It’s the hope that gets you. I’ve long been a fan of The Hairy Bikers—affable, charming, sometimes surreally witty TV chefs. Their shows are the sort of thing that putter along in the background when you’re sorting dinner, only to draw you in, sit you down and get you making a note of a recipe when you should be paying attention to the kitchen. They’ve both had their health scares, so when Dave Myers returned to telly with a new show after a bout with cancer, it felt like a happy ending.
Sadly, no. The news of Dave’s death on Wednesday night came as a shock to many of his fans (myself included) and casts this final series in a different light. A last hurrah rather than a new beginning. He has ridden into the west now, to use the Tolkeinian phrase. I wish Dave a happy journey, and respectfully dedicate this chapter of The Swipe to him. May we all have the life he found for himself, doing the thing he loved with his best mate. He was a focus of so much love, joy and good food.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
A stack of old Galaxy and Magazine Of Fantasy and Science Fiction volumes from the late 50s, a gift from a fellow Reading Writer. It’s all a bit clunky and shonky and the sexual politics are—of their time. But I’m still charmed and pleasingly surprised by the quality of storytelling, and the books are lovely old artifacts of a golden age, when SF didn’t take itself quite so seriously.
Rob is watching…
As a sidebar to last week’s discussion on the Leap Year, here’s Dave Gorman with a few suggestions on how to improve the calendar in general. I think this might just work…
Rob is listening…
I will be a little heavy on the Athens, Georgia sound this week—essential comfort blanketing for when the need arrives. I stumbled across the promo for Imitation Of Life this week and found myself mesmerised. Yes, this is all taken from a twenty-second take (and it probably took twenty-two takes to get right). The planning must have been insane. It’ll draw you in and definitely provides more fun with multiple viewings.
Rob is eating…
Midnight Spaghetti while thinking about how food and love and navigating the spaces in a relationship are so intertwined.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
This kid. This beautiful, misunderstood, quiet, thoughtful kid. I would defend this kid to my last breath, with every sinew of my strength. I would fight and die for this kid. This kid is me at ten, and I will protect him to the end. This is comedy, apparently. I don’t see it that way. I’m with Emma Stone. Let him have this one thing.
There needs to be more Howard The Duck in the MCU. There, I said it. It was great to see him take on a solid supporting role in the first ep of What If…? Season Two but honestly, I think it’s time we forgave George Lucas his sins and brought the duck in from the cold.
I am pleased to discover that, like veteran blogger and writer Cory Doctorow, I am an adherent to the POSSE system—Post One Site, Syndicate Everywhere. It makes obvious sense to me. Excuses And Half Truths is where the fun stuff lives, the social media is there to bring people in. A raising of flags, a firework to signal new Swipery. I do think Cory makes a bit of a meal out of it, though.
Been thinking a lot about physical newsletters recently. An object you can hold and crease and stuff in your back pocket (the 50’s book-mags I mentioned earlier have exactly that quality). There’s a jump in interest in zines, too. Perhaps there’s experimentation to be done, even if it’s at PDF/Print-on-demand-level. That would certainly save on the postage.
There was an almost-reunion of Athens Georgia’s favourite sons last month, brokered by of all people actor and general zod Michael Shannon. Had I known what was going to happen, I believe I would have been on a plane and damn the cost to the credit card. Pilgrimage, indeed.
Michael Marshal Smith is really enjoying himself at the moment, playing around with AI to build an eerie alternate history of a small Californian town. As publishers showed no interest, he’s pushing the stories and art out for free as, yes, a PDF you can print out if you like. See, I told you that idea had legs.
Our most distant traveller has left the solar system, gently losing its marbles in the process. If you’re a Trekkie, there must be a wish in you that a great alien intelligence will swoop in and pick Voyager up, and make it into something new, strange and glorious.
A documentary about life on the road, directed by Dave Grohl, featuring all sorts of surprise guest stars? Feels like a good way to spend a couple of hours to me!
More stuff on Dune, I’m afraid. Yes I am excited for the movie thank you but I’ve loved the books since I was a sensitive boy with the need for a well. Considering how much a part of the SF landscape the story is, it’s surprising to hear just what a struggle it was for Frank Herbert to get Dune published. Very telling how much hustling he had to do to get folk interested. Very much like today’s publishing scene, in fact.
Happy accidents are what give any artistic endeavour its special quality. That turn of phrase which came out garbled but made perfect sense in context, that scrap of melody which fell out of your fingers from nowhere. Always be willing to keep the odd mistake in there, if it fits.
Lastly, a great chat with André 3000, whose reinvention as a jazz flute guru was the one career change no-one saw coming. The guy is clearly living his best life. Glad to see the enduring influence of Octavia Butler sneak in around the edges of the article, too. André could have stepped out of the pages of one of her novels.
We end as we started: with someone gone too soon. Dex Romweber, the pumping heart and wild soul of Athens, Georgia-based rockabilly outfit Flat Duo Jets twanged his last this month. His raw, searing take on rock and roll clearly influenced a lot of bands we know and love today, particularly when they were just a guitar-and-drum duo. This will clear your sinuses ready for the weekend. Shake it, grandma!
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 