Issue 3 17th October 2007
Inside:
The Coronas Alabama 3 Black Soul Strangers Debs Fashion 80’s Classics
No pain, no gain Dirty Sanchez hit the bar Page 6
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17th October 2007
Hitting the right note Galway musicians Dark Room Notes speak to Lorcan Archer about performing live and the story behind their name
Dirty Sanchez
“Sometimes I wake up saying, ‘where the fuck am I?” Exclusive interview: P6
Film “The Simpsons became a favourite with children, possbily why it’s in it’s 22nd year” 80’s television
Fresh from a highly acclaimed performance last week in Dublin, as well as the release of a very successful single, Love Like Nicotine, that’s been played just about everywhere but Sunday Mass the last while, Dark Room Notes appear to be setting the bar as high as they can for themselves. Their latest release, Dead Start Programme, features more of the synthladen soulful music that we’ve come to expect of them. Ronan Gaughan, he of the earnest yowl, checks in from Cork as the band hit the road for an extensive trek around Ireland in support of the new songs. “Yep, we’ve just finished our sound check there, Cork tonight and we were in Mullingar last week. It’s our first time really going around the country but it’s got to be done!” Most people would be familiar with the band thanks to the hit single and video they’ve put out for Love Like Nicotine, which features, aptly enough, the band lighting up, performing and unleashing some pretty cool synchronized dance moves. It’s gone down well with the fans apparently: “When we played Mullingar last week, a bunch of young lads actually got up and attempted to recreate the dance. It was a total mess but hilarious to watch from the stage. Its great to see that there’s some real fans out there.” he adds.
The single, as well as the majority of their new songs rely heavily on the feature which sets the band apart, a tactful but effective use of layered keyboard sounds, with two keyboardists on stage at the same time. Was such a use of the instrument planned or did it naturally occur to shape the band’s sound? “I guess it is a somewhat unique line-up, in Ireland anyway, in that we’ve got no bassist and so many people on synths. It’s not a problem when we play live either, we can cover the bass tone using some nice thick synthesizer parts so we still get that lower end”. Such an issue would no doubt be a
concern for the band, who thrive on playing live, most notably at the recent Hard Working Class Heroes Festival, where they played to a totally packed out room. “Working Class Heroes was really hectic, very noisy and messy sound-wise”. t’s satisfying to see what is essentially a live rock band with a different edge pull it off so well onstage despite obvious obstacles. “I think it went well because it was kind of possible for it to fall apart at any second, and it sort of gave it an edge because of that.” Right, so why Notes from a Dark Room, especially when the lack of light makes it bad for the eyeballs? “Ah yeah the name, it originally came
from our Keyboardist Arran, she used to work in a Dark Room, as in a photograph one. She used to write in there in a little notebook, so one day we spotted it, and that was it”. Weirdly, there seems to be another musical entity out there stalking the moniker that the band have chosen. “Yeah, there’s actually another Dark Room Notes from the States. Apparently they misheard someone say ‘Dark Remote’ or something so they went with that. Weird isn’t it? We’ve got the copyright though, so we’re not that worried.” Dark Room Notes release their new EP Dead Start Programme at Crawdaddy on 13th October
Soul mates Jason Timmons talks to Black Soul Strangers the vibrant post-punk scene and their new release
Music “Ah I knew I was pretty shit, I made a few crucial mistakes” The Coronas: P4
Books “Often misconceived as
chick-lit, full of cheap sentiment and drama, but it’s guaranteed to surprise” Gone with the wind: P12
Taking a quick look at the striking artwork of Black Soul Stranger’s new EP Paramount, it’s easy to draw comparisons between the stark and striking image of the flaring light bulb in the dark and the rapid, unexpected appearance of the group on the Irish scene less than a year ago. They’ve pretty much come out of nowhere. Described by NME as a band ‘who actually look and sound successful before their time’, the group have been putting the finishing touches to their debut release for the past few months. Packing an energetic but moody punch, the band is instantly recognisable as standing out from their peers. Singer Barry Gorey attempts to describe the sound that the band has carved out for themselves, without much luck: “It’s hard to narrow it down; we’ve a generally alternative sound. Obviously we make the most of our guitars but try to concentrate on the melody as the main thing.” The band has joined forces with Stefano Soffia, the man responsible for mastering work by the likes of Muse and Director, and he took on the task of helping the band to transfer their cra ed sound from the rehearsal room to recorded work. The resultant EP has been touring around the country since last Friday. “Yep, we’re starting tomorrow in Athlone and touring around the country until next Saturday.” The group’s spiky but atmospheric sound immediately brings to mind the old greats of the post-punk scene, with the spectre of Joy Division
looming especially large over the songs displayed on Paramount. What does the band think of the recent revival of bands adopting that sort of era’s sound to their work? “There’s definitely a lot of these sort of bands turning up, but personally we just like it. Stuff like Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen are my personal favourites, but I suppose there’s a lot of that sort of post-punk coming around again.” The composition of the band’s songs is obviously the most important aspect of the band’s development. Strangely, the melancholic edge of the music seems to be reflected in as unsuspected a place as the band’s rehearsal area. “We’ve got a new studio space right in the centre of Temple Bar that’s working out really well, and we’re just putting the album together in there right now. It’s a bit of weird place though, Michael Collins apparently used to hang around there quite a bit, but its all just concrete now.” The historical context is not
distracting the band, who is keeping an eye on the here and now, including a somewhat unexpected affinity with Hunter S. Thompson. “Yeah our song Down and out in Vegas with Methamphetamine Psychosis Again had its name taken from a chapter in a book by Hunter S Thompson. We’re fans, and liked the sound of it so decided we’d pop it on.” While not likely to melt your brain with stories of drug-addled mayhem, the essential darkness of the sentiments expressed in the music are likely to entertain and charm almost all who come across this band.
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Three’s a crowd Lorcan Archer was blown away by the sheer energy and innovation of Alabama 3 at the Tripod during Heineken Green Synergy Week It’s rare that the Dublin gig-going public gets to witness the sort of event that Alabama 3 bring to a packed out Tripod on a strangely warm Wednesday night, the first big event of the Heineken Green Synergy week which kicked off this week. An impressive diversity of talent is on display, with this reviewer counting several hairy bikers, stockbrokers, multitudes of students and Celtic fans eagerly anticipating the band’s arrival onstage. Decked out in an array of white suits, Stetson Cowboy hats and shades, the overwhelming impression one gets of the group onstage is of total style, mixed with just that essential bit of sleaze that grandmaster Larry Love brings to the show. The sheer amount of sweat coming off the guy would rival Christy Moore, while long-time collaborator, diminutive Devlin Love instantly becomes the most attractive female in Dublin when she starts to dance onstage. It’s an obviously effective partnership, as the rest of the band radiate from their focal point and perfectly recreates numbers from across their long, career. Famous as the opening-credits song from the Sopranos, Woke Up This Morning is fantastic, earning a huge reaction and inspiring some dodgy dancing from the 40-somethings that have turned up straight from the office to the show. It’s a testament to the band’s skill that it’s not even the highlight of
Photography: Emmett Connell
the set. There’s an especially enjoyable version of She Don’t Dance to Techno Anymore, with added synchronized dance moves between Devlin and Keyboardist during The Spirit of Love that hits the spot, along with a few new songs that sound very promising. As the energetic set winds down, stark white lighting comes into effect, beaming down on the band members as the Gospel part of their musical pedigree comes into play. A fine rendition of Hi, I’m Johnny Cash is aired; displaying the sort of slickness that supporting Dubliners Republic of Loose would no doubt wish to emulate. Occasionally, the somewhat differing tempos of the songs serve to stimulate the crowd, with groups of onlookers performing a sort of cyclical dance between the bar and dance floor. Lone rangers in the crowd holler throughout the set and
throw their own cowboy hats into the air in appreciation. A general party atmosphere slowly grows all evening, quite the achievement in a venue ringed by stern bouncers, but evidence of the power and soul that the band injects into their lengthy compositions. The
band ploughs through a serious amount of booze onstage and reaches out to the grasping hands of fans, and the boundary between band and crowd starts to blur. It’s a refreshingly honest but still
stylish performance, which in the era of mawkish and self-consciously ‘serious’ bands populating so many stages, goes a long way.
