Nero plays the Lyre at a party (whilst Rome burns)

...and the scapegoats were already identified.

crickey, here comes Queech!!

Trying to work out the fickle Bunter's next move is almost impossible. With no moral compass and his attention span of a gnat, anything is possible. But suppose I should make six of the best for 2022.

1) He'll get away with the £12 billion NI increase (£230m million a week) to support NHS and care services. Those red and white spray cans have been well and truly hidden.

2) Through schoolboy skulduggery, the mysterious redecoration payments for his flat and other alleged misdemeanours will be trivialised, dodged, and then forgotten. And as I write this, the parliamentary commissioner for standards has announced he will be 'spared' an investigation into his controversial refurbishment.

3)The parties at Downing Street illustrate that an investigation to identify spoken truths may be simpler than one to find falsehoods.

4) He'll draft a a new egotistical project in the back of his Best Book called the Great Exhibition 2, or similar. Aside from being a cunning way to wash incoming donations, it can get an accidental Boris' branding (eg The Boris Bash).

5) The extra Bank Holiday and the raucous festivities associated with the renamed Brexit Day will be enough to swamp Labour and other party messaging ahead of an election.

6) The loss of the financial services sector from London won't get reported despite Amsterdam outpacing London in equity trading.

7) Two dozen large financial services firms will move £1.3tn of assets from the UK. Nothing to do with Brexit, of course.

8) Euronext, the EU’s largest stock market operator, will move the trading data centres from Basildon to Bergamo.

9) His chums' favourite, the €90tn derivatives clearing business, will stay in London, as a handy tuck box for the wealthy.

10) The cost of living increases at 7-9% will be the clearest indicator that he has not taken back control and his geography of the north will be seen as far as Uxbridge.

11) He will exploit the shift from pandemic to endemic and use Speech Day to look as if he masterminded COVID's defeat.

12) His Latin teacher will seek reassurance that his Greek is just as bad.

Parable

The dystopian book club is starting to meet again, the next time will be Thursday, at a local pub. Having read about dystopia for a couple of years, the real thing then descended and we were blocked from holding the usual get-togethers. I've noticed that a few sporadic sessions took place, scattered around local pubs, but it looks as if now it will settle back into a rhythm.

First up is Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler. She wrote it in 1995, but it stands up well against the prevailing conditions in today's world. She describes pandemics and the violence of gun culture in a fractured and disintegrating world. 

The protagonist of the story is keeping a diary, and we see her thoughts about collapsing power and the ways that those with nothing to lose will play against the remnants of a system.

Butler portrays a rope unravelling a thread at a time. As things get worse, you start to dread turning the page to see what unfortunate scene gets depicted as one sinks further into the novel.

"Prodigy is, at its essence, adaptability and persistent, positive obsession. Without persistence, what remains is an enthusiasm of the moment. Without adaptability, what remains may be channeled into destructive fanaticism. Without positive obsession, there is nothing at all. EARTHSEED: THE BOOKS OF THE LIVING by Lauren Oya Olamina"

It is some diary. More an account of the deteriorating conditions on earth, or more specifically around Los Angeles, as the last remnants of shelter become corrupted. How people who move to the outside get viscerally damaged. There's feral dogs and raging men with Glocks outside of the so-called gated community. But the gates are more-or-less symbolic because strangers with wants can assail the walls at any time. Firestarters can easily thieve from what has been created.

Lauren Oya Olamina also has a condition known as hyper-empathy, where she can feel what those around her are feeling, even among animals. It creates new descriptions, but seemed to me to be under utilised in the story telling, like a dormant super-power.

All the while the mega-Corporations are busily buying the cities and towns, to create something akin to that feature of modern-day China - the company towns - operated by people who are effectively slaves.

This all sets up the imperative to move from Earth. A new planet and positive change. The book of verses being written by Olamina is Earthseed: The Book of the Living. She notes how it contrasts with the Tibetan and the Egyptian Books of the Dead. 

And there is a matter of factness to the descriptions of prevailing conditions. Whether it is shooting a new satellite toward Mars, handling the aftermath of a Pyro induced fire, or seeking more ammunition for the handguns, there is a levelling of tone which persists through the described aftermath of a fire created as a diversion to rob properties.

Butler has run the clock forward in the writing of this novel. Even without the internet's spinnery, we get a sense of the acceleration of earth toward an end-game. Just when we think it can't get worse,  Butler quietly offers us an alternative.

Revert

In the No 10 redecoration discussions, Mr Johnson apparently reverts to 'I don't recollect'. The messages were created on his prior phone, which he no longer uses. 

Convenient? 

