tn2, Issue 4, 2013-14

ISSUE FOUR

TWO

WINTER FASHION

CLASSIC AND MODERN IRISH KNITWEAR.

PILOU ASBÆK

BORGEN’S IMPACT ON DANISH POLITCS.

SERGIO DE LA PAVA

ON THE NOVEL, SILENCE AND TRUTH.

SOPHIE KENNEDY CLARK

FRESH PERSPECTIVES

qw

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CO NTENTS

18 REGULARS OPENERS SEX HOMEGROWN FACES CALENDAR THE END PIECE

4 7 8 32 40 42

FEATURES SKETCHY CHARACTERS DRAMATIST PERSONAE TALK ABOUT SEX ISN’T KNIT LOVELY FANCY A DANISH?

10 12 14 18 28

REVIEWS FOOD LITERATURE // GAMES MUSIC FILM STAGE // GAMES TV // LITERATURE

34 35 36 37 38 39

Editor Henry Longden Creative Director Atalanta Copeman-Papas Deputy Editor Meadhbh McGrath Copy Editor Lola Boorman Business Manager Kate Shalloe Deputy Business Manager Sam Dunne Editorial Staff Gabija Purlytė // Issy Thompson // Aoife Leonard // Eoin McCague //Sarah Lennon Galavan // Cian Clynes // Leonore Garnier Chris Rooke // Patrick Cremen // Lily Ní Dhomhnaill // Lola Boorman // Tara Joshi // Liam Maher Katherine Murphy // Kayla Marie Walsh // Ciara Forristal // Eva Short // Alex Ball Photo Editor Molly Rowan-Hamilton Illustrators Alice Wilson & Graham Haught Special Thanks PJ Moloney, Jennifer McCahill and the Trinity Publications Committee // Elaine McCahill & the Staff of Trinity News Mark Grehan and all at Grehans Printers // Aaron Devine // Hazel Yule // Romilly Bowlby // William and Andrew Ho Graham Haught House, Leeson Street // Derick Lawlor // Marion Cuddy // 9 Crow Street // The Sweater Shop Andrew Murphy // Samuel Verbi // DUPA // D. Joyce-Ahearne // Nancy Rowan-Hamilton ISSUE FOUR // 3

OPENERS

STONEY FACED ART The Long Stone Although it marks the middle of the spacious traffic isle circumscribed by Pearse, Townsend and D’Olier streets, the Long Stone somehow gets lost in its surroundings. Carved

by Cliodna Cussen and erected in 1986, it commemorates the famous Viking Steine which had stood near that point from the tenth or eleventh century until 1750. Once noticed, the sculpture reveals a considerable, if understated charm. Three facets of this granite pillar are flat, while the fourth has been left rougher, as if naturally broken off from the rock. The simplicity of design brings forth the natural qualities of the stone — its colourful grain and mica crystals which sparkle in the sunlight. Two stylised faces on opposing sides are the only adornments, their uneven size and placement alluding to the asymmetry so characteristic of the pagan and early Christian monuments in Ireland. The carvings might appear quite crude — the hardness of granite is not amenable to fine detailing — but there is a number of interesting elements to be discovered upon closer inspection, such as the lightly incised lines beneath the faces which indicate a collar or a necklace, hollowed from the flat plane in a curious contrast to the high relief of the heads themselves. The texture and the forms of this sculpture provoke a desire to examine it with your fingertips, which, happily, you are quite welcome to do, in the absence of any “do not touch” warnings.

GABIJA PURLYTĖ

4-GONE CONCLUSION

GAMES Compared to the offensively bright green lights at the Xbox One preview show, the hands-on time with the Playstation 4 was a decidedly low-key affair. This ensured that all attention was focused on the games, but unlike Xbox One exclusives Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5, none of the PS4 games on offer appeared to represent the next generation of gaming.

While violently mowing down hundreds of on-screen zombies in Dead Rising 3, there was a twisted sense of childlike excitement that comes with a new console. It was a gameplay experience that was made possible by the technical power of the new console. PS4 exclusives like Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall didn’t provide the same sensation. While the latter might arguably be seen as the prettiest console game ever to be released, it felt just like any of the countless shooters already available.

While the blockbusters may have been lacking, it was the indie games that really excited. Sony has made a lot of noise about its aspiration to acquire the top creative minds in independent gaming, and from what was on show, this move appears to have worked. While not showing what the console is capable of on a technical level, games like Octodad: Deadliest Catch and Resogun showcased a level of ingenuity and originality that was sorely absent from the Xbox One’s launch.

The next few years will no doubt provide plenty of big budget action titles on both consoles that will demonstrate what the consoles are able to achieve technically. But if Sony can continue to distinguish itself by also providing the most distinctive and creative independent games, the PS4 may indeed represent a bright new future in console gaming. Just don’t expect it right away.

PATRICK CREMEN

FRENCH NEW WAVE FILM Taking major influences from Italian Neo Realism, French New Wave began as a subversion of what film had become in the 50s and 60s, pioneering the now widely accepted auteur theory, which is the idea that the director of the film is the primary author of the work. Featuring stories with episodic, meandering structures that were popular because of their focus on current issues of the time and their open rejection of the style of literary works. Their experimental styles paved the way for Jean Luc Goddard’s À bout de souffle, a film which was the first to use the jump cut for stylistic purposes in its breathless experimental editing.

Many of the influential New Wave directors wrote for the magazine Du Cinema, which they used as a forum to discuss views on film and cinematic theory. The French New Wave was primarily influenced by directors Victorio Desica and Robert Rossilini as well as a number of classical Hollywood mavericks. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Michel Gondry have repeatedly expressed their admiration for Godard, Truffaut and Rohmer, showing how French New Wave has clearly left its mark on modern cinema.

EOIN LIVINGSTON

4 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

OPENERS

FRONT SQUARE FASHION

MOLLY ROWAN-HAMILTON

This Russian Student could be striding through the streets of Moscow in this ensemble. The fur-lined hat is reminiscent of felling trees in the Russian forests, whilst the red lip is evocative of downing vodka in the Kremlin. The look is completed with statement jeans and leather boots — perfect for traipsing up the snowy mountains or dancing the night away in a nochnoy klub (nightclub). Huzzah to Gozzi, who shows that winter dressing does not have to be predictable.

ISSY THOMPSON

LITERARY MILESTONES LITERATURE December 23 1912 Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past is rejected by publishers On December 23 1912, eminent critic of Nouvelle Revue Francaise, André Gide, rejected an extract of Marcel Proust’s novel Remembrance of Things Past. The work would later become one of the most influential contributions to the modern novel. Gide’s rejection letter contained a criticism of Proust’s seemingly formless style and lack of respect for traditional unities of time: “I only troubled myself so far as to open one of the notebooks of your manuscripts; I opened it at random, and as ill luck would have it, my attention soon plunged into the cup of camomile tea on page 62 — then tripped, at page 64, on the phrase ... where you speak of the ‘visible vertebra of a forehead’.” Following subsequent rejections from other major publishers Proust decided to self-publish the first installment, Swann’s Way, at his own expense with the help of Eugene Grasset. After its publication, Gide read the novel and wrote to Proust apologizing for his hasty rejection stating that it was the “gravest error of the N.R.F ... one of the most burning regrets, remorses, of my life”. Proust’s novel represents yet another link in the tradition of self-publishing, of art radically changing aesthetic expectations from the margins.

LOLA BOORMAN

BRUNCH OF THE WEEK GRUEL GUERILLA FOOD When one of Dublin’s leading pop-up restaurant chefs and one of the city’s best cafés united to offer up Saturday brunch, what followed was always going to attract attention.

Kevin Powell founded pop-up collective Gruel Guerrilla to help independent cafés improve their footfall through weekly and monthly food events, and now finds a home in Temple Bar’s Roasted Brown every Saturday from 11am to 4pm. All produce

SANTA PAWS ALE DRINKS BrewDog is an independent Scottish brewery that claims to be the country’s largest. The brand identifies as being “for punks”, whatever that implies in 2013. Their standard beers range from the quite good (5am Saint) to the quite mediocre (Punk IPA). Santa Paws is one of their Christmas offerings, a “Christmas scotch ale”, that exceedingly surpasses their year-round offerings.

The malted chocolate overtones are lasting and pass pleasantly from the nose to the front of the mouth, in a great beer that doesn’t lose its taste with a drop in temperature, a problem with many ales when chilled.

The full body is delicately yet fully flavoured, with iron-y endnotes that remind one of a time when the men were men, the beer was beer and the sheep were terrified. CELTIC WHISKEY SHOP, €2.79

D. JOYCE-AHEARNE

NANCY ROWAN-HAMILTON

used is sourced each morning from the Temple Bar Food Market situated just outside the cafe’s door. While the brunch menu is limited, each dish maximises on taste and demonstrates the enhanced flavours achieved through using fresh, local produce.

The “Meat Eggs” (€8.50) — Powell’s take on the traditional eggs benedict — is the highlight of the menu largely thanks to the exceptional hollandaise sauce which generously coats the plate.

Other favourites, including The “Saturday Sandwich” (€6.50) and the “Spesh” (€8.50 - €10.50), vary on a weekly basis depending on what can be sourced from the market, and are delivered to the table by Powell himself.

CIAN CLYNES ISSUE FOUR // 5

OPENERS

SOUNDS OF THE CITY

MUSIC It was in the 1960s that the Indian beach haven of Goa became something of a hippie utopia, brimming with spiritual pursuits, parties, and a lot of drugs. The infamous beach parties were, at this point, soundtracked by live bands, with DJs playing merely to keep things going in between sets; that was until one momentous night in the late 1970s, when a visiting DJ decided to play a tape which included a track by Kraftwerk.