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Aural Examinations
stereophonics
pull the pin Pull The Pin is The Stereophonics’ follow up to 2005’s Language. Violence. Sex. Other? Much like its predecessor it retains the same melodic, sometimes broody rock sound traditionally associated with the band. That is not to say that this latest offering is without any surprises. One of the most striking features of the music is its diversity. The album jumps and slips into haunting anthemic songs, like Stone and then degenerates into the punky Bank Holiday Monday, which seems like a tame but not unworthy ode to British punk.
The album encompasses echoes of different genres, offering elements of country and western in the love song Bright Red Hair in contrast to the crashing cymbals and heavy bass in the opening track Soldiers Make Good Targets and Ladyluck. This album is an antidote to the dominating Hard Fi, Arctic Monkey-esque sound that has been dominating the airwaves at the moment. Unlike their peers, the Stereophonics have a more mature, mellow rock sound, much more readily identified nnnnp with the likes of the Foo Fighters, than the current British Indie scene. For fans this is an energetic, mature, more musically diverse album than previous outings. Pull The Pin re-establishes the Welsh trio’s ability to reinvent their sound a er fi een years and shows that they are still managing to go from relative strength to strength.
Heroes Lisa Towel spoke to Dublin band The Coronas about driving tests, touring with Pink and the benefits of Bebo When you mention The Coronas, the immediate association that may spring to mind is Justin Timberlake. Not a bad name to be associated with. Anyone who has tuned into FM104 anytime over the last six months would most likely have heard The Coronas’ ‘off the cuff’ acoustic cover of Mr. Timberlake’s My Love. Band member David McPhilips is fresh from a disastrous driving test but remains upbeat. “Ah I knew I was pretty shit, I made a few crucial mistakes!” he laughs. He’s appreciative of the support the amount of radio play they have gotten in recent weeks but does admit to feeling that FM104 went “over the top” and that as a result they have received little air time on other stations. Their loss, it seems, as the band are busier than ever.
black soul strangers
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paolo nutini
The debut album from this Scottish-Italian ‘dream-boat’ comes as a huge disappointment: completely inoffensive, derivative tunes concerning done-to-death lyrical themes (chicks not digging him etc). This is rehashed material with none of the intensity and originality that this striking voice should be associated with. Coarse and capable of great dept and intensity, Nutini’s voice is ironically both the single redeeming feature and the greatest disappointment of this release. Expert delivery of passionate wails reminiscent of Rod Stewart display the abundance of talent this nineteen-year old clearly possesses. However, repetitive and unoriginal guitar sequences and unfortunate lyrics worthy only of a moody twelve-year old’s Myspace blog demolish any sense of credibility this artist might command. This album delivers on every tired typecast of the singer songwriter formula. You’ve got up-beat catchy melodies in Jenny don’t be Hasty and New Shoes and some crooning over lost love, the trials of life, melancholic nostalgia and God knows what else in Last Request, Rewind, and pretty much the rest of the album. Thankfully the included live CD serves up a solid, raw image of this performer as he really should be: gritty. The live CD stands as testimony to the fact that Paolo Nutini is a talented musician who is just missing the mark. Really it’s a shame and a waste of a potentially fantastic artist, and if he allowed his own organic proficiency to shine through, Nutini could be something much more interesting.
The first thing that stands out about this release by Dubliners Black Soul Strangers is the cool artwork, which jumps out with a plain but beautiful image of what looks like electricity sparking against a dark background. The start of the first song is also promising, all thumping drums and an unsettled pace like Interpol at their fastest. The EP is a great little format when you think of it, able to display much more than a single song and without the unnecessary extra fat of an album, However the ideas seem to run out kind of quickly on Paramount a er the promising first track, as the band fall into a rut of simply writing material that sounds too similar. The vocals are nicely delivered throughout but possess neither the presence nor power to avoid becoming just another part of the dominant melody and fail to really deliver the lyrics. That being said there are some very nice bass and guitar parts evident on the mouthful that is Down and out in Vegas with Amphetamine Psychosis Again, which serves as an effective and rapid piece of jangly rock. Those guitars seem to aim for a spot somewhere between the colder sounds of a quicker Joy Division and bouncy Brit-Pop power chords, which work quite well on the whole. There’s obvious talent on display, but the band would do well to concentrate on the most striking parts of their songs, as the sudden and unexpected changes in tempo and style detract from the experience, changing to something less satisfying as soon as a nice hook is hit. That being said it’s still an enjoyable listen, and could well serve as a launch pad towards something much greater if they can cultivate their style.
Emer Brady
Gareth Byrne
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THE KYBOSH
The group was first formed by Danny O’Reilly, Conor Egan and Graham Knox when they were just fi een years old while attending Terenure College. McPhilips, the newest member, joined just a few weeks before the first single Decision Time which reached number eight in the Irish charts by over the counter sales alone. “It was such a surprise, but fantas-
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pj harvey tic all the same.” McPhilips knew the band was getting serious when they recorded their single a few weeks a er he joined. “I kind of realized that this wasn’t just playing for fun, and we were really going for this. Its something we’d always wanted to do.” The rapid success of their first single and the support of FM104 and its charity gig Help a Dublin Child has helped promote them as an up and coming act. The Help a Dublin Child gig, according to McPhilips seemed to be full of Corona fans and was
a testimony to their growing popularity. It hasn’t been all easy though. “We’ve had a few disasters, like when we were supporting Pink at Malahide Castle and all the amps blew in the middle of the first song. We got it sorted, but talk about embarrassing. These are the sorts of things you’ve got to go through.” The Coronas have by playing the Dublin scene of Whelan’s, the Voodoo Lounge, and the Village, as well as UCD’s own Student Club. This has le the band with quite a loyal and local following. The band is now keen to expand their fan base outside of Dublin and have planned tour dates in Kilkenny, Derry, Galway and a few venues in between. “Before the summer, we did a gig in Kilkenny where four people showed up in this tiny venue we were playing. So the goal is now to get twenty and that’d be a massive success!” The Coronas got the opportunity to tour the UK with Pink when she personally invited them on tour with her a er her gig in Dublin. This trip to England also landed them a deal with an agency and there are hopes of doing a college tour there some time in the future. Like any new band these days,
The Coronas are successfully utilizing the power of MySpace and Bebo, having a Bebo site since the beginning, before many other bands. “It’s great when you’re playing a gig anywhere and you can just say to someone to check out our Bebo or whatever. Those internet forums are great for getting the music out there, and for getting feedback from fans. It’s cool that every band can have its own little spot and I think that is just one of the ways that music is moving.” The bands’ debut album Heroes or Ghosts is sure to confirm that The Coronas will burn long and bright into the future. The Coronas’ debut album Heroes or Ghosts is out now. www.thecoronas.net
plies
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PJ Harvey is back and this time she’s returned with an album of both beautiful and introspective songs. Harvey has forsaken her guitar on this record in favour of her piano, and with it she creates an amazingly atmospheric sound. The songs are simple in construction and highly reminiscent of the more quiet moments of Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea but unlike songs such as We Float, the mood is created through Harvey’s stunningly minimalist arrangements and her striking vocals. Fans will certainly be pleased and shouldn’t be surprised as to how different White Chalk sounds to her previous releases. This is an album of enchanting music with each song flowing perfectly into the next. It will take several listens to recognise each song but it is well worth that effort. From the intoning lines of the opening track The Devil (“Come here at once!”) to the train-like rhythms of Silence all the way to the eerie closer of The Mountain this record churns out beautiful songs. So Harvey certainly does not disappoint on this latest offering. It may not be the best introduction to her music but it does grow and reward with every listen. Perfect for those of you who wish to keep it quiet.
