Listen Up Philip

I think that very few things are worse than London in the summer and that one of them is a wretched cold in London in the summer. Now, I am not sure whether the past week should righteously qualify as 'summer' here, for the days oscillated between 12C (Monday, I put the heating on) and 26C (Friday, I put the air con on), suffice to say that I tried, and failed, to 'dress for the weather' because... what was the weather doing anyway? I've experienced low-level cloud and the look of October many times in this fair city, only to realise that, actually, it's 72% humidity out there and 22C at 8:45am. Leave the scarf at home. Today has been overcast and cold and so I've spent the day in bed, reading, watching and writing. I've read the rather wonderful Shopgirl by Steve Martin (you may recall the movie in which he also stars opposite Claire Danes, but the book is rather superior, as is often the case) and I've found the much-anticipated and just-come-out Listen Up Philip online (legally, I hasten to add, it's on YouTube). As you can imagine I was enormously intrigued by the premise of this movie, for at its core sits a writer, Philip Lewis, who wrestles with the demands of art and commercialism, as well as focus, inspiration, and drive. Around him, a number of supporting characters take occasional centre stage: his girlfriend Ahsley, his mentor and equally obnoxious writer Ike, and his college... Read more →