It was purportedly the first time that techno had been introduced to the Goa crowd and it was immediately apparent that the style would have a huge influence on the state.

By the early 80s, DJ sets had become the norm over live bands. The scene became properly defined as Goa Trance in the 1990s, with the likes of Astral Projection and Total Eclipse perhaps best epitomising the style. That LSD was the go-to drug in Goa rather than European club favourite, Ecstasy, meant that, fittingly, this South Asian vein of electronic music had a far more psychedelic vibe. The hypnotic style was intended to bring about a spiritual state of transcendence from the body, inspired by ancient shamanic dances.

The sound was shaped by the paradise-like surroundings it developed in. Building upon trance, techno and a huge variety of other styles, the spacey sound was achieved through the frequent addition of classical Indian instruments such as the sitar and the sarod, played over a slow-building, energetic beat, along with an occasional sci-fi film sample.

The way in which the genre was played developed differently from the turntables of European electro, with DJs mainly using cassette tapes and then digital audio tapes, because vinyl was too prone to melting in the Indian heat. This lack of vinyl meant that Goa Trance failed to make it big on an international scale until it was picked up by Paul Oakenfold, who brought the genre over to Britain and popularised it in his sets.

Goa soon deteriorated as a party destination but, with the development of genres like Psytrance, the continuing influTARA JOSHI ence of Goa Trance is very much alive.

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COMPILED BY MEADHBH MCGRATH

6 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

TALK DIRTY TO ME

S

uck my fat cock.” Jesus Christ. “TELL ME YOU WANT TO SUCK MY FAT COCK.” What the fuck am I doing here? It felt like that nightmare where you’re naked in front of an audience and forgetting your lines. The guy had always been extremely shy, but as soon as we got to his room he started yelling at me like he was directing his own porn film, rather than engaging with what was in front of him. Afterwards, I thought it probably made sense. Dirty talk is a kind of role play, and is perhaps an easier form of communication for shy people, allowing them to express themselves and their desires without feeling vulnerable.

One of my friends recently lamented the evolution of the hetero sex act into “a theatrical performance” where you’re expected to recite a script. But I became interested after reading about a recent study on sexual preferences which found that roughly 50 per cent of women rated dirty talk as “either strongly or extremely enjoyable”.

I spoke to a lot of men and women about their thoughts on talking dirty, and while most people agreed that they enjoyed it in small doses, they generally described their experiences as uncomfortable, and a lot of straight women mentioned that they felt guys had pressured them to talk dirty.

Another woman, Ciara, remarked that dirty talk “just makes me cringe, especially coming from a guy”. Dirty talk is much more acceptable, and expected, from women than men. “It’s so much better when the sounds you make are actually sincere and not forced out of you in an attempt to conform to a porn ideal,” Fiona noted. “I can’t even say how many times I’ve been asked by a guy to tell him how badly I want his ‘big fat cock’. While I kind of wanted it before, at that point I just want you to get the fuck out.”

Oftentimes, what feels amazing sounds ridiculous. Saying “I want to rub my fat

S

E

X

“I CAN’T EVEN SAY HOW MANY TIMES I’VE BEEN ASKED BY A GUY TO TELL HIM HOW BADLY I WANT HIS ‘BIG FAT COCK’.”

“WHILE I KIND OF WANTED IT BEFORE, AT THAT POINT I JUST WANT YOU TO GET THE FUCK OUT.”

“WHAT DIRE OFFENCE FROM AM’ROUS CAUSES SPRINGS, WHAT MIGHTY CONTESTS RISE FROM TRIVIAL THINGS” ALEXANDER POPE “THE MASTER OF THE HEROIC COUPLET.”

cock all over those tits” out loud sounds so cliche and contrived it’s almost impossible to find sexy. It’s difficult to strike a balance between slangy and dispiritingly literal, most notably in the almost criminal lack of suitable synonyms for “vagina”.

Talking dirty often involves theatrically using the language of degradation, which seems to be the main problem for people.

Almost all of the women I spoke to noted how every time dirty talk has been bad for them, it was because it infantalised or subjugated them in some way. Fiona remarked, “The last thing women want is to be literally forced to objectify themselves in a supposedly intimate moment.”

This could be as simple as being positioned as a “naughty little girl”, or as extreme as being asked to call someone “Master” (a particularly horrific memory from one woman). Deirdre told me about her experience with a guy who “kept asking me ‘Who’s pussy is this?’, clearly wanting me

to say ‘It’s yours, big strong man.’ But I just said, ‘This is MINE!’”.

Of course, many straight men have problems with the negotiation of power in dirty talk. Cian described a situation with his girlfriend, who asked him to call her a “whore” when they were having sex. “I told her, ‘I can’t call you that, I don’t want to think of you like that,’” he recalled.

However, dirty talk essentially operates within the realm of fantasy rather than in a literal reality, a distinction that is important for both parties to acknowledge for it to be enjoyable. As one woman noted, “My boyfriend sometimes asks me to describe something I’ve done with someone else ... or something I just made up — it doesn’t have to be real. A lot of the time he would imagine me being with some other guy in front of him. It’s the idea of me being ‘slutty’, but it’s like a play on it.”

However, dirty talk works extremely well for some people, such as Claire, who explained that she really enjoys it, so long as she feels respected and loved by her partner: “I would say that it took some getting used to. I sometimes feel like a ‘bad feminist’ for liking that kind of thing, but there’s a difference between consensual submissiveness and forced.” She explained how her boyfriend uses dirty talk when they’re at dinner or drinks, whispering a scenario in her ear. “When we get home I’d be so turned on from my own imagination that the sex is a lot more passionate or interesting,” she observed, “I think for women in general our imagination needs to be turned on before our bodies are and that’s why I like it.”

So long as both people are okay with it, and aware of their partner’s boundaries, dirty talk can heighten pleasure before and during sex. Maybe the best advice when it comes to sex is to keep an open mind (and an open mouth).

WORDS BY MEADHBH MCGRATH ILLUSTRATION BY GRAHAM HAUGHT WWW.GRAHAMHAUGHT.COM

ISSUE FOUR // 7

HOM EGR OWN First Second Dublin is a label that has been working its way steadily towards international recognition from its beginnings in the electronic underground. With many of its artists such as Lumigraph and Boya being released on Eamon Harkin’s New York based label Mister Saturday Night, it is obvious that the current Irish talent is finally getting its much deserved recognition.

“It’s usually friends I work with, I know everyone through somebody. It’s always been that way, I prefer it.” So says Daire Carolan, the head of the label. Having started the project back in 2011 with his friend Aidan Hanratty (head of the Truants blog), the label has released some of the best underground Irish artists of the past few years and kickstarted the career of many producers.

The label came about after Carolan was working on the promotional side of things, but was not a fan musically of many of the nights he was promoting, which tended towards electro. “I was more into techno and bass,” he admits, “and there were lots of local people making that kind of music and getting no recognition.” Initially, there were only three or four releases planned for the label but things soon spiralled and now the label is nearly twenty releases deep.

One of the problems that is really affecting the Irish scene at the minute, Carolan points out, is the archaic licensing laws.

Here, clubs have to close at half past two during the week and three o’clock at the weekends. With such a setup, local promoters, not to mention local djs and producers do not get a chance to adequately represent their talents as well as the local scene itself.

Carolan suggests, that with longer nights, “the promoters would be able to make more money and we would be able to showcase more local Irish talent and gain more international recognition for local acts.”

Enter Omid. His first release Pipes/ Dowachu has been making waves in the house and techno worlds and has been supported by the likes of Bambounou, Anthony Naples and Krystal Klear, who have all included it in many of their recent sets.

Such support for a first release bodes well for Omid, who began producing when he was in his fourth year of secondary school.

This initial starting point soon stopped as he got into hip hop before he re-entered the production world at the end of fifth year, after he started clubbing and going to the Twisted Pepper with his friends such as Boya (a fellow First Second affiliate).

Omid usually “starts off with percussion,” before “attempting to put a bass line over the top of it and then fit some cool samples around it”. Such a process sounds simple but upon listening to Omid’s productions you’ll find that the results are far more complex than he makes them sound.

For example, Pipes starts off with a heavy drum pattern fading in before a laid back synth line enters, giving the track its rolling offbeat groove. From here a vocal sample filtered through various effects moves in and over the top of the beat. Dowachu works differently, with various elements building on top of the percussion pattern that starts the track and reaches a crescendo two and a half minutes in when it descends into techno madness.

Interestingly, these first two tracks that Omid has released were written a while ago. Having gotten around a creative aporia now, his main focus is on production and moving on to bigger things. With a debut release such as this, it is hard to think of any other trajectory for him.

WORDS BY LIAM MAHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ATALANTA COPEMAN-PAPAS

SKETCHY CHARACTERS

FOIL, ARMS & HOG

Sean Finegan, Sean Flanagan and Conor McKenna are the kind of guys you can’t help but like immediately. Charming, good-looking and witty, the trio make up Foil, Arms and Hog, one of Ireland’s only (and therefore most popular) sketch comedy groups.

After meeting as fresh-faced students in UCD Drama Society six years ago, they quickly became close friends and decided to band together with the shared aim of making people laugh. Needing a name in a hurry, they decided to create one out of their nicknames for each other.

Since their humble beginnings Foil, Arms and Hog have met with ever-growing success in the comedy circuit, performing at such festivals as Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit and The Edinburgh Comedy Festival. They have been featured on TV shows like RTÉ’s Under the Influence and The Savage Eye, as well as radio shows including The Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Their weekly YouTube videos have received thousands of views. Do they find it difficult crafting comedy specific to these varied mediums?

