Everyone just loves you so, well hooray

So, ever since my whole "Knocked Up is the new Point Break" post, I have been thinking about what constitutes a comfort film. Here's a list of some of mine, off the top of my head.

Se7en
The Breakfast Club
Point Break
St Elmo's Fire
Knocked Up
North by Northwest
Streetcar Named Desire
Rope
Grease
Grease 2

I asked one of my friends what hers would be. Among others she said:

Dirty Dancing
A Knight's Tale
Point Break
Robin Hood

For me, they aren't merely films that I have on in the background, because I pay attention when my comfort films are on. And neither are they "feel-good" films. Hardly any of the films on this list would qualify for that description, especially not Se7en. Yet it truly is one of my comfort films. Some of them make me laugh (notice that none of them make me cry - I don't see the point in repeatedly viewing sad films. I've seen Casablanca once - I loved it, but I made me cry and so I never want to see it again. And don't get me started on Il Postino.)

But I digress. You can't even really say that they are all "good" films or particularly well acted. Much as I love it, I would be hard pushed to really make a case for Grease 2 being a good film. And it's not even like I have a crush on someone in all of the films (honestly, this is true). Most of them I can pretty much quote from, or I at least know exactly what is coming next. They are all from different times in my life, at least in terms of when I first saw them.

So what makes these films that I love to watch on a Saturday afternoon, when I can close the door on the world, when the rain is falling, yet I am all cosy and comfortable inside? Is it nothing more than there is something in them which has me hooked and I just really enjoy them?

I'm not entirely sure.

Oh when the Saints go marching in, oh when the Saints go marching in

It's August! And the football season has started. Well for those of us who support the best team in the world anyway. Long gone are the carefree Saturdays when you can while away the hours, thinking happy thoughts and not worrying a bean about anything. Nope, when the football season starts, say hello to gut-wrenching Saturdays*, where everything centres of what happens come 4.45. This is doubly true if you are a Saints fan (witness the trauma of the last game of the season before last where we were quite literally 60 seconds away from promotion and it all went horribly wrong), and we always have a slowish start to the season.

So, just imagine my surprise when, come 5.00, we are Top of the League. If only the season could end now.



*although increasingly this becomes Sunday afternoons, Monday/Tuesday evening

My life sees me wandering, lost in smiles forever

Number Three of An Occasional Series

Long before Julian Cope was perplexing crowds at Latitude, he was in a band called The Teardrop Explodes. And they made exquisite pop music. One of the best songs they ever did, and therefore number three, on my virtual album is Passionate Friend. It's from their second and (I think) superior album Wilder - a copy of which should be in every discerning music fan's collection.

I can remember seeing them performing this on Top of the Pops when I was about 10, and being mesmerized by it. There's no preamble - the vocal is launched into straightaway and then you get approximately 3 and a half minutes of sheer awesomeness. I like the way the tempo changes and how it soars and soars until it get to the climax of "ba ba bas". Julian Cope is the king of a great "ba ba ba" - I am not sure that anyone else does them better and for me, one of the hallmarks of a great pop song is a well-placed "ba ba ba". If this sounds incomprehensible, then listen to the song and you will see exactly what I mean. But there is also great emotion in his voice and it suits the lyrics wonderfully.

In short, it's pop genius.

The times they are a-changing

I think that Knocked Up may be my new Point Break. It has taken over as my comfort movie, the thing I like to put on when I want to hide away from the outside world. I'm never not in the mood to watch it. It's hilarious, has Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in it; Seth Rogen is kind of adorable in it. And the extras on the DVD are really worth watching. It's not just your usual deleted scenes nonsense (although these are really funny). The whole mockumenatary on casting the male lead is genius.

Move over Point Break - you have some competition.

We're on the ball

I went to my first live football game in quite some time at the weekend. A pre-season friendly, Oxford Utd playing a Manchester United XI. There's nothing quite like watching football live. You don't get a replay or commentary (well apart from that of the surrounding fans) and depending on where you are sitting, it's pretty hard to judge distances and which direction the ball is going sometimes.

We were sat behind one of the goals, which is a bit of a novelty for me as when I normally go to the football, it is to see my beloved St Johnstone play and we're about level with the halfway line. It's a totally different atmosphere - lots more singing and banter. The Man Utd goalie, who really only could have been about 11 (perhaps that was what the XI in their team name referred to. The ages of the players), was a redhead. You can imagine the chants...

Anyway, it was good being at a live game again. We got goals (4 of them, although shame that 2 of them were scored by the opposition), and when Oxford scored their second, my feet did actually leave the ground as I jumped up in the air. They may not be my beloved Saintees, but it is good to get behind a team and care about them winning.

I miss live football.

Oh your hair is beautiful

Day Three At Latitude

All too soon it's Sunday, which is the busiest day for me, in terms of bands that I want to see. I even have some proper clashes. Choices will have to be made.

Anyway, first destination is the comedy tent for the first time to see Phil Jupitus and Friends Improv. It's the first outing for me to the comedy tent, as it's always been too packed for me to bother. But this was the first thing on in the tent, so I figured what the hell. It was funny And Marcus Brigstocke's Robert Mugabe impression had me chuckling all day long.

I also checked out some more Word Theatre, the theme of which today was Love and Hate. I had a position in the tent this time which meant I could actually see the actors. David Soul was one of them - cool, yeah, he was Hutch. But lo and behold if one of them wasn't Gary Dourdan from CSI!! No-one I was with actually watches CSI, so my excitement couldn't really be shared. But I enjoyed it.

