Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

                            BOOKS + + +
“A Star Called Henry” : RODDY DOYLE. Eminently readable account of Irish life circa the end of WW1 // “The Grapes Of Wrath” : JOHN STEINBECK. My Grandad’s favourite book of all time, and I can see why! Honest, cynical yet optimistic – a heavyweight classic! // “Lord Foul’s Bane” : STEPHEN DONALDSON. Mostly stodgy formulaic fantasy fare apart from the leprous anti-hero Thomas Covenant! Well worth rediscovering // “The Amber Spyglass” : PHILIP PULLMAN. Astonishingly imaginative finale to the trilogy, respect entirely due. This is a masterwork! // “Psmith In The City” : P G WODEHOUSE. I am going to go on a Wodehouse jag. Hilariously written!

                              MUSAK + + +
“The Futureheads” : THE FUTUREHEADS. Clever quirk-rock, a firm favourite // “You Are The Quarry” : MORRISSEY. The return to form everyone said it was. Nice one // “Split The Difference” : GOMEZ. It’s not too fashionable to like ‘em these days, but their fourth album was their best for an age // “Music Has The Right To Children” : BOARDS OF CANADA. Mellow stuff, dude // “Hot Fuss” : THE KILLERS. I am sold mainly by the keyboards!  Yeeha! // “Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus” : NICK CAVE and the BAD SEEDS. His best 2 albums since “Moider Ballads”// “Real Gone” : TOM WAITS

                                FILLUMS + + +
“Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977, dir.John Landis). Pretty appalling, actually, incredibly dated US sketch film. Only included to remind Diane she shouldn’t be allowed to choose the film while under the influence! // “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” (2004, dir.Kerry Conran). A rip-roaring homage, yet another corker in the best year for movies since jimboree! // “Lost In La Mancha” (2002, dir.Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe). An excellent documentary about the best Gilliam film never made //  “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985, dir.Barry Levinson). One from our childhood, still watchable on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Although thoroughly implausible, of course!  Cakes that come to life?  I ask you! // “Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion” (1997, dir.David Mirkin). All these years – I’ve been missing a bittersweet feelgood comedy on the nature of friendship. I think. // “Finding Neverland” (2004, dir.Marc Forster). Excellent. Good on both childhood/imagination and writing. Top notch.

                                 MISCELLANEOUS + + +
Playing Doom, Doom 2, and Final Doom. My PC isn’t good enough to run Doom 3. Pah! // Moving house yet again, fourth one in two-and-a-half years. Maybe this time will be the charm? // Le Tigre, live at Popstarz in Lahndahn town. Superb lesbian disco-pop with choreography! // Badge making // RIP John Peel. We will never see your like again // Boooo Democracy. George Bush wins again. Goldarnit // SKY TV – we can watch all kindsa crazy sheet now! And there’s always a Michael Palin documentary on. Huzzah! // Frikadellen. It’s the way forward.