“It’s a lot easier writing for radio,” noted McKenna, “the next easiest is film and the most difficult is stage, by a mile. You can get away with a lot more in film and radio, so there’s more variety. We’ve brought so much to the stage and it hasn‘t worked. They were good sketches, but the jokes were too subtle in them. In film you can go right up close, show a reaction.” However, stage also has its advantages, being more spontaneous and allowing the performers to improvise and change the show whenever they feel like it. "It's the funniest when you get it right," agreed McKenna.

However, while live performance is exhilarating, there’s always the danger that something will go wrong. Finegan explained how sometimes the audience laugh more at mistakes than at rehearsed gags: “We spend months working hard, crafting jokes, being wordsmiths ... And then you go in, it goes wrong, and they’re cacking themselves … Like, when we come into your office and you make a mistake in your Excel spreadsheet and we break our bollocks laughing at you, you hate it.”

“But it’s not the negative aspect of it that they find so funny, it’s the live aspect,” McKenna added.

“It reminds them that they’re there, this is personal to them, it’s not normally supposed to happen. If it went wrong and we got embarrassed about it, they wouldn’t laugh, it would be a room filled with death.

You just have to accept it.”

Given the success of Foil, Arms and Hog, why are there so few sketch groups in Ireland? “Our intimidation,” said Finegan darkly. “We’ve leaned on a few of them…” grinned Flanagan.

Serious for a moment, McKenna elaborated on some of the other hardships faced by comedy groups.

Making a living out of sketch can be difficult. Over the years the guys have poured much of their own money into their business venture, something that not every group is prepared to do. Logistics too can be problematic, but Foil, Arms and Hog were lucky in that respect, as Flanagan explained: “We had the advantage of living very close together. We share a bed sometimes. ‘Fingo’ is very good, if you know what I mean … Would you like to see a diagram?”

Moving on from this, the group discussed the best way for young people to get into the comedy scene.

“Just keep doing it, get as much experience as you can,” suggested Finegan. Taking up the thread Flanagan pointed out: “If you’re doing stand-up, you’re going to hit a few roadblocks. Your jokes are going to feel really stale to you for a while.” They explain that many comedians are deluding themselves about how well their performances are received and therefore failing to improve, even after twenty years in the game. “You have to be honest with yourself,” McKenna confided. “We’re honest with each other. It’s a brutal business.”

Brutal as it is, do they still enjoy performing? McKenna’s response was enthusiastic: “Hell yeah! It’s the only job out there in which people are judging you within the first 30 seconds of your work, but it’s the best job in the world.”

Sharp, creative and hard-working, it’s no surprise that Foil, Arms and Hog are going from strength to strength. Their sketches are well-written and high-energy, and intelligent without being elitist. They manage to make a whole room laugh without insulting or offending anyone. Yet it is the strong relationship between McKenna, Finegan and Flanagan which makes the group so special. They are so comfortable around each other that you can feel the positive energy in the air, something which never fails to get the audience on their side. You get the sense that no matter what went wrong, at the end of the day they’d still be friends.

WORDS BY KAYLA WALSH ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE WILSON

ISSUE FOUR // 11

dramatis personae. tn2 SPEAKS TO EXPERIMENTAL AUTHOR SERGIO DE LA PAVA ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING, THE LIMITATIONS OF THE NOVEL FORM AND HIS POLYVOCAL, GENRE-BENDING WORKS. “The Wire written by Voltaire”… “Crime and Punishment as reimagined by the Coen Brothers”… “as if William Blake had rewritten his poems while listening to hiphop”… “a cross between Moby-Dick and Police Academy… Descartes and Disneyland”. These are just some of the labels critics have given Sergio De La Pava’s debut novel A Naked Singularity. As with any exhilarating new voice, there is a temptation to pin down and classify what we are reading to more easily interpret it. But these comparisons are always made with a certain amount of skepticism because, like these artists before him, De La Pava resists easy definition.

Even the category “new voice” is disputable. De La Pava hasn’t so much exploded onto the writing scene as painstakingly carved his place there, his long publication history a testament to the radical nature of his writing. He finished A Naked Singularity in 2008 only to be rejected by a reputed 88 literary agents. He then published it himself using Xlibris, and began circulating it with the help of his wife and publicist Susanna. Progress was slow until, after four years and a handful of rhapsodic reviews, it was noticed and brought out by Chicago University Press. A year later it was awarded the PEN/Bingham award for Best Fiction 2013. De La Pava’s second novel Personae — also initially self-published — was released by CUP in October. Speaking to tn2 last week, the author spoke about switching to a more conventional editorial process. “It feels like my privacy is being invaded but the benefits easily outweigh the aggravations.”

Not having a publisher made for a roundabout route to success, but he got there, and without having to it conventionalise his novel to fit specific marketing criteria.

Personae deals directly with this problematic relationship between author and publisher. The body of an old man is found in his apartment, along with various pieces of fiction written on scraps of brown paper, an 12 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

old notebook and a TV guide. Always conscious that what they are reading is a draft, the reader is forced into using their own critical faculty to decide whether or not it is “good literature”. “A writer is someone who writes,” says one character in response to the assertion that “no agent, no prizes, no editor, no book deal, meant no writer.” But would we too dismiss De La Pava’s work as chaos if it came to us in manuscript form from an unknown author without the visible credentials of a publisher? Would we have disregarded the brilliant works now being compared to those of Melville and Dostoevsky? The answer is probably yes — which makes one wonder what other gems have slipped under the radar — but in this case, thankfully, we don’t have to consider this possibility.

One of the most intoxicating aspects of De La Pava’s writing is the fluidity of his tone. His narrative shifts from profound existential contemplation to amusing social comedy, via moments of absolute farce and dramatic declarations of intense emotion. Characters speak with such flippancy about the nature of existence that it is hard to know what to take seriously. Asked about the delicate balancing act of comic and cosmic, De La Pava replied: “Restricting yourself to one at the complete expense of the other would feel like, at a minimum, bad reporting. What interests me is the interplay between the two, but not its mechanics, rather its significance.”

De La Pava’s writing never strays far from metaphysical speculations, and he has said that his earliest memories are of philosophical problems. “Maybe I see philosophy everywhere the way some people view everything as political in some way.

Certainly I’ve found it useful to imbue the work with those elements but I can’t stress enough that, from where I’m sitting, it feels as if they just arise organically.” In Personae, as we slip from one writing space to another from chapter to chapter, each seeming no less real than the last, there is

a sense that there is no outer reality from which the texts spring, just fiction after fiction after fiction. Silence — discussed in the narrative and brought about literally with narrative gaps and missing pieces of manuscript — leads the reader to wonder what, if anything, is beyond the words of all these fictions. “Silence can be terrifying of course. Given the right circumstances, it can be as substantive as any utterance.”

The novel is written, in true postmodern style, roughly within the frame of a typical whodunit story. This is, of course, another unreliable definition: our detective informs us from the outset that she is interested in more than the mere prosaic facts of the case. What intrigues her is “Truth in its multifarious instantiations, ranging from simple if inviolable mathematical truths to other less evident yet persistently attractive ones”. Again, we slip easily into the realm of philosophical contemplation. “Seems to me,” said De La Pava, “a truly great detective would fairly soon become fascinated, to their professional detriment, by those mysteries that seem eternal or insoluble.”

Like its predecessor, Personae is difficult to pigeonhole. It is a chaotic and brilliant medley of forms, voices and registers. As well as the detective narrative it includes an absurdist-style play, a novella (or two novellas? An unfinished novel?) a short story, two obituaries, extracts from a musicology essay, a critique of a translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, and more besides. How does De La Pava respond to critical reluctance to call the book a novel?

“Well, I certainly intended to write a novel.

Admittedly, I favor an expansive definition of that term. On the other hand, I don’t see much arrayed in favor of any countervailingly restrictive or simplistic view of the damn thing; it seems to me that such a view can only lead to a certain dispiriting sameness in an arena where the possible shock of novelty is one of the promises that keeps calling us back to it to create and consume.”

WORDS BY LILY Nĺ DHOMHNAILL

SOPHIE KENNEDY CLARK TALK ABOUT SEX

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or me, everything depends on the story.” Sophie Kennedy Clark is an actor whose passion reverberates through her strident Scottish voice. Rising to prominence in Stephen Frear’s uplifting Magdalene drama Philomena, and soon to join an impressive ensemble cast in Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, Kennedy Clark is a rare breed.

An up-and-coming young actress, she not only holds a deep seated reverence for the female pioneers who came before her but actively examines her position as a woman in film.

Whether dressed in the drab costume of 1950s Ireland or windswept and mackintosh-clad at a Mario Testino shoot, Kennedy Clark is certainly in possession of a remarkable beauty. Doe-eyed and porcelain skinned, there is an almost childlike cast to her features that makes her portrayal of institutionalised young mother, Philomena, all the more poignant. Yet she was quick to dismiss any suggestion of a modeling career. “I’m 5ft 6in and far too mouthy to have any chance in that industry,” she laughed. Cast as part of an “actor couple” for the 2011 spring/summer Burberry campaign, her brief foray into fashion was concurrent with the premiere of Single Father, the BBC mini-series starring David Tennant that gave the then 20-year old her breakthrough role.

Although the part of Tennant’s daughter, Tanya, was her first professional credit Kennedy Clark’s world has always been steeped in the tradition of performance. Growing up as the granddaughter of Scots Gaelic singer Calum Kennedy and the child of his actress daughter Fiona, it would be foolish to assume that such a creative pedigree had no influence on the young Sophie. “My 16 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

household was always full of music and storytelling and movies and wonderful people,” she conceded. Almost in the same breath, however, she clarified that her own entry into artistic ranks was entirely self-motivated. “I’ve always loved to write and I’ve always loved to read. Storytelling in any kind of capacity was something I knew from a very young age that I was going to do and it just so happened that film has spurred that fascination in me.”

