Tn2 Magaine, Issue 2, October 2011

Two TRINITY NEWS

FILM

MUSIC

THEATRE

A MATTER OF TASTE

by Clare Kealey

ART

FOOD

TV

FASHION

issue 2 4 October 2011

BOOKS

GAMES & REVIEWS

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THE DIFFICULT SECOND ISSUE

EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF:

Alex Towers

E

veryone makes mistakes.

But looking over the previous issue of Tn2 Magazine last week I couldn’t help but notice the little errors it included. The fact that most of them were entirely my fault added to the painful sting of frustration that echoed through me every time I noticed one (the sting was further amplified whenever anyone else pointed one out, particularly if they worked for The University Times). But with this issue I’ve found that while making it was undoubtedly harder I would like to think it’s better. And faster. And stronger.

A lot of people asked how we were going to top the last issue’s content. The answer is our staff, who continue to scour the vast cultural landscape and return with an array of wonderful articles. In this issue we have an interview with Parked director Darragh Byrne, who Robert O’Reilly talked to about the twin difficulties of making a film with Ireland’s terrible economic climate and even more terrible actual climate. We also have Richie Egan of Jape, who tells Michael Barry how to release four consecutively satisfying albums.

We have guides to buying bags and watching television (both, it turns out, are far more complicated than I expected them to be) as well as a look at the game Warco- where instead of shooting people you shoot news footage of other people shooting people.

But wait there’s more. This issue also boasts an exclusive interview with world-renowned chef Paul Liebrandt who had in-depth discussion with Clare Kealey in his restaurant Corton in New York about the disappointments of not being able to make what you want to make. We also have a comprehensive look at the upcoming Ulster Bank Theatre Festival thanks to Henry Longden- something that everyone with even a smidgeon of interest in theatre should genuinely try and experience. It’s usually one of the highlights of the year.

And finally all the usual Tn2 hallmarks are present: reliable reviews of the latest films, restaurants, plays, games and music as well as our Recipe column, our How To Guide, Anonymous Sex Diary (which if you want to contribute to- do so at http://tinyurl.com/tn2sexdiary), a competition on page 4 and of course the latest entertaining cultural meanderings from our columnist Karl McDonald in The Chaff. So while there inevitably may be some mistkaes in this Issue, at least we can safely say the content more than makes up for it.

As always, enjoy the issue.

Sentence of the Issue: A “ rt and cookery are so much alike. Matching ingredients is like painting. You need to understand the colours, recognise similar parallels, find a base and build that way.”

-Paul Liebrandt, Clare Kealey Interview, page 9 Special Thanks To: Fuchsia Macaree (for her forgiviness for spelling her name wrong in the last issue), John Rooney (for the theatre illustration), The Ulster Bank Theatre Festival, Anita Kothari Jaronik at the Myriad Restaurant Group, Clíona de Paor, HBO Inc & Richard Plepler for the images.

4 October 2011

4: THE OPENERS Ticket giveaways, French Film Posters, Flash Games, more Crucifixions, Dirty Wizards and a trendy Trinity student.

6: DOWN IN THE PARK Robert O’Reilly talks to Darragh Byrne about the difficulties he had making the new Colm Meaney film Parked.

8:PORTRAIT OF THE CHEF AS A YOUNG ARTIST Clare Kealey interviews Paul Liebrandt in his restaurant Corton about his genius food creations, his difficult rise to the top and his steely determination to stay there.

11: WHAT GOES ON Emma Jayne Corcoran previews the best of the upcoming television series while Neil Fitzpatrick looks at the first warjournalist simulation game, Warco.

12: THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE Henry Longden gives the most comprehensive look at the Ulster Bank Theatre Festival you’ll find in print.

15: BAG ME A WINNER Hannah Little gives some handy tips about what to look for when choosing a college bag.

16: JAPE ME Michael Barry interviews Richie Egan about his forth album, Ocean of Frequency while also attempting to start a beef with Nialler9.

20: REVIEWS This week we look at Midnight in Paris, Juniors, Dum Dum Girls, Indigio & Cloth, Are You Afraid of the Dark, God of War & Perfect Sense, all so you don’t have to.

25: HOW-TO/GUILTY PLEASURES Cormac Cassidy gets cable-tied to some freshers with the Vincent de Paul, while Michael Barry admits to a weakness for America’s favorite blonde alcoholic, Chelsea Handler .

26: CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE KARL IS COOKING? This week Karl McDonald has the crowds who gather at wresting matches firmly in his eloquent crosshairs in the latest installment of The Chaff.

Editor: Alex Towers Art Editor: Rosa Abbott Deputy Art Editor: Róisín Lacey-McCormac Books & Literature Editor: Patrick Reevell Deputy Books & Literature Editor: Annelise Berghenti Copy Editor: Sinead Nugent Fashion Editor: Stephen Moloney Deputy Fashion Editor: Hannah Little Film Editor: Robert O’ Reilly Deputy Film Editor: Nicholas Maltby Food & Drinks Editor: Clare Kealey Food & Drinks Editor: Aaron Devine

Games Editor: Andy Kavanagh Deputy Games Editor: Neil Fitzpatrick Music Editor: Michael Barry Music Editor: Gheorghe Rusu Online Editor: Keith Grehan Socities Editor: Cormac Cassidy Theatre Editor: Henry Longden Deputy Theatre Editor: Liza Cox TV Editor Laura McLoughlin Deputy TV Editor: Emma Jayne Corcoran Design: Gearóid O’Rourke & Martin McKenna

3

OPENERS

THINGS TO DO IN DUBLIN #2

HERE COMES YOUR MAN ART IN D U BLIN

LIVE- M USIC

Hard WorkingClass Heros: Starting on October 6th, is a threeday music festival that will host possibly every band that is remotely worth listening to in Dublin. Running in the Twisted Pepper, The Workman’s Club, The Button Factory, Shebeen Chic, The Mercantile and The Grand Social, this year’s line-up boasts hundreds of bands including Overheard the Albatross, No Monster Club & Cloud Castle Lake.

THE ATRE

The Ulster Bank Theatre Festival is now in full swing and I can guarantee that you will find something on their programme to interest you. With one the best selections of performances yet, this is what everyone will be talking about over the next few weeks. Also for details on how to get a special Tn2 Magazine discount on tickets, turn to page 12 for Henry Longden’s Tn2 guide to the festival.

ODD & EVEN

FILM The original poster for All About Eve

(1950) is striking for two things: the arrows that seem to laugh at the film’s narrative, and a tag line that does a lot to undermine some of cinema’s most iconic female characters. By 1950s standards, All About Eve is hardly a sexist film: its female cast is not only foregrounded in the plot, it is far more multi-dimensional than its contemporaries. Is the sentence ‘it’s all about women… and their men!’ a reduction or a glorification of female choice and gender primacy? Like the slightly indecipherable chain of love depicted in the poster, the answer is not straightforward. But in any case, the copy sits uneasily alongside the artwork of Erik Nitsche, a graphic designer whose reputation in his field is possibly unequalled.

Parsons professor Michael Aron puts Nitsche on his “top-ten list of the best twentieth-century designers in the world”. His zany inventiveness of superimposing cartoonish hearts and long-arching arrows the well-heeled cast evokes a formless Cupid. Like the movie itself, the poster has a fresheness that seems to transcend its provenance.

Nicholas Maltby 4

Ecce Homo, (circa 1558-1560)

by Titan The National Gallery of Ireland, Carrying with our ‘Art in Dublin’ series in which we present you with a walking history of art through Dublin, in this issue we take a closer look at Titian’s Ecce Homo in the National Gallery. Titian was one of the most important art historical figures to emerge from Venice in the 16th century and excelled in many genres, including mythologies, nudes and portraits.

The title of this painting refers to its religious subject matter- ‘Ecce Homo’, meaning ‘behold the man’- and refers to the episode from the Passion of Christ in which Christ is presented by Pontius Pilate to the Jews assembled outside the judgement hall after being flagellated and subjected to the crown of thorns.

Many renaissance painters endeavored to show their skill through the painstaking execution of architectural and anatomical details.

Titian has chosen here to obscure the grand designs and finer details of his contemporaries in favour of a more expressive handling of paint- as seen in the loose brushwork- preferring to focus in on the spiritual nature of this.

In this painting, Christ does not outwardly express his physical anguish. Christ’s head is downcast and He appears withdrawn and deeply introspective, seemingly transcending the physical pain and stirring the viewer to contemplate the miraculous nature of His suffering. Contributing to this moving effect is

the fact that in its original setting, this painting would have been viewed in a dark chapel, with only the candlelight to cast Christ’s luminous flesh in relief.

Ecce Homo is a prime example of the legacy with which Titian influenced later artists.

Painters such as Rubens and Vélazquez applied the same type of free and loose brushwork- which give the edges of the figure a blurry appearance- in order to convey movement and sensuality in their paintings of nudes and mythologies.

Róisín Lacey-McCormac

TN2MAGAZINE.COM COMPE TITION This week we have five

pairs of tickets to a special screening of the new blockbuster epic The Three Musketeers. It will be held on the 5th of October in Dundrum and if you want to win just be one of the first five people to email tn2@trinitynews.ie with the answer to this question: Which actor plays Cardinal Richelieu in the new film? Is it: 1) Christoph Waltz 2) Christopher Plummer 3) Christopher Lee GE T- INVOLVED We at Tn2 Magazine are always looking for enthusiastic new writers to contribute reviews, features, interviews and whatever else you might want to write about. Contact us at “firstname.lastname@trinitynews.ie” (e.g john.smith@ trinitynews.ie) or “section@trinitynews. ie” (e.g art@trinitynews.ie).

T WIT TER: Follow us at @tn2magazine for more updates, exclusive content and competition giveaways. Also whatever ramblings the Editor thinks are funny.

OPENERS

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING 2

TRINITY STREET STYLE

M USIC Róisín Lacey-McCormac – Beastie

Boys, Licensed to Ill. In an attempt to alleviate my fears that I might be turning into Charlotte York from SATC, I listened to the Beastie Boys for the past summer during the commute into my unpaid internship at a fancy art gallery, and it made me feel more like Eminem in 8 Mile, riding public transport and working 9 to 5 to make ends meet. Success.

Neil Fitzpatrick – Bon Iver, Bon Iver Bon Iver’s eponymous second album couples Vernon’s incredible vocal talent with a heavier, more intricate sound, and much broader instrumentation. Though lyrically very obscure, each track evokes strong and lucid emotion, and the end result is an exceptionally impressive record.

