's probably his lengthy review of it somewhere inside Media Junkies. I can't find it but I'm sure Kovacs will link if such a thread exists.
The movie version is due around 2007. I wonder if the first film (The Golden Compass) will be true to the book.
[ 11.10.2005, 02:22: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
I prefered Judge Uno.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Yes, so much for this thread being about role-playing games.
I have found my review of Dark Materials on Livejournal along with that slash fiction. It may not exactly stand the test of time, but I'll try to transfer it in.
============== Behind the Magic: The Kovacs Report on His Dark Materials
The technology behind the "daemons" in the NT's HDM was shocking. You could see people walking around carrying them. We have had bluescreen on television for decades, enabling people dressed in coloured bodystockings to be mixed out of an image. That I was sitting in the National Theatre, presumably the best theatre Britain can offer, in 2004, having to "suspend disbelief" and pretend I couldn't see a bunch of stage-hands carrying around constructions of wire and feathers, was aesthetically offensive. Pantalaimon looked like two soft toys once owned by my brother, "White Blanket" and "White Pussy" -- a mangy rag and a shapeless hunk with goggle eyes -- mutated into one sorry creature. I don't pay to go to the theatre and expect to be told to "imagine" that such an Oxfam reject is transforming into a bird, a quirrel, a wolf.
The Cadbury's daemons don't look very convincing but they at least resemble real animals and presumably have some sort of motors controlling their eyes, ears and mouth movements. A bit of money and effort on the part of the National Theatre could have produced creatures of this, more acceptable standard; and from a distance, in the dark, they might have passed muster.
Am I the only one who thought that for £20 I would be entitled to see a stage full of real-life magical animals?
OK now I admit I'm not a professional artist -- merely an amateur dabbler! But I flatter myself that my quickly dashed-off design knocks spots off the travesty of the National Theatre daemons.
I only had twenty-five minutes to work on this, between my paid work (a nice earner this week re-branding a corporate website) but it's my sketch of "Pantalaimon".
Combined with the fairly talented actress who played "Lyra", and a little bit of stage magic -- the results could be absolutely spectacular.
It's easy with a little bit of thought... what a shame none of that went into the National's production.
==============
Again, I knocked this up swiftly between work on a client's website but I think it shows pretty effectively what I would do with His Dark Materials on stage.
1.
A team of animators design the CGI characters in Pullman's magical world. These would include daemons, armored bears and witches. For this example, we'll use our old friend Pantalaimon.
2.
A CGI-whizz makes the pictures into a computer picture.
Here I've imagined Disney/Pixar golden boy Brad Bird working on our familiar Pantalaimon design! A long shot perhaps, but I believe if you want to "be best... you have to dream best." Whatever you can imagine, you can make real. And Brad knows that as well as anybody...check out his The Incredibles for living proof.
3.
The CGI images are projected from backstage -- the place where actors prepare lines, rehearse and put finishing touches to make-up and costume -- through a series of colored lenses that add depth and vivid hues to Brad's computer drawing.
Don't worry too much about the specifics for now... but you'll notice that our old friend Pantalaimon is being "thrown" onto what's called a Lens/Optics at the other end. (We made sure he didn't get hurt.) That circular Lens/Optics is what the audience on stage sees... creating an illusion that Pan is literally "floating" in space.
As you can see, the effect was best described as... simply magical.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
first time is funny, second time is a spanking dept
-------------------------
Creating the Magic -- behind Kovacs' His Dark Materials Part II
Test screenings of what the animation team were humorously calling "The Pantalaimon Effect" were a resounding success. One of Bird's favorite stories is of how author Phillip Pullman (he's the impressed-looking African-American gentleman, front right) turned to him after the show.
"I was nervous as hell," admits Brad. "Then Pullman leaned close and whispered 'How did you know? How did you see inside my head?'" Brad smiles "That's when I thought...we nailed it."
But Pantalaimon was just one in a host of magical creatures from Pullman's amazing fantasy universe. The technology was in place, but animators had to work around the clock to create the rest of the cast... a cast that included armored bears and witches.
"We were able to re-use certain things we'd learned on the Pantalaimon trials," Brad explains, "recycling certain polygonal elements, tweaking them a little and building them into a new creature." He laughs. "So there's a little of Pantalaimon in Iorek, the Armored Bear! We thought that would be fun for fans to try and spot."
Bear Necessities: Iorek
The greatest challenge was animating the tribe of fearsome witches, led by beautiful Serafina Pekkala. Pullman was adamant that his witches should not look like Hallowe'en freaks, and his prose descriptions stress that these ladies are very far from our normal conceptions of hags on broomsticks.
The task was given to Iranian artist Nafiseh Riyahi, already feted for her sensitive, ethnic drawings. Nafiseh came up with something that blew Brad's socks off. "I knew when I saw the first sketch for Serafina," he confessed. "This was her. This was Serafina as I'd first seen her in my mind's eye."
============================= while I'm here: more k-drive toss
-------------------------------------------------
A draft screenplay of His Dark Materials, the movie, has been posted to a secret website. Although there are some inevitable changes that may upset purists, on the whole I think it’s a winner. This scene gives a taste.
EXT OXFORD TOWN, BRITAIN DAY Oxford Town, in Victoria’s Britain. Professors bustle around gleaming spires. A quaint carriage pulls up outside one of the venerable University buildings and a young WOMAN descends. This is LYRA BELACQUA (Scarlet Johansen), a beautiful seventeen year-old girl on the cusp of maturity. A period Empire line dress accentuates her developing, yet already full figure, and charming ringlets outline her face.
LYRA: So here I am at Oxford University? I can’t wait to discover who I really am…to find my identity? A glowing GUARDIAN ANGEL [CGI, voiced by Eddie Murphy] settles on LYRA’s shoulder. This is PANTALAIMON, her comical guide and sidekick.
PANTALAIMON: Never mind identity, sister, how bout we find us some vittles! My stomach’s so starved it’s gonna swallow hisself up.
LYRA: Oh, Pan! Can’t you think of anything but eating, even for one moment?
PANTALAIMON: Fo’sho, I can think about other stuff part from eatin… like drinkin! Now, I’se right in the mood for some good ole British fish n chips and a mug of that there warm beer. As LYRA laughs affectionately, a SPATIAL-TEMPORAL WARP splits the air in front of her, spectacularly distorting our view of Oxford’s venerable buildings and opening into a shimmering doorway. [“Space-Time Warp Theme” will be provided by British artist “Moby”.]