Eoin Boyle
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For those of you who haven’t heard of Plies, here’s the low-down. He hails from Florida and boasts a huge underground audience thanks to his ‘real’ lyrics. However his music is so reminiscent of The Game, T.I. and Tupac that he lacks a voice of this own. On his album cover we see the typical image of a rap star wannabe. Surrounded by billowing clouds of smoke and with his gold teeth gleaming, it is clear from this point onwards that we have stumbled upon no extraordinary musical debut. This Florida native presents us with an album awash with lyrics and ideas that have been presented time and time over ever since the appearance of NWA. From his rapping about women, the streets, money and violent rivalries to his claims to be a thug till he dies, there is nothing here that separates him from other rap artists. It is especially hard to escape the feeling that we have heard these tracks before with the Tupac-esque number Running my Momma Crazy. It would be unfair however to deny that his album has some catchy songs, most noticeably the crunk-sounding track I am the Club. By enlisting the canary-voiced Akon on Hypnotized he has almost guaranteed his fi een minutes of fame. Ultimately Plies has talent but in an age where hip-hop has broken into the mainstream, he needs more than generic rhymes to be a success. And if you find he’s just a blur amongst other playas in the rap game, don’t worry, it’s probably better you leave it that way.
Fiona Redmond
Gig Guide
It’s fair to say that The Kybosh is a band that is going places. Having featured in UCD’s Battle of the Bands last year and having received plenty of airplay on various radio stations across Dublin, they’re one of the more active bands that also happen to be UCD students. Donal Cumisky, final year in Law and singer for the band comments: “Yep we’ve been fairly busy as of late. Our last single, Rubicon, got into the top 50 of the Irish download charts. We’ve toured around the country recently too, and we’ve just released our latest single, Fly by Night, which is out on freeload from our site at www.thekybosh. com/flybynight.” The band’s sound has been described as a mix of styles, everything from Interpol, The Cure, Killing Joke and Echo and the Bunnymen, all served with a pop twist. “We all love very different types
of music. I love stuff like Arcade Fire and The Beatle. My brother Rob who’s also in the band likes some heavier stuff like Tool. There’s a good mix there.” Despite such setbacks as promoters cancelling performances at the last moment while on tour (“We’re supposed to be playing here.” “Eh, no you’re not.”), the band is busy both releasing new music and playing gigs in the capital. “We recently played at the Hard Working Class heroes festival, which was very enjoyable.” The band’s growing profile has even indirectly influenced the listening habits of the band members. “A lot of people say we actually sounded like The Cure, who I’ve never even listened to! But I started listening to them recently and I have to say I really do like them. So that was a bonus.” With three of the members still engaged in studies here, a slow and steady approach is on the cards for the group. “Yeah, we’re taking a break from live performances now to concentrate on new material. You need to, because the last thing we want to do is anything half-assed.” www.thekybosh.com
Lorcan Archer
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17.10.2007
Wednesday 17th October Jenny Lindfors at Crawdaddy, Tickets: €12.00, doors at 8.00pm Born/Dead, Division’s Ruin, Tunguska at Lower Deck, Tickets: €8.00, doors at 8pm
Kataklysm, Aborted, Ground of Ruin at Voodoo Lounge, Tickets: €24.50, doors at 7pm Big Nasties feat. Chris Pontius at Whelans, Tickets: €20.00, doors at 9pm
Thursday 18th October Gallon Drunk at Whelans, Tickets: €21.50, doors at 8.00pm Preston Reed at Crawdaddy, Tickets: €17.50, doors at 8.00pm
Monday 22nd October The Moody Suzuki at Crawdaddy, Tickets: €14.00, doors at 8pm
Friday 19th October LCD Soundsystem (and Sat. night) at Tripod, Tickets: €37.50, doors at 7.30pm Eibhin Eviston at Crawdaddy, Tickets: €10, doors at 8.00pm Coldwar, Eyesclosed at Fibbers, Tickets: €10.00, doors at 8.00pm The Pale at Whelans, Tickets: €15.00, doors at 8.00pm
Wednesday 24th October The Fray at National Stadium, Tickets: €37.50, doors at 8pm Against Me at Button Arcade Fire play the Phoenix Park on Factory, Tickets: €19.45, October 23rd doors at 8pm Blind Boys of Alabama at Vicar St, Tickets: €38.20, doors at 8pm
Saturday 20th October Don McClean at The Olympia, Tickets: €54.80, doors at 7pm The Aliens at Crawdaddy, Tickets: €14.00, doors at 8pm Warning, Revelation, The River at Voodoo Lounge, Tickets: €10.00, doors at 8pm Sunday 21st October
Tuesday 23rd October Arcade Fire (and Wed. night) at Phoenix Park Big Top, Tickets: €49.20, doors at 8pm The Enemy at Ambassador Theatre, Tickets: €23.00, doors at 7.30pm
Thursday 25th October Groove Armada, Dizzee Rascal at Royal Hospital of Kilmainham, Tickets: €44.95, doors at 7.30pm The Coronas, Radio Prague at Eamon Dorans, Tickets: €10.00, doors at 7.30pm Ten Past Seven at Whelans, Tickets: €7.00, doors at 8pm
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Drunken lunatic student bar by Cathy Buckmaster and Tiernan Butler meet the boys of Dirty Sanchez to try and find someone sober enough to talk about pain, fear and being compared to Jackass Obscene. Gross. Horrifying. Cringe-inducing. All are words that spring to mind when contemplating the strange phenomenon that is Dirty Sanchez, a programme that follows and records the gruesome, dangerous and o en stomach-churning stunts endured by three scruffy Welshmen; Matthew Pritchard, Lee Dainton, Michael ‘Pancho’ Locke; and Englishman Dan Joyce. It all began when Welsh skateboarders, Dainton and Pritchard began filming themselves skating and pulling painful pranks on each other, in a collection of bootleg videos called Pritchard vs. Dainton. After the tapes sparked interest with a major television station, followed by a documentary and a subsequent contract with MTV, Dirty Sanchez was born. Upon arriving in the UCD Student Club, a palpable air of excitement was obvious among the throngs of students already there. Throughout the ever-growing crowd, people could be heard excitedly discussing the disgusting entertainment to come. One girl commented to her friend in a revolted but intrigued manner, “I hear they piss on the crowd, that’s why I didn’t go up the front.” Despite their late arrival, the Sanchez team waved pleasantly to the crowd before going backstage. At this point, frantic fans began to push and shove in an effort to get near to the stage, almost suffocating the eager souls at the very front. When guided through the backstage door, we found ourselves in a room with a table overflowing with sandwiches, vodka, Bulmers and Fosters. Dainton could be seen chatting animatedly in the background while at the table sat Joyce and Pancho, the latter of whom was busy scoffing sandwiches with a confused expression on his face. A somewhat bewildered looking and heavily tattooed Pritchard ambled over to introduce himself. However, his well-meant attempts to communicate were soon abandoned as he admitted that he was too drunk to make sense. “I don’t mean to be rude at all, but it’s just that I’m out of it.” He quickly replaced himself with his more sober and sensible companion, Dainton, a blue-eyed and earnest looking young man. Surprisingly saner than one might expect, he introduced himself politely, and although slightly anxious about
his sober state, he was keen to chat. He starts at the beginning, and describes how the group got their big break. “Someone saw one of our Pritchard vs. Dainton videos and gave it to Channel Four who did a short documentary on us. MTV saw that documentary and called us in for a meeting. We stuck in our video, said ‘check it out’, and that’s the kind of show we’ll do here.” For the innocent souls that were lucky enough to be ignorant of the true meaning behind the name of the television show, they were in for a crude awakening. `The four stunt men decided to name themselves ‘Dirty Sanchez’ a er an unusual and indeed stomach-churning sexual act. “Well when we started shooting the pilot for MTV, we had no name. We didn’t know what we were going to call it. For a while, its name was going to be, ‘See You Next Tuesday’, but then Dan did a Dirty Sanchez, ya know, the thing with the bum, for the pilot and it became the name of our show.” Dirty Sanchez do not simply push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable. They trample on the whole concept of
boundaries itself, with nothing too disgusting or painful for them to attempt.
