We have a bee’s nest in the garden. It looks like we had one hidden in the base of an old raised bed that a badger or fox discovered and dug out (badgers looooove bee larvae). An emergency evacuation took place. The ball of bee potential (presumably with the queen snug in the middle) was moved out wholesale and relocated to a sheltered corner between the back of the house and the fence. The new colony is busy rebuilding, weaving a new structure out of vegetable matter. It’s fascinating to watch.
If undisturbed, white-tailed bumblebees are completely harmless and will move on by the end of the summer. We’ve moved some pots around to give them a bit more privacy—although it’s impossible to resist a peek in the mornings. We’re delighted and honoured they chose to share our garden. Hello, little frens.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Comics. Trust me, they’re good for you.
Rob is watching…
Gary. An unexpected Bear prequel featuring Richie and Mikey on a road trip. Both Jon and Elon are on top of their game here, and for fans like me, this is a nice little treat. Bring on the next season!
Rob is listening…
To this…
Because of this.
Rob is eating…
Asparagus Butt Butter, as a fun way of stretching out the all-too-short season for one of my favourite vegetables. I’ll only eat it when it’s local, so it’s kinda now or never. Always grilled, by the way. Much more flavoursome that way.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
I know, this is dumb, and it’s a five-minute toy, but as pop culture playfulness goes, it’s so much fun.
Some of the greatest, most enduring art and music of the late 20th century came from young talent supporting themselves—just—through social security payments. It gave them the ability to have a roof over their heads, pay their bills and be able to develop a proper career. That’s all gone now, and we see working-class voices vanishing, unable to afford the time or energy to create in the face of the never-ending grind. Pleasingly, some forward-thinking countries, particularly Ireland, are seeing how supporting artists at the start of their journey can have very real, quantifiable economic benefits. It’s not about a handout. It’s about investing in the future.
The KLF may have gone, disappearing in a puff of very expensive smoke. But their legacy lives on, as other like-minded individuals pick up the flag and keep marching. Honours and blessings to the KLF Re-Enactment Society. A fully justified venture.
The Golden Smog in Stockton-On-Tees sounds like the perfect place to settle in for an afternoon. The good folk at Pellicle are really doing the Lord’s work here, although their recommendations are not helping my wallet or liver in the least.
A little taste of Satie for you all, using some quite unusual instrumentation. More theremin in everything, I say!
(Side note—I own a Stylophone theremin, but the godsawful squawks I get out of it are nothing like this).
Doctor Kate Lister considers the subject of wigs and finds that, inevitably, things are always more complicated than they look. And hotter. And heavier.
In a week which both celebrated Star Wars and showed just how people are happy to vote for candidates who don’t have their best interests at heart, this bit from McSweeney’s hit pretty hard. Please welcome your new representative from the Leopards Eating Your Face Party.
They’ll Never Use The Death Star On Us
Clips from Gossip Goblin’s AI extravaganza The Patchwright have been clogging my feed for a couple of weeks now. It’s an intensely rich and dense visual feast, which reminded me a lot of the hyper-detailed work of comics artists like Juan Giménez or the sainted Möbius. Would I want to watch a whole movie that looked like that? Probably not. The sheer amount of visual cruft is far too over-whelming. The whole thing is also curiously static—a side-effect, I guess of having to meticulously build each shot from a heavily refined series of prompts. It’s telling that the film-makers are using foley and voice artists as part of the process, keeping a hint of the human in there. Certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Last up, it’s important to remember how the internet we live on is built on foundations which are not under corporate control. It’s still possible to spin up your own version of the things which interest you and have them delivered in a simple and straightforward manner. A reminder—you can subscribe to Excuses And Half Truths by email or RSS in a couple of taps or clicks without mucking around with social media. We are here for you however you choose to consume us.
Hang on, that came out wrong.
In conclusion.
No, wait, one last thing. If you need a bit of an escape from *waves hands shakes head* YANNOW, ALL DIS, it’s good to know the National Trust have now set up a streaming video feed of the puffin colony on the Farne Islands in Northumberland. Do take five minutes in their company if you can. You won’t regret it.
To Outro, a sinus-clearing dose of reallyquietthenreallyloud from mid-90s rockers Hum. The grunge era still really resonates with me. I’d never heard Stars before. I shall be blasting You’d Prefer An Astronaut this weekend. Sorry, neighbours.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 