• These Are The Voyages: 50 Years of Star Trek

    September 8, 2016 - By 

    In June 1969, US television viewers were treated to the unforgettable spectacle of William Shatner portraying a woman inhabiting his body. The final episode of Star Trek, ‘Turnabout Intruder’, featured Captain Kirk and his crew struggling to defeat a mentally unstable woman who had captured his body, planning to take over the USS Enterprise, and wreak havoc upon all and sundry. Shatner, never the most… subtle… of performers, threw himself into the role, straining to capture the full spectrum of emotions of a woman, trapped in a man’s body. Like I say, the results are pretty spectacular, for all the…

  • Star Trek Beyond

    July 23, 2016 - By 

    With Star Wars dominating the cultural agenda again, it’s been uncertain times for Star Trek fans. Whereas George Lucas’ space saga has always been a perennial favourite, tapping into subsequent generations, and always being somehow cool, Trek has never been particularly fashionable, with its themes of philosophy, exploration, and understanding seeming fairly lumpy and worthy in the face of Jedi mysticism, lightsaber duels, and space dogfights. JJ Abrams’ 2009 reboot upped the excitement factor, ushered in a younger crew, and tapped into a new audience, but along the way, alienated a legion of older fans who felt that the essence…

  • Who You Gonna Call? The Outraged, Most Likely

    July 10, 2016 - By 

    In Robert Wise’s 1971 movie adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel The Andromeda Strain, one of the four protagonists is a woman. And in the movie, there’s nothing significant or outrageous about this. She is, simply, biologically, a woman. But more importantly, she’s a character. She does stuff, she has feelings, ideas. And when a younger male cast member handles the film’s sole action sequence, it’s not because it’s a job that only a man could do, it’s because he’s younger and more physically fit. In the current era of re-boots, The Andromeda Strain is crying out for a remake, with the 1971-stylings of the film…

  • Classic Album: Van Halen – 1984 (1984)

    June 6, 2016 - By 

    Two immense planets having been moving in synchronous orbit around a dazzling sun for a few years now, their every movement in synch with each other. But on one of the planets, a new technological overlord has begun conducting experiments, playing with dangerous new discoveries that will threaten to transform the harmonious nature of these two planets forever. Eddie Van Halen has mastered the synthesizer, and is about to smash headlong into the party-loving world of David Lee Roth, with devastating consequences. The year is 1983, and things are about to get rough. Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 album is one…

  • Blood Brothers: The Rise and Fall of Gothic Rock

    May 2, 2016 - By 

    Contrary to popular belief, on the 13th of July 1985, Bob Geldof did not turn to a TV camera and shout, “GIMMIE THE FUCKIN’ MONEY!” Instead, whilst imploring viewers to make the phonecall, and being told by BBC TV host David Hepworth that they needed to give the postal address out first, he utters, “Fuck the address, let’s get the numbers.” Hepworth then informs him that they’re going to have to give the address out first anyway, and Bob retires to the background for a moment. The three other studio guests proceed to read out credit card numbers, with Pamela…

  • Classic Album: Ash – 1977 (1996)

    April 27, 2016 - By 

    For a moment, it seemed like anything could happen. Three teenagers from Downpatrick are staring blankly from the pages of Smash Hits magazine, fresh from appearing on Top of the Pops. And in 1996, this kind of thing just didn’t happen. Ash were breaking rules left right and centre, and it seemed like they could only go higher. As Oasis and Blur duelled it out with each other in the charts, the Little Band from Northern Ireland that Could seemed hell bent on one thing: destruction. I was 15 when 1977 came out, and it still seems as fresh now…

  • Sometimes It Snows In April: Remembering Prince.

    April 21, 2016 - By 

    There will never be another artist like Prince. And ‘artist’ is the only word that one can use to describe him. Whether it be in his visionary approach to recording music, his concept of himself as a multi-media master, conquering the stage and screen, or his almost perfect grasp of song craft, Prince approached every aspect of his life as if it were art. First garnering attention as a boy wonder, writing, producing and performing every instrument on his debut album, the first signs of Prince’s genius were exposed when he performed the incredible trick of unearthing the very magma…

  • How Satire Explains The Rise of Trump

    April 6, 2016 - By 

    “Let’s Drop The Big One And See What Happens” On November 8th 2016, the United States of America will elect a new president, and at the moment, in the eyes of many commentators, it’s a three horse race as to who that individual will be. On one side, the liberalism of Bernie Sanders is vying for prominence with the pragmatism of Hillary Clinton, and on the other side stands the man no-one would have expected, the irascible Donald Trump. The eyes of the world will be upon the US, and it’s difficult not to feel history is being made, for…

  • The Fifth Beatle: Sir George Martin (1926-2016)

    March 9, 2016 - By 

    Like them or loathe them, The Beatles are the bedrock of popular culture. No other band has exerted the kind of influence and hold over music, and as avatars of cultural change in the decade where everything changed, they led the charge. But would any of it have happened if it wasn’t for Sir George Martin? Unlikely. The Fab Four had the talent, the ideas, and the drive, but it was George Martin who honed them into the force they became. Think of him as like a sculptor, with Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr as the raw material from which…

  • Classic Album: Motörhead – Another Perfect Day (1983)

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    1983 was an interesting year to be in Motörhead. After conquering the UK charts with the one-two punch of Ace of Spades and No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, they’d established themselves right at the forefront of the rock world, a band that could go toe-to-toe with the best of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, or appealing to the still thriving punk rock scene, whilst simultaneously being perfectly at home amidst more mainstream fare, gooning for the cameras on Top of the Pops. Iron Fist (1982), however, hadn’t been particularly well received. Co-produced by guitarist ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, the…