a treadmill, collecting their sweat into a jar as they did. Simultaneously they held hot stones for as long as possible. The loser was the person who dropped the stone first and as penalty had to drink the jar of sweat. Dainton tries to explain the creative process, “I don’t know how we come up with the stunts. It just happens. We just decide to take the piss out of things and that’s about as creative as we ever get. People come up to us on the street saying they have ideas for us and sometimes want to try hurt us or just get us to do stuff right there. It’s like ‘aye, but
“Sometimes I wake up saying, ‘where the fuck am I? One time, I woke up in a hospital in Scotland; I didn’t know how I’d gotten there.” One of the more sickening stunts involved each member running on
nah’. And as for why we do it, well, fuck, I don’t know.” One has to wonder if they all get along together considering the painful and o en cruel things they subject each other to on a regular basis. Dainton jokes, “Well yeah, I fucking hate all of them, they’re all dicks. Well, you know what I mean.” He spends a moment to consider the worst stunt that he has been subjected to over the years. “Oh, I don’t know, I’ve done a few fucking idiotic things. I sewed my mouth shut. That was quite bad.” He proudly adds, “Oh and I had a strimmer on my arse once. That was pretty fucking bad.” Due to the extreme nature of the show, certain scenes, (including something mysteriously called ‘spunk chops’) are banned from television. “There were a few incidents like that, but it doesn’t really matter, it’s just one of those things. To be honest, MTV has really pushed the boundaries as to what they air on the TV and I can never believe we get away with what we have so far. So it’s pretty good.” Dainton declares however, that he’s not so much proud of getting paid to surpass the boundaries of taste, but finds it humorous, “I’m not proud of it, not at all. I just fucking think it’s funny that MTV gave us all this money. So yeah, I guess that is kind of an achievement.” The dangerous nature of the exploits shown on the show leaves the viewer sure that the concepts of fear and shame are completely alien to the Dirty Sanchez men. “Oh fuck no, I’m a pussy. I get scared all the time, but you overcome it by just thinking of it as comedy. It’s the funny side of it that makes you do it. They’re the parts I love. “I’m from Wales and there’s not a lot to do there apart from skateboard so we invented our own style of humour to keep ourselves entertained. Alcohol helps me forget about it the next day. Sometimes I wake up saying, ‘where the fuck am I? Where’s everyone gone?’ This one time, I woke up in a hospital in Scotland; I didn’t know how I’d gotten there.” For someone happy to engage in activities like swallowing jars of sweat, drinking beer out of bodily orifices and volunteering to have golf balls repeatedly shot at himself; Dainton seems surprisingly concerned about his health. “Oh genuinely, I’m a hypochon-
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17th October 2007
cs take storm driac. I keep thinking I have something wrong with me every week. And I have an obsessive compulsive disorder which makes it worse. I’m really the last person who should be doing this kind of shit but I can’t help myself, it’s really just about having a laugh.” Most children want to be firemen or farmers when they’re small. Did little Dainton see himself sewing his mouth shut for a living when he was young? “Nah, not at all. I wanted to be a special effects artist when I was a kid. But to be honest I do enjoy this, I’ve travelled the world, seen a lot of places and had a great time with my mates. I’m a skateboarder and when I travel, I get to skate. It’s fucking cool man.” Dirty Sanchez is all about extreme stunts, obscene language and full frontal male nudity. Numerous complaints have been made about its vulgar and sometimes disturbing nature and there are concerns that it encourages violence and sadomasochism. Dainton is unconcerned, “Well I certainly wouldn’t want to encourage violence. I don’t know, to be honest, I think there are a lot of people out there who don’t have much to do. If it puts a smile on their face when they’re in a bad place and it cheers them up, then I think it’s brilliant. We get a lot of people on that MySpace thing just saying things like, ‘Thanks for brightening up my day up lads.’ So that always feels good.” “If you don’t like it, just switch over. And if you’ve got kids who you don’t want to watch the show, make sure they don’t fucking watch it. It’s easy, if you don’t like it turn it over, if you like it, watch it” Ever since Dirty Sanchez first aired on MTV UK, many have criticised it, calling it ‘a poor-man’s Jackass’. While on their latest tour, Pritchard decided to have the legend ‘Sleep when you’re dead’ tattooed on his leg in Russian. However, he found out in the end that the tattoo actually translated to ‘I love Johnny Knoxville.’ When asked what he thinks about the comparisons, Dainton replies, “It’s just inevitably going to happen isn’t it? People are going to say, ‘You guys are fucking trying to copy Jackass’ and some will say ‘You guys are fucking worse than Jackass.’ But there are comparisons there because of the similarities between our senses of humour. “If two comedians have the same sense of humour, is one copying the other, or is it just that they have the
Photos: Dan Hayden same sense of humour? Us and Jackass, we’ve just got the same sense of humour.” The explicit and cringe-inducing Dirty Sanchez movie features the first ever battle between two extreme stunt groups. While touring Japan, the Dirty Sanchez boys attempted to do battle with their Japanese equivalent, the Tokyo Shock Boys, to see which stunt group was the most hardcore. However, in the end, the Tokyo Shock Boys refused to do a live show with Dirty Sanchez a er witnessing Pritchard have the tip of his little finger chopped off with a cigar cutter. One has to assume that the men are happy about proving themselves to be the most extreme, “Yeah I suppose. But I loved those guys. They’re amazing and they’re all in their fucking forties.” As the thumping sounds of a bass fill the small backstage room, Dainton grins to himself, tapping his foot. “System of a Down man, this is what gets my juices going. System of a Down.” Ever since the success of their show, the Dirty Sanchez faces have become recognisable worldwide. Has their celebrity status gone to their heads? “Yeah, they’ve all changed, they’re all dicks now. Nah, I mean, I don’t think I’ve changed, I don’t think any of us have changed. But, because you get to see more of the world, your standards kind of go up a little bit. I used to eat dog shit, now I eat French cuisine. Does that make me a Prima Donna?” The future of Dirty Sanchez remains clouded for the moment. Dainton is cryptic regarding his future, “Eh, I don’t know about Dirty Sanchez but there’s other stuff to come. I have other plans, you have to have plans. I have other TV projects in the pipeline. But you know we’re still touring off the back of the movie, it’s just been released in America.” When asked to sum up the whole Dirty Sanchez concept in one word, Dainton contemplates for a moment, then answers simply, “Wrong, just wrong. It’s like a car crash, you know?” With that, the interview is over and Dirty Sanchez take to the stage, to the
screams of their adoring fans. Enthusiastically they unleash their vulgar stunts right before the eyes of the eager crowd. Hardcore rap and heavy metal booms during the show to keep the energy levels high, the Dirty
Sanchez boys yelling at the crowd to increase the excitement. “This is angry UCD, now show me fucking angry!” There is a certain hypnotic aura surrounding the show, despite the nausea it inspires at the same time. The crowd experienced plenty of pale male nudity, Welsh obscenities and innovative stunts, such as Pancho hav-
ing a terracotta pot smashed over his head and Dainton having a fish hook ripped out of his ear, but these stunts paled in comparison to what was to come later in the show. Some looked on in disgust with eyes tightly shut and hand over gaping mouth while others cheered as Dirty Sanchez performed the stunt that inspired their colourful name in the UCD Student Club, a venue that will never quite be the same from now on. Although hated by many, the substantial and loyal following of Dirty Sanchez cannot be denied. Fans have been le in the dark concerning their new projects, but they are sure to include a million new ways to cause pain and disgust, all in the name of having a laugh. would actually literally pay double to see them again.