The image that currently defines Sophie Kennedy Clark in the public consciousness comes from Philomena, which opened in November to overwhelming critical praise and is hotly tipped in the 2014 Oscar race. While Judi Dench’s performance as the titular Irish matriarch has been singled out for its masterful rendering of the tragic and comic aspects of the character, it is Kennedy Clark who Frears entrusts one of the film’s most emotionally demanding scenes — that of the forcible separation of Philomena and her young son Anthony. Both physically and symbolically contained by the gates of the convent, the young Philomena, hair shorn, screams for her child through the iron bars of the grate. “It was one of those things where you know you’re not just doing this for you and for your career or because it’s a great story,” Kennedy Clark explained when asked about the challenges of taking on such a role, “You are doing somebody else and many other nameless women justice by performing something that is so horrific.” She credits the motivation behind her performance to her conversations with Philomena Lee, the Limerick woman whose characterization in journalist Martin Sixsmith’s 2009 account forms the basis for the film. “It was the first time I’d felt so strongly for a role because I’d been around Philomena so much,” Kennedy Clark continued, “It was completely heart-wrenching to do at the time because the scenes I was living out are scenes that shaped her life and things that she thinks upon and goes over in her head everyday. They still affect her. I just wanted to make it as honest and true as I could.” Indeed, she revealed that despite not collaborating together directly, it was through Philomena Lee that she and Dench were able to create cohesiveness between their respective versions of the character.

“Judi plays Philomena fifty years down the line from me so she’s a very different woman who has kept this secret and as a result, has evolved into the woman that we see, that Judi plays. Whereas my bit was at a very raw stage of life where these girls had no access to information and were very much at the whim of the Church.”

Despite the exposure she has received as maligned, innocent Philomena, Kennedy Clark is not afraid to take on something altogether more controversial. Photographed in character as late 70s feminist “B”, Kennedy Clark’s poster for the upcoming Lars von Trier film, Nymphomaniac, shows her mid-orgasm, her long hair strategically falling over naked shoulders. Details of the divisive Danish director’s next project are still thin on the ground but the recent release of clips von Trier terms “appetizers” have disclosed that the film will be a series of vignettes chronicling fifty years of sex in the life of a nymphomaniac played by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The explicit nature of pre-released scenes from the Shia LaBeouf segment, named The Little Organ School, and news that von Trier will be digitally superimposing the genitals of body doubles onto his actors to create the air of unsimulated sex, suggest that Nymphomaniac will stoke up a moral and critical furor akin to that provoked by the director’s 2009 film Antichrist. Did Kennedy Clark have any reservations about taking such a role at this early

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stage in her career? Describing it as “not a seedy and sexy film”, she was keen to separate von Trier’s vision from associations with the pornographic. “The porn industry as we know it kind of objectifies women. This is showing a woman who has an addiction. People with addictions will go to great lengths to fulfill them, whether it’s alcoholism or drug abuse. So it’s going to be an uncomfortable watch for a lot of people.”

How would Kennedy Clark compare working with “national treasure” Frears to “film maverick” von Trier? Polar opposites in terms of theme and style, she drew a parallel through their mutual commitment to strong female characters. “Stephen Frears and Lars von Trier are both filmmakers that give women a power platform.

They make films with huge respect for women . . . Lars’s characters are fictional, Stephen makes a lot of films about women who were real people but you know that with both of them you are in such safe hands.” Speaking about the current state of female representation, she is optimistic. “I think there has been a real awakening to the woman not just being the damsel in distress,” she mused. “It almost feels like a revolution for females in the acting world.” Her idea of a meaty part for a woman is “someone who is really strong and isn’t walking around in their pants, or the girl next door”. Yet she remains critical of the continued duress placed on actresses to present a veneer of aesthetic perfection. “I have felt pressure from the industry to either appear a certain way or wear things that I would never usually wear…You do feel like people are making these flash judgments on you that, at the end of the day, mean very little and have nothing to do with the project you’re doing. We’re not all judging men by what they’re wearing.”

Although she does not have internet or a television in her flat, Kennedy Clark displays a great respect for the veteran actors she has

come to know both through and behind the screen. “I’m getting a bit of a reputation for only working with Sirs and Dames” she joked, referring to her Philomena co-star Dame Judi Dench and Sirs Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley, who feature in upcoming thriller, Eliza Graves. “If you can get to the level that these actors are at and still have no kind of hierarchy over either younger people or people in the crew, that is something I want to retain throughout my career — just being a really great person to be around and muck in with everyone as much as being able to give a damn good performance.”

Many of her greatest role models are women. Throughout the interview she cited the work of Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Vivien Leigh as formative influences but it is the career of fellow Scot Tilda Swinton that Kennedy Clark is most keen to emulate. “I just think she has made some of the most exceptional choices in the arthouse world and also in the commercial world. If I can take a leaf out of her book and film choices, I know that would make me incredibly happy.” Standing on the precipice of what looks like a fascinating career, Kennedy Clark is certainly a woman to watch.

WORDS BY SARAH LENNON GALAVAN

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ISN’T KNIT LOVELY

The Irish knitwear industry is steeped in history. It is believed that the Book of Kells depicts a figure wearing an Aran jumper, and Islanders have been knitting jumpers from their own yarn for hundreds of years. Originally designed to protect fishermen from the elements, the Aran knit has taken on symbolic qualities. The diamond stitch represents treasure and success, the honeycomb knit toil and hard work. These aspects of myth, tradition and intricate design still drive Ireland’s textile industry, which is flourishing in its fusion of folklore and innovation. The result is a series of garments that are unique, visionary, and irreconcilably tied to the Irish nation.

ALL PHOTOS BY MOLLY ROWAN-HAMILTON STYLING BY ISSY THOMPSON & AOIFE LEONARD WORDS BY ISSY THOMSON OPPOSITE PAGE BY TOBE WEARS JUMPER, THE SWEATER SHOP, POLO SHIRT, AMERICAN APPAREL

PREVIOUS PAGES (L-R): SOFIA WEARS TOP, DEREK LAWLOR. JEANS, MODEL’S OWN. LUA WEARS CARDIGAN, THE SWEATER SHOP. BRA AND SHORTS, STYLIST’S OWN. THIS PAGE: SOPHIA WEARS DRESS, DEREK LAWLOR. BELT, STYLIST’S OWN.

OPPOSITE: SOFIA WEARS CARDIGAN, THE SWEATER SHOP. DRESS, HARLEQUIN. RINGS, BOW AND STYLIST’S OWN. THIS PAGE: ALEX WEARS JUMPER, 9 CROW STREET. SHIRT, AMERICAN APPAREL. JEANS, MODEL’S OWN. ISSUE FOUR // 25

THIS PAGE: LUA WEARS DRESS, DEREK LAWLOR. TIGHTS, STYLIST’S OWN. CONTENTS PAGE: AKASH WEARS POLO SHIRT, AMERICAN APPAREL, JUMPER, THE SWEATER SHOP, ROISÍN WEARS TOP, DEREK LAWLOR. SKIRT, AMERICAN APPAREL. NECKLACE, 9 CROW STREET. THANKS TO MARION CUDDY, ANDREW MURPHY AND SAMUEL VERBI.

Indigo&Cloth

indigoandcloth.com

FANCY A DANISH? PILOU ASBÆK, STAR OF THE AWARD-WINNING DANISH POLITICAL DRAMA BORGEN, TALKS TO TN2 ABOUT HIS TROUBLED CHARACTER AND THE SHOW’S COMPELLING APPROACH TO POLITICS

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don’t like portraying characters that end up being fulfilled, that learn something from life.” For Pilou Asbæk, his role as troubled spin-doctor Kasper Juul in acclaimed Danish political drama Borgen, is the epitome of such a complex, engaging, and above all, human character. Asbæk described Kasper as somewhat Machiavellian in nature, “he’s a liar and a cheating bastard”, however it is his determination to overcome such flaws and failings, and his continuous progression and regression, that makes Kasper not only a nuanced, but compelling character.

In season two of Borgen, the audience sees the strain of Kasper’s continuous attempts to maintain a hold of both his professional and personal life. Like Mad Men’s enigmatic Don Draper, Kasper’s past is too shrouded in mystery and is constantly on the brink of unraveling due to his relationship with political journalist Katrine Fønsmark.

However, was such a backstory necessary to provide an explanation for Kasper’s character? Asbæk believed that Kasper “would be interesting enough as being a dark lord, the guy who craved for power” and

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T.V.

“THERE’S NOTHING WRITTEN IN THAT TELEVISION SERIES THAT COULDN’T HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. ACTUALLY NINETY-FIVE PER CENT OF IT HAS HAPPENED.” that, to a certain extent, the explanation of child abuse at the hands of his father was too convenient an explanation for so complex a character. Although, such a storyline can be seen as a cliché, Asbæk argued that it was how the clichés were used to create Kasper’s story that ensured and that the quality of the show wasn’t compromised. Moreover, Asbæk stated that if it hadn’t been for the abuse storyline, there wouldn’t have been the scene with Katrine in which he presents her with a box containing the newspaper articles pertaining to the trial involving his father — “that’s one of my favourite scenes of the show”.

Along with theatre commitments, it was this sense of closure that Asbæk stated was one of the primary reasons for his limited screen time on the final season of Borgen. Had Asbæk ever envisioned that Kasper was capable of achieving such closure? “No, and I think if I had done [all of ] season three . . . I would have created another sad story for Kasper Juul.”