Patrick Reevell – Igor Rasteryev, Cossack Song Charming Russian accordionist/singer, it will have you kicking in no time.

Michael Barry – Western Homes, Western Homes are Empty, Western Homes is the electro-acoustic bandchild of Ciaran Hoogendoorn, a young Dubliner who went to my secondary school (St. Benildus represent) and is involved in resurrecting the dying art of convolutedenough-to-sound-arch song titles, (“The Alley Besides Tower Records” and “The Girl With Glass Eye and Synthesiser” being two examples). It’s ambient electronica effected with a tightness and control that is rare in the genre. Plus it’s the only thing I own on tape apart from Will Smith’s Will 2K single.

Compiled by Michael Barry

LEARN TO CURSE GAME S Anyone who plays

a lot of flash games will no doubt be aware that most of them require some masochistic tendencies. They sit precariously on the borders of casual challenge and sheer impossibility, never quite landing on either side and keeping us entertained, enthralled and enraged in equal measure. We love our flash games, they just don’t seem to love us. There is little on this earth as frustrating as a task that appears to be completely impossible and insultingly simple at the same time. That said, if you would like to destroy your productivity and possibly grit the edges off some of your teeth, Cursor*10 should serve you well. 10 cursors; 10 chances to reach the 16th floor of a tower. Each cursor expires after a set time but relives its life as you begin anew. You must cooperate wiwth your former selves in solving relatively simple puzzles made all the more difficult by the ever-descending timer. Deceptively simple. Furiously addictive. You have been warned: http://bit. ly/7ap5Vm Andy Kavanagh

FASHION Meadhbh McGrath, SF English & Philosophy TSM,

is wearing a vintage dress from the bargain box at Spitalfields market, a cardigan and jacket nabbed from her boyfriend’s wardrobe, and a vintage bag from Brighton. Leaving one shoe behind her that morning, she was forced to adopt “these boring pumps”, but I think they work just fine. The revolver necklace was an 18th birthday present from her sister and is her “favourite thing I own”. Her sartorial hobbies include re-working ‘ugly’ clothes and garish prints to something more palatable. Vintage and thrift is rife in Trinity and gotten wrong on a daily basis Maedhbh offers a free lesson right here, on how not to cock it up.

Stephen Moloney

THE DIRTY WIZARD AT HARRY’S ON THE GREEN

DRINKS Harry’s may not actually be on Stephen’s Green,

but it’s certainly right on the mark when it comes to drinks.

This Manhattan-style bar boasts over ninety cocktails and a team of twelve champion bartenders (led by celebrated mixologist Gareth Lambe). The Dirty Wizard’ is based on a strong measure of chilli-infused vodka, it includes unusual ingredients such as egg whites and gingerbread liqueur, with the spice balanced out by blackcurrant and citrus flavours. The finishing touch of dehydrated gingerbread on the glass is what truly sets it apart. It tastes even better than it sounds. Cocktails like these are often beyond the student budget, but on Tuesdays there is ‘buy one, get one free’ offer so there is really no excuse not to Aaron Devine

5

FILM

6

PARKED LIFE

by Robert O’ Reilly n these recessionary times it can be extremely difficult to pay your household bills or even afford a decent night out on the town, let alone manage to get the financing for a fulllength feature film. And making movies in Ireland has certainly been no mean feat at the best of times for up and coming film directors, the Celtic Tiger era being a notable exception for filmmakers attempting to get their projects off the ground. Movies like Intermission, Goldfish Memory and About Adam had a confidence and we might even say a self-realising ironic swagger about them, but they perhaps reflected a more enthusiastic Irish nation as a whole.

Several years after the financial bubble well and truly burst on the emerald isle and the nation had to deal with a period of internal midstrife crisis and extreme self-doubting that it is still coming to terms with, Irish filmmakers have now begun to make much more sombre, downbeat, and reflective movies, perhaps sensing that the nation’s shift in fortunes now needs to be put in a cinematic perspective.

One such filmmaker is Darragh Byrne, whose new movie Parked is released in Irish cinemas later this month. The film tells the story of Fred Daly (Colm Meaney) who has returned to Dublin from England for unknown reasons. Having only his car and boot full of material possessions to his name, Fred struggles to accommodate himself and also fails in getting any help from social welfare. Daly finds a friend in Cathal (Colin Morgan) who is afflicted by drug addiction, and he also falls for the widowed Jules (Milka Ahlroth).

Although the film can obviously be equated to the downturn in Ireland’s fortunes over the last few years, when I spoke to Darragh recently he was quick to dismiss the idea that Parked relates only to Ireland and its inhabitants. ‘The people in this film could be a series of characters that could be anywhere’, notes Byrne. ‘This is a universal story rather than a particular snapshot of Ireland’.

Colm Meaney, normally cast in smaller parts on screen for the last two decades, had to step up to the mantle of lead actor for Parked, in what Byrne himself described as a ‘hard, tough, demanding shoot’. ‘The role

“COLM IS EXTREMELY UNDERRATED...HE IS NOT GIVEN THE CREDIT HE DESERVES”

was a big challenge for Colm’, says Byrne, ‘not least due to the fact that the weather was so bad. 2010 had one of the coldest winters on record’. However, the director says that the man who is sometimes only recognised for playing the character Miles O’ Brien in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, was always brave and courageous on the 21-day filming schedule. However, Byrne, with just a flicker of irony in his voice, adds that ‘Colm actually did well to put up with all of us for the length of the shoot’.

Meaney’s director on Parked also believes that the Dublin-born actor is not given enough plaudits for his ability in front of the camera.

‘Colm is extremely underrated as an actor’, relates Byrne, ‘he is never really given the credit that he deserves’. When I asked Darragh if he told his actors precisely what to do on set or whether he allowed them much room to improvise, he made the point that ‘when you only have 21 days to shoot, you don’t really have the time to be hanging around making things up on the set’. However, one piece of improvisation from Meaney before filming actually took place surprised the director somewhat. ‘When I was casting the film I met with Colm in Mallorca’, says Byrne ‘and when I walked out of the airport, there he was wearing the glasses we had previously talked about the character having’. ‘I thought to myself ‘here’s Fred Daly!’ laughs the director.

Byrne’s debut feature film was a co-production between Ripple World Pictures and Helsinki Filmi Oy, but when I asked the Parked director whether Finnish actor Milka Ahlroth was hired because of the film’s production connection with her home country, he was quick to refute any such suggestion.

‘There was no pressure whatsoever put on me to choose a Finnish actor’, he says, ‘but having Milka on board brought a huge amount to the table creatively’. Although several Irish actors turned down the role, Byrne believes that casting somebody from outside Ireland actually helped the film, noting that the role ‘was always going to be much more interesting if played by a foreign person anyway’.

Further praising Ahlroth for her role in the film, Byrne says that ‘her character was a little bit flat on the page’ but that ‘Milka did a huge amount of work to make the character more three-dimensional. I was really pleased with her performance’.

Parked has won numerous film festival awards including the Audience Award at the Brussels International Film Festival, Best New Feature at the Galway Film Fleadh and was also nominated for several IFTAs. Byrne believes that there are some very simple reasons why audiences and critics have taken a liking to his movie: ‘It’s really refreshing that audiences do seem to respond to the film’, he

says, ‘I like to think that’s because the characters and performances are so strong in the film’, says Byrne, ‘and I’ve always believed that the director should immerse themselves in the world of the characters too’, he adds.

Like Byrne himself, actor Colin Morgan has just made the leap from TV and is perhaps

“THIS IS A UNIVERSAL STORY..

NOT A SNAPSHOT OF IRELAND” best known for his role as Merlin in the BBC series The Adventures of Merlin. ‘Colin was a great find for us’ says Byrne ‘and although he perhaps wasn’t an obvious choice for the role of Cathal O’ Regan, he really nailed it’.

The man behind the camera on Parked certainly comes across as a highly confident individual, and one who can make important decisions when they need to be made during filming. ‘I’m not afraid to walk on set’, says Byrne, ‘look left, and tell the crew that we’re filming over there today’.

Some of the director’s influences include Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent and The Visitor), who he personally relates to as a filmmaker. ‘McCarthy’s films generally look at a group of characters who are having an effect on each other’, he says. Byrne also admires the work of Babel and 21 Grams director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who he sees as filming in a ‘documentary cinema fashion’.

Darragh has worked on many documentaries himself, including an episode of the U.S. TV show Wide Angle for PBS and also co-directed the TV documentary mini-series The Underworld with Liam McGrath. He obviously likes to keep himself extremely busy, having run his own documentary production company (Graph Films) for several years as well. ‘My whole world comes from a documentary tradition’ says Byrne. ‘A lot of that’s my bread and butter’. In fact, the director of Parked thinks that his work on documentaries has put him in good stead for making feature films. ‘My documentary background’, he says, ‘affords me the ability of not having to put a stranglehold on reality’.

Not resting on his laurels, the director is currently working on two films in conjunction with the Irish Film Board (The Valentine Gang and The Good Heart), and if they are anyway near as well-received as Parked has been, then start expecting the name of Darragh Byrne to become a household name in the world of cinema.

7

INTERVIE W

NOUVELLE CUISINE

by Clare Kealey

O

n the surface, Paul Liebrandt appears to have it all. At 24 he was the youngest chef ever to be awarded three stars by The New York Times, he is head chef and part-owner of Corton, a two Michelin star restaurant in New York’s trendy Tribeca (and which is currently rumored to up for a coveted third star) and he was the feature of the highly praised HBO documentary, “A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt”. Liebrandt has experienced unparalleled success in his career. In 2002 Esquire Magazine declared him the chef most likely to change the way we eat in the twenty-first century while Time Out labeled him an “epicurian enfant terrible”.

When I met Liebrandt in his Corton restaurant I discovered that, in a world where the customer is always right the kitchen is not always the place to cultivate ingenuity.

Liebrandt made his name with experimental dishes like ‘eel with crystallised violet and chocolate’, ‘beer and truffle soup’ and ‘onion sorbet’. Many critics were torn, some describing the young chef as an innovator, others wrote of his food being “the result of a failed science experiment”. “You don’t know if the food is good or bad because you’ve never had anything like it before”, comments Thomas 8

Keller in A Matter of Taste soon after Liebrandt himself defends himself with the iconic line: “I’m not a nutcase, I’m an artist”.