LYRA: Blimey Pan, it’s as though we can see through into another totally exciting world? Learning from books and profs at Oxford was such an opportunity, but how can we turn this down?
PANTALAIMON: I’m no chicken, Miss Lyra, but right now I’sa talking turkey and I got one piece of advice for you…run like h- Before PAN can complete the blasphemy, a young MAN stumbles from the curious door in space. This is WILL PARRY [James Van Der Beek], twenty-one with fresh-faced good looks. He wears low-slung jeans and a white shirt, partially-ripped from his body to reveal a gleaming, toned torso that LYRA eyes with undisguised interest.
LYRA: Whoa? Who are you?
WILL: No time to talk! The Liberal Elite’s goons are right behind me, and they want to take over your world too! He clutches her hand, staring into her eyes. Over his shoulder we glimpse the time-space passage behind him…where a long-haired MAN in Arabic robes is racing toward the open doorway, brandishing a cruelly-curved scimitar.
LYRA [breathless]: So many… questions! Who are the Liberal Elite? I never heard of them?
WILL [grimly]: You’re lucky. They dominate my world, trying to suppress freedom… because they envy and hate it! They’ve befriended my country’s enemies, the Gyptians.
PANTALAIMON: Uh… these Gyptians, are they kinda dark skinned and wearing a towel on their heads?
WILL: That’s right, my little friend. But who are you?
LYRA: That’s my Guardian Angel, Pantalaimon! They’re an external sign of God’s love? Don’t you have one?
WILL [puzzled]: In my world, God’s love is held on the inside… we don’t see it, but we know it’s there. What a wonderful gift to see your own angel!
LYRA [gazing at him]: I think I’m looking at another angel right now?
PANTALAIMON: Ehh guys, I hates to break up da party? But these Gyptians, do they carry big curvy swords?
WILL: Why do you ask?
PANTALAIMON: Cause there’s one of dem running right at us now! WILL turns, drawing a mysterious device from his belt. It resembles an innocent knife-hilt until WILL pushes a button and a glowing red blade of energy shoots out ten inches, sheening and humming with menace.
WILL: That’s alright, my little friend. I have something for him right here.
LYRA: What’s that?
WILL: This? It was given to me by my father, a brave patriot. He touches a second button and words appear on the glowing blade in white, flanked by white glittering stars: SHOCK AND AWE
WILL: It’s called an Unsubtle Knife.
GYPTIAN: Allah akhbar! Death to the infidel! WILL leaps into the air in slow motion and the camera circles him as he freezes in a martial pose… then swings the glowing blade at double-speed into his enemy’s neck.
PAN: Dat’s all good but look behind you, Master! A whole tribe o’them!
WILL: Cowards… they attack in force. Too many for one hero to take on alone.
LYRA [stepping into a battle stance behind him]: Too many for one, perhaps…but not for two. They smile at each other as the battle is joined.
[ 10.10.2005, 16:08: Message edited by: kovacs ]
Posted by pettibone (Member # 838) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: Hey OJ, if you lived in London and you fancied going to the theatre at some point during the next two weeks, what would you go and see? Apart from Two Thousand Years which is booked up until doomsday.
Is The Mouse Trap still on?
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Yes.
Posted by pettibone (Member # 838) on :
Go and fucking see it then.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Lol.
Posted by pettibone (Member # 838) on :
Not lol. I am serious. You understand that it's supposed to be on the UNESCO list of world heritage? It's on the shortlist of longest things, right alongside that pornbloke's dong what was done in rubber.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Jonesey, can I pretend that dry burp of a lol was a kind of delayed response to my HDM post. Otherwise I feel a right c*nt for pasting in old material that nobody even laughed at first time round.
Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
No one's lolling because they're scared you'll get all dyspeptic and stalk off mumbling about being patronised. Believe me when I tell you we're all lolling... on the inside. Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
Back on topic... I'm currently addicted to Urban Dead . I'm a bit nervous at the moment as the site appears to have crashed and I've got a character out in the open.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
I've laughed at it both times it's been posted, Kovacs.
The 'dry burp' was for Pettibone, though, for switching off his enigma machine for a moment and cutting through the crypto-crap with something blunt. It made me laugh.
[ 11.10.2005, 02:13: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samuelnorton: And yes, I used to play D&D - first at school, and then more recently while I was living down in Hampshire where around eight of us would gather together once a week and act like cast-offs from LOTR.
Let me guess: you were an auk, right? aaaaak! Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Or maybe an orca.
ekkkekk-kekkkkek-ekkk Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
This is why you two get paid the big bucks.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Roy is right though: apart from my Judge based on Denise Huxtable from Cosby, my other long-running Judge Dredd RPG character was just a copy of Bruce Willis from Moonlighting. It really couldn't have been more eighties. I am pretty sure we even drank Quattro. We certainly ate Wispa bars and listened to tapes of Commodore 64 music on cassette.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by kovacs: tapes of Commodore 64 music on cassette.
What do you mean? You listened to the music from the games themselves? As in, you recorded it onto tape from the computer using a microphone? Or you listened to the sweet beats and screeching melodies of a game load? Or was there an album released in the 80s of the best C64 game music? I am confused. ----> . See.
[ 11.10.2005, 03:56: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Yes, held the cassette recorder up to the TV as the game was playing ("using a microphone" only in that the tape player had a built-in tiny mike) to get those sweet beats. At least once, I had to play the game while recording the music, in order to get the different tunes down (eg. the hall of fame music and death music on Rambo were both worth being transferred to "Kovacs' Best C64 Zarjaz Walkman Music").
However, this wasn't quite as bizarre as it sounds. There was quite a fan culture around composers for the C64 -- Rob Hubbard was a "name" just for his game compositions, and I see others also remember him now. I think there was also a professionally-recorded tape of his music, with added beats, though this was probably given away with Zzap 64 mag rather than sold in Our Price.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Through the wonders of internet nostalgia-geekdom I am now listening to an mp3 remix of The Last V8 for the first time since I lost "Kovacs 2nd Scrotnig C46 Sounds -- DO NOT ERASE!"
I recommend the Orchestral version of Commando. I learned to play this on a MT-45 Casio in 87 but it didn't sound quite as good.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
Did you know you can download a SID emulator which allows you to play .sid files on your PC? Basically a software emulator for the original synthesiser chip in the C64 which plays the actual files which were included with C64 games.