The third season jumps forward two and a half years and although Kasper and Katrine have had a son, Gustav, they are no longer together. The dissolution of this tumultuous relationship, which had been a key staple in the previous two seasons, was inevitable according to Asbæk: “He has to end on a dark note; there’s never going to be a romantic comedy with Kasper Juul.”

Asbæk insists that the blurred lines between Kasper’s personal and private life are grounded in reality due to the insularity of the Danish nation, “in Denmark a political spin doctor can be with a journalist, it’s happened many times”.

Moreover, the realistic nature of the show has led to Asbæk receiving many invitations to attend political dinners, to advise Danish politicians and to recite speeches — invitations he has yet to accept, as “that’s the moment that fiction becomes real”. Perhaps, being involved in a political drama, with the power plays and machinations of the state under his belt, Asbæk has become all too aware of the threat of manipulation and exploitation: “I don’t want to be used as a pawn because that’s what they would do, they would claim Borgen, they would claim Kasper Juul or Birgitte Nyborg because they were so popular and half of the Danish population saw this show”.

However, Asbæk believes that through Borgen Danish politicians have been given a “fulfilling picture” of the compromises and struggles that are involved in negotiations

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involving pension plans, centre-left alliances and preparation for televised debates. Such activities, which are considered mundane by most, comprise a large section of the show that garners ratings of approximately one million viewers. It is a credit to the show that not only does it captivate audiences, but also educates Danish and international audiences alike to become more aware of their political circumstances; as Asbæk stated “that’s the beautiful thing about fiction, it can give you knowledge”. Uncannily, the show’s strong female lead, Sidse Babett Knudsen as Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg, foreshadowed real developments in Danish politics when in 2011 Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the leader of a centre-left coalition became prime minister. The show has also been responsible for the raising of issues such as the rights of prostitutes, rendition flights from Greenland on behalf of the CIA, as well as the condition of pig-farming in the production of their renowned bacon. Its issues are grounded in the realities facing Danish politicians and Asbæk stated that this attributes to the success of the show, “there’s nothing written in that television series that couldn’t happen in real life. Actually ninety-five per cent of it has happened”.

Despite its international success, Asbæk stated that it was never the intention of the writers for it to be international; it was intended primarily to be a “small Scandinavian drama with a small Scandinavian cast with a story that developed within the characters”. With talks of an American remake in development, how well does Asbæk believe this transference

“HE HAS TO END ON A DARK NOTE; THERE’S NEVER GOING TO BE A ROMANTIC COMEDY WITH KASPER JUUL.” will be? Americans, he believes, are unaccustomed to European films and series that are “very slow tempo and character driven”. Borgen, is more realistic in its approach to politics than Sorkin’s The West Wing, which to a certain extent belittled the opposite political party. Moreover, unlike Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, Borgen does not portray journalists as crusaders against corrupt politicians, but instead highlights the compromises and blurred lines that both professions are required to make for the benefit of the public. However, Asbæk believes that Borgen and shows like The Newsroom are in their essence idealistic and that it is important in a television series to “try to up the standards” in their content. On who Asbæk would like to play Kasper Juul in the American remake? Mad Men’s Vincent Karthesier whose portrayal of the volatile and philandering Pete Campbell would make him a prime candidate, “he’s a great actor, I would love him to play Kasper Juul”.

BORGEN CAN BE SEEN SATURDAYS ON BBC FOUR AT 9 PM WORDS BY CIARA FORRISTAL

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T V // F I L M // FO O D // STAG E M USIC // L I T E R AT U R E // GA ME S

REVIEWS

FEATURING DRURY BUILDINGS

BY ALEX MILNE-TURNER

REVIEWS

D RU RY B U I L D I N G S

DRURY STREET FOOD & DRINK Any bar without a name gives off certain expectations; tucked in a side alley, a discreet black door that requires a known knock, maybe even an ambiguous sign that appeals to curiosity. It is usually an illusion of secrecy or just mere pretension.

Drury Street’s newest restaurant implies none of this and, although still without a definitive name, has not pandered to the desire for exclusivity through secret doors or private online releases. Instead, they have thrown their doors open, along with any caution, aiming to build a reputation from the good food and cocktails, rather than an eye catching name.

“We’ll figure the name out when the name gets figured out,” owner Ronan Rogerson tells me as we sit down for a glass of their home brewed Pilsner. This is the style of the place: it refuses to be labelled, and the bar, like the name, is still figuring out a formula.

The building reflect this further — graffiti splatters the crumbling outside, yet upon entering the interior is sharp and clean, with the bar the shining centerpiece. A smooth wooden floor, tasteful paintings and low lighting offer an art-deco decor. It is a traditional core with a modern outlook that leaves you with an intriguing, refreshing taste in your mouth — although that might just be their unusual Cucumber and Horseradish Collins.

The cocktail menu in general takes you from the 1860 Old Fashioned (made using a unique ice-orb), to the 2013 Lemon and Elderflower Martini; an attractive, down-to-earth alcoholic history lesson. Yet it is a casual lesson, an inviting one that doesn’t necessarily abide by any rules, willing to challenge the drinker with new fla-

vours. The Lychee and Chilli Martini was an odd, yet exquisite, mix of flavours, and the egg white gave it the frothy texture of a Whiskey Sour. However, there needed a little more bite to justify the title.

The Italian themed tapas ranges from Porchetta Bruschettas to a selection of aged cheeses, with a few Dublin Bay prawns and oysters thrown into the mix, although a personal favourite is the Smoked Coley Croquettes. The breadcrumbed coat flakes in the mouth, and the flavours balance gorgeously with the home-made paprika aioli.

Moving upstairs to the restaurant is a more fine dining experience. The menu offers a unique array from fresh mozzarella to Veal Shin Risotto with saffron, and in keeping with the tone of the establishment defies definition due to the sheer range of dishes. I had the Bean Broth, which was a bit watery for my liking and without enough flavour to justify the texture. However, the Wood Pigeon Soltimbocca, which I learnt from the chef meant melt-in-yourmouth, was exactly that. Served on a bed of spiced polenta, with the thigh cooked in with the port, it was an explosion of rich flavours; a great example of utilising fresh ingredients of the highest quality, and combining them in a unique way. This is the ethos again: traditional style revitalised. The combination of classic and unique cocktails, the music that sways from soul to electro swing and the contrast between the sharp interior and graffiti-ridden doorways all combine to enhance this. And as for the name? The Drury’s not out on that one yet.

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WORDS BY ALEX MILNE-TURNER

REVIEWS

YO U N G S K I N S COLIN BARRETT LITERATURE Colin Barrett’s stark debut Young Skins examines the lot of the young male in small-town Ireland with icy clarity. In the fictional town of Glenbeigh (“My town is nowhere you have been, but you know its ilk”) the striking Mayo coast becomes setting for seven tales of violence, loneliness and self-destruction. A place of stinted relationships and unfulfilled ambitions, Bord Fáilte brochure for the West of Ireland, it is not.

Although characters have names like Cuculann and Hector, the men in Young Skins are far from archetypal masculine heroes.

Instead they are passive participants in their own lives, full of frustration, rage and, above all, boredom. “There is the comfort of routine in our routine,” says one example, “and also the mystery of that routine’s persistence.” When they do act they do so out of sheer desperation, and it rarely ends well. Events are played out, with noted irony, against the backdrop of a captivating countryside. One lovesick youngster observes that “the evening sun is in its picturesque throes, the sky steeped in foamy reds and pinks … The breeze has grown teeth,” he says, proceeding to vandalize his rival’s car.

The centrepiece of the collection is a 70-page novella about a tight-lipped hulk of a man nicknamed “Arm”, employed to “just sit there and be, y’know, intimidating”. When he’s not thrashing petty criminals on behalf of his drug-dealer boss, he spends time with his son Jack, a severely autistic five-year-old. Their relationship — probably the most touching in the book — serves to intensify the sense of loss when Arm goes on to destroy his life in a petty gangland quibble. Technically tidy and skillfully executed, the stories all pivot on moments of despair or crisis, in which the situation (with

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the arguable exception of the final story) goes from bad to worse.

But don’t let all that put you off. Barrett’s obvious joy in language keeps the book from melting into a complete puddle of gloom. The ease with which he strings words together makes for a rich register, with the loose cadence of a soft Irish lilt. Blending literary vocabulary with Irish vernacular is hardly a revolutionary technique, but not often does it produce phrases like “you know my cuntishness is as congenital as my cravenness”; or descriptions such as “He was well oiled, as we all were, looking wild and disheveled, his shirt hanging off him, buttons all burst off, Doc Martens scuffing the Formica as he whelped out a furious jig”. Dialogue is sharp and colourful, descriptions shrewd and evocative, and the desperate, desolate characters will haunt you stubbornly when you’ve finished. Not the best book for a mid-winter pick-me-up, but an absolutely worthwhile read nonetheless.

WORDS BY LILY NÍ DHOMHNAILL

other’s progress, as well as completing the puzzles in each course is tremendous fun. The levels accommodate and encourage that type of behaviour, and it’s a terrific achievement that should not be reversed in future titles.

When it comes to innovative gameplay, 3D World doesn’t manage to replicate the magic of what came before it: there are too few new ideas, and they are not expanded upon beyond their basic forms.

Brief moments of elation occur when one of these new ideas, such as the levels featuring Plessie the Dinosaur, or the 100-second dash levels, appears, but as soon as that course is completed, the moment is gone. There also appears to be an issue with depth: without the 3D screen available, it’s far more difficult to judge distances and jumps — given that wasn’t a problem with previous console Mario games, one wonders if the translation to the big screen hasn’t gone entirely to plan.