The young chef blames his heritage for much of the negativity, saying many were angry that he showed up out of the blue and hadn’t worked his way up in New York. “There was a lot of mistrust and jealousy,” he tells me, his voice dry as he speaks of his challengers.

“It isn’t easy being British here, because there are no other Brits. If I was French or American, you’ve got other chefs to sort of parallel to. I’m kind of always being the one that’s left of center. It’s a challenge sometimes.” Although he does not does cook British cuisine, he says there is a British influence to his style, but is quick to depart from his roots. “Modern French is the way that I cook. But as far as the style goes, it is a little different yes. And I don’t find there’s anything wrong with that.

It’s good to have personality in what you do in your profession.”

When speaking of England, where Liebrandt grew up, there is automatic tension. He does not associate England as “home”, rather as entrepreneurial opportunity. While he left London originally out of boredom he now speaks more highly of it.

“London is now what I wanted it to be. There

used to be no creative thought but in recent years young chefs are really putting their flags in the ground and are not just replicating what they were taught in school”. I asked if he would ever return- “New York is my home now. I would consider opening a restaurant there though.” I sense his relationship with his family is strained. Upon asking if his family members find it intimidating to cook for someone of his caliber he responses that he rarely sees them. The young chef left home at aged fifteen and never looked back. His father hoped he would follow in his footsteps and join the army but this was never an option for the imaginative youngster.

“When I was 15, I was sitting with a commanding officer and he stuck a six-year contract in front of me. I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ll be so old when it’s over—21,’ and I decided not to do it. I gravitated towards cooking. I always liked food, my mother always cooked good, freshly made food, and that was in early ’80s in London, which was not like growing up in Provence. So I started working at L’Escargot in London. I moved out of my house and literally, I was paid pennies.” When I ask whether he ever considered another career path, he responded saying either an artist or something to do with movies, that he would need to be

creative. “Art and cookery are so much alike.

Matching ingredients is like painting. You need to understand the colours, recognise similar parallels, find a base and build that way.”

The linking of art, culture and story telling to food is a passion of Liebrandts. “When I come up with an idea, it’s not solely the cooking of the food and plopping it onto the plate.

I’m thinking of what story am I telling here? I

“ART AND COOKERY ARE SO MUCH ALIKE. MATCHING INGREDIENTS IS LIKE PAINTING. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE COLOURS.”

try to bring out the emotions of wonderment and discovery. It’s the whole sensory experience of eating the food.”

His attitude to food is almost intimidating it’s so complex. Everything is passionate, everything has a story. I am intrigued if he brings this same passion to his home cooking.

“I cook very simply at home”, he responds. I highly doubt the validity of this considering when asked what ingredient he could not live without he responded with “vanilla”. Don’t get me wrong, good quality vanilla ice-cream or the more adventurous parsnip and vanilla soup can be a real treat but I certainly “could live” without it. Similarly his approach to food can at times be almost unrealistic, especially when he considers himself quite down-toearth. We started speaking about student life and students cooking on a budget. “Use seasonal vegetables and shop in your local markets.” But what about when you’re faced with a budget that leans towards the cheaper, more readily available meals? “Students should cook for themselves. Don’t gravitate towards instant meals and take out.”

Liebrandt underwent a dramatic culinary transition in the early 2000s, causing him to soften his method of cooking in a major way. He tells me how after 9/11 people were

skeptical of developmental cuisine, choosing familiarity as a means of coping. “What was going on in the city was then translated into what the people wanted. There was suddenly a risk involved with going out and trying new restaurants. So in culinary terms, New York City at that time was big pull back.” A Matter of Taste, the HBO documentary that follows Liebrandt’s career over a ten-year period, captures his adaption to this in the most personal way.

When we first see Liebrandt in early 2001, he is developing the most innovative ideas, serving the most experimental cuisine and being awarded the most prestigious awards for his daring actions. Within a few months however, it becomes clear that Liebrandt’s attitude to food does not reflect that of the rest of the nation. The owners of the two Michelin star restaurant, Papillon, in which Liebrandt is the head chef soon decide that they will make more money as a standard neighborhood restaurant, serving comforting bistro fare. The documentary shows Liebrandt months later, plating mundane hamburgers and fries, a process which he complains is making him “brain dead”, so much so that he pretends to fall asleep. He leaves Papillon shortly after to take part in a new restaurant project in the 9

INTERVIE W

snazzy New York Plaza hotel. Yet when similar problems begin to emerge and Liebrandt’s difficulty to adapt to a new, calmer culinary method become apparent, the young chef is fired and remarks sarcastically to the camera “I’m unemployed, and yet Vogue Magazine has three-page spreads on me…”

It is at this point that one should feel a great deal of sympathy for the chef, however this is overpowered by a deep sense of disappointment. Liebrandt quickly goes from once being described by The New York Times as “the pianist who seems to have found a couple of dozen extra keys” to coming across like a jaded cynic. He gradually loses his eccentricity and prankster attitude and it could be said “sells out”. He opens a new restaurant called Corton, serving the most exquisite cuisine, yet gone are the exquisite flairs that were so

“YOU GET USED TO BEING YELLED AT...

HE IS ALWAYS VERY INTENSE... THERE IS A LOT OF FORCE BEHIND WHAT HE SAYS.” 10

flamboyantly present in his early work. But Liebrandt assures me that his adaption to the changing times is one that every great chef must experience and deal with accordingly. “One must not be one dimensional. To be really great, a chef should be able to do a casual approach, a mid range approach, and a high level.” Although Corton is a restaurant of the highest caliber, Liebrandt appears controlled and extremely business conscious. His relationship with his staff is that of a school master- “You get used to being yelled at”, one of his staff comments, “He is often difficult to deal with. He is always very intense. There is a lot of force behind what he says. All chefs get mad, they scream, they throw stuff. He doesn’t hit you. That’s good because most do that.”

Whether Liebrandt’s creative ingenuity has been quashed by the weight of the bland expectations of the Hoi Polloi is unclear. He is certainly no longer making headlines for his fanatical servings such as the famous blindfolded meals he employed early in his career (“I only did that twice really”). However it is undeniable that he has streamlined his genius into something more palatable for mass consumption. Corton is receiving consistently outstanding reviews for it’s elegant dishes.

But Liebrandt is no longer serving ‘Espuma of calf’s brains with foie gras’ or ‘Crab with grapefruit and tomato water mousse and beer gel’. In their stead are ‘Turbots crusted with almonds in a citrus-coconut broth with black garlic’ and ‘Wagyu Flatiron Beef with Burnt

“ONE MUST NOT BE ONE DIMENSIONAL. TO BE A REALLY GREAT, A CHEF SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A CAUSAL APPROACH, A MID-RANGE APPROACH AND A HIGH LEVEL” Eggplant and Black Truffle Purée’.

However it is clear that given the highs and lows of the past decade Liebrandt is now clear about what he wants to do with his food. It may not be as ‘exciting’ as it was, but then again when asked recently about if he still intended to change the way we eat he responded typically dryly “All in good time”.

Liebrandt has dedicated his life to carving his career and as a result his name is frequently tossed around with the phrase “world’s greatest”. But it appears his culinary evolution is far from finished. You only need to look at the Milton quote from Paradise Lost that he adorns his restaurants and website with to get a sense of the man’s ambition to keep moving forward: “Long is the way and hard, that out of hell leads up to light”.

T V & GAMES

ONES TO WATCH ith October upon us it’s again the time of year when a whole host of new shows are desperately paraded in front of us viewers in an attempt to build a fan base to secure a second season. But having spent my fresher’s week trawling through the unmitigated trash that is the ‘fall line-up’ I’ve emerged, relatively unscathed with a couple of recommendations for the next time you decide that rather than braving the rain for the library, you just want to sit in bed, curl up with a laptop and watch something escapist.

Up first we have The Playboy Club, which recently premiered to a lukewarm reaction stateside. The series centres on the employees (or ‘bunnies’ as they are known) of the first Playboy club in Chicago and is just about well made enough to hold your interest (Hugh

Hefner’s narration is a highlight). It’s no Mad Men, but it’ll do till that comes back on the air.

Elsewhere we have American Horror Story that airs on the 5th of October. Although from the makers of Glee, the show aspires to be a modern day Hitchcock-ian drama with special attention placed on cinematographic spookery. It doesn’t actually make you soil yourself with fear, instead, it leaves you with a lingering unnerved feeling that’s kid of hard to shake. The family drama aspect is also quite interesting, with a cheating husband longing for forgiveness a wife who suffered a late term miscarriage and a teenage daughter with obvious mental health issues and self harm tendencies. This could be one people talk about this year.

Then there is Terra Nova, that stars Trinity graduate Jason O’Meara and Avatar’s Stephen Lang. Coming nearly 20 years after Jurassic

Park, Steven Spielberg has decided to bankroll this sci-fi drama that revolves around a rift in the space time-continuum that allows humans abandon their smog-filled future world and travel back to the Cretaceous period. Although it sounds a bit manic, it’s definitely worth a look.

Finally we have Boss. This drama follows Kelsey Grammer headlining his first dramatic series as Tom Kane, Chicago Mayor, who controls everything in his city and will do anything to get the job done. But when he becomes suddenly afflicted with a degenerate brain disorder it soon becomes clear that it is not power that drives Tom Kane but the fear of losing it. Grammer seems desperate to leave Fraiser behind him and Boss seems like the perfect opportunity- he gives it his all and it’s worth watching for his sheer performance alone.

Emma Jayne Corcoran

This year Defiant Development unveiled Warco, a first person shooter that breaks the typical mould of the genre and arms the player with nothing more than a video camera.

It’s a novel concept; playing as a war journalist, your task is to capture footage of combat across various locales and situations, with bigger risks resulting in better footage. The project is the result of a collaboration between journalist Tony Maniaty and filmmaker Robert Connolly and has received widespread critical acclaim. Warco succeeds not only as a timely examination of exploitative war journalism, but as an extremely strong gameplay experience of its own and is set to bring a renewed sense of creativity and originality to an industry badly in need of new ideas.

It’s not just design that’s benefited from

innovation; developers are also rethinking how they publicise their titles. One example of this is Punchdrunk Theatre Company, specialists in immersive theatre for over ten years, and their latest project ...And Darkness Descended; a collaboration with Sony to deliver a terrifying interactive experience taking place beneath the Waterloo Station arches in London. Drawing from the subject matter of Sony’s shooter Resistance 3, participants are taken through a series of heart-pounding scares with the goal of delivering a message.