I can send you a copy if you like, and a bundle of a few thousand .sid files. They're all named and virtually every game you can remember is covered.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by kovacs: Yes, held the cassette recorder up to the TV as the game was playing ("using a microphone" only in that the tape player had a built-in tiny mike) to get those sweet beats. At least once, I had to play the game while recording the music, in order to get the different tunes down (eg. the hall of fame music and death music on Rambo were both worth being transferred to "Kovacs' Best C64 Zarjaz Walkman Music").
However, this wasn't quite as bizarre as it sounds. There was quite a fan culture around composers for the C64 -- Rob Hubbard was a "name" just for his game compositions, and I see others also remember him now. I think there was also a professionally-recorded tape of his music, with added beats, though this was probably given away with Zzap 64 mag rather than sold in Our Price.
Excellent. I wrote about Our Price just the other day. I think it was the first time the place had popped into my head for at least a decade.
I'm impressed with the taping of music from the game itself. Your technical adventures obviously had more success than mine.
I remember my father bringing home a second-hand Sony C5 betamax. It wasn't as impressive as the more modern C7 (black case and a damper on the top-loading eject), it was silver and ugly and the top loader could launch an Action Jack almost to the ceiling of our lounge (admitedly the video recorder sat on top of a combined TV/VCR stand, but still...impressive, right?)
Despite its shortcomings, it did have one feature I never saw on any other video recorder - audio dub. Audio Dub meant you could actually record just an audio track over an existing betamax recording. With only a microphone, I would be able to dub my voice over the top of adverts, Sapphire and Steel, Monkey even! The problem was, I didn't have a microphone. The only alternative was to record my voice track to a tape, using the built-in mic of a tape recorder, and then play the tape into the VCR using a lead my dad had soldered together in order that I might copy BBC games tape-to-tape (i.e. between my dad's hi-fi and my hand held tape deck). It worked and we had hours of fun dubbing Timotei adverts with, "Wow, my name is Tim Baker and my permed hair is so soft and gay because I use Timotei. Timotei for Timmy...hahahaha!"
What I really wanted to do, though, was dub over computer games with my own voice. To add a commentary to what was going on. All I had to do, I reasoned, was record a game playing session to betamax, then I could dub over it explaining my every move and how great I was at Elite. It should have been so easy! Plug the aerial lead for the BBC micro into the back of the video, instead of the back of the TV, then the video into the TV. Tune it in and press record.
Alas, I never got it to work. Days were wasted - maybe even weeks. I always felt I was one more lead away from achieving the impossible - owning a betamax copy of me completing a computer game, complete with my own voice-over saying how I did it. I would have been a legend, but I was always one lead, one plug away from success. Begging my father to "just solder this one to this one…pleaaaase!" I was so close but never made it. Because of that experience, I believe I understand what it must have been like to be an ancient alchemist.
[ 11.10.2005, 04:35: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Sid is the music chip, is it? I did have a C64 (and Spectrum) emulator on my last PC. If it's just for hearing the original sounds, I will gratefully decline, Ringo: I'm actually preferring the mp3 remixes now
ETA: Jonesy I almost feel like you watched me masturbate over Helen "Supergirl" Slater. I did that too. "I'm Timmy Mallett and I want you to drink Cup-A-Soup, because it'll make you like meeee" [voice breaks... pals giggle in background... rush to finish the "joke" as the advert changes]
However, it seems I performed the 80s equivalent of pnwing you, because I did have a microphone -- which I asked my dad to buy me so I could practice "human beatbox" -- and worked out a system for recording Spectrum games onto VHS while dubbing a soundtrack.
My masterpiece, and one of my few attempts in fact because it was a lot of hassle dragging all the gear down to the living room colour TV and spreading it out over the floor, was a version of Rogue Trooper the game, with Blondie's panoramic, aching orchestral Autoamerican laid over the visuals, and me reading captions from the comic book ("Nu Earth... a blasted wilderness where only the Genetic Infantryman can survive") plus the synthesised voices of the weapons chips, performed by holding my fist around the top of the mike for a kind of "filtered" effect ("Norts! Let's waste them, Rogue!")
I'm spent from even writing that.
[ 11.10.2005, 04:37: Message edited by: kovacs ]
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
Fair enough. There are a few different emulators out there and it's taken me a while to find one that actually manages to properly recreate the original sound of the SID chip without any sound chopping or skipping. I got a CD with something like 20,000 C64 games on it and the SID emulator and music bundle came with it, and I've probably had more use out of this than the concole emulator itself. Because, let's face it, as nostalgic as they may be, retro games are never really as good as you remember. Except maybe Impossible Mission and Racing Destruction Set.
Posted by mart (Member # 32) on :
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
Yeah I'd love to have one of those Mart, ir even build one out of my C64 which I still have in a box in the loft. Pricey though...
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Because, let's face it, as nostalgic as they may be, retro games are never really as good as you remember.
Jetpac actually is as good. I think that qualifies for one of the best games of all time, given that rediscovered it and played it for hours twenty years after it was first released in 8 colours on 16k.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
You know, I sometimes feel really sorry for anyone who didn't grow up in the 80s. The memories are such pure comedy. I find it hard to believe the 90s could furnish such high-class corny nostalgia, though I'm happy to be proved wrong. Perhaps in a thread someone will start. Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
I never had jetpac, I just had it's close cousin 'HERO' which was pretty good, although I now find that game utterly perplexing.
Golden Axe is still worth a play though, as is Way Of The Exploding Fist, if simply for the screachy synthesised karate yells.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
You're about... 22 though Ringo? How come you were playing the same Commodore games as me?
Posted by SilverGinger5 (Member # 49) on :
If you were into later games than Spectrum and Commodore, this site is quite fun.
It takes themes from megadrive games such as golden axe and streetfighter 2, and lovingly creates them in heavy metal. It's not especially good heavy metal, but it's fun anyway.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
23 actually...
I'm not sure to be honest. My parents used to be pretty hardcore with the games copying so we had a stack of thousands of games. I can't have been more than about 5 but I remember being pretty good at these games back then. I've wondered this myself to be honest.
I think I played a lot more of the games which were released towards the tail end of the eighties, like Ghostbusters, Pit-Stop II, Barbarian, R-Type (although this was much better on the Sega Master System) and suchlike. Actually Ghostbusters may well be a lot older than that, thinking about it.
I also remember watching my sisters and my Dad playing all these games for hours. I was fascinated by it to be honest. I would happily sit and watch my sister play Bruce Lee from begginning to end, for instance, which was no mean feat, even in them days.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
I never had a C64. In the eighties I'd begun my now-longstanding tradition of backing the losing format in any given generation of hardware, by having an Amstrad CPC 464. See also: N64, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Gamecube.
