The Creative Identity

On The Merits of ROCKY

When I first came across the trailer of Creed, in the very late summer, it was evident that I could not have maintained my Rocky virginity for much longer. Creed qualifies as the seventh Rocky movie, why getting to it cold? Unlike the North American territory, in which this movie was released in November, it was only going to hit the UK in mid-January... I figured I'd have plenty of time to catch up on Rocky. Imagine my delight when I came across a pristine box-set of all six movies in a charity shop just before Christmas. What are the odds of finding a movie you want in a charity shop, let alone an entire series of six, precisely when you need it as well? This was serendipity at its best dear reader. And so it goes that I will forever associate Rocky with Christmas 2015, for I started on the first one a few days before Christmas itself and... I haven't stopped playing these movies. Yes, you've heard, even now, a good five weeks later, I've got Rocky on a loop. I saw a preview of Creed last week and that itself continued to stoke my fire of fondness for these characters in ways I never thought possible. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Rocky, which was released in time for Thanksgiving in 1976 and goes on to follow the lives of our characters from mid-November to 1st January. The first time I watched the seminal movie, I... Read more →

Intermission

Perhaps you went to see Legend because you were seduced by the wonderful trailer in which an exceptional tune plays half-way through... but... you've been wondering what on earth that is? Well yes, sometimes I feel like the so-called generational gap isn't so much a gap but the Mariana Trench. You can thank me later. Read more →

To Look Forward To In 2016

It's really difficult to live in London without feeling at the very centre of the cultural universe. I know that New York suffers from a similar sense of superiority and yet, when I think of London, I really do think that everything happens here all the time, a feeling that is compounded by the good fortune of living in Chelsea which, itself, is regarded as the pinnacle of London living. I couldn't wait to leave behind 2015 because, even though I rightly claim that my own year starts on 1st September, my birthday, there's no escaping that it is January which heralds a new, big number on calendars, diaries and computers everywhere. 2016. Gosh, 16 years since the millennium, I cannot quite believe it. When the London Olympics were announced in the distant 2005, 2012 seemed such a far, far, far away year and look at us now... The past twelve months have been full of disappointment for me, from every which angle. I sincerely hope that 2016 won't be any way near as hard-nosed as its predecessor. I am very much looking forward to Monet to Matisse, which will be the first super-exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts this year and is due to open imminently. I also cannot wait for a celebration of Vogue's 100 years, which will open in February at The National Portrait Gallery. There's also Delacroix coming up at The National Gallery as well as Georgia O'Keffee at Tate Modern. The V&A will also... Read more →

2015 Highlights

Movies watched at the cinema : 78 Some of the best : Legend, Magic Mike XXL, Foxcatcher, Birdman, The Theory of Everything, Inside Out, Steve Jobs, Precinct Seven Five, Carol, Southpaw, Ant-Man The worst : The Bad Education Movie The most over-rated : Spectre Books I bought : 84 Best home video addiction : Rocky Best fiction : Paper Towns, Grandpa's Great Escape, Katy, Murder for Christmas Best non-fiction : Creativity Best literary event : Letters Live in April Best musical event : Ratatouille at The Royal Albert Hall Favourite bookshop : Daunt Books Fulham Road, same as last year Best art bookshop : The National Gallery, same as last year and the one before Best charity bookshop : slim pickings this year, nobody wins Best online bookshop : The Book People, same as last year and the one before Best art event : From Santiago Montoya at The Halcyon Gallery to two Hamlet with Benedict to Mademoiselle Privé at The Saatchi Gallery via McQueen's Savage Beauty at the V&A and Masterpiece, it's been a fantastic year, culturally-speaking. But there was something truly special, for me, about Barnaby Barford's Tower of Babel at the V&A Number of significant writing endeavours started : 0 Most significant creative endeavour started : none People who unceremoniously exited my life : 3 People who re-entered it : 1 Holidays taken : 0 Cities I've travelled to : 0 House moves : 1 Most unexpected encounter : Antonio Banderas at Manicomio Most longed-for encounter :... Read more →

Man on Wire and The Walk

When Philippe Petit walked his high wire between the Towers of the World Trade Center, in August 1974, I was not yet born. And yet, like so many other extraordinary events, and even before Man on Wire, the glorious documentary of 2008, I quite simply knew about the stunt and the man. I don’t know how I knew or when I first knew, I just... did. It was impossible not to. While in the beginning, and before seeing it (note that seeing is key), I did think of a stunt, it is only over the past ten years or so that I understood that to refer to it merely as a stunt, would be to understate its instrinsict significance and ineffable quality. I don’t know about you but, these days, when I hear something defined as ‘a stunt’, I don’t so much think of an action displaying spectacular skill but rather I think of something done to attract attention. Sure it showcased incredible skill for certain, but it was not done to attract attention per se. It was the ultimate work of performance art, the stuff dreams are made of. Regular readers will recall a post at the beginning of the year [this one] in which I spoke of the things I was looking forward to in 2015. Amidst all of the movies I listed, I sigled one out, The Walk. Thinking back to January, I don’t think there has been a movie in my entire life, let alone this... Read more →