A missing phone? Used for discussion of the erstwhile tory-sponsored Great Exhibition 2 and redecoration of Downing Street? Surreptitious donations from supporters? 

It is like an excerpt from The Wire.

Sing me no more sad songs

I've clocked a fair number of miles celebrating Christmas three times and the New Year (once). 

On hotel television I've clocked a couple of road movies too. The Peanut Butter Falcon(2019) and American Honey (2016). 

I've seen American Honey before, and it has a dead-end teen named "Star" (Sasha Lane) trapped raising her trailer-trash mother’s children in the company of Mom’s violent ex-boyfriend. Star joins the flirtatious “Jack” (Shia LaBeouf) and the free-spirits of a door-to-door magazine subscription sales squad. All of them are kids covered in tattoos and piercings and with alternative back stories for the ride. 

English writer-director Andrea Arnold made a similarly themed movie “Fishtank” set in the UK, and there are various of her signature moves transferred into this movie. She adds animal spirits to blend into the mysticism. 

The bear scene is a powerful case in point.

Then, in Peanut Butter Falcon, there's Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a man with Down syndrome, who escapes from a state-run old age care facility with the help of his elderly roommate (Bruce Dern!), to train as a professional wrestler under the guidance of his hero, the Salt Water Redneck.

Meanwhile Tyler (Shia LaBeouf again) is fired for bringing in illegal crab catches, and decides to burn the gear of his rivals, Duncan and Ratboy, and flee. 

While on the run, Zak and Tyler meet, and embark on a journey to the Salt Water Redneck's wrestling school in North Carolina, joined by Dakota Johnson who was searching for the escaped Zak. 

There is much attractive bluegrass, American folk, and spiritual music along the way through these alligator laden bayou. I guess it's a river movie as much as a road movie, but none the worse for it. 

Feelgood to start the year.

ETRM asleep at the wheel or novel inspiration?

Filling my car at the weekend, I was reminded of a time when I worked in the energy sector. There was a particular kind of software called ETRM (Energy Trading Risk Management) designed to predict and offset the effect of forward prices on most forms of energy. 

Now we see Saudi Arabia raising January official selling prices for all crude grades sold to Asia and the United States by up to 80 cents from the previous month. 

This, despite a decision last week by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies including Russia (OPEC+) to continue increasing supplies by 400,000 barrels per day in January.

Add the diminishing prospects of a rise in Iranian oil exports after indirect U.S.-Iranian talks on saving the Iranian nuclear deal broke off. 

OPEC+ has maintained that the decision was purely based on market fundamentals although it is difficult not to see the hand of the U.S. at play, particularly given the concurrent visit of a U.S. delegation to Saudi Arabia. 

Notice also Russia’s total output has failed to rise as its major producers say they are facing technical difficulties.  

It has the components of a good novel, resulting in squeezes on oil, petrol and home energy.

I need a third theme in my Corrupt novel series. Corrupt, Sleaze and maybe Squeeze?

Afterwards

Well, here we are already in the New Year. I've been travelling and had some 600+ unopened emails upon my return. I guess the Taylor Swift one summarises the move into 2022 well enough.

But there were also all of the timed out offers and the invitations to Silvesterfests sprinkled through the incoming.

I could have been atop the Shard, in a prestigious restarant in London Town, or partying in New York, judging by the various adverts and invitations.

But maybe it is simpler to spend the time with friends. And Happy New Year.

Ed Adams briefly mentions chickens (Radio Interview)

Yes, a radio interview from Live in Devon. 'Right Here, Right Now'

Quack

 I usually produce pictures of Boris Johnson as cartoon or clown artwork. This time, I think the whole walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...cynical story needs to be presented. 

With suitable acknowledgements to The Mirror, The Observer, ITV News and BBC.

Last Night in Soho

Edgar Wright has previous form with looming zombie apocalypse kind of movies (World's End?) and I was intrigued to see what he would do with 60's London and the headspace of Eloise from Redruth going to that there London to make it in fashion.

The staging and sets of London in the 60s were exquisite, and although I can't particularly remember it in that era, there was enough of it left in the 70s to still look realistic. It is interesting to see how much the cleanup of some -er -colourful areas has progressed. 

And the film opens with Rita Tushingham explaining 'London can be a lot' and features - yes - Terence Stamp and Diana Rigg at various points within. 

Then there were the songs - definitely those old 45s with the big holes in the centre, and played on a Dansette.

There were also recognisable scenes of crowded London flat-living and not so much bedsit-life as lodger-life. Although I found the ease with which she ringed an advert in the Standard and then bagged the flat somewhat astonishing.