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
Gamecube was worth it for Resi Evil 4, fella. You know it.
[ 11.10.2005, 04:52: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
Posted by New Way Of Decay (Member # 106) on :
I was so bored that I completed Golden Axe last week. When the music kicked in at the end we danced around the living room. We rejoyced at the fact that the creature that looks like a chicken leg is called Chicken-Leg and that Ax-Battler doesn't wield an axe. Then.....jesus, we considered sampling the intro music because the "'The Battle' already sounds like a hip-hop track"
I'm glad I have my pc now.
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
I always enjoyed thrashing the little thieves. Beating them round the head over and over again with a sword, and being rewarded for every blow.
[ 11.10.2005, 05:05: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: I would happily sit and watch my sister play Bruce Lee from begginning to end, for instance, which was no mean feat, even in them days.
That's one of the few games I could win every time. Even my little brother could win that.
I found R-Type better on a Spectrum emulator than on an emulator for the original videogame, for some reason. I never played it at the time: it must have been very late 80s, after my loyalty to the Spectrum waned.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
Yeah it wasn't a hard game (my sister isn't exactly the best gamer out there) but it's not a short game which is what I meant by it being no mean feat. It seems strange now to contemplate sitting and playing a game from start to finish without turning off and doing something else halfway through, but this was before the days of saving your progress. I think the last game I completed in one sitting was Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, which took 14 hours. Perhaps that's why people don't do that nowadays..
Posted by SilverGinger5 (Member # 49) on :
The great thing about Bruce Lee was that player 2 could play as the fat enemy, which was pretty unheard of at the time as I remember. Player 2 actually trying to halt the main player's progress. Me and my friend from first school Alun spent a lot of time playing that.
Posted by Ringo (Member # 47) on :
2 player on Way of the Exploding Fist was always good for a laugh. That game also had some absolutely ace music.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
The thread's moved on so thanks H1ppychick and dd for the Kneehigh thumbs up and Jonesy for the Dark Materials review.
I do now recall seeing Kovacs' review/skit at the time and thinking a) yes, very good, very clever and b) that's such a film fan's view of the theatre. ie. If no one is making me suspend my disbelief, I want my money back.
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
Jonesy,
I have a post-it of "Things To See" in my diary which includes Mary Stuart at the Apollo from 19 Oct, Tamburlaine at the Barbican in November and a new version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None- which was originally titled Ten Little Niggers, so you could see it for the un-pc value. Don't know if any of those are your thing.
I keep meaning to see The Woman In Black, which is supposed to be as scary as fuck.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: that's such a film fan's view of the theatre. ie. If no one is making me suspend my disbelief, I want my money back.
eh - I don't think so. If you're not going to use the strengths of the medium and instead attempt a spectacle you have no chance of delivering, then I think it's fair enough to say 'fuck off', or whatever.
I mean, if you went to see a theatre production of Jurassic Park, and they had a guy in a dinosaur mask stamping around the stage going 'raah', you would be sat there thinking "why is this a theatre production? nothing about this lends itself to the theatre". I get the same thing when I see a film like - say - The Big Kahuna. Why is this a film? Its natural home is the stage.
I mean, I do like the theatre but it has its strengths and limitations. If someone at the back is dancing around distractedly with a hand puppet then I would guess it's failed to play to those strengths and is now a victim of its limitations.
I sort of understand why you'd make those comments, though. It's kind of typical of someone who doesn't really understand theatre and feels the need to apologise for it "No - no! You have to suspend disbelief in the theatre! Don't be mean to theatre! At least it's trying!" It's so lame! After watching Othello at the Riverside last November, it's evident that when done properly, theatre needs no such justification and can be ferocious, urgent and gripping without the audience having to make the effort to pretend that what they're watching isn't breathtakingly naff.
Posted by herbs (Member # 101) on :
quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: I keep meaning to see The Woman In Black, which is supposed to be as scary as fuck.
It is! I nearly soiled my seat, and some Americans started crying, which was good value.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
I'd definitely like to see a decent production of Tamburlaine. The only one I've ever seen was in Northampton years ago and it was very much Tamburlaine the Average
Mary Stuart also sounds interesting.
Thank you VP.
[ 11.10.2005, 05:57: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
And I'd definitely like to see some Americans crying.
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
I remember being so terrified by Woman in Black that I spent about half of it completely rigid, every muscle locked. But I was about 13 at the time.
Posted by H1ppychick (Member # 529) on :
Tamburlaine is on at the Bristol Old Vic at the moment, with Diana Rigg's pseudo-lezzer daughter Rachel Stirling as female lead. Is this the production that you are expecting to come to London, VP?
I think I might see if my friends are interested.
[ 11.10.2005, 06:04: Message edited by: H1ppychick ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: [QUOTE]Originally posted by OJ: [qb] I sort of understand why you'd make those comments, though. It's kind of typical of someone who doesn't really understand theatre and feels the need to apologise for it "No - no! You have to suspend disbelief in the theatre! Don't be mean to theatre! At least it's trying!"
You were doing so well Thorn, making perfectly reasonable points. But you just can't resist a little dig, or a plain insult or put-down can you? It's laughable and for me it makes it a bit pointless talking to you. Which is a shame, because you do have some interesting things to say.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Is Woman in Black still on? I remember being scared rigid by that on a teenage special treat trip to the West End too. Fantastic.
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by jonesy999: I'd definitely like to see a decent production of Tamburlaine. The only one I've ever seen was in Northampton years ago and it was very much Tamburlaine the Average
Mary Stuart also sounds interesting.
I bet they're "really about" the War In Iraq *seriouseface*.
His Dark Materials sounds like something the Modern Parents from Viz would take their long-suffering offspring to.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
I don't think that's any worse than "such a film fan's view of the theatre".
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by ben:
His Dark Materials sounds like something the Modern Parents from Viz would take their long-suffering offspring to.
Uncanny.
No word of a lie, they were sat right behind me during Part Two. The father spent the entire performance explaining to his daughter, in a loud voice, exactly what everything on stage actually meant.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: I don't think that's any worse than "such a film fan's view of the theatre".
Please accept the last word with my compliments Thorn and savour it. As I say, really fucking pointless....
Bye.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
God, no-one ever wants to play anymore. Where's London these days?
Posted by H1ppychick (Member # 529) on :
Back to the topic of hobbies and possible childishness thereof:
I went through a phase at university of painting D&D figures but only rarely played D&D. I've also gone through brief enthusiasms for tapestry, cross-stitch, sketching, and (most recently) jewellery and card-making. The latter two are kind of pointless when you don't really have a market or use for what you might produce and I think I'm coming to the end of the phase with those two so I may be soon looking for some other creative outlet to take up or revisit.