While new ideas might be few and far between, all the old favourites from previous titles are included. The level design is as wonderful as always, and is aided by the new power-ups available. The Super Bell which turns Mario into a cat allows him to scramble into previously inaccessible areas (and to find all the hidden Green Stars and stamps, that means scaling every wall around), while the Clone Berries allow the player to control up to five Marios on screen at once, leading to interesting puzzles, although it’s a tough challenge to keep them all alive.

Despite the game’s lack of new or innovative ideas, there is no reason to disregard it. 3D World is arguably the best game currently on Wii U, and offers a better platforming experience than the vast majority of games on other platforms. The multiplayer is a revelation, and while none of the level mechanics are likely to wow you as they may have done in previous titles, the solid platforming and entertaining variety of levels are likely to enthral you as they did before.

WORDS BY CHRIS ROOKE

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GAMES Super Mario 3D World has an awful lot to live up to. With a console and arguably the most prominent gaming mascot around both wanting to cement their relevance in the next-generation market, what does 3D World bring to the table?

The most prominent change is the addition of multiplayer, a first for a 3D Mario title. This isn’t bolted on: it’s very clear that the game has been designed with multiplayer in mind, and it works phenomenally well. As a drop-in, drop-out approach is used, it’s not necessary to have multiple players to complete the game, but it becomes a huge amount more fun once you do: helping or hindering each

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REVIEWS

7 D AY S O F F U N K 7 D AY S O F F U N K STONESTHROWRECORDS MUSIC Anyone familiar with Snoop Dogg’s recent foray into the reggae world under the moniker of “Snoop Lion” will be forgiven for being wary when approaching his latest guise: Snoopzilla, a name assumed in tribute to funk legend, Bootsy “Bootzilla” Collins. Taking on another alter-ego might sound a concerning decision to some of the hip-hop star’s fans but, given Snoop’s spectacular G-Funk roots, a collaborative album with exquisite musician and producer, Dâm Funk, makes more sense than you might first think. As Snoop put it when discussing the collaboration, “We’re the babies of the Mothership. I’ve had funk influences in my music my whole career.”

The sincere enthusiasm for paying homage to the artists of Parlia-

of Hit Da Pavement, there is a discernibly slick sound to the music which has something of an early 2000s R&B style to it. The sultry backing track is complemented perfectly by the soulful vocals from Dâm Funk and Snoop’s standard nonchalant drawl. Let It Go is a sugary, catchy little romantic number which, again, seems to be nodding to sparse 2000s R&B as much as to cosmic funk, right up until a guitar starts jamming luxuriously in the background. In spite of the swathes of honeyed synths and harmonised vocals, Ride falls a bit short of the rest of the album, with a somewhat sub-par verse from Kurupt.

Lead single Faden Away is full of sleazy vibes and an eastern sound to the catchy synth lines, while 1question (featuring funk star Steve Arring-

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EROL ALKAN // ILLUMINATIONS That this is Erol Alkan’s first ever solo record seems impossible. Years of his exquisite production, enticing remixes, releases from his record label Phantasy, and the stories from his notorious, now defunct London clubnight, Trash, have all made the DJ something of a household name (that is, for households with a proclivity towards left-field, neon-tinged electro). Illuminations makes it clear that the wait for a solo EP was worth it. A Hold On Love shimmers and shudders with a wonderfully fluid, clean sound, crescendoing into beautiful waves of synths and almost-tropical beats that wash right over you.

Bang is a more intense track: driven, somewhat dark, and incredibly danceable. Check Out Your Mind is a lot of fun, with spiralling sounds and that trademark strange, uplifting buzz. That those three tracks comprise the EP as a whole makes Illuminations somewhat unsatisfying, perhaps, but mainly it is a concise, moreish embodiment of Alkan’s sound.

TARA JOSHI

MARY J. BLIGE // A MARY CHRISTMAS ment-Funkadelic is palpable and, unlike the jarring sound of Snoop’s attempts at reggae, the music showcased on 7 Days of Funk is actually sublime. With that said, while the name promises straight-up funk, this is really best considered as a hip-hop album.

With smooth vibes, the occasional flourish of beautiful guitar grooves, bouncing beats and vocals that switch seamlessly between slick bars and velvety R&B crooning, it doesn’t seem too hyperbolic to say this album is very much a return to form for Snoop.

Again, there isn’t really enough in the way of full-on seductive bass sounds to truly consider this as a proper funk album, but the G-funk vibes are very much in evidence and it’s a delight to listen to.

Opening with the propulsive beats 36 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

ton) is a fast-paced, exciting jive with the refrain of “I just got one question to ask / do you love me?”. Indeed, surprisingly, the album as a whole is quite heavy on the love songs, like the particularly sweet I’ll Be There 4U — though, with lyrics like “Let me get you to the funk, girl”, it becomes apparent that the love this LP is expressing is not in fact adulation for a prospective lover, but adoration for the genre of funk itself.

This is easily the best thing Snoop has released in years. As far as Funk goes, it falls pretty far from the Mothership, but then if Bootsy et al were making music today, you have to suspect that their output might not be too far from 7 Days of Funk.

WORDS BY TARA JOSHI

Mary J. Blige’s first ever Christmas album is everything that you might expect, with her smooth, soulful vocals singing seasonal classics over some wonderfully cheesy instrumentals.

With that said, there is some reworking of the holiday staples as well, with an ambient take on Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, some warming brass sounds on opener Little Drummer Boy and some jazzy saxophone on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. As a whole, the album is less full of the vulgar jingling bells we might fear from a holiday record, and more of a refined effort full of R&B with a nod to jazz.

There are guest vocals from the likes of Barbra Streisand and Jessie J, which mix things up nicely (and arguably highlight Blige’s comparable talent). It’s not about to go up there with Dean Martin or Mariah Carey in your Christmas album hall of fame, but it is a nice little record to soundtrack your festive season. And, frankly, for the album title alone, this deserves recognition.

TARA JOSHI

REVIEWS

NEBRASKA ALEXANDER PAYNE

FILM It’s been almost two years since writer/director Alexander Payne last graced our screens. In The Descendants, Payne offered up the affable tale of a father losing touch with his family and the subsequent redemption story that was bound to play out well with critics. In Nebraska we recognise all those wonderful directorial trademarks; the nuanced characterisation, the captivating performances and that pureness of visual simplicity so prominent in Payne’s work.

It’s at this time of the year, with awards season impending, where it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between sincere, committed cinema and the meager Oscar bid that consistently peeps its overtly sentimental head.

While The Descendants is a much finer piece of filmmaking than any of those “weepies”, the decision to cast George Clooney in the slightly off-kilter leading role did hint at an Oscar-grab of sorts.

With Nebraska, we find Payne on more heartfelt, genuine terrain; a story of small town America shot in black and white. As the film opens, we find allusions to a less-romanticised kind of Western, with Bruce Dern’s Woody trawling across the redundant, snow-covered landscape of a Northern town. Woody is an ailing cowboy, a dementia-suffering old-timer who has his sights set on Nebraska.

His aim: To collect the million-dollar cash prize bestowed unto him by a scamming marketing company. In a last gasp attempt to knock some sense into his father, David (Will Forte) endeavours to drive him there, hoping that the inevitable tragedy awaiting the end of their journey may enact in Woody a greater realisation of the world as it is.

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Through Bob Nelson’s tidy script, Payne creates an atmosphere lighter than its subject suggests, one filled with moments of smart and understated humour. Most of these emanate from the bizarre, yet recognisable family dynamics the film balances upon, both between father and son and the larger family itself, played out through a superbly funny makeshift reunion. Elsewhere, June Squibb’s many one-liners as David’s cynical mother provide sustainable laughs throughout.

At this film’s core is the more serious note of the degradation of rural America and a longing for a time of greater honesty and truth.

In Dern’s performance, one can find some of the great anti-heroes of American literature, most notably Arthur Miller’s Willy Loman, as a figure who just wants to be appreciated. Forte matches Dern’s brilliance with remarkable ease, providing a stunningly touching performance as a son wishing to reconnect with his father. Nebraska’s reliance upon simple, contained dialogue makes for some unfortunate areas of exposition, such as the unnecessary need to make Woody’s alcoholism appear in the most banal of conversations. But Payne’s restrained, metered style compensates, delivering a story which never seems to lag.

WORDS BY BRIAN WADE

S AV I N G M R .

BANKS

K I L L YO U R DA R L I N GS

FILM Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of Walt Disney’s (Tom Hanks) wooing of author P.L. Travers (a suitably snarky Emma Thompson) for the rights to Mary Poppins. Hollywood has always had a love affair with itself; the Academy is inevitably quick to heap praise on films like Sunset Boulevard, The Player and Argo. It is my hope that they will do the same here. Seeing as The Walt Disney Company distributed John Lee Hancock’s film, one could be excused from expecting a sugar coated, PG-rated sanding down of the rough edges concerning the relationship between Travers and Walt. Unsurprisingly, this is the case. What is surprising, however, is how the film perfectly, and one might say magically, illustrates the hard work, inspiration and luck it takes to make a timeless family favourite.

Thompson portrays Travers as an archetypal post-war Brit: prim, proper and extremely contentious. Hank’s turn as the sharptongued mogul then is the perfect foil, and he steals the show, once again showing his brilliance despite carrying Hollywood’s greatest tycoon on his shoulders. Hancock, knowing he is onto a winner, and in keeping with his wonderfully realised revision of the Hollywood era, respectfully refrains from exuding any style that would distract from these actors operating at the top of their games.

Through the use of intermittent flashback, we gradually realise why Travers is reluctant to let go of her creation, and the conclusion is genuinely touching. Saving Mr. Banks may be a blatant Disneyfication of the events, but it is also a strong reminder of what The Walt Disney Company can produce when the talent is there.