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Siren
HEALTH
TH E THE
College Tribune
17th October 2007
Kick the habit With the number of smoking related deaths on the rise, Cathy Buckmaster investigates the serious effects of nicotine and talks to UCD students about this addictive habit
The numbers of students who smoke in UCD remain high, as seen by the daily congregations that gather outside the Arts block, but for those who do smoke, kicking the habit is one of the best things you can do for your own health and that of everyone around you. Smoking is a slippery slope that a lot of students o en fall into. Beginning university life for the first time, in a college as huge as UCD, can be a jarring experience for most. Feeling lonely, experiencing peer pressure, stress, or just too much strain can drive anyone to start smoking as well as the social ties associated with it and alcohol. Erol Aykan is a UCD Arts student who smokes a moderate amount but is planning to quit in the near future. He hasn’t yet experienced any serious affects as he has only been smoking for a year, but does claim to feel less fit and healthy.
Erol Aykan Do you enjoy smoking? I did at the start, but not so much any more.
Why did you begin? Because of my Arts course; I have way too much free time. And all my friends smoke too so I may have picked it up from them.
How expensive is it? It’s not too bad for me because I only smoke about five a day, but I know people who smoke about twenty and that’s very expensive.
Does it affect your health? I’m not smoking long enough to have any serious side effects yet but I play rugby and I find the smoking does affect my fitness and stamina a fair bit.
Have you ever tried to quit? I haven’t yet, but probably will soon enough.
With the present day awareness of the consequences of smoking, quitting really is the best option. Slogans such as “smoking is bad for your health” may sound clichéd but seem to o en fall on deaf ears. So what are you inhaling when you take that satisfying drag? Cigarettes contain tar, a poisonous substance which is made up of over 4000 chemicals containing carcinogens. They also contain carbon monoxide and the addictive drug nicotine which not only creates dependence on cigarettes but raises cholesterol.
Aoife Brennan is a UCD Arts student who has been smoking for seven years. She admits she would love to quit but is completely addicted. Aoife also explains that she does suffer some side affects as a result.
How expensive is it? Very, very expensive. The banning of cartons of ten cigarettes has seriously effected my financial situation, forcing me to buy twenty cigarettes at €7 every time.
Does it affect your health? Yes, I got asthma as a result and I also get bronchitis every Winter. I doubt I could run for very long either.
Have you ever tried to quit? Not seriously or properly. Besides being a greater cause of death and disability than any other single factor, tobacco can seriously harm your appearance. While we are unable to observe the damage done to our lungs, smoking cigarettes can have more of a visible affect elsewhere. A er time, smoking will stain your hair, teeth and gums as well as increasing your risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall out. As smoking decreases the blood supply to the skin and reduces the levels of vitamin A, smokers will become paler and get more wrinkles. Blood vessels in the eye are delicate and are easily injured by smoke, giving a bloodshot appearance and causing itchiness. Heavy smokers are more susceptible to the gradual loss of eyesight and they also run an increased risk of cataracts. Smokers will also experience a decreased sense of smell. People who smoke are more likely to get cancer than non smokers, especially lung, throat and mouth cancer which very rarely affect those who don’t smoke.
■ Erol ■ Aykan
90% of lung cancer cases are due to cigarettes and one in ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers will die of lung cancer. Other serious side affects include increased likelihood of strokes, bronchitis and heart disease. According to the Department of Health, 7000 people die each year from smoking related illnesses in Ireland and half of all heavy smokers will die as a result of cigarettes. It costs the country E one billion per year to provide health services for smokers and it is said that people who smoke will lose an average of ten to fi een years from their life expectancy. There are numerous reasons to give up cigarettes; your general health will improve, reducing tiredness and headaches, sense of smell and taste will improve and your heart will become stronger without the strain. However giving up will not just benefit yourself but will also help those around you. Every time a cigarette is smoked, toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide are released into the air. Second-hand smoke is a serious health risk to people around you with children most likely to suffer the consequences from being around someone who smoke. Quitting is a difficult process, which sometimes takes multiple attempts. It can be made easier by setting out a plan, telling friends who will support and encourage you and sometimes with the help of certain products. Deciding to quit is the first step toward kicking the habit for good and smokers who make a plan and set a date to stop are much more likely to succeed.
Why did you begin? I was fourteen and curious about what smoking was like.
How long were you smoking for?
Do you enjoy smoking? I’m addicted! I need them, but would love to and will give up someday.
Why did you want to quit? There were a couple of reasons but mainly I just didn’t want to smoke anymore. I enjoyed it, when I went out drinking because there is a bit of a social tie between alcohol and smoking. But I just had had enough of it eventually.
How did you quit? While I was doing voluntary work, I had been smoking while I was out there. It was probably the combination of the hot environment and a lot of things I had been thinking of at the time. So I decided to stop. I didn’t use any products to help, I just quit. But I stopped going out as well, I didn’t drink for a couple of months and it made giving up a lot easier. I have been trying to quit on and off since I was seventeen but my friends made a bit of a joke about it and were always like, ‘Are you on the fags or are you off them?’ I would have just appreciated a bit of support. It’s a serious matter but it’s not taken seriously enough.
Do you feel healthier now? Yes, definitely. Absolutely, there’s a guilt associated with it and I was definitely a guilty smoker. I would smoke but I didn’t like the fact that I did. Young people o en say, ‘Ah sure it’s only a smoke, it won’t kill me,’ but if you’re still at it when your 40, it very well might.
Do you save a lot of money? Karen O’Connell, currently doing a Masters in Geography, has successfully given up smoking. She claims to have been a ‘guilty smoker.’ While she was abroad doing voluntary work she had just had enough of it when she made the decision to stop. This is what she had to say about quitting the cigarettes for good.
Aoife Brennan
I was smoking on and off from about when I was eleven. I obviously wasn’t a heavy smoker at that age, but was just experimenting. I then smoked pretty o en from the time I was sixteen to 23.
I’m really glad I’m not smoking now because if I smoked twenty cigarettes a day which I was doing, the packs are about €7 now. So yes, I definitely save a lot.
Do you have any side affects now from smoking? Well for a while a er, there’s just general shit coming out of your lungs. But that’s really all.
I’ve read a book by Alan Carr about quitting smoking. It talks about the idea that the smoking companies brainwash you into thinking that you need to smoke and then it goes through how you are being brainwashed. Like when you ask someone if they want to quit and they say no, that’s the smoking companies convincing people into thinking they don’t want to quit when why wouldn’t they? You’re essentially taking an addictive drug like heroin. Nicotine is a legalised drug but does that make it any better? For those who do need something to assist your efforts, here are some of the products and services on the market designed to help smokers quit: Nicotine replacement treatment which is used in the form of gum, patches, inhaler or nasal spray can assist the quitting process by helping to reduce physical withdrawal symptoms. Zyban is a medicine only available on prescription in Ireland to help people quit. Some alternative methods include hypnosis which only claims to work effectively if the client is 100% committed to giving up cigarettes as someone cannot be made to do something against their will. However it is apparently a completely effortless and pleasant way to give up smoking and when successful, the client will have no cravings. The benefits of acupuncture include the reduction of cravings, alleviation of withdrawal symptoms like irritability and insomnia, and the general calming of the mind so that the addiction is no longer an obsession. Ear acupuncture is particularly recommended for smokers. The premise behind placing these very fine needles in your ear is that the nerve distribution around the ear corresponds more willingly to the nerve distribution within the brain. Stimulation of this area can release the appropriate chemicals to calm and relax the mind, reducing cravings, and generally making the transition easier. Being aware of the consequences of smoking and the contents of cigarettes can help to encourage the quitting process and managing to give up the fags once and for all is just one step away.