I'm learning Spanish (very slowly) at evening classes - I am two weeks into my third year of classes here and can still hardly construct a sentence since I still haven't got an extensive vocabulary.
I ought to try and find a more active pursuit to follow but since I am by nature inclined to indolence and it's getting into the dark and rainy seasons, this is perhaps mistimed as an initiative. I used to really enjoy step aerobics but this has gone out of fashion and it's hard to find any classes these days.
Posted by SilverGinger5 (Member # 49) on :
quote:Originally posted by H1ppychick: I'm learning Spanish (very slowly) at evening classes - I am two weeks into my third year of classes here and can still hardly construct a sentence since I still haven't got an extensive vocabulary.
Can I recommend this to you? I borrowed it about two weeks ago and already I'm able to construct sentences and am getting quite close to slow conversation.
Posted by New Way Of Decay (Member # 106) on :
I've played a vast amount of roleplay in my time. From White Wolf's Vampire TM, Werewolf, Wraith and Changeling. I've played D&D, AD&D and the Warhammer roleplay. I've battled with an Orc army across a tabletop of green felt a dozen times. I became so good at painting I was offered an apprentice position in the 'eavy metal team for Games Workshop.
Even amongst geeks there are rules of cool. This one guy who use to play would be bullied at each and every point by everyone else. Usually for his choice of names. In particular, he chose to call his werewolf Duncan, instead of Walks-with-toes or He-who-whispers-stuff and was labelled Duncan Frapples for the rest of summer. So cruel they were, the roleplayers.
I was the DM, or the SS or the GM, depending on what system you used. Either way I wrote the stories. Cyberpunk! I forgot about Cyberpunk 2020. That was a fantastic game to start off on. Living in a war torn future where the world is owned by corporations and the currency is the Eurodollar. I was actually telling Ringo about when we use to play Cyberpunk. For some reason our GM use to involve situations whereby we could be bummed if we were'nt careful. I'm not kidding. It was at each and every oppurtunity. This one time I was trying to steal back some valuable software from a corporation and I was shot with a microwaver and thusly paralysed my cybernetic leg. As I ducked off towards the nearest bar to blend in, I later discovered it was full of militant bummers. You know the ones. Like the gays in The Blue Oyster except they fell upon me like a pack of ravenous zombies, except with a lust of bottom over brains. He was quite strange that GM actually.
[ 11.10.2005, 06:50: Message edited by: New Way Of Decay ]
Posted by H1ppychick (Member # 529) on :
SG5, I've got that, plus I've got the Advanced Course and the Vocabulary Builder too. They're all good.
I'm therefore able to conjugate verbs* in several tenses and construct sentences properly, but I find myself struggling for simple words like 'since' or 'perhaps' and for a lot of everyday nouns - they seem to melt away from my recall like ice in a vodka.
* when I know the verb in the first place, which is rare.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: I do now recall seeing Kovacs' review/skit at the time and thinking a) yes, very good, very clever and b) that's such a film fan's view of the theatre. ie. If no one is making me suspend my disbelief, I want my money back.
I do enjoy the theatre, though. Enjoying film isn't an exclusive category that prevents you from also taking pleasure in different forms -- it doesn't stop me reading novels, for instance, where you have to do a lot more of the imaginary work than you do in theatre.
And I think your last line does imply a problem with the production. If you're in the theatre, and not able to suspend your disbelief -- it isn't that a good production makes you suspend your disbelief, it invites you, convinces you, persuades and lulls you into that state -- then I think it's fair to say the production has flaws.
I believe Thorn has a point -- certain stories aren't suitable for the theatre. Perhaps HDM is best suited to being a novel. Perhaps it won't work as a film, either.
Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
Only perverts and the mentally ill go to the theatre.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote: I do enjoy the theatre, though. Enjoying film isn't an exclusive category that prevents you from also taking pleasure in different forms -- it doesn't stop me reading novels, for instance, where you have to do a lot more of the imaginary work than you do in theatre.
And I also enjoy films, novels etc. I wasn't quibbling about that but thank you for the explanation. What I disagree about is that that suspension of disbelief is necessarily a condition of a good performance (be it film or theatre). From my experience of films, most tend to do a large proportion of that imaginary work you mention for you.
But in *some* of the theatre that I've enjoyed the mechanics of it have been part of the enjoyment. The word mechanics sounds a bit dry - but think of audience interaction in panto "Come on boys and girls", that recognition that you are participating in a fiction is part of the game and the fun.
Incidentally in that madcap performance of the Bacchae I was raving about, there was an element of exactly that - of being invited to join in with the (well, bacchanalian) singing and dancing.
Neither of those examples are particularly cerebral or highbrow - being aware that you are participating in a fiction isn't necessarily pretentious.
For some people, the craft (for want of a better word) of puppetry would be an enjoyable spectacle. I've not seen HDM so I wouldn't comment on the quality of that. But perhaps comparable was a production of The Fireworkmaker's Daughter (also by Pullman) an orientalesque sort of fairy story in which dragons and monsters were represented on stage by those big articulated colourful puppets on sticks operated by several dancing people. You know the kind you see as dragons in Chinese New Year Celebrations? They were great, really fun and there was no suggestion that they were anything other than what they were.
Anyway, I've broken my own injunction and responded with a quite genuine opinion, so I would appreciate not being met with a flurry of "playful" abuse and snide remarks.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Shouldn't you address Black Mask's point? Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: I've not seen HDM so I wouldn't comment on the quality of that.
Yet you feel able to call kovac's review of it "such a film fan's view of the theatre"?
Edit - specificity. Sorry.
[ 11.10.2005, 07:51: Message edited by: Carter ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
I would have thought my long post on why I think the suspension of disbelief isn't a condition of good theatre, but is a more common element of film addressed that Carter.
If you disagree about the audience's imagination in film, please so enlighten me. It might well be interesting.
Let's not play tag-team start a personal fight shall we? It's not fun.
Posted by Carter (Member # 426) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: Let's not play tag-team start a personal fight shall we? It's not fun.
Dude you are well touchy. Settle, petal. This is not a personal attack.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
So...now that we all know where we stand (flower) and I've settled my blood sugar, does anyone fancy arguing why films don't do all the work of imagining for you and don't ask you to suspend your disbelief blah blah...