FILM Kill Your Darlings has officially made literature sexy. Exuding charisma, audacity and heat, John Krokidas’s directorial debut transports us back to 1940s New York where Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) is a naïve freshman at Columbia University. Mesmerised by his sheer impudence and mysterious intensity, Ginsberg strikes up the most unlikely of friendships with Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) — an aesthete who sucks Ginsberg in and spits him out.

The film follows their kinetic relationship as they embark on an intellectual and literary journey towards a “new vision” in literature. Despite being backboned by strong homosexual desire, Krokidas distinguishes Kill Your Darlings from just another sexual awakening story by focusing instead on an intellectual deflowering and literary curiosity. By juxtaposing scenes of death, sex, and pain with Ginsberg’s literary discoveries Krokidas portrays sexual and intellectual stimulation as equals in the quest for the sublime, the beautiful, and the orgasmic in life.

Yet this curiosity has its consequences. Amidst the shame, violence and poetic dissolution, DeHaan embodies the sexual, addictive power Carr had over writers like Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs. While the inspirational cigarettes and furious scribbling in underground Jazz bars can seem cliched at times, there is certainly something poetic in Krokidas’s creation worth searching for.

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WORDS BY EOIN MCCAGUE

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WORDS BY SARAH KATE FENELON

ISSUE FOUR // 37

REVIEWS

THE RISEN PEOPLE ABBEY THEATRE

STAGE Jimmy Fay’s engaging production The Risen People combines the literary work of James Plunkett with historical reality to bring the story of the 1913 Lockout to the Abbey stage in music.

We follow the life of a community: two couples, a prostitute, a lovable gouger and two young men — as they embark on a “mission of discontent”. Fay stages a thought-provoking exploration of what happens to the working class when they renounce, then are denied employment.

Fay meticulously follows the events of the seven month-long struggle during which workers were refused the right to unionise.

He anchors the plot in reality by portraying Larkin as an overbearing God-like presence: headlines and images from 1913 are projected onto the backdrop of the stage. However, perhaps too grounded in history, the first act falls short of captivating the audience; an excessive number of characters are introduced, none of whose stories develop sufficiently to truly evoke empathy. Moreover, the portrayal of social conflict is unsatisfactorily one-sided in that the oppressive employers fail to make an appearance.

But the second act redeems the play, winning over the audience with a heart-rending portrayal of the strikers’ loss of faith. Their ideals tarnish as they are faced with the decision to return to work and renounce their cause, or watch as their lives crumble. Strain is placed on domesticity and identity when starvation and deprivation become the frightening reality of the lockout. Ian Lloyd Anderson,

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Charlotte McCurry, Phelim Drew, Hilda Fey and Joe Hanly’s characters are finally given room to develop and come into their own as Dublin, this “kip of a city”, fractures around them.

Music is skilfully woven into the action, and is perhaps the play’s most affecting quality. The strikers’ voices join in harmony, often whilst they stand in picket-line unity, a poignant translation of their solidarity. Movement director Colin Dunne’s artful choreography effectively emphasises the physical struggle demanded of the characters that are left with nothing but one another to cling on to.

Pianist Conor Linehen and guitarist Niwel Tsumbu are on stage throughout the action. At times the actors join in, up to seven of them playing a variety of instruments at once.

At the end of each performance, a mystery public figure, artist or academic is invited to the stage to perform a “Noble Call”, in which they offer a response to the play. This original addition to the evening invites further reflection: One hundred years after the events, the plight of the working class during the Lockout still resonates today. For the opening night, Eleanor McEvoy takes the stage to the audience’s delight. She plays a song emphasising the refrain that, though “the dates may be different, the song is still the WORDS BY MARIA HOGAN same”.

THE LEGEND O F Z E L DA A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS

GAMES With a series as long-standing as The Legend of Zelda, it can be hard to switch up the formula in a way that keeps things interesting while staying true to the series’ roots. However, Nintendo’s latest instalment in the Zelda franchise, A Link Between Worlds, makes a valiant effort at finding that balance.

The game is immediately set apart from its handheld predecessors by its arrival on the 3DS, and while the 3D effects can be a headache after a while — as well as the bane of the player’s existence in a boss fight — the revamped graphics make the game utterly charming to look at. Veterans of the series will find fun nods to previous games, mostly in the world map and music, while newcomers to the series will be easily won over. This is mainly due to major departures from the series’ tried and true formula, a decision that gives the game an element of freshness.

While past Zelda titles follow a specific pattern of item fetch-quests in order to gain access to specific dungeons, in A Link Between Worlds, most items are available to rent from the beginning of the game. This allows the player to take on any of the dungeons in any order they please, giving the game a massive sense of freedom. The dungeons themselves provide enough of a challenge to keep things interesting and fun, but not so challenging as to cause one to rage quit.

Also new to the Zelda series, and central to the game’s mechanics, is Link’s newfound ability to transform into a painting in order

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to travel across walls; this painting theme also carries across the game’s art-style beautifully, adding another layer of visual charm to the world. While in the first few hours of the game, this world might feel incredibly small, after the first three dungeons, Hyrule is opened up to its parallel dark world, Lorule, between which Link can travel as he sees fit. Among these two worlds sidequests abound with plenty of options, whether one wants games of skill, brains or luck. Or they can be ignored altogether if the player just wants to get on with the main story. And as for that story? Typical of a Zelda title, it is compelling, exciting and endlessly enjoyable.

For fans of Zelda and/or the 3DS, A Link Between Worlds should be WORDS BY EMILY TAYLOR a definite title on their holiday wish list.

REVIEWS

L I L LY H A M M E R NETFLIX TV Season two of Norwegian-American series Lilyhammer has been scheduled for limited release to subscribers in a handful of countries, Ireland included. A surprising decision; it couldn't be said to be very popular over here. So is this an opportunity worth availing of? Based on the first season, the answer would have to be yes.

After being snubbed for promotion, Mafia underboss Frank Taglione (Steve Van Zandt) decides to turn over evidence to the FBI implicating his superiors. When asked where he'd like to be relocated, Taglione makes a peculiar choice: Lillehammer, a provincial Norway town. Taken in by the idyllic setting and the bevy of blonde and blue eyed Scandinavian "broads", Frank decides it is the perfect place to live out his days under witness protection.

He arrives under the new name Giovanni "Johnny" Henriksen, and quickly sizes up his new surroundings, populated with wholesome residents seemingly as pure as the driven snow that blankets the town. Far from wanting to keep his head down, Johnny applies his old wise guy street smarts in eking out a life. The ease at which he quickly reassumes his old role shows the ubiquitous nature of society's seedy underbelly — despite the perennial addition of Christmas jumpers to every one of their ensembles, the people of Lillehammer participate in blackmail, fraud, bribery and extortion as if it were second nature.

Lilyhammer resolves the initially jarring blend of Scandinavian noir and Goodfellas homage elegantly into an entertaining and unique pastiche. The show contains the familiar elements of gangster films without losing itself in the imitation — Lilyhammer enters

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A GIRL IS A HALFFORMED THING EIMEAR MCBRIDE LITERATURE Eimear McBride’s Goldsmith prize-winning novel A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing tells the heartbreaking story of a girl’s nightmarish passage from childhood to adulthood. The novel opens in a mother’s consciousness, but rapidly switches to her daughter’s on the very day of her birth. The five part novel traces the protagonist’s familial and sexual experiences in the face of a woeful upbringing. Faceless, nameless characters flit through her life like relentless spectres.

As a child, the protagonist’s brother is affected by a brain tumour whose potential return looms over the novel. A haunting sense of paternal absence, and a mother’s devotion to a remorseless God trickle down to create an isolating home-space in which brother and sister battle to pull together. A hole emerges in the protagonist’s life,

a genre of its own without ever feeling alien. The gritty action is pinned against light hearted slapstick and frequent reminders of the shows bucolic setting.

Van Zandt unsurprisingly occupies his role as if it were a second skin, having previously portrayed a mafioso for six seasons on HBO's The Sopranos. It is hard not to be taken in by Johnny; the quiet rage of his pouting snarl and the Little Italy drawl in which he spits out "What the fuck?" at every obstacle invariably portends Johnny emerging victorious thanks to his mobster savoir-faire. The townspeople as well as the audience feel this effect — while everyone bends to Johnny's will, not all do it under duress; some flash Johnny a knowing smile, happy to accommodate the charming American. While Johnny is the soul of the show, impressive performances by Van Zandt's Norwegian co-stars complement him well.

Any series associated with Netflix tends to be of high standard — well shot, acted and written, Lilyhammer is no different. What sets this show apart is how well the mix of different cultures and genres is executed, and how daring a decision it was in the first place.

WORDS BY EVA SHORT

which she bravely struggles to compensate for. The reader is faced with a heart-wrenching depiction of promiscuity becoming the only escape from an oppressive family and community.

Although character and place names remain a mystery to the reader, the novel is very much anchored in Ireland. Passages in Irish, descriptions of landscape, and a depiction of religious guilt as having an overarching hold over the family give a strong sense of the setting. The image of Ireland that is given is harrowing and brutally honest. It stimulates a strong critical response in the reader.

McBride’s style is highly experimental. Her use of unfinished sentences, repetition, and broken expression prove extremely successful in mirroring the protagonist’s interior struggle. Moments of breakdown punctuated by ones of stability are paralleled by fluctuations in the extent of the brokenness of the language that translates them. At first the novel may seem a challenge to read, but the rhythm of the broken prose soon reveals itself as necessary to its subject and enthralling to the reader.

The read is a difficult one, for both its style and unsettling themes. This difficulty, however, is what makes for its excellence.

The adventurous reader will relish in its ground-breaking originality. McBride’s experimental talent was recognised earlier this year when she was awarded the Goldsmith Award. She is the deserving winner of the very first edition of this award that recognises British and Irish writers for fiction that “opens up new possibilities for the novel form”.