Siren
FASHION
TH E
College Tribune
17th October 2007
9
The Limo, the Wealth and the Wardrobe
Katie Keane investigates the best options for those heading to a debs and tries to find that perfect dress It’s that time of year again. Limos, fake tan and elaborate hair ‘up-dos’ have once again begun to dominate the mini-industry that we all know as the debutante ball, or more affectionately, the debs. It’s the topic on many a teenaged mind this time of the season. Everyone from nosey relatives to chat show hosts have something to say about it. The debs has yet again reared its ugly head leaving thousands of Euro-scraping students are defenseless in its wake. The big question on every debutante’s mind is not whether to rent a hummer limo, book a nail appointment, or have Aunt Sally do our makeup because she just wants to be involved. The big deal is the dress and most girls tend to get a little competitive in the fashion stakes. However, the most expensive dress may not be the most flattering and sometimes a cheaper last-minute buy can be just as satisfying as one bought months in advance for a he y price. The days of shiny fabrics and exaggerated skirts are long gone. In its place are more simple and elegant dresses and fun designs that are sure to flatter all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to travel the world to find hundreds of different styles catering to every shape under the sun. Whether you’re looking for something long and slinky or something a little more out there, you’ll find a lot of choice on the streets of Dublin. If you’re willing to splash the cash for an elegant number, Rococo
seems to be a popular destination. Situated in the Westbury mall this little shop contains some beautiful dresses. Styles can be simple yet elegant but they also offer some quirky alternatives. If you’re looking for something classy and timeless, it’s really is the place to go. However if you’re on a budget or need a second dress and do not want to pay too much, look out for the simple yet elegant affordable dresses in Debenhams on Henry street. Tk Maxx in Stephens Green Shopping also offer a wide range of debs dresses for extremely low prices. Various second-hand shops o en offer debs garments on the cheap so keep your eye out for a steal. If you are worried about turning up on the night with a dress matching five others and want a one of a kind piece, try vintage shops such as Jenny Vander and The Harlequin, behind Georges Street Arcade to get that classic feel. Waffa is a small dress shop in Harold’s Cross which has various dress styles and designs from short to long and plain to extravagant at very reasonable prices. The shops even do alterations free of charge. For something a little more elaborate, Dress Code and Hevana in Arnotts have some unique styles. If you’re looking for an unusual shape or detail such as sequence or beading on your dress, these shops
WHAT’S IN:
are definitely worth a look. However, dresses here won’t come cheap so keep that in mind before you try something on and find yourself growing emotionally attached. If you’re looking for something a little bit fun and eccentric, take a look at Little Black Dress on your quest for the perfect garment. Tucked in at the top of Powerscourt Centre, it is easily overlooked, but very useful if you want something a little bit different. As far as small dress boutiques go, it is a great choice. If a dress is elaborately designed or covered in embroidery, sequence or beads, tone it down by wearing minimal jewelry. If your dress is simple, embellish a bit by adding some bold jewelry, a brooch, or even a satin sash to emphasize the biggest fashion accessory this season; your waist. Tall and slender shapes should accentuate long limbs and accent the bust with empire or A-line full length gowns. Elaborate designs help to break up a very long figure. Pear shaped or hour glass shapes should accentuate their curves, by wearing long strapless dresses with A-line skirts. A good option for the shorter girl is a below-the-knee dress or one that ends just above the ankle to show off your petit frame to the best advantage. Boyish shapes should add detail around the waist, using a ribbon, sash or beading. Anyone looking to appear extra stylish this season should adorn themselves in forties style gowns for instant chic. Even when the dress is chosen and bought, there are still decisions to be made such as the question of possible alterations. Straps or no straps? Wrap or no wrap? These are all queries which should be answered well in advance to avoid a potential meltdown at the last minute. At the end of the day it’s your dress and your style so whether that means standing out from the crowd in something
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show-stopping or simply just abusing this rare occasion to wear a sumptuous floor length frock, make sure you’re comfortable and happy in your chosen attire. Contrary to popular belief, there really are no rules to debs fashion anymore. Thankfully the days when white dresses were uniform are long gone so make sure to let loose a bit.
PUMPS IN THE BAG
HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
LONG CARDIGANS
Let’s face it, you wont last all night long in those five inch heels no matter how cute the look
Get yours before the lateOctober rush when all that’s left are bunny ears. Make an effort, ‘tis the season
A really nice one can be hard to find but if you can get your hands on one, they look great with trousers or a skirt
EMBARRASSING PHOTOS
BARE LEGS
OUT OF SERVICE BUSES
Get that perfect expression ready, because otherwise you can count on that one bad photo being circulated around the family tree for years to come
Acceptable for a night on the town, not for a cold October morning around UCD. Put the pins away girls, California this ain’t
Okay it’s a given, bus drivers need a break every now and again. But sometimes they’re just having a laugh
WHAT’S OUT:
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Siren
FILM
TH E THE
College Tribune
17th October 2007
Nostalgia in a nutshell Cian Taaffe takes a reminiscent look back at the 1980s to see why it is dubbed the most popular decade in regards to film and television
The generation that gave us John McClane, Al Bundy, Ferris Bueller, Optimus Prime, Indiana Jones, Mr. T, Rambo and Homer J. Simpson to name but a few, this era easily slots itself into the greatest decade of all-time for mind-blowingly awesome films, side-splitting sitcoms and kick-ass cartoons. Midnight Madness kicked off the 80’s with a bang, back in February of 1980. The film not only became one of the most memorable college movies of our time, based around an all-night scavenger hunt, but it is also the film that first introduced the unsuspecting public to Michael J. Fox, who became one of the biggest names of the time. Fox went on to star in Teen Wolf in 1985, another memorable film about a high school student, who turns into a werewolf at will, but of course Fox’s biggest film of the 80s and arguably the biggest film of all time was the unforgettable Back to the Future and his role as Marty McFly. Back to the Future, however was not the only great trilogy that the 80s spawned. The it also introduced us to Indiana Jones, Die Hard, Beverly Hills Cop, The Karate Kid, The Neverending Story, Lethal Weapon, Rambo and of course Wes Craven’s infamous A Nightmare On Elm Street. Obviously because the evil corporations in Hollywood are motivated by money, many of those trilogies are no longer trilogies, but for anyone who was around during the 80s (meaning the majority of current UCD students), these films will forever be known as trilogies in our hearts. 1984 introduced the most terrifying of all Christmas movies with the release of Gremlins. Who would have known that the cute little Mogwai creatures would turn into the evil Gremlins that looted the unsuspecting town and murdered innocent civilians? Well, writer Chris Columbus did, but anyone else would have had
to be deranged to foresee the outcome of that film. Speaking of Chris Columbus, he also managed to pen the screenplay for 1985’s The Goonies, one of the most loved films of all time, which followed a story of a group of children in search of treasure in order to save their town from demolition. It leads to a rollercoaster-ride of an adventure, leaving the viewer captivated. Rob Reiner became the director of that decade when he released the side-splitting mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap in 1984, a film which has gone down in history as the godfather of all mockumentaries. This is despite the fact that when it was initially released it wasn’t extremely successful as viewers confused it with a real documentary. In 1986, Reiner went on to direct Stand by Me, a film based on Stephen King’s novella The Body, about four boys on their two day journey along the train tracks to find a body of a boy close to their own age. The film starred many great actors including Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Kiefer Sutherland, who went on to star in The Lost
Boys in 1987 and now plays TV hero Jack Bauer on 24. Reiner’s third big directing role in the 80s was for the 1987 adaptation of William Goldman’s classic, The Princess Bride. The Princess Bride has given us some of the most enjoyable film characters to date including Wesley the farm boy, the evil Vizzini, Fezzik the rhyming giant and Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, that was released in 1986 was dubbed the best teen movie of all time. Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck give perhaps the best performances of their careers and the innovative way that Bueller’s character interacts with the audience is something that was uncommon for that time, but that worked extremely well. Other teen movies of the era that have gone down in cult history are the diverse range of comedies, notably The Breakfast Club and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, as well as the intellectually stimulating teen drama, Dead Poet’s Society, starring Robin Williams and a young Ethan Hawke.