Or am I going to have to do it myself like a double-headed monster? I was going to suggest Janus (not Samantha), but this one will do.
Or let's just talk about hobbies again....
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: But in *some* of the theatre that I've enjoyed the mechanics of it have been part of the enjoyment. The word mechanics sounds a bit dry - but think of audience interaction in panto "Come on boys and girls", that recognition that you are participating in a fiction is part of the game and the fun.
Incidentally in that madcap performance of the Bacchae I was raving about, there was an element of exactly that - of being invited to join in with the (well, bacchanalian) singing and dancing.
Neither of those examples are particularly cerebral or highbrow - being aware that you are participating in a fiction isn't necessarily pretentious.
I accept that some of the time, the awareness of participating in a fiction can be part of the enjoyment. Being reminded that you're watching something constructed, rather than being allowed to sink into the illusion of another world, could also be a radical strategy, as in Brecht, or in cinema, Godard.
But I don't believe the National's HDM intended this, and I know authorial intention isn't the final word on what something means, but I feel they failed, to an extent, in what they meant to do.
It wasn't meant to be a Brechtian affair where people remind us we're watching a story, and encourage us to reflect on its relevance to our lives; neither was it a pantomime carnival where joining in and interacting is part of the enjoyment.
My feeling was that this HDM was meant to draw the audience into an immersive alternate world, and make them believe that the characters really did have external souls in animal form following them (to pick the most obvious example -- there are of course a whole lot of other elements we're meant to believe in, like flying witches, armoured bears) and for the most part I don't think it succeeded in that.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
We did drink Quatro. And watch VHS tapes of Max Headroom.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: does anyone fancy arguing why films don't do all the work of imagining for you and don't ask you to suspend your disbelief blah blah...
quote:What I disagree about is that that suspension of disbelief is necessarily a condition of a good performance (be it film or theatre). From my experience of films, most tend to do a large proportion of that imaginary work you mention for you.
Well:
In the second passage, you suggest that films tend to do most of the "imaginary work" for a viewer.
In the first, you ask whether anyone wants to argue that they don't.
As I suggested, there are some films that try to make the audience "work", in a kind of counter-realist, anti-immersive way, by breaking you out of the illusory fiction. Most films, though, don't function in this way, in my opinion.
I'd say it goes
(poetry?) -- novels -- theatre -- cinema
in terms of
reader has to provide the imaginary work ----> medium provides the imaginary work.
Most conventional films do much of the work for their audience. That's why they don't ask you to suspend disbelief very much, beyond the step of asking you to forget you're sitting in a cinema. That takes less suspension of disbelief, I would say, than the process of watching live theatre.
I don't think that's very contentious, though, and I don't think many people would argue with it.
[ 11.10.2005, 11:32: Message edited by: kovacs ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote: As I suggested, there are some films that try to make the audience "work", in a kind of counter-realist, anti-immersive way, by breaking you out of the illusory fiction. Most films, though, don't function in this way, in my opinion.
Thank you for your thoughts on the subject. I think this may be one of those instances of agreement despite appearances to the contrary.
I was thinking about very obvious films like Eternal Sunshine or Memento where structural devices are used to call attention to the fiction.
On the theatre subject I agree with what you have to say about Brecht. I don't personally think that it's the case that it's mainly used as a radical strategy, my experience of theatre is that it's more knowing than that even when it's not trying to be radical.
But at the end of the day, as you say, if your reason for being irritated by the black-clad puppeteers is that you think it failed on its own terms, there's not much to say to that. Intentions being all very nebulous and subjective.
It's interesting that you might see it like that though. When it works and I'm enjoying a play, I tend to see visible mechanics like this as a little bit of a childish thrill in their own right. Like the characters "flying" in the stage adaptation of Monkey I mentioned. It wouldn't occur to me that a fan of the TV programme would be disappointed to see the strings (ropes).
But that particular delight reduces the whole thing to the cult of the wobbly Doctor Who set, which is a bit simplistic and not my intention....
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: [QUOTE] I was thinking about very obvious films like Eternal Sunshine or Memento where structural devices are used to call attention to the fiction.
Ye-e-es... those are slightly different examples from each other, I think, and also different from the type of film that actually exposes itself as film. I can't think of many examples of the latter. Maybe comedy, or even cartoons, do it more than serious drama -- the idea of a character running out of the film frame, or the image burning through, or Maddy and David in Moonlighting (link back to the earlier 80s theme) talking to the viewer.
In Godard's Tout Va Bien there are moments, after you've been allowed to get into the story and character, where the set is revealed as a set, or a worker sings a song direct to camera, which are unusual examples of breaking the fiction.
In Memento we are certainly asked to "work" as viewers, but we're piecing together bits of a story: that seems a little different from having the main character suddenly say to us, look guys, I'm Guy Pearce, the actor in this movie, and I want you to think about the nature of narrative.
I'd suggest we are asked to "work" in most films in fact, in terms of deduction, making connections, guessing or understanding things that aren't shown. It would be an exceptional and probably boring film that showed us absolutely everything we needed to know, because there'd be no suspense, no mystery, no pay-off and satisfaction when we know we've guessed right.
quote: On the theatre subject I agree with what you have to say about Brecht. I don't personally think that it's the case that it's mainly used as a radical strategy, my experience of theatre is that it's more knowing than that even when it's not trying to be radical.
But theatre that tries to draw the audience into an illusion would look anti-realist in the cinema. A bunch of people acting in front of a camera in a stylised rendition of a room, with no cuts or scene changes, would be a radical form of cinema.
So, and I think we did agree on this, theatre is less "realist" in that way than cinema, less immersive, less convincingly illusory by comparison to cinema, less dependent on the audience to make up some of the meaning and, getting back to that point, to suspend disbelief.
quote: It's interesting that you might see it like that though. When it works and I'm enjoying a play, I tend to see visible mechanics like this as a little bit of a childish thrill in their own right. Like the characters "flying" in the stage adaptation of Monkey I mentioned. It wouldn't occur to me that a fan of the TV programme would be disappointed to see the strings (ropes).
But that particular delight reduces the whole thing to the cult of the wobbly Doctor Who set, which is a bit simplistic and not my intention....
Yes, I think this is a personal difference. I enjoyed Mary Poppins (in the theatre) more where it baffled me in achieving its special effects rather than when I could see the wires.
Posted by Stefanos (Member # 53) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: But then, you've got nutter like Vtini, Dr. When and Stefanos who actually do go out and play roles for real. Is this shameful? You'd be a dick to suggests that these people should be ashamed of doing what they like, right?