Born in London to Irish parents, McBride was brought up in county Sligo. A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing is a particular asset to the contemporary Irish canon: sitnce its release her writing has incessantly been described as following in the footsteps of James Joyce. Indeed in addressing recognisably problematic Irish themes of religion and sexuality, McBride casts taboos aside, giving the powerful impression of filling a gap in current Irish fiction.

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WORDS BY MARIA HOGAN

ISSUE FOUR // 39

7 DAYS FRI 13TH

SAT 14TH

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M O N 16TH

THE CHRISTMAS CRACKER FLEA MARKET

BUFFYFEST TEACHER'S CLUB

PEACHES THE BUTTON FACTORY

ROXANA MANOUCHEHRI

For three days the Dublin Flea Market will team up with Block T in Smithfield to offer a wide range of vintage goods, handicrafts and food stalls to help spread the Christmas cheer.

Market-goers can look forward to falafel — provided by the good people at the Fumbally Café — as well as homemade hot dog sausages, and a variety of Christmas flavoured potatoes from non-GM Irish crops, picked just days before the event.

Other stalls will include Dublin’s Pieman Café, and an assortment of award winning home-made cakes and hot beverages. In addition to the Flea Market, visitors can find a pop-up shop around the corner from Block T, proffering baked-goods, and freshly-roasted coffee from the Science Gallery’s own Cloud Picker Coffee micro-roastery.

SW.

For fans of Joss Whedon’s iconic show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, December not only marks the end of the calendar year but also the end of the celebratory events surrounding the tenth anniversary of the show’s final episode.

For Buffy enthusiasts the show’s ending marked the end of an era, and to celebrate the show’s continued popularity, particularly in this festive season, Buffyfest are hosting a Christmas-themed apocalypse party. Guests can reminisce about the show whilst watching the final two episodes of the series — and perhaps drown their sorrows with “Slayer” cocktails from the bar.

Dressing up is encouraged, either as your favourite Buffy character or in 90s attire, with spot prizes being awarded throughout the night.

Buffyfest will take place at the Teacher’s Club at 8pm. Tickets cost €10 and can be purchased at finalbuffyfest.tumblr.com CF.

Fuck the pain away with gender-provocateur Peaches, who returns to Dublin for the first time since 2007 with an outrageous performance at the Button Factory. Following a Q&A at the IFI after the Irish premiere of her cinematic masterpiece Peaches Does Herself (a “sexually-charged, semi-autobiographical rock-opera”), the infamous electro icon and her werewolf burlesque performers will take to the stage for a flamboyant DJ set, including a wealth of songs from her deliciously obscene back-catalogue, including Fuck the Pain Away, Boys Wanna Be Her and Operate. Tickets €20 (€15 limited early bird on sale now at www.ticketmaster.ie). The Button Factory, 11 pm.

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Roxana Manouchehri, a cosmopolitan artist born and raised in Iran, presents her own “detailed, monochromatic versions of ten Da Vinci portraits”.

Resulting from a combination of up-to-date digital manipulation and old-school painterly execution, they are based on works as famous as the Mona Lisa. Encased in thin box-frames with mirrored sides, the portraits are seen through glass panels adorned with geometric patterns rooted in Islamic decorative art and architecture, yet also reminiscent of the Catholic confessional grille. Bringing out a complex and dynamic relationship between Eastern and Western culture, these delicate and enchanting works are an investigation into the many ways in which aspects of identity and vectors of identification may be coded in contemporary art.

Kevin Kavanagh Gallery.

Admission free. The exhibition continues until 15 January GP.

IN DUBLIN TU E 17 TH

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE THE GATE

FEAST YOUR EYES: TRADING PLACES IFI

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of what has been hailed as one of the greatest novels of all time, the Gate revives Alan Stanford’s critically acclaimed production of Pride and Prejudice. Adapting Jane Austen’s stunning novel, with its brilliant ironic social satire, is tricky, particularly when trying to compress it into 2½ hours. However, this revival triumphs with the help of a wonderful cast, including Maeve Fitzgerald as the heart-rending Charlotte Lucas, and Lorna Quinn as Elizabeth Bennet.

Quinn is no stranger to playing feisty leads, from her appearance as the titular character in Jane Eyre to last year’s role as Jo March in The Gate’s production of Little Women. The play makes for a perfect festive outing in the run-up to Christmas. Tickets from €25, until January 18. MM.

In their monthly Feast Your Eyes series, the IFI host a screening and serve film-inspired food. The December instalment sees Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy star in the 1983 Christmas film Trading Places. As part of the event, there will be a screening of DIY Pastry, a short film from the people behind the Irish video food blog, Forkful, which won the best Irish Blog Award earlier this year.

Seasonal finger food in the IFI Café will follow. In keeping with the theme of the festive film, chestnut and pork sausage rolls, turkey and ham vol-au-vents and salmon skewers with dill hollandaise are all on the menu, giving viewers the chance to discuss the film. The €20 tickets include the film screening, food and a glass of mulled wine.

KB.

THUR

MAKERS & BROTHERS & OTHERS 5 DAME LANE

Irish retailer Makers & Brothers was founded by Dublin-based brothers Jonathan and Mark Legge and endeavours to provide “simple things; the handmade, objects of integrity, contemporary vernaculars, a curation of everyday design and craft.”

Their tiny seasonal department store features a collection of Makers & Brothers’s favourite local and international brands.

They offer a beautiful range of Irish products, as well as a thoughtfully curated selection of partners, providing homewares, skincare, books and jewellery.

Claire Anne O’Brien’s gorgeous handmade toys, such as Fionn the Fox (€68) and Brigid the Sheep (€62), are a highlight, as are the snug wool socks (from €10). The shop focuses on clean designs and well-crafted homely goods, from makers as varied as Wicklow carpenter James

Carroll, Kildare basket-weaver Kathleen McCormick, Czech stationery brand Papelote, Australian skincare brand Aesop, Norwegian furniture designer Lars Beller Fjetland and British minimalist jeweller Gemma Holt.

For the festive season, Makers & Brothers offer gift cards for sale, starting from €50. The shop also provides a service whereby you can “click and collect”, ordering from their online store and picking your items up, wrapped and ready to do. This endearing pop-up is the perfect spot for exciting and original gifts, and their counter is adorned with an array of treats from The Wildflour Bakery to indulge in. Definitely worth a visit for the charming ambience, delicious cakes and a unique retail experience.

Open on Thursdays until 8pm.

Closes December 24. MM.

THE END PIECE

Ahmed Fouad Negm, revolutionary poet.

Egypt’s “poet of the people” died on December 3 at the age of 84. Known for his sharp tongue and untiring satire, Ahmed Fouad Negm was the voice of the Egyptian working class and cast a light on the realities of politics, society and even his own work as a revolutionary. Each President faced the daggers of Egypt’s Uncle Ahmed who lived through 84 years of conflict and authoritarian rule in the region, and accumulated 18 years in prison for his irreverent poems tackling the corruption of power. He was seen by many of the current generation as the voice of the revolution, and it was his words that were chanted across Tahrir Square

spread his word, smuggling tape recorders into his cell and sneaking his verse out. While in prison he achieved underground fame as the dissident leader of a counterculture.

His poetry blended the aesthetic, political and crude expletives of a working class hero — and with every confrontation with the establishment his work grew in popularity and strength. His time would come in 2011, when his words were given a new life as they were chanted against Hosni Mubarek as the youth took to Tahrir Square. It was just as the youth were bringing his revolutionary spirit to life, that he was struggling for inspiration — he was overjoyed to see

he came up against the new guard, while his daughter, Nawara Negm, was recently assaulted by an Islamic voiced mob. His comments were offensive but a message of freedom underlied them. He once spoke of leading prayers to some Muslim Brothers in prison, where he’d leave the room once they bowed their heads and “leave them for hours trying to work out: Is this permissible?

Is this not? How do you imagine they can run a country as rich as Egypt?

The poor of Egypt are geniuses, don't underestimate them."

It seemed that Negm constantly needed to confront the establishment in order to gain the assurance

“DON’T EVER HOLD YOUR TONGUE. GOD HASN’T CREATED YOU WITH A TONGUE FOR YOU TO BITE IT. IT’S YOURS TO SPEAK WITH.” and inscribed into the walls of what was seen as a “new” Cairo.

Negm was born on May 22, 1929 in Kafr Abu Negm, a village just north of Cairo. At the age of six his father died and left his mother unable to provide for their 17 children. Negm was put in an orphanage in the city of Zagazig and went on to work on a British Military base and as a street vendor until he was imprisoned for forged papers at the age of 30. It was this incarceration by the establishment that led him to pick up the pen and use colloquial poetry to curse the inequalities of the system. Inmates and prison guards alike helped

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this generation escape the shackles of fear, and his children became the teachers. He wrote, “When the people choose freedom / Destiny must surely respond.” He saw his job as a poet to “wake them up”.

His lines remain in the minds of the revolutionaries, and in the graffiti that expresses the youth’s freedom in Cairo. Yet Negm watched as the march for freedom turned on itself in a step back towards authoritarianism. He was disparaging towards the Muslim Brotherhood in both voice and lifestyle. Known for having up to eight wives, and not impartial to hashish or blasphemy,

that he was part of progression. He used words to establish himself as part of the poor and weak against the rich and powerful. He learnt this in a region that has also been defined by this struggle, but only at points has had the opportunity to express their true desires. Negm recently reminisced on where he learnt this freedom of voice, his mother once instructed: “Don’t ever hold your tongue. God hasn’t created you with a tongue for you to bite it. It’s yours to speak with.”

WORDS BY HENRY LONGDEN

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