As a marketing tool, it’s an effective gimmick, and although Resistance 3 may not quite live up to the expectations of immersion and emotion implied by the piece, it’s refreshing to see Sony taking risks in promoting their games.

Neil Fitzpatrick

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

A

s lucrative as the business of gaming has become, it’s often hard to find examples of true innovation in the industry today. Developers pump out annual sequels and consumers can’t get enough, despite the only major change to each installment being the number at the end of the game’s title. If innovation really is the catalyst to growth, the gaming industry should have slowed to a crawl years ago. So why hasn’t it?

The truth is that innovation is alive and well in the gaming industry, hidden though it is beneath a layer of samey, repetitive releases.

By collaborating with figures from outside the industry, studios are taking risks and challenging conventions like never before.

11

THE ATRE

JUST PUSH PLAY

by Henry Longden

he Ulster Bank Theatre Festival opened last Thursday but preparations started long ago. In the run-up to the launch Loughlin Deegan talked to me about his time as Artistic Director, this year’s programme, the politics of Art and his new job at The Lir Academy.

Dublin Theatre Festival is Europe’s oldest specialist theatre festival. Now entering its 54th year, promoters can boast of previous programmes that have included Irish Greats such as Seamus Heaney, Roddy Doyle, Brian Friel and Enda Walsh. On top of continuing the great tradition of Irish writing, the festival has got progressively more international and now looks to bring the best productions from around the world to Dublin’s 25 venues around the city. Over the next fortnight 553 performances will grace the stages and provide a feast of entertainment for Dubliners and visitors alike.

A Social Programme: Whether you dare the sombre tones of Ibsen, get excited by the eccentricities of Cabaret or intrigued by a performance where actors outnumber the audience; The Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival have covered a broad and imaginative range of styles and disciplines this year. In his last year 12

as Deegan puts together a programme that seals his tenure with his unique insight while reacting to domestic and international mood.

This year’s programme combines daring projects, revisited classics and international prowess. A seemingly indulgent and hectic schedule makes this possible. Deegan explains, “As a part of the job I have to travel and see work from all around the world. I’ve made a commitment to travel as much as I can in order to stay abreast in international development and contemporary theatre” he boasts, “as much as I’m looking forward to hanging up the overalls I will miss the wonderful theatrical experiences I have had and being exposed in such an intense, sustained way to international theatre.”

Alongside the international work, what really emanates from the list of 28 main productions is the historic and contemporary quality of writing and drama in Ireland. Not only do names such as Sean O’Casey, Colm Toibin and Hugo Hamilton boast literary acclaim; but Ciaran Hinds, Sinead Cusack and Marie Mullen show dramatic accolades and progressive projects are abundant in Trinity graduates Rough Magic and festival favourites Broken Talkers.

How does such a small country produce

such talent continuously? Deegan struggles, “I have no idea, but I think it has something to do with the nature of us as a people, the fact that we learnt English spliced it with our own language and created a beautiful hybrid; our famous aural tradition; the fact that we’re Catholics living in Northern Europe with a Mediterranean sensibility. We like to tell stories and we happen to be particularly good at it.”

The connection between Art and social moods is undeniable, but where does a Festival Director start at connecting the two? Programmes need to face up to political issues without being vulgarly overt; after all culture often thrives in escapism. “I came into the festival [in 2007] at a time of increased funding for our 50th anniversary and I suppose at the height of the boom; and then had to manage the festival through the recession up to now.”

Deegan explains, “Changes in society bring with it great opportunity, in terms of how you change and modify the festival to make sure you’re still presenting a very large and interesting programme of work.”

Does this mean a continued struggle to keep the same quality of work in production? No, it means the artists themselves take the opportunity to create bold new work

Original Illustration by John Rooney for Tn2 Magazine

previously judged unfeasible: “We have nine productions this year that are in sight specific locations and so there is a sense that artists are making some sort of statement in terms of reclaiming the city, reanimating the city in that way which is only possible in the recession because all the spaces were previously earmarked for development.”

A Tenure of Progression and Fortitude: The festival has expanded greatly since Deegan was appointed in 2007, attracting internationally renowned work to a new audience while championing home-grown talent.

“CHANGES IN SOCIETY BRING WITH IT GREAT OPPORTUNITY, IN TERMS OF HOW YOU CHANGE AND MODIFY THE FESTIVAL”.”

Many will point to such achievements as bringing Alan Rickman and Fiona Shaw to last year’s festival; or the globally successful (if not in Ireland) Pitmen Painters in 2009.

However, the overall success over the last five years has been the programme’s interaction with its host nation.

Consistently championing established and emerging home-grown talent, The ReViewed showcase enters its 4th year, promoting Irish Theatre from the past twelve months to programmers from key festivals worldwide.

Often dipping into works from the previous Fringe Festival, this is a symbol of progress that the festival has made in endorsing the best of Irish talent.

Not a purely international festival like Edinburgh, but less insular than in previous years, a balance has been born that is best epitomised by The Abbey’s collaboration with Britain’s National Theatre to produce Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock. “Howard Davies, the great English director, is tackling one of the great Abbey classics with two great Irish Actors in Sinead Cusack and Ciarin Hinds; and with a wonderful Irish director based in London, Bob Crawley.” Deegan explains, “ I think that in itself is politically fascinating, a sort of theatrical cocktail and

I suppose indicative of the new relationship that now exists, a very healthy, mature relationship between the two islands.”

Afloat despite Austerity: As debates on funding reignite under pressure from a struggling national budget, how can we justify public expenditure on arts funding against a backdrop of cuts to seemingly more basic public goods including education and healthcare? In the 2010 budget, 5.6% was stripped from The Art Council’s Budget, with opera largely bearing the brunt. This was seen by The National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) as a mild success following the 2009 McCarthy report that recommended that The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism be ‘critically examined’.

Deegan, a key member of The NCFA describes the reaction “I suppose that was a rallying cry for the industry which people responded to and I think very successfully... the funding for the arts is miniscule in national terms to begin with, the arts budget has been cut like all the other budgets but half the problem has been that the arts have been seen as the soft target and received excessive cuts”. Unfortunately the budget meant 30 organisations, including The Irish Writers’ Centre, were stripped of all grants. “I think 13

THE ATRE

FESTIVAL RECOMENDATIONS

TN2 Theatre Section; “We suggest The Wild Bride at The Gaiety. This tale of a daughter sold to the devil is brought by Kneehigh Theatre Company from Cornwall. If you are unfamiliar with this fantastic ensemble of directors, actors and producers then expect dark humour, magical legends and Tony Award winning production.” The Wild Bride, Gaiety Theatre, 13th – 15th October

even maintaining arts funding at its current level would be a very wise move for the government in terms of the return they get in so many ways.”

When government money dries up, the importance of American style corporate sponsorship becomes ever more important. However, Ulster Bank’s support will end this year; will the festival suffer a regression as it enters a new era with Willie White taking over the reins? “I think that it’s going to be challenging for my successor... [but] I think the arts can continue and come out relatively unscathed.

If we make the political argument the festival will benefit from that as a result.”

Student Discounts: A central mission for all involved with theatre is to extend its often limited reach, and the festival is keen to celebrate the progress it has made in this area. “In actual fact the largest section of our demographic is the 25-35 year old bracket,” he continues, “I am very conscious of the section of our audience that are young, urban, and culturally literate, educated and interested in challenging, innovative and provocative work.” To further widen their influence the festival has teamed up with Tn2 Magazine to offer 20% off all tickets to shows at The Gaiety as well as Ibsen’s Peer Gynt at The O’Reilly Theatre. Simply quote ‘Trinity’ when booking online, by phone or in person at the box office.

On top of this, a new initiative, ‘Final Call’, has been launched; whereby tickets are sold 14

for 10 Euro on the day of the performance.

To find out what tickets are available check dublintheatrefestival.com or like Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival on Facebook, and then purchase the tickets in person from the box office in Temple Bar between 4pm -6pm.

The Lir and the Future: With The Project Art Centre’s Willie White taking over as the festival’s Artistic Director in 2012, Loughlin Deegan departs for The Lir Academy, the latest addition to Dublin’s theatrical scene.

Offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in acting, directing, lighting design, stage design, stage management, technical theatre and writing; the academy is linked to both the professional sector and the prestigious RADA in Great Britain. “It’s an independent academy for dramatic art within Trinity College which I think is in itself a very radical and interesting structure”, Deegan clarifies, “the idea is that it will be very practical, hands on training where all students there will be contributing to productions across the 3rd year of the acting degree. We are aiming for up to 10 productions a year”.

Deegan will leave behind 5 years of intriguing programming that combined daring projects with commercially sound ones; international quality with home-grown excellence and traditional theatre with redefined drama.

For full coverage of the festival, with daily updates, reviews and news, visit trinitynews. ie.

Loughlin Deegan, Festival Artistic Director; “You want me to choose one of my babies over the others? I’d suggest Gardenia in The Gaiety. Vanessa Van Durme is one of the world’s great choreographers and directors.

It is a wonderful piece about ageing. Drag queens and rent boys camp it up one last time in a great colourful display of the joy of being alive. It’s a contemporarytheatrical experience that will have everybody on their feet clapping at the end.” Gardenia, Gaiety Theatre, 10th – 11th October

Lynne Parker, Director of Peer Gynt; “I would never miss anything by Louise Lowe, so Laundry would be my top choice in the Irish work. ReViewed offers a chance to see Slattery’s Sago Saga again, a real treat, and a chance to catch Amy Conroy’s I heart Alice heart I, which everyone says is wonderful.

My choice in the visiting productions would undoubtedly be The Wild Bride by the legendary Kneehigh, and as I’m fascinated with any new approach to Shakespeare, Othello C’est Qui.” Laundry, The Magdalene Laundry, Until 15th October. Slattery’s Sago Saga, Rathfarnham Castle, 6th – 16th October. Othello C’est Qui, Smock Alley Theatre, 7th – 9th October.

FASHION

BRAND NEW BAG

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by Hannah Little

L

aptop, charger, refill-pad, pencil case, phone, wallet, keys.

Whatever you need to fit into your bag for college this year, you’ll soon realize that it’s going to weigh a ton even before you’ve left the house. Here is a run down of this year’s most sophisticated and affordable campus carryalls spanning a range of styles that still have enough room for your treasured ‘Groovy Chick’ pencil case.