Anyway, the crux is - do you have any hobbies or past times that have a bad press? Apart from spending time talking to people on an internet chat board. Is there anything that you'd like to do, but are probably held back by your own stereotyping?
Personally, there is nothing that I've held back from as a result of stereotyping (or worrying what others thing). It's getting the easier I get to be honest.
Aside from the R*man thing, there's dancing for example. As a teenager, you'd never get me dancing. Unless I was hammered. Not that I could actually dance any better, I just cared less and didn't notice when people pointed and laughed as much. A few years back for our wedding, Mrs Stefanos and myself learnt the basics of the Lindy Hop and Charleston - partly for fun and partly so that when it came to the big day, we could dance to the music played by the jazz band we'd hired.
You say `stereotyping' - but at the root of this, I'd say it was more of a case of worrying about what others think. But get past the initial embarrassment of what you think others think of you - and you can often rationalise your way past it.
Namely by realising that if you look like a prat, then so does everyone else who is doing the same thing. I mean - one more train spotter makes no odds, does it?
Does reenactment have a bad press? Yes, but not as bad as it once did, I'd say. I mean, we're all real ale-drinking, folk singing-listening, badly dressed blokes who may have once touched a girl. And we're history Roman obsessed, aren't we? I didn't join a group for a few years because I thought that it was sad beyond believe. I ended up getting involved through a friend of my brother and decided it wasn't as bad as I thought.
But I've made a lot of friends, met my missus worked on TV and film productions, made money, been on freebie trips and now I'm turning it into my livelihood - all out of my sad hobby. And I get pissed at weekends like everyone else...
On a slight tangent though - I've never done role playing or `pretended to be a R*man' except when it comes to film work or during a combat display. Reenactment and LARP are very distinct.
It's a whole subculture and when you're in it, it doesn't stand out as much...
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Do you still do running, Roy? I just done half an hour at dusk with three versions of "Commando" and two of "The Last V8" on my Ipod. The orchestral "Commando" is magnificent.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
I do. I only go a few times a week now as it was getting a bit counter-productive and I was feeling like an old man most of the time.
An orchestral version of Commando? How does that work?
Who was the guy who did the music for Imagine games? Can you remember his name?
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
And half hour is about what I do, too. How many miles do you do?
[ 11.10.2005, 15:57: Message edited by: Roy ]
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
I got the orchestral "Commando" off that site I linked to before, but sadly the link is dead right now. How it works: I think the music's been totally re-arranged and performed again, electronically rather than by an actual orchestra, based on the original theme. It sounds like a grand, sweeping film soundtrack.
I only run half an hour one time a week; five other days a week I do maybe 15 minutes. I don't know how many miles it is either.
But this is off-topic! Maybe we should have a "RUNNING" thread, like they have on The Mock Turtle.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
You should start one.
Perhaps we should go 'on-topic' and talk some Dredd, some live D and D and conventions.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
How dare you, I never played live D&D, Roy.
I'm sure I started a thread way back about "music for running"; maybe I'll look for it.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
I did live D & D once, in some caves somewhere. It was too weird. Running about with a rubber sword having to 'imagine' that some bloke with a towel around him is an ferocious orc. I mean, what's the point of doing it live if you've got to use your imagination. You might as well stay at home and avoid the whole damp cave thing altogether.
However, Rabbie Partridge got beaten up by a girl, which was funny.
Actually, I went on a Forest of Doom holiday for a week! Fucking forgot that.
[ 11.10.2005, 16:56: Message edited by: Roy ]
Posted by Benny the Ball (Member # 694) on :
Roy, they do it at Chislehurst caves, I was dragged there by the older and, er, 'cooler' kids on my estate years ago when they were really into it (a gang of them had rubber swords at home and entered tournements) my parents didn't want me to hang around with the kids that had replica guns and threw kids into lifts filled with fireworks or broke into the college next door and stole alcohol from the bar, so I went to the caves, and was a goblin or something, and was immune to everything but silver. It was rubbish.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
That was it! Did you get a costume to wear?
Posted by Benny the Ball (Member # 694) on :
Nope, cheap bastards. I had more fun jumping across the train tracks to get my train home to be honest. Although it was quite cool when I was left in the total darkness of the caves without a tourch in place for where I was supposed to attack the group of adventurers. Aparently they filmed an episode of Dr Who in there.
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
The did, and they had rock concerts down there and people lived down there during WW2, they built a cinema and a church and there was a baby born down there who was christened in the chapel. She was called Cavina. My specific area of geekiness is now explained as liking to visit areas of cultural/historical interest. I hadn't realised my other hobbies (running and cross stitch) were embarrassing but thanks for enlightening me. I know its not a hobby but in the spirit of confessing all embarrasing secrets now, as a child I also liked braces and freckles although I never had either. I was a very jealous child.
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Honeybaby, have you ever been to the Williamson Tunnels? There's a whole intricately engineered underground world that was just folly. I imagine it might be of interest if you like caves.
Posted by London (Member # 29) on :
quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: Roy, they do it at Chislehurst caves...
Benny the Ball, did you grow up in Chislehurst?
Posted by Benny the Ball (Member # 694) on :
Nope, Wandsworth. My parents just let me wander about as I pleased, one of the benefits of seemingly being the sensible sibling when your sister is a trusting, bit dim and buckles to peer pressure.
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
No, OJ, I hadn't heard of Williamson Tunnels but I quite fancy a visit. Shame its in Liverpool becuase that will make it obvious that I'm a geek and have made a special visit to see them rather than being able to pretend I was just passing and happened to spot . . .
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Well if you're that worried about it, you could pretend to be a Japanese tourist just visiting the reconstituted Cavern Club and eight-days-a-week-opening Beatles museum and that you were just passing the tunnels.... Posted by London (Member # 29) on :
quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: ...when your sister is a trusting, bit dim and buckles to peer pressure.
Heh. Yes, I know all about that one.
Posted by New Way Of Decay (Member # 106) on :
It's a good job Monster Trick's too busy to read this!!
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
quote:Originally posted by OJ: Well if you're that worried about it, you could pretend to be a Japanese tourist just visiting the reconstituted Cavern Club and eight-days-a-week-opening Beatles museum and that you were just passing the tunnels....
Whoops and my other hobby is inadvertently revealed.
PS I mentioned this thread (with credit where it is due) on another forum I post in and its turned into a discussion of how much everyone secretly likes musical. How odd.