But of course, this nostalgia evocation wasn't the main direction of the plot. We get brash neon lights and echoes of other London films: The Pleasure Girls, The Party’s Over, Absolute Beginners - and more. We see the blurring of realities and spend some time in the head of Eloise as she connects with the spirits of the 60s including roughed-over wannabe singer Sandie played by Anya Taylor-Joy. And the rougher-upper is Matt Smith playing a cockney geezer. By the 4th reel, the movie gets very dark and drifts into Suspira territory.

There's plenty of staged references to other movies and scenes whilst Wright sharpens his blades towards the end.

I can still remember seeing Absolute Beginners in the West End and then leaving the cinema and walking right back into what felt like a continuation of the film set. 'It's the same old London underneath,' says a cabbie in this Edgar Wright movie, which is kind of what I was thinking, almost more than the shocks from the movie.

Pantomime neuralysers and dead cats

[No available pictures from any of the the parties]

The chump gets another episode after the party debacle. He throws a dead cat onto the table and we all look at that instead of the latest malfeasance. I think the American phrase for his view of the partying is plausible deniability.  Maybe we should ask the Deputy Director of Communications?

Just because Carrie Johnson and a few of her Departmental friends might be having an alleged party downstairs doesn't mean Mr Johnson has to know about it. And the fear culture must pervade the government, because no-one has broken ranks to admit anything. Maybe they deserve an award or something? The Men in Black must be running around with their neuralyser mind-zappers.

So, like the vaccine, here's we get another example of an alternative item (Plan B) to come along and run interference.  

A reminder of the last few items on the conveyor belt...

• That non-reported donation of £67,801.72 used for his flat redecoration 
• Clowning around at Cop26
• Forgetting his lines
• The Peppa Pig incident
• The alleged multiplicity of parties during lockdown
• Apologising for something that he apparently did not have a hand in.

and the pantomime response of British electorate: 'Yeah, but it's Boris!'

With all this recent attention on the Beatles, I'm reminded of that Lennon song called 'gimme some truth'. He wrote it around September 1971.

I'm sick and tired of hearin' things

From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded, hypocritics

All I want is the truthJust gimme some truth

I've had enough of readin' things

By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians

All I want is the truthJust gimme some truth

I've had enough of watchin' scenes

Of schizophrenic, egocentric, paranoiac prima donnas

All I want is the truth now, now

Just gimme some truth

Get Back

Despite all the talk of 4k and 8k video, it was fascinating to watch that 16mm Peter Jackson documentary of The Beatles prepping for a gig ordained to contain 14 new songs and be performed live, from 1969. That was the premise of the ill-fated Get Back sessions, set against a countdown clock ticking for two weeks. Based in a loaned Twickenham studio, they huddled up to one end, someone rigged white photo session screening and some splashes of coloured lights. Despite this, the resultant filmstock has been polished to look 21st century and aside from the interesting choices of clothing and a few vintage bits of kit, it could be contemporary. An alnost current 'in the room with the Beatles' kind of vibe.

I read somewhere that they had to resync all of the sound with the silent film footage too, and yet the audio comes out remarkably well, with good music and well-captured (if occasionally mis-synchronised) chatter from the band. It could have been a dramatisation in places, showing the messy way that an album gets built. Except that these were no actors and no ordinary albums. It was The Beatles, jaded, yet ready to invent and then play more new music. Yet music for which we all know the words.

As you pick through the lengthy session and banter, there's a dazzling amount of new tunes and lyrics. That the Beatles could write most of Let It Be, Abbey Road and a few solo projects by Day 7 of their confinement to the studio shows incredible productivity. And fascinating in all of this is the push that McCartney gives to the process. More a spirited cajoling coupled with a work ethic that didn't stop. He seemed to believe in the project the most, despite the warped 'Live from the Sahara' vibes coming from the people standing around.

That was a bugbear of mine. The extra people in the sessions didn't seem to know how to stand around properly. I've been in on band sessions and even when doing something significant, you have to know how far back to stand. Some of these people just didn't and so sometimes we get an organic Beatles huddle cramped by the extras. Only Linda Eastman, George Martin and a Hare Krishna man seemed to know how to do it properly. 

From this circle of chairs we get the organic beginnings of Get Back, Don't Let Me Down, I've Got a Feeling, (a re-vamped) One After 909, Dig a Pony and most of side two of Abbey Road, plus a few of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album. 

A moment of joy in this era of B1.1.529.

I assume this documentary merges with the well-known Let It Be Abbey Road sessions in Part Two and then the Savile Row rooftop session. 

They passed the audition.