UCD Mature Student
Undergraduate Scholarships The Office of the Director of Access, in conjunction with the Ireland Funds and the Kathleen Rooney Miller Foundation, is pleased to offer a number of scholarship opportunities to Mature Students* at UCD. Scholarships will be available to a limited number of Mature Students, who are in receipt of or economically eligible for a Local Authority /VEC grant. Fully registered Mature Students engaged in Full Time Degree programmes at UCD for 2007/2008 and studying toward their primary undergraduate degree are eligible to apply for the scholarships, which are worth €1000 Euro per annum for a maximum of three years. Fully registered Part-Time Degree Mature Students studying toward their first undergraduate degree and who are up-to-date on Tuition Fee Payments and on limited income, are eligible to apply for ‘one-off’ scholarships worth €500.
Application for these scholarships can be made through the Mature Student Adviser’s Office, D207, Newman Building, UCD; Telephone 7168245. Deadline for receipt of applications and requisite financial documents is 21st November 2007. Please note: Only fully completed applications will be considered.
Rick Moranis was one of the biggest actors of the 1980s with roles in Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs and Honey and I Shrunk the Kids amongst other films. Little Shop of Horrors was of course the craziest musical of the 1980s. In the 1989 comedy Look Who’s Talking we saw the extraordinary adventure of a baby boy and got to hear his thoughts, through the voice of none other than Bruce Willis, who by this time was a worldwide hero a er playing the lead in Die Hard in 1988. Look Who’s Talking also saw outstanding performances from John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Of course no mention of the eighties would be complete without a reference to Steven Spielberg’s classic E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial, one of the most memorable children’s films ever to hit the big-screen, even if the big-headed, googly-eyed, croaky-throated alien still manages to give small children nightmares. Moving from the big-screen to the small box-shaped device (commonly used as a focal point in living rooms that many families would point their furniture at), cartoons, sitcoms and action-adventure television shows also prove popular amongst eighties nostalgics. Action-adventure shows such as Knight Rider, Murder She Wrote and The A-Team introduced families worldwide to cult TV characters Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff), KITT (voiced by William Daniels), Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), Hannibal (George Peppard), Faceman (Dirk Benedict), Murdock (Dwight Schultz) and B.A. Baracus (Mr.T). All the actors who played those characters have become household names. TV shows based on family life had always been a big part of television history, but it wasn’t until the 80s that the family life became controversial. The Cosby Show, as one of the first new family sitcoms of the 80s, was very mild in comparison to what was to come, but even then the Huxtable family were nothing like anything that had been seen before. It wasn’t until 1987, when Married with Children and The Simpsons hit our screens that the words ‘controversial television’ really held any sort of meaning. If it hadn’t been for shows like these pushing the limits, it is likely that shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, Family Guy and
Shameless would never have come into creation, with out only options being The Brady Bunch and The Waltons. Observing the Bundy family in action in Married with Children came as a shock to many viewers. People couldn’t believe that a husband and wife could be so verbally malicious to one another or that they could treat their immoral children so badly, but the producers were obviously getting something right, as the series ran for eleven years. Unlike the Bundy family, the Simpsons managed to get away with a lot more as it was a cartoon with therefore no limitations. Surprisingly, despite the fact that The Simpsons had been dubbed a cartoon for adults, it soon became a favourite amongst children. This is possibly the reason why the series is now in it’s 22nd year, even if it has been criticised as going downhill at a fast pace since the mid-90’s. Cartoons of the 80s are easily the most talked about cartoons of any era. Not a day goes by in UCD without a student mentioning Transformers, Thundercats or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Most have fond memories of watching The Smurfs, Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Care Bears, Alvin and the Chipmunks, DuckTales, Inspector Gadget and The Gummi Bears, amongst others. Transformers has been a major talking point since the release of the 2007 live-action movie based on the cartoon, with increasingly heated debates between fans of the Autobots and the Decepticons. Such questions unfortunately don’t have any answers. Ultimately anything that is half-robot and half-automobile is pretty impressive, with questions of good and evil being mostly beside the point. Thundercats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were equally as cool and many a playground argument unfolded over which turtle was best. Many college fanatics have debated whether it is acceptable to have feelings of lust for Cheetara of Thundercats even though she was half cat and half woman. In reality the fact of the matter is that she’s a cartoon, so it’s really not okay on any level. The 80s was also the era in which Star Trek got its comeback with the new show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, ALF became TV’s favourite alien, Zack Morris hit Bayside High and Fraggle Rock grabbed the attention of kids and adults worldwide with their catchy tunes and zany characters. Ultimately, quite an achievement for only ten years; it’s a shame the 1980s had to end.
Siren
FILM
TH E
College Tribune
17th October 2007
11
Truely magical Stardust is a swashbuckling epic. It has everything you could want; magic, comedy, romance, sword fighting, special effects and a who’s-who ensemble cast of American, British and Irish film and TV talent. The film narrates the ‘coming of age’ tale of Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) who ventures beyond the gap in the Wall, into Stormhold, the magical universe, to bring back a fallen star to impress his crush Victoria (Sienna Miller).
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During his attempts to get home, he gets caught up in the schemes of the evil witch, portrayed by the wonderful Michelle Pfeifer and the crossfire that occurs between the two remaining princes of Stormhold. Their quest is to find the ruby necklace that will decide the new king of Stormhold, which coincidently Evaine (Claire Danes), the
fallen star, wears around her neck. The real star of this film however is director Michael Vaughn, the producer behind Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and director of 2004’s Layer Cake. His background is in a very differ-
ent genre to the fantasy world of Stardust, but he pulls it off with dazzling success. Stardust is a darker, more grown up sort of fairytale involving cunning princes, evil witches, and stars that fall from the sky along
with some cross-dressing pirates. Look out for a scene stealing performances from a Hollywood veteran and an Irish acting legend. Miss this film at your own peril.
Lisa Towell
Invading something ■ ■
Murder, deceit and vodka Are we sick of gangster flicks reminiscent of Goodfellas and The Godfather yet? Most definitely not and Eastern Promises definitely slots into that gangster category. It is a thrilling dark comedy that depicts the secret society of the Russian mafia and David Cronenburg, best known for directing A History of Violence, once again proves that his films are not for the faint-hearted. Naomi Watts plays a midwife who becomes involved with the Russian mafia through the death of one of her patients, a young girl. With the mafia trying to conceal the cause of death of the girl and Anna (Watts) wanting to know the truth, the film takes a quick and grisly turn. On a parallel with Anna’s detective work we are shown the rise of Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) through
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Promises
the mafia’s ranks. On encountering Anna, Nikolai (who sounds like Borat with a bad dose of the flu) tries to prevent her from investigating the girl’s death and uncovering the truth. This film ticks all the right boxes for a proper gangster film complete with disturbing murder scenes, drugs, sex and some of the most deceitful characters on the face of the planet. Watts and Mortensen fit both their roles snugly and have a tangible energy on screen. This film is sure to satisfy any blood thirsty viewer and to play on the heartstrings of those more sentimental, with a few laughs thrown in for good measure. Eastern Promises is definitely one to watch.
Adam Watts
The Invasion
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The Invasion is the third remake of Jack Finney’s novel Body Snatchers. In it Nicole Kidman plays a psychiatrist who, along with her son, seeks safe haven from a contagious alien virus which robs its victims of their emotions. It does so by recoding human DNA and making people into emotionless drones. Before long the virus spreads, much like what happens in 28 Days Later, and Kidman seeks help from her partner, Dr. Ben Driscoll, played by Daniel Craig who performs his first post-Bond role. There is the odd exciting car chase and foot chase, but ultimately it isn’t very thrilling for a thriller. Craig plays the only believable character but apart from him, it doesn’t seem to matter when anyone dies. The film also makes some serious points about war but these detract from the dramatic flow of the movie and in the end take away from the story. The film comes to a grinding halt with the director (Hirschbiegel) failing to get across the point that “without emotion the world is without conflict.” Having said that, the film does manage to keep its audience’s attention fixed on the plot, even if the only reason for this is because the audience may be hoping that the plot will thicken as the story unfolds. Alas, it doesn’t. Overall, the action scenes feed the viewer’s appetite, but with a different and more
satisfactory ending, this might have been a much better film. As it currently stands, you’re better off picking up a good book for the night.