ONE The Shopper: This simple Zara shopper (€25.95) is lightweight and perfect for the bare essentials when you’re rushing to a morning lecture. It’s minimal colour pallet adds versatility.

T WO The Satchel: Spotted literally all over campus last year, this vintage classic is back with interesting touches such as this striking Aztec print from Urban Outfitters (€63). Also look out for re-worked in acid bright shades.

THREE The Hold-All: This vibrant tapestrycovered handbag could be the ultimate oneoff charity shop find but is actually from Pull and Bear, and a steal at €25.99. It has enough space for a day of college work, plus a change of clothes for a night out!

FOU R The Backpack: “If it’s not broken”.. this unisex canvas rucksack from H&M (€29.95) is versatile with just the right amount of armyinspired khaki. More importantly, plenty of room for those ginormous, ancient laptops out there!

FIVE Alternatively, for the more cashstrapped amongst us, talk your old-pair into buying you an Eastpack or Jansport. They’ve just released a whole hoard of exciting new

styles and prints with the same reliable backpack design and renowned durability. Eastpack.com (€50) SIX The perfect bag needs the perfect laptop sleeve, so protect yours from taking a battering with these chic sleeves. Laptop sleeves have come a long way from their first utilitarian incarnations, and resemble, nowadays, something much closer to a just-of-the-runway clutch bag. Clockwise from top right: Asos (€25.64), Two from Forever 21 (€15.90), Accessorize (€30) or you could customise your own at Snupped.com (€30)

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15

MUSIC

THE OLDEST MIND

by Michael Barry

hen Jape (or more specifically, Richie Egan) first emerged in the preNialler9 era where no one in Ireland had ever heard of hip hop, and everyone listened to Hard-Fi, he was an almost unheard of anomaly on the domestic scene. He made off-kilter pop music which was fun to listen to without having to sacrifice the street cred of your Youtube recommendations section. Known to most for his anthem “Floating”, or if not that then for the fact that the song was covered by The Raconteurs, Egan has just released his fourth album Ocean of Frequency, which already looks set to launch another thousand blog entries.

In person Egan is affable to the point of making you feel over-apologetic for having to inconvenience him with questions. He is very eager to discuss his new material, and is keen to gauge its reception. For a start he was very happy with the response to his Electric Picnic set last month, which despite not being as mental as his previous gig at the festival resulted in a positive response to the new material. “The album was coming out at the end of the month, and we decided to play a lot of new songs, and balance them out with some of the old tunes. This gig was a lot more reserved, but I was kind of proud that we did the new 16

shit, and it had to be done at some stage. People seemed into it anyway.”

The press release for Ocean of Frequency mentions influences varying from Prefab Sprout to The Microphones. Given the esteem in which Paddy Macaloon from the former and Phil Elvrum from the latter are respectively held for their song-writing, it does seem as if this album finds Egan placing a new emphasis on lyrics. This is possibly due to a broader shift that occurred when making this album. “With Ritual I had one eye on the idea of trying to hook people in with frivolous hooks and stuff like that whereas with this one I wanted to make something that I could listen to and be super proud of. For a listener

“YOU CAN DIP INTO THE TIN HAT BRIGADE BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE TOO FAR”

it’s probably not as immediate, but I think if it’s given time it’s a way better album and it’ll get under people’s skins. Hopefully it’s a grower, like the good shit.”

The source of the album’s title reflects Egan’s attempt at making an album that primarily interests him. “I was watching an interview with a guy called Michael Talbot on this Youtube channel called “Thinking Allowed”, and it’s basically this crazy public access TV show in America with all these dudes talking about Shamanic physics and stuff. Talbot has a book that talks about how the universe might be a hologram and that when you get down to everything on a quantum level stuff is connected in a really strange way. And when you think about it light is a frequency, sound is a frequency, so I thought of an “Ocean of Frequency” as a good idea of explaining the universe. You can dip into the tin hat brigade world but be careful not to go down the rabbit hole too far!”

Jape’s always fluid concept of genre reflects his diverse influences. Richie’s inclusion of a throwaway Mastodon reference on one of his most straightforward pop songs (“Phil Lynott”) is a key example of the balance he strives for. As a teen he was also really into the Dead Kennedys and the whole Bay Area punk scene. He finds the idea of taking Jape

in a similarly extreme direction a curious one, although he seems to view a pop ethos as something that is crucial to the project.

“Growing up I hung around with a lot of metallers but I was always the really weird dude who was into Simon and Garfunkel. I’ve finished this album and I’ve been thinking about where to go with the next one and, one of the things that crossed my mind was, I still have a whole load of vinyl punk records, and I think it would be really interesting to sample some of those. This day and age everyone listens to everything though, and you never know where it’s going to go. I think I was ahead of the curve in listening to Kylie Minogue, for example. I don’t think young kids these days care that much about distinctions.”

One of the topics that is most often mentioned whenever the subject of Jape comes up is the Choice Music Prize. Jape won the prize in 2008 for his third album Ritual. The prize itself already seems to have taken on its own momentum, and the fact that Egan’s win is still discussed shows how it’s already perceived as being a big deal. Richie seems to see the prize as both a media construct and a continuation of the domestic scene’s tradition of helping each other out. “What I think the Choice is great for is taking albums, even albums that weren’t nominated, and get people

“PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA ARE HYPING UP INSTRUMENTAL ELECTRONICA THAT MAYBE THEY DIDN’T IN THE PAST” talking about them. In terms of the horse race element of things, of course, it’s nice to win ten grand. On the whole I think it’s a good thing for Irish music. Heaven knows it’s difficult for smaller bands to eke out an existence.”

On the subject of methods of exposure, Jape’s initial rise to prominence came on the back of both newfangled internet word-ofmouth and old-fashioned radio airplay. Despite the end of Donal Dineen’s Today FM show and the move of DJs like Alison Curtis to lifestyle programming he feels that the radio is still a crucial life support for new bands seeking to gain exposure. “It is important for a band to be played on the radio, even in the

evening time only. I don’t think Donal will be gone from Irish radio for good. I think there will also be a space for someone like Donal Dineen. The good shit will still get out there somehow.”

He feels very favourably towards the current Irish DIY electronica scene, and feels that domestic musical output in general is probably as strong as it has ever been. During the course of our conversation he references Moths and Solar Bears as two artists of whom he is particularly in awe. Despite this, he is sceptical about whether this much-touted diversity is a new phenomenon. “To be honest, I thought it was always like that. It seems like maybe people in the media are hyping up instrumental electronica stuff that maybe they didn’t in the past. Hopefully people are just more open than they used to be.”

Richie is also of course one of the key members of the much-feted post-rock outfit The Redneck Manifesto. He says that they are all eager to record together again, but find it difficult to get the time given that his band mates are so widely dispersed. “We’re writing stuff, but very slowly, as Matthew our guitarist lives in Sweden and is only over once a year.

Our band metabolism is very slow, but we’ll stay together forever. We’ll be in the old folks home, rocking out on the bass!”

17

SEX

RECIPE

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

WANTON SOUP Clare Kealey

The One That Could Get Us Sued

MONDAY: Things will be different this year. Although

it’s a cliché I find myself repeating that as I strolled around campus this afternoon. I actually made the decision that I must change last year. The affairs had started getting to my conscience. Well, not my conscience per se. I just didn’t want to be caught. It made me sick to imagine how my children and wife would hate me if they found out. How the tabloids would inevitably pick up the scandal. How wherever I went I would be labelled a lecherous scumbag, who threw his career down the drain because of some girl. That is all she was really.

Some girl. But one must look at this practically. Master’s students are not freshman. If it were freshmen things would be different.

TU ESDAY: I’ve never liked Dublin. It’s grey bleakness tends to pervade everyone’s mood. I sit on the computer and try and find any available research trips I can go on.

Florence. Barcelona. Los Angeles. I’m so desperate I’d even consider Berlin. Anything to just get away from this sodden pit. ‘Looking Forward: A Conference on the Future of Higher Education” looks promising. And it’s in Rome. I’ll get my secretary to RSVP in the morning.

I wonder if I could bring Suzanne? I could say she is a research assistant. It’s worked before. Although she is doing her PhD in Quantum Physics. Might look suspicious. We don’t want a repeat of two years ago. That was too close to comfort. Although what those wannabe hacks were doing looking at my expense account was beyond me. They are persistent though. I’ll bring Rachel instead. She is doing her masters in Educational Therapy. That won’t attract attention. Also her lips are perfect. The kids come in the door and I have to temporarily abandon my holiday plans and listen to their mundane school stories. Roma, sto venendo.

WEDNESDAY: Disaster today when my secretary tells me my wife’s birthday falls in the middle of the Rome trip. I come to a compromise and decide to bring her.

The secretary tells me I have to pay for her flights as she is not part of the educational envoy. I tell her to set up a meeting with someone in the University of Rome to make it an official visit. That way there are no problems over expenses.

TH U RSDAY: I am starting to feel the need for excitement again. Rome is still a week away and last night at a drinks reception for something or other I spent 45 minutes talking to Jane and her blonde hair and blue eyes. She wanted to talk to me about the possibility of funding her biochemical study or something. I give her my personal number and tell her to call me so we can arrange a time to discuss it privately. I was worried for a second when she hesitated over my business card. But then she smiled coyly and said she was looking forward to it. I think she might be getting her grant.

FRIDAY: My wife is ill. Tragedy. I spent the whole day waiting on her, bringing her soup and other such things husbands are meant to do when their wives are ill.

Eventually she said the magic words and gave me permission to go to Rome without out her. We do have one extra place now though. I wonder if Jane is free…

18

“I would be labelled a lecherous scumbag, who threw his career down the drain because of some girl”

This Tuscan favourite is loved by all (and I do mean all) mainly because of its soft consistency and comforting taste. During my dreaded wisdom teeth ordeal this soup really hit the spot. Jamie Oliver calls it an “all-thefamily-favourite” because it can be eaten by babies and grandparents alike (and naturally both without teeth) with much gusto. Other than the ability to eat this soup without straining the elderly, it is also an extremely student-friendly recipe as one of the main ingredients is stale bread. Not the moldy kind of course, but one or two day old bread is just perfect.