[ 12.10.2005, 12:04: Message edited by: Honeybaby ]
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
That C64 mp3 site is back up! and the remix of the "Shadowfire" and "Enigma Force" tunes are really worth listening to. Especially if you have that visual effects download on Windows Media Player -- it's like surfing the trippy wave.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
Bit worried that I turned off a "real" album, Bloc Party, to listen to my new folder Kovacs' Best Zarjaz Commodore Playlist DO NOT ERASE:
R-Type: Title Remix Space Harrier: Live Arcade Mix Thanatos: Chemical in Your Brain Mix Shadowfire: Prototype XG Mix Commando: Run Gun Shoot Remix
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
You called it Zarjaz?
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
It has crazy comets!
And Max Headroom!
Arkanoid!
[ 12.10.2005, 17:34: Message edited by: Roy ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
quote:Originally posted by Honeybaby:
quote:Originally posted by OJ: Well if you're that worried about it, you could pretend to be a Japanese tourist just visiting the reconstituted Cavern Club and eight-days-a-week-opening Beatles museum and that you were just passing the tunnels....
Whoops and my other hobby is inadvertently revealed.
PS I mentioned this thread (with credit where it is due) on another forum I post in and its turned into a discussion of how much everyone secretly likes musical. How odd.
Er, which board? Can we see, it's only polite....
Posted by Abby (Member # 582) on :
Really? I fucking hate musicals, I mean reallyI have twice been tricked into seeing musicals, I can't remember what the first one was, but it was shit so I left in the interval, and the second was that film, what was it called goddamit? It was a film, but when you went to the cinema it was actually a film of a musical Ewan McGregor was in it? Girls in corsets? Trickery!
[ 13.10.2005, 06:33: Message edited by: Abby ]
Posted by OJ (Member # 752) on :
Moulin Rouge Abby? I quite like Ewan McGregor but not when he's being the romantic lead. He sort of leers. And sings out of tune....
I've nothing against musicals personally, unless they happen to be cheesy or winsome. I quite fancy being scared witless by a really loud opera at the moment. There's Don Carlos (saw the Schiller play version with Derek Jacobi and I think those burning crosses and Spanish inquisitors should be suitably dramatic) or maybe Salome. Bring me the head of John the Baptist and make it bloody! Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
quote:Er, which board? Can we see, it's only polite....
Course. No PM function?
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
quote:Originally posted by Honeybaby: Course. No PM function?
We have no secrets here.
Posted by New Way Of Decay (Member # 106) on :
quote:Originally posted by ralph: We have no secrets here.
See that's it ralph, that's how you get into the inner circle. You just make up the rules as you go along.
Posted by ralph (Member # 773) on :
quote:Originally posted by New Way Of Decay: See that's it ralph, that's how you get into the inner circle. You just make up the rules as you go along.
Yeah. Like you know how to get into the inner circle. lol.
Posted by New Way Of Decay (Member # 106) on :
quote:Originally posted by ralph: Yeah. Like you know how to get into the inner circle. lol.
That was a test. There is no inner circle. FALE!!
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
What I was going to mention by PM is that there has been some sort of cross-pollonising board thing going on and someone has recently registered as a regulars user name on another board complete with tagline, avatar and signature from the other forum. As a result strangers are being squinted at suspiciously and being asked if they are from round here (boy). Introduce yourself over there though. Its relatively welcoming (as much as a small enclosed online community ever is)
Posted by Doctor Agamemnon When (Member # 189) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: But then, you've got nutter like Vtini, Dr. When and Stefanos who actually do go out and play roles for real.
Hey! I'm an old tabletop gamer as well, you know! I can be as sad as the next man!
Actually, we have a regular "Gaming Night" every week. I used to do D&D et al when I was a kid, too. It was shit - GM's were bizarre at best, and downright confusing otherwise - with arbitrary assignments of XP and mismatched scenarios.
Coming back into gaming as a Growed Up is ace. A bunch of lads get together, get pissed / stoned and have a laugh over a game of "Call of Cthulhu", "MERPS" or "Necromunda". The scenarios and GM-ing are now backed with thirty to fourty years of life experience and too many fantasy novels. I enjoy it, and I don't mind admitting that.
I also get to go out and batter folk with swords "for real", too. And have a legit excuse for an 800 year wardrobe.
What I am ashamed of, and I feel I can be honest with you in here, is my current "hobby", World of Warcraft. Do you know how difficult it is do juggle a job, a social life, AND still get my Dwarf Hunter to lvl 56? No. Of course you don't. BUT I CAN GIVE IT UP AT ANY TIME. It's not a problem. I can handle it. Just because I rarely get to sleep before 2:30am doesn't mean there's a problem here. Oh, no.
[ 21.10.2005, 09:54: Message edited by: Doctor Agamemnon When ]
Posted by Doctor Agamemnon When (Member # 189) on :
quote:Originally posted by Modge: It was quite disappointing because I'd wanted to try fencing since I was a childe and not being allowed to leap around the room/swing from chandeliers whilst slicing at someone was a bit of a let down.
Jooooiiinnnn uuuuusssssss! Join the rennaisance of European Martial Arts! Modern Fencing is the tedious rule-stifled legacy of proper stuff from the likes of Talhoffer, Fiore di Liberi, Angelo, Silver etc. and they're ace.
There's loads of groups all over - drop me an email (website in profile) and let me know what area you are and I'll point you towards a local group.
PS: Most of us are ex-fencers who got bored, too!
[ 21.10.2005, 10:37: Message edited by: Doctor Agamemnon When ]
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
is this like "Ultimate Fencing" or "Caged Fencing", where men from Essex grab big fucking swords and hack each other's faces off, all to the driving beat of the latest Happy Hardcore classic? If so, I'd wager that our resident hardnut "Roy" might be interested in either promoting or watching the door.
Posted by Roy (Member # 705) on :
Not really, Benway. Had a bad experience at Cage Rage Four. Due to an administrative error, I ended up number three on the bill and had to fight 'Iron Man Doug King' in an 'all tools allowed' bout. When it gets cold, the scars itch.
Posted by Doctor Agamemnon When (Member # 189) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: is this like "Ultimate Fencing" or "Caged Fencing", where men from Essex grab big fucking swords and hack each other's faces off, all to the driving beat of the latest Happy Hardcore classic? If so, I'd wager that our resident hardnut "Roy" might be interested in either promoting or watching the door.
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Judge Huxtable 
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. See.
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and the remix of the "Shadowfire" and "Enigma Force" tunes are really worth listening to. Especially if you have that visual effects download on Windows Media Player -- it's like surfing the trippy wave.
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