Helen O’Sullivan
FILM RETROSPECTIVE Scorsese’s start Back in 1972, Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese had not yet carved out a place for himself in the moviemaking world. His first feature length film, Boxcar Bertha, would not do that for him either, but considering what was to come afterwards (that this is a debut that was to begin an unfinished series of movies that rank comfortably among, if not above, the works of any other director) it’s worth a look. Given a modest $600,000 and told he could do what he wanted with it as long as the movie contained the hallmarks of the exploitation genre (ex-
■ Boxcar Bertha (1973)
plicit nudity, explicit violence, and lots of it), Scorsese made what amounts to a Bonnie and Clyde remake, but one with attitude, that wouldn’t allow it to be ignored like the mediocre movie it might otherwise have been. Set during the depression in the Southern United states, we follow Bertha through the tragedy that is her early life, as she loses her father, runs away from what remains of her home, has her sexuality exposed to her in crude exploitation fashion by
her lover-to-be, and then begins a life of crime with him, which leads in turn to murder, mayhem, prostitution and other such things that fit this type of film, and indeed this director, so well. The film gives us some early performances from Barbara Hershey and David Carradine that are very prom-
ising. With bits of visceral violence and smut (the two lead actors claim their love scene wasn’t faked), judge it though the crusty critics might, and cheap as it may appear, Boxcar Bertha ultimately amounts to the birth of a legend. Barra Ó Fianáil
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Siren
BOOKS
TH E THE
College Tribune
17th October 2007
Gone with the classics Hannah Kousbroek takes a look at Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece that inspired an Academy Award winning film ■ ■
Gone with the wind Margaret Mitchell
Everybody has heard of Gone with the Wind, even if they haven’t read it or seen the film. Since its publication in 1936, and the release of the film in 1939, Gone with the Wind has become a cultural phenomenon, an American epic. The book deals with the a ermath of war and shows what happens when a people are ravaged by conflict. Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara have come to symbolise the opportunistic, nouveauriche mentality brought on by the death of the Old South and the old-fashioned values that it once espoused. The novel is set in the 1860s in Georgia, Southern America, and it follows the life of the beautiful, headstrong and manipulative Scarlett O’Hara through the American civil war and subsequent reconstruction of the South. At the beginning of the story Scarlett is a spoilt child, surrounded by beaux whom she indulges when she feels like it, only to ignore them the next day. But there is one man who really matters to her - Ashley Wilkes, a gentle, artistic intellectual with little practical sense, lacking the physical vigour of his peers. It is clear that Ashley and Scarlett would make a disastrous couple; her purposeful, businesslike mind could never comprehend his artistic passivity. And yet a passion exists between the two, a passion contrary to Ashley’s nature, which persists throughout the book. The love story between Scarlett and Ashley mirrors the fate of Georgia. Ashley represents the Old South; he clings idealistically to values of a civilisation that no longer exists, whereas Scarlett energetically transforms herself to suit the new South. Eventually the ties which bind Ashley to Scarlett must break, much as the Old South must surrender to the new.
Ashley marries Melanie Hamilton, a woman suited to him in character and temperament, and Scarlett marries Melanie’s brother, Charles Hamilton, out of spite. Much to Scarlett’s displeasure, Melanie, who is one of those people who is consistently nice, generous, and naïve, misunderstands, and embraces Scarlett as a sister. Throughout the book, Melanie is blind to Scarlett’s faults, never suspecting that Scarlett only tolerates Melanie in order to be near Ashley. Civil war breaks out, the Yankees come from the North to fight slavery, and Ashley and Charles join the Confederate Army. Charles dies within three months, leaving Scarlett a pregnant, widowed teenager. She goes to live with Melanie in Atlanta, putting on the airs and graces of a Southern Belle, but all the while scheming and plotting to get her way. The only person who sees through Scarlett’s disguise is Rhett Butler, a man with a reputation, who is driven by the same motive as Scarlett - personal greed. As a man, Rhett is free to behave as he wishes, with no concern for his image; while Scarlett is forced to act like a lady in order to get what she wants. Rhett is the only one who dares make fun of
Scarlett, he sees straight through her selfishness and vanity and mocks her for it. Because of the war, most of the families in the South lose everything, Scarlett’s included. But her businesslike mind won’t rest – she steals her sister’s beau, Frank Kennedy, in order to rebuild her fortune, going so far as to run sawmills by herself and employ convicts for cheap labour, which is deeply frowned upon by the community. The fierce spirit of the South would rather starve graciously for The Cause than make money off the smouldering ruins of Atlanta, as Scarlett does. Her reputation is damaged, she is deemed
cold, scheming, and improper by everyone but Melanie, who stands by Scarlett as ever, much to her annoyance. Eventually, a er Frank’s death, Rhett convinces Scarlett to marry him, and tries to make her love him by indulging her desire to flaunt her wealth. But he underestimates her passion for Ashley, and drowns his anger in alcohol. Scarlett is blinded by her love for the passive and dreamy Ashley, whose nature is so contrary to her own. The book ends with Scarlett’s realisation of the value of Melanie’s friendship and Rhett’s love, and of the shallowness of her childish adoration of Ashley, but it is too late.
Gone with the Wind is a book that can’t be put down, despite its pages numbering over a thousand. Mitchell’s style is easy to read, emotional, yet not sappy, beautiful without being overly ornate. The film shows an attention to detail which betrays a deep love for the book, the casting is perfect, the epic, dramatic atmosphere evident in every scene. Gone with the Wind is o en misconceived as chick lit, full of cheap sentiment and drama, but it is guaranteed to surprise. It far, far exceeds any of these stereotypes. Both the book and the film should be embraced by all as they truly are classics.
Forget Lassie, there’s a new dog in town Susanne O’Reilly couldn’t get an interview with Copper Goldsmith, a mongrel with a rebellious streak, so she read the book instead “I suppose I was what you would call a charming rogue. I was certainly a ladies’ man, but we’ll come back to that.” Is this the autobiography of Hugh Heffner, Hugh Grant or Justin Timberlake? No, although coincidentally the author of this book was almost Grant’s motherin-law. Annabel Goldsmith, matriarch of one of those old English families that borders on royalty, has taken it upon herself to pen the autobiography of Copper, one of her many pet dogs. It’s far from the house of the Marquess of Londonderry that our Copper was born into; an Alsatian-Terrier cross, abandoned by his mother, he and his siblings were rescued by a butcher, who subsequently sold the puppies to various owners. Copper did not exactly draw the short straw when he landed in Annabel Goldsmith’s arms. Unlikely as all his escapades seem, they are almost all true. Something of a
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Copper: A Dog's Life Margaret Mitchell nnnnp
local legend, Copper was able to take the bus into town by himself, learn how to cross the road safely, and tour the canals on a barge with his friend Toby. As mentioned above, there were also a wide variety of females in his life. According to this four-legged stud (and to enjoy this book, it’s essential to forget he’s not actually the author), he has sired hundreds of pups. Not the type to shy from responsibility, he insists on playing a hand in his children’s upbringing, with some funny and poignant results. Apart from his adventures, Copper’s descriptions of his various family members are hilarious, and life from a dog’s point of view has never been so entertaining. Unlike other autobiographies, we even get to hear about his experience
of dying, and the reactions of his family, a scene sure to have any dog owner in tears by the end. Goldsmith, a debut author, captures brilliantly the confusion, anxieties, puzzles and fears that must plague every dog (and indeed, pet) even though we never
think about it. At times, you almost forget Copper is a dog, so perfectly and humanely does she describe him and his canine friends. Copper is a lovable rebel, full of mischief and fun. While eager to please his ‘Mummy’, like any child, his desire for adventure wins through nine times out of ten, leading to encounters with cats, deer, cows, joggers and the Brighton beach, to name but a few. Highly entertaining, and a must for any dog lover, Copper: A Dog’s Life will make every reader laugh. If nothing else, read it because Annabel Goldsmith’s adoration of the cheeky pup shines through on every single page, and love her or hate her, you’ll have to smile.