PAPPA AL POMADORO

700g vine tomatoes 5 cloves of garlic 1 tin of plum tomatoes A large bunch of fresh basil leaves 3 large handfuls of stale bread (use cottage-style bread, baguettes or ciabatta- not sliced pan) Extra virgin olive oil Salt and Pepper 1) Drizzle olive oil, crush two garlic cloves and toss in

some basil leaves over the vine tomatoes. Pop everything onto an oven tray and roast for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees.

2) While your vine tomatoes roast, heat a glug of olive oil in a large pot along with the remaining three garlic cloves and a small handful of basil.

3) To this add a tin of tomatoes, bring to the boil and then shimmer for 15 minutes.

4) Tear up the stale bread and add to the pot. By this time your vine tomatoes will be done.

5) Add the vine tomatoes, the remainder of the basil and season with salt and pepper.

6) Leave the soup sit on a low heat for 10 minutes 7 ) Garnish with a basil leaf and serve (Note: This soup is supposed to be stodgy but not overly so. You’re looking to achieve a similar texture to porridge so feel free to add in some water or even a little !vegetable stock if you need to.)

&

REVIEWS Music

Fashion

Books

Food

Games

Art

Films

Theatre

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

by Alex Towers

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II.1

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Director: Woody Allen Woody Allen has always been a dividing force in film appreciation. While many find his neurotically honest tales of love, sex and death deeply endearing others can’t stand his nebbish, pseudo-comedies and label them as little more than east-coast intellectual masturbation. Granted for every Annie Hall there is a Match Point, for every Radio Days a Cassandra’s Dream, but consistency aside he remains one of the most interesting directors working today.

However given the diminishing returns in terms quality his output over the last decade has yielded, you could be forgiven for approaching his latest film with some trepidation. Midnight in Paris tells the story of Gil, a classic Woody Allen character that manages to be both simultaneously charming and that little bit conceited. Like many of Allen’s protagonists, Gil is a writer who worries excessively that he is not doing what he is supposed to be doing with his life. However while previous characters worried about girls, careers and vanity, Gil is worried he is living in the wrong time and lives in a permanent state of nostalgia for the past.

The film is set mostly in modern day Paris, as Gil is dragged around by his irksome finance Inez. While Inez wants Gil to help her in picking out furniture for their new Malibu beach house, Gil wants to wander through a rain-drenched Paris, forget his troubles and imagine what it would be like to live in the city during it’s ‘Golden Age’ heyday of the 1920’s.

However when the couple runs into the loathsomely pretentious Paul, an old college friend of Inez’s, who insists they accompany him on 20

his cultural tours, Gil begins to take every opportunity he can to abandon his fiancée and go out on Parisian walks in search of inspiration for his new book.

It’s on one such midnight walk that Gill, having drunken too much, is picked up by a century old taxi and brought back into Paris of the 1920’s, complete with charlestons, flappers and a cavalcade of Gill’s artistic heroes.

On paper this concept should not work. It’s the kind of fantasy that seems all too easy to sneer at. It’s almost like talking to your pretentious friend whose plans for after graduation revolve solely around moving to the French capital, buying an old Norton motorbike and drinking coffee, paid for by charcoal sketches, by the Seine.

However Allen masterfully crafts his whimsical story into something that genuinely delights, thanks mostly to his typically brilliant casting. In the lead role Owen Wilson is perfect. Having too often been regulated to the “funny partner” in buddy films, Wilson manages to hold the entire picture together.

While his labrador like enthusiasm and ‘aw shucks’ Texan drawl usually mean many dismiss him as purely comedy actor, here they serve the script perfectly. Most actors would have trouble playing a scene just the right way where they are supposed to be gazing in wonderment after being brought back in time.

Michael J. Fox did it in Back to the Future and Owen Wilson does it even better here. People tend to say that most actors who take on lead roles in Allen’s films tend to just to an impression of Allen himself, but in Midnight in Paris Wilson bring all of his excitable charisma while combining it with some obligatory

Allen neurosis. When he is introduced to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda (played wonderfully by Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill) after arriving in the 1920’s he only spends a few minutes with his mouth ajar before he decides to just go with it and agrees to go out drinking with them and Ernest Hemingway ( played by an amusingly macho Corey Stroll, who walks off with every scene he’s in).

However the whole cast is virtually flawless. Rachel McAdams manages first to successfully earn our sympathy as Gil’s ignored fiancée and then become completely and utterly detestable before the credits. Michael Sheen is also a worth the price of admission alone. Allen seems to have revisited the character in the cinema queue from Annie Hall.

Every cringe-inducing nugget of smarm-laced fact Paul utters is qualified by “I believe” or “I read” or “If I’m not mistaken”. The scene in which he snobbishly insists to a quietly patient Rodin scholar (a not distracting cameo

by France’s first lady, Carla Bruni) that she is completely incorrect will have audiences squirming in hatred.

Finally there are the 1920’s sections, which are made vibrant by cameos by Adrian Brody as a over-the-top Dali, Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein and a naturally luminous Marion Cotillard as Gil’s (and Hemingway’s and Picasso’s) love interest.

But where the film could be criticised is it’s incessantly lofty whimsy. Gill ping pongs around the 1920’s art and literature set, bumping into the likes of Cole Porter, Luis Buñuel, T.S Eliot and Man Ray while dropping references (or rather in-jokes) to their respective future careers. At times it’s almost too much.

But given the relatively short running time, Midnight in Paris breezes along at just quick enough a pace for you not to notice any of it’s relatively minor flaws.

But right from the opening voiceover and nostalgically romantic shots of Paris in the rain (lifted adeptly from Manhattan’s opening scenes) this film will ensure you just drop any pretentions and will just enchant you. But then again, I want to move to Paris and buy a motorcycle.

Alex Towers

II.1

I

PEER GYNT

I CURSE THE RIVER OF TIME

Director: Lynne Parker

Per Petterson

BOOKS Given the success of writers such as

THE ATRE Henrik Ibsen’s epic tale of insin-

cerity, direction and egotism has been historically troublesome to stage. The great Nordic writer’s disregard for the limitations of stagecraft left directors puzzled with a script that flips through time and space. Five acts and forty scenes move from village life to isolated desert, a North African care home to an ocean struggle; surreal journeys to tragic realism.

On top of these complications the depth and cynical nature of Ibsen’s work has made Rough Magic’s task the most ambitious of the festival. In a new version by Arthur Riordan’s, Director Lynne Parker uses a style typical to the company. Underscoring theatrical wit with ideological depth, this production has been earmarked by all who are familiar with the style and success of the group.

Staying true to the original Riordan has adapted thousands of lines of rhyming verse.

A nursing home set is used and frames Peer’s adventures to find his ‘self’. The set encircles a live orchestra whose score complements the pace. Farcical props provide humour in moments of darkness and although the ideology is difficult and tiring at times; it is no more than the original. The final act brings lucidity and reward for enduring the most strenuous scenes.

The abandonment of set change is wise and combined with the music’s tempo and rapid verse the play is limited to 3 hours. Conversely Ingrid Bergman’s cinematic version lasted 5. Purists may claim that most Ibsen translations lose the linguistic potency of the original, and I could not help but presume that this

version still falls short of the poetic verse of the original text.

Names and locations are kept, but Irish witticisms and language draw parallels between the satire Ibsen was casting on his national character and Ireland’s current moment of introspection. A certain emphasis seems to be made on Peer’s abandonment of religious values in moments of egotism. In a vein trip to St Peter – Peer exclaims to his mother: ‘As this way– is paved with good intentions, “We’ll be grand,” I say.’

A key to understanding the play is gripping the dichotomies of intention and value, devotion and indifference. Ibsen was satirising the weakness of the Norwegian people; 130 years on, we may understand it as a criticism of our society’s greed and abandonment of traditional values.

Rory Nolan’s Peer is a mature and unforgivable one and he shows an understanding of the language and meaning that is both admirable and brilliant; furthermore Lynne Parker’s direction is explanatory and imaginative. Not a production for those wanting an evening of easy entertainment and mental shutdown; but for those willing to brave the psychology and satire, Rough Magic’s Peer Gynt is a wonderfully interesting production.

Peer Gynt will be performed in the O’Reilly Theatre of Belvedere College untill the 16th of October.

Henry Longden

Stieg Larsson, Camilla Läckberg and Henning Mankell (all Swedish, incidentally) one could be forgiven for thinking that all Scandinavians care to write about are hard-living detectives or dragon-tattooed hackers. This is certainly not the case. Scratch just a little beneath this gritty crime exterior and you will find gems such as. I Curse the River of Time, Per Petterson’s fourth english novel.

This book sees the Norwegian author return to his familiar themes of disintegrating relationships and heartbreak. Arvid Jansen is a man stuck halfway through a bitter divorce.

This, along with his mother’s diagnosis with cancer, sends him on a psychological journey through his childhood memories, while in the background, Communism, to which he devoted so much time as a youth, falls apart brick by brick. The narrative meanders from 1989 to ths protaganist’s past as each moment is recalled with both an aching tenderness and burning regret. It’s the relationship between Arvid and his mother which acts as an centrepin for the the novel, he has spent his life in the shadow of his brothers, forever longing for her validation and affection.

Petterson’s prose can be startlingly direct and blunt, and in places retains Norwegian syntax – a device which maintains in the translation the distinctly Scandinavian quality of his work. This is also evident in his use of humour; when observing his mother he, as a Norwegian, describes her actions as being “very Danish”, a comment which typifies the kind of gentle teasing that goes on between the countries.

The author’s attention to the smallest details- from the Danish cigarette brand LOOK to the bottle of Calvados he bought for his mother- creates a profound level of intimacy.

I Curse the River of Time is slow-paced and thought-provoking, and despite its morose themes of illness, unhappiness and death, a true pleasure to read.

Kerstina Mortensen 21

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INDIGIO & CLOTH II.1

South William Street/Drury Street

A PERFECT SENSE Director: David MacKenzie FILM David Mackenzie’s Perfect Sense joins

the recent surge of films examining the disintegration of the current world order. Like Lars Von Trier’s latest work, Melancholia, the film questions our very existence and notion of being, although Perfect Sense is much more of a contemporary romance wrapped in the cloak of inevitable doom drawn forth by our failings as a species than a true examination of the human soul.