First up were The Twilight Sad, who I knew absolutely nothing about, but it turns out they are an "indie rock" band from Kilsyth. They were OK - the singer sings in his own accent, which seems to be in vogue right now. I think they could do with finishing their songs quicker. Fade out doesn't really work live, in my opinion.

Next were These New Puritans, plying their "alternative rock, electronica, progressive rock, experimental rock, post-punk revival, new wave" trade. I first saw them supporting British Sea Power earlier on this year and I had been trying to see them on 3 occasions since then, all to no avail. So part of them was sceptical that I was actually going to see them. But see them I did. They were on the main stage, and I am not quite sure that their sound is quite big enough for that size of stage. However, that doesn't detract from their performance. They were edgy and youthful and exuberant. Great stuff.

Time for Nada Surf, the "American rock music group", who I was very keen on seeing. And they didn't disappoint. They rocked the place in an understated way, but rock it they did. They even got the crowd doing a little dance routine.

I had time to see about three songs by "indie rock, dance-punk" band Foals before I had to leave the main stage to get to the Uncut Arena, to make sure I didn't miss Glasvegas. I enjoyed what I saw.

So, Uncut Arena to see Glasvegas (described as a "Scottish band" on Wikipedia! What, is that it???) for the third time this year. I've already waxed lyrical about them, so I think we all know that I was looking forward to this one. And they were awesome!! As usual. Oozing cool and getting on with it. I cannot wait for this album to be released.

While getting something to eat, strains of "Ah oooh ah, ah oooh ah" began to drift over. It was the start of Cannonball by the "American alternative rock band" the Breeders. I wasn't going to be able to see them and Blondie, so I was opting for Blondie. Apparently their set was chaotic in a loveable way according to one of my friends. But I got to hear Cannonball, so I didn't miss out totally.

Last band in the Uncut Arena for me were going to be Blondie, with their "new wave, punk-rock, pop-punk". The tent was absolutely rammed. Hardly surprising, so really they should have been headlining or else on the main stage. They played a greatest hits set (no Denis or Dreaming or Union City Blue tho. but pretty much everything else you could ask for), and it was amazing. Deborah Harry looked hot and sounded even hotter. She can show the young pretenders a thing or two. But it isn't just about her - the band themselves are super tight and the whole place was having a ball. I boogied and shimmied away. Fantastico!

Interpol and their "indie/alternative rock" were the last headliners on the main stage. They were moody and melodic and it was the first time I had ever really properly listened to them. I liked what I heard. The singer has quite a voice on him. It was perhaps a bit of a flat end, but that might have just been down to the people who were around me.

So that was Latitude over (although we did make it over to the Swap tent, where you danced away and when the klaxon sounded, you were supposed to swap an item of clothing that you really loved. Yeah, OK. We did a bit of dancing, but as mentioned before, I don't do my best work in walking boots and a cagoule, with an aching back).

Highlight - Blondie
Lowlight - having clashes between Foals and Glasvegas and the Breeders and Blondie
Surprise Discovery of the Day - Gary Dourdan and realising that I'd heard him the day before too
Non-surprise Discovery of the day - the toilets in the arena were getting worse

I'd go back.

Someday we'll be drinking with the seldom seen kid

Day Two At Latitude

The Saturday was the day when I had the least amount of stuff that I already decided I wanted to do, so a lot of time was spent just wandering about, soaking up the atmosphere, trying to use the toilet as few times as possible (they may have been pretty good as far as festival toilets go, but I still had to psyche myself up before I could use them). Pimms was quaffed; fluorescent sheep were admired, all at a leisurely pace.

First of all we visited Word Theatre, which was pretty cool. In short, a bunch of actors reading short pieces about dreams. It's a really nice simple idea, which worked really well. And it was a good way to start the day's proceedings.

First band of the day was House of Love, "an English rock band" that I found reasonably engaging back in the late 1980s. I was curious to see what they were like, having never seen them live before. It was pretty good. They went down really well, and seemed genuinely pleased by their reception. I'm glad I checked them out.

Saturday was also a day for a little bit of literature. Iain Banks was appearing in the literary tent. I've read most of his books (well, apart from the Sci Fi ones) and I've heard him speak before and found him engaging. Here was no exception; he was garrulous and entertaining and happy to take questions from the floor. I can never think of anything intelligent or witty to ask. And he likes Pixies, so that is cool.

Next band up were Elbow, "an alternative rock band based in England". They were brilliant!! From the first trumpet blast, to the echoing "Throw those curtains wide", sheer class. Guy Garvey manages to make 20,000 people standing in a field seem like an intimate gig. And it takes a very cool man to completely fluff the opening note of a song, only to proceed to get the audience to do it for him

Lastly it was time for Sigur Rós, the Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical and minimalist elements. I was curious about them, as so many people whose music taste I rate rave about them. And I wanted to like them. But I don't think that I really get it. Granted they put on a spectacle and seemed like they were having the best time. Maybe I just don't get Icelandic music. I don't really like Bjork (a couple of Sugarcubes songs aside). I enjoyed it more as their set progressed, and I've now come to the conclusion that I liked the set more now than I did at the time. If that makes any sense. The word soundscape springs to mind. Maybe I just don't really get post-rock.


Highlight - Elbow
Lowlight - stupid people who insist on standing beside me and have loud inane conversations while bands are playing, who are all the more stupid when they say "Oh, I really love this song" and then proceed to talk all the way through it.
Surprise Discovery of the Day - I know more House of Love songs than I realise
Non-surprise Discovery of the day - Elbow are great live