Set in Glasgow at the onset of a biological apocalypse, the film follows Michael (Ewan McGregor), an emotionally paralysed chef and Susan (Eva Green), a high-strung epidemiologist who discovers a strange ailment in a patient, in which said individual suffers ‘Severe Olfactory Syndrome’ (namely loses his sense of smell) following an emotional breakdown. A number of similar cases are reported in Scotland and the pandemic soon becomes global. The protagonists, both infected, begin a tumultuous relationship in a very conventional romantic film way, as they come to terms with this loss of senses. That is before their sense of smell is also threatened...

It is at times difficult not to stand back from the film and consider how ridiculous the juxtaposition of a quietly blooming romance and medically inexplicable disease which threatens humanity, can work together without overly sentimentalizing the notion of how love can transcend all. Admittedly, however, it is the sentimental nature of the relationship which gives the film much of its heart and Mackenzie largely succeeds in making it work by drawing strong yet subtle performances from McGregor and Green.

However, for a film which would seem necessarily global in its outlook, Perfect Sense remains oddly immediate and personal, with the director preferring to focus on the intimate circumstances of his protagonists in Glasgow. The biological disintegration of the human race in this manner (i.e. humans losing their senses) is inherently metaphorical in nature, but Mackenzie’s moralistic questioning is not laboured at any point. While Perfect Sense remains a largely clichéd love story, it is particularly thought-provoking in its circumstance. Not a film for the cynical minded however.

Diarmuid Cushen 22

FASHION As Dublin’s retail thoroughfares

swell with another corporate high-street store’s arrival, it’s a hugely plausible consideration that a backlash is well underway. As well as wishing to disassociate oneself with the identikit Arcadia masses (Topshop and Topman to you and I) trending, more and more of the mass-consuming, middle class student-set are at least becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of sustaining indigenous enterprise. The myriad vintage shops dotted around the city centre alongside Dublin’s growing roster of independent boutiques including Bow, Smock, Dolls, and Costume all partly serve to help soften the blow dealt by mass producers.

Amongst the aforementioned retailers crowding around the South William Street/ Drury Street-axis is Indigo & Cloth. Established in 2007 by a ballsy Garrett Pritcher with an infectious enthusiasm for nigh on everything creative and independent, the store’s most recent accolade was being voted ‘most inspiring’ by heavyweight trade publication Drapers. Indigo & Cloth’s ethos rotates around a resounding rejection of mainstream high-street retailers’ and their questionable quality, something most of us are far too accustomed to. Instead, focus rests upon timeless design, quality materials, a high standard of construction, and supporting emerging talent.

Men and women are equally catered to, the former’s choice including Our Legacy, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, and most excitingly Oliver Spencer, who just showed a stellar collection at London Fashion Week. Expect

trousers in classic cuts with a modern tailoring twist, soft yet durable knitwear (unlike that shapeless River Island number staring at you), fitted shirts of understated colour and print, and rugged and robust bags. Womenswear is the epitome of restraint with a wholly simple Scandinavian aesthetic, making it infinitely wearable and unconstrained by faddy trends. Pieces have longevity - a smack in the face to the throw-away nature of high-street pieces - with dresses by Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair and Stylein delicately draped and colour blocked.

Alongside well-devised (perhaps sometimes erring a step too close to cautious ) seasonal buys - i.e. with just enough disparity from the mainstream - an alluring aspect of a visit to Indigo & Cloth, is the incomparable range of publications on sale. As sweeping a statement as it may seem, its enviable collection is by far the best in the country. Personal favourites Acne Paper and Self Service are represented, seen only in London or on the continent otherwise. Staff are keen to encourage the well-established relaxed atmosphere of Indigo & Cloth with comfortable seating, a free-to-use Nespresso machine, and good conversation all on-hand.

With prices higher than many reading this are willing to pay, there is indeed a certain kind of client in mind. Nevertheless, if convincing is required, bear in mind the pieces here are investments, and there’s a sale worth lusting after during the year. Failing that, the magazines are accessible, offering a wealth of inspiration one simply can’t put a price on.

Stephen Moloney

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ONLY IN DREAMS Dum Dum Girls

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RUSTIC STONE M USIC The sophomore release from the four

South George Street

FOOD Dylan McGrath, aside from being

known as a judge on RTE’s Masterchef, is arguably one of the most exciting culinary talents this island has to offer. Mint, the Ranelagh restaurant which earned him a Michelin star, disappointingly shut its doors for the last time in early 2009. So the news a year ago that he would be opening a new eatery in the city centre was exciting for many. Myself included.

Sunday lunch at Rustic Stone on George Street was therefore a culinary venture too tempting to refuse. The intrigue of the beautiful, simple food, combined with interestingly novel presentation, offers a refreshing new take on eating out in Dublin. McGrath seems to have found himself a hole in the market that has promising potential. Through the restaurant’s manifesto of “flavour, freshness, nutrition” he emphasises a combination of simple, healthy cuisine, with interesting newworld foods and flavours.

The venue itself encourages a very interactive environment. The small tables and openplan dining made for quite a convivial atmosphere, which was further complemented by the emphasis on sharing and group dishes on the menu. Examples of these include the sea bream baked in salt for two, T-Bone for two, or any of the (very reasonably priced) “Bites” section of the menu. There are also many possibilities to enjoy dishes as half or full portions, making the array of choice even more versatile. Having said that, this versatility does tilt towards incoherence with the inclusion of pasta dishes that are seemingly irrelevant, albeit delicious. Another small

weakness in the menu is the apparently novel “On The Stone” section. I imagine I wouldn’t be the only person who would have a problem paying €26 for a piece of tuna I had to cook on a piece of stone myself. I feel the fantastic ingredients involved here deserve better, and the experience turned out to be tedious rather than fun. This being said, one has to admire the effort to avoid using heavy sauces with the meat and fish. They are instead served with healthier accompaniments, such as a three peppercorn relish, in the case of the sirloin.

Furthermore, the menu boasts dairy-free, gluten free and vegetarian options, alongside the Celtic Tiger notion of “superfoods” – the latter seeming to sacrifice the satiety and indulgence associated with a Sunday meal, leaving me slightly underwhelmed. Added to that, myself and my fellow diners found the staff to be disappointingly aloof and inattentive, which detracted considerably from an otherwise friendly atmosphere. Luckily, a decadent dessert menu and beautifully rounded wine list were available. This proved enough enough to salvage what could have been a disappointing experience.

In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed my Rustic Stone meal more if I had ignored the intrigue of McGrath’s healthy options; I pray it is not all simply a matter of cashing in on current fads. Commit to the fillet steak or the burgers. Leave the salads for another place. Indulge in the superb wine. And you’d be a fool to leave without trying the grapefruit chocolate cake.

Brendan Browne

Californian indie chicks known as the Dum Dum Girls (the name inspired by the Iggy Pop hit “Dum Dum Boys”) makes for a marked progression from their rough and ready 2010 debut I Will Be. Only In Dreams is a more polished and carefully produced effort, yet still manages to retain their distinctive brand of Blondie-tinged sixties surfer pop.

While their initial record felt akin to the stream of consciousness of a teenage girl desperate for love, this one is a rather more intricate and sophisticated creation. Dee Dee’s vocals have been brought to the forefront of the operation, while the rich analog sound for which the band is now recognised is fortunately preserved. Hypnotic, boot-tapping melodies characterise the album, along with a distinct fuzzy timbre which could be likened to Mazzy Star. That band’s trademark swaying beats and hazy production are most evident in the debut single from the album, “Coming Down”, which instantly conjures up images of a drizzly, humid day in October. A similarly haunting reverb dominates “In My Head”.

On initial listen songs like “Heartbeat” simply give the album a little bounce, but upon further examination their much darker lyrics also provide a startling juxtaposition.

The real jump-on-the-sofa moment, however, comes with “Wasted Away”. Two minutes in and you’re ready to hop into the nearest Cadillac on a destination-less road trip into the sunset. Throughout the album Dee Dee’s direct, assured and impeccably enunciated vocals anchor the often misleading melodies and prevent it all from veering off into bubblegum domain. Fans of Jefferson Airplane, Chrissie Hynde, or just good old indie pop anthems will love this record. Stick on your polka dots and stick this in your CD player.

Fiona Dunkin 23

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THE BAKEHOUSE Bachelor’s Walk

FOOD Right at the Ha’penny Bridge on Bach-

elor’s Walk, where the Poddle flows into the Liffey, this newly opened, 1950’s inspired Bakehouse is a memory of real Dublin charm.

The staff are committed to domestic loveliness, and complement the pastel interior with floral, housewife style dresses and a refreshingly genuine welcome.

Pastries and a rack of freshly baked bread accost the customer at the till triggering olfactory cravings, and due to the variety, indecisiveness. The understated menu of decent Dublin repasts such as coddle and chowder, sandwiches and pies, is reasonably priced.

A roast beef and lettuce sandwich on delicious batch bread is €4.95 and the chef’s signature dressing is amazing. Outside, especially of a sunny September afternoon, the seating area is inviting and allows for a leisurely lunch, only enhanced by the bustle of the city and its passers by.

The loose-leaf tea selection is delivered to the door from a neighbouring tea-merchant.

I witnessed as much. A nice touch, and a quaint way to brew, if you enjoy sieving your tea. There wasn’t enough of it, though, and I don’t mean that in the I-loved-it-so-much-Inever-wanted-it-to-end kind of way. There just wasn’t enough tea. Mollie Guidera

a traditional company. Performed by an extraordinarily talented cast of eight actors, dancers, aerialists, clowns, musicians, and contortionists, Donka is enchanting. Chekhov’s life is taken as an inspirational starting point, staged in a series of dream-like sequences.

Beautifully staged, the play makes dramatic use of silhouette and projection. Aerialists in tulle and lace spin around chandeliers made of ice, while jugglers send ice spheres crashing to the ground. Public dissections are enacted, bodies in unspeakable contortions are manipulated grotesquely, hilariously. A fatal duel becomes a frantic water-fight, bodies spin, until it seems that they must spin out of control. Accompanied by a haunting original score by Maria Bonzanigo, and spectacularly lit by Hugo Gargiulo, the company have achieved Finzi Pasca’s ambition to create a “show as light as air”, while sidestepping the risk of becoming lightweight.

The show, infused with mischief, draws inspiration from commedia dell’arte, carnival, ballet, and circus. Donka is, simply speaking, a visually beautiful show. Liza Cox

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Developer: SCEA/Ready At Dawn

GAMES Having met a timely but not-quite-

Director: Troy Nixey

FILM A remake of a 1970’s TV movie, Don’t Be

it is, nor as it should be, but as it appears in dreams” This manifesto is adhered to throughout director Daniele Finzi Pasca’s extraordinary tribute to Chekhov. Donka could hardly be described as traditional theatre, but the Teatro de Sunil - ‘theatre of the caress’ - is hardly

THE GOD OF WAR COLLECTION: VOLUME II

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

DONKA: LETTER TO CHEKOV THE ATRE “We should not represent life as

II.2

III

II.1

Director: Daniele Finzi Pasca

CGI beasties that they would give pieces of silver in exchange for human teeth.

Unfortunately for the audience, director Troy Nixey makes this film feel about as scary as an episode of The Groovy Ghoulies, with ham-fisted direction and yawn-inducing dialogue around every cobwebbed corridor. Holmes and Pearce look suitably embarrassed throughout, although they aren’t helped by an atrocious script (co-written by producer Guillermo del Toro, who really should have known better).

This really is a damp squib of a horror movie and do be afraid of parting with your hardearned cash to fork out the price of a cinema ticket because it’s absolutely pitiful in every department. Robert O’ Reilly

Afraid of the Dark is another Hollywood rehash that should have been put out of its misery at the development stage. Successful couple Alex and Kim (Pearce and Holmes) attempt to refurbish an old mansion, Alex bringing his daughter Sally (from a previous marriage) to live with them for a while. Already troubled and pumped full of medication, Sally starts to notice that there are some creepy gremlins living in the mansion too, Blackwood, the previous owner, having made a pact with the wee

definitive end in God of War 3, Sony show no signs of letting something as trivial as death stop Kratos in his adventures.

GoW Collection II follows it’s predecessor (a HD remastering of the first two titles for the Playstation 3) by giving the hideously under appreciated PSP iterations, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, respectively, a muchdeserved second chance at overdue and welldeserved glory.

GoWs gameplay is as exhilarating as ever, remaining completely resistant to change it doesn’t really need and while both games are impressive visually, it’s Ghost of Sparta that benefits most from the HD makeover. Being the better looking game to begin with definitely helped there, but never has the difference in overall quality between the two titles been more apparent.

While Chains of Olympus pales in comparison to its successor, both games are worthy of much more attention than either of them initially received. If you’re a GoW fan, chances are you already know how great these games are. If you don’t, there’s never been a better time to find out. Andy Kavanagh

How to…

GUILT Y PLE ASURES

HAVE A THREESOME Cormac Cassidy discovers the VDP is about loving your neighbour

he Vincent De Paul Society is one of the largest societies in Trinity who have do fantastic work annually in College to the benefit of both students and the less fortunate.

In so doing they have earned CSC awards and a reputation as a society in which one can have fun whilst making a difference. For the second installment of this ‘Socities How To Guide’ I thought I’d give their Cable Tie Pub Crawl a try this week and check out some VDP craic. If nothing else, a fiver to a good cause.

In an attempt to reach the homeless, this year VDP decided to lead cable tied companions through Temple Bar and to the Purty Kitchen having visited Kennedy’s, Mactorcaill’s, and The Lombard. So, How To VDP? A warning to any who ever intend to head on a cable tie crawl: While this is not necessarily a dating event, it is. You show up and get tied by the wrist to the opposite member of your sex for four fucking hours. It absolutely is a dating event.

ONE: Don’t listen to your very single mate who decides that it would be a great idea to “meet new people” going into our Final Year of College. Essentially this is lad code for “I’m dying for the ride” – somehow I’d forgotten.

T WO: Decide what you’re there for. If you’re looking for a lovely lady or gentleman friend for the evening, get there early and focus when they’re tying up. Make sure to head to the front of the queue. If you’re heading out for the laugh/your mates lied to you, and aren’t up for all that mularky head to the back, stay out of the way of all that nonsense and sure you’ll get tied to a someone in a similar position. Yeah, good idea? Not at all. In terms of social awkwardness it can soon descend into a Human Centipede situation.

THREE: Remember, VDP are vicious in search of the banter. These lads were having absolutely none of this shying away shite. No no, when girls run low tie two lads to one girl and let them fight it out. It’s these kinds of situations that can lead shy young boys who came along only hoping to try and feed the homeless, into the first threesome of their young life. Of course, the principles are the same, not everyone is there looking for the ride, so there could well be a case of 3 people out for the laugh and the laugh only. Choose wisely FOU R: In the spirit of St. Vincent De Paul pray that you get mixed in with people you can talk to. Try not to end up talking about Leaving Cert results night last week with your cable tie Fresher buddy while growing into the rusty third wheel.

FIVE: Look around you. Remember, just like last time in Poker, shit will sometimes not work out ideally for you.

However, these kind of bacchic fundraising events are exactly what the Vincent De Paul have become known for in Trinity. and the best part is- the smug knowledge that all the money is going to a genuinely good cause.

Want to get involved? Visit www.trinityvdp.com or email fundraising@trinityvdp.com

CHELSEA LATELY “Remember, the Vincent de Paul society members are vicious in their search for ‘banter’”

by Michael Barry

he E! Network is the River Nile of guilty pleasures. It’s the only place you can go to to watch Ice T get repeatedly cockblocked by his dog, or countdowns of the sexiest unsolved murders. The glue holding the network together is the late night talk show Chelsea Lately, hosted by comedian, author, and professional alcoholic Chelsea Handler. It’s a talk show of two halves.

The first consists of an opening monologue, followed by a panel discussion of the day’s “And Finally” news stories. The second half consists of an interview, usually with someone of importance to those who get their news from the paid distribution ads on the Huffington Post.

Although Handler is a chief bugbear of the “lol, stop making jokes woman and make me a sandwich instead,” school of thought, Chelsea Lately is admittedly limited. Most of Handler’s humour lies in well-timed eye rolls, or patronisingly adding “girl” to the end of whatever point she was making. The show is also unusual in that it is problematic in a straightforward anachronistic way. Handler’s assistant Chuy, for example, only seems to be on the show as justification for its bizarrely resilient barrel of jokes about chubby short Mexicans. Handler’s panellists can also occasionally use implicit racism as their punch line.

Despite this, the show does not have offence or discrimination as its purpose. The whole thing is so stupid that most of the more serious accusations against it are lost in its context. No one really expects the backwards baseball cap wearing thirty-five year olds who contribute to the show to offer worthwhile opinions on anything. Part of the show’s appeal lies in watching Handler let certain panellists unsuspectingly dig themselves into a hole, before finally calling a moron a moron and moving swiftly on.

It’s not particularly funny, it’s not particularly clever, and it rarely has any point whatsoever. There’s a lot to be said for the fact that it is phenomenally successful for a female-fronted television show, and Handler has built up a remarkable press empire. In reality, Chelsea Lately only really succeeds by being a talk show as frequently banal or inspired as normal conversation. !

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The Chaff

YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK Karl McDonald

rofessional wrestling is anathema to grown-ups. It’s fake and it’s for kids. It’s probably been half a decade since you were last in a situation where you even had to argue that with a peer. But it hasn’t gone away. WWE’s Raw is the longest running weekly episodic programme in the history of American television and for eighteen years it has aired, mostly live but always at least recorded live, every Monday night. There is no inherent value in longevity obviously, but the fact that Raw has been a constant since January 1993 means that its story arcs, trends and stylistic decisions provide an interesting means of looking at how society changed in that time.

You could watch Reeling In The Years for a more straightforward account, no doubt, but news stories don’t happen in front of a live crowd. Events that do, like ‘real ‘ sports, aren’t scripted, so there’s no way you can find out anything useful about what people want from them. A wrestling crowd will only cheer or boo when they care. It’s the job of the bookers to make the crowd care in real time, live, every single Monday. And no disrespect to wrestling fans, but the average Raw attendee isn’t exactly a modern liberal. They’re not making a political statement with their ticket purchase, but the things they cheer and boo tell us something about societal attitudes and prejudices that we won’t get in the same form anywhere else.

Take, for example, the character of Goldust, portrayed by Dustin Runnels, son of Hall of Famer and lunatic Dusty Rhodes. Goldust entered the WWE (then WWF) in 1995 with the nickname “the bizarre one” and proceeded to develop a gimmick based on “creeping out” opponents by blowing kisses to them, groping them mid-fight and wearing a full-body metallic gold suit. Goldust’s gimmick, effectively, was that he was gay.

It worked, too. Dig a little through YouTube archives and you can see the palpable discomfort of the crowd first hand as Goldust ‘accidentally’ bumps his crotch into his opponent from behind or strokes their chest before delivering a punch. You’ll also find an on-air interview with current wildly popular commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler ahead of the 1996 King of the Ring in which the crowd totally erupts when Lawler calls Goldust a “flaming fag”.

It’s uncomfortable viewing, but the WWE is always 26

“They are not

making a political statement with their ticket purchase, but the things they cheer and boo tell us something about societal attitudes”

looking for the path of least resistance to a reaction, and that got one. In 2004, just about far enough from September 11th, 2001 to get away with it, the company introduced a pair of characters, Daivari and Hassan, whose gimmick involved complaining about their mistreatment as Arab-Americans. Despite being Iranian-American and Italian-American (seriously) respectively, they wore Arabic headdress and made what the average university student would probably consider fairly profound points about racism in modern America. Guess what? They were wildly unpopular. Just like the Russian and Arab characters of old, they drew immediate cheap heat and USA chants just for showing up and being “foreign”.

The last few weeks of Hassan’s run in the WWE involved one of the most shameful moments in the company’s history of tastelessness, as a crew of masked men with garrots – with obvious ‘Al Qaeda’ implications - came to the ring to do his bidding on an episode that aired the same day as the London bombings. This was the end of what could probably be described as WWE’s most recent straightforwardly racist angle as the Italian-American whose initial gimmick was to speak out against prejudice ended up losing his job because the WWE’s television network partners demanded that he be kept off air.

It’s not pleasant stuff, and it’s not all like this, but it says something about what the average person on the street in middle America, outside of idealistic discourse and worries about what others will think, wants to see in their live entertainment. Female characters are mocked for being ‘fat’ if they’re not skinny. The most popular wrestlers are always white and American, to the extent that the most important title has never been held by a black wrestler. But the company still fills arenas, sells pay-per-view events and makes money. It’s supply and demand, I suppose. Give the people what they want.

If your looking for more of Karl, why not download his podcast, Them’s The Vagaries? It would make his day: http://themsthevagaries.tumblr. com/

Illustration by Fuchsia Macaree

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