Mega-Blog, Part 1

This is going to be a VERY long blog. It's been a while since I've written anything, and I have a lot to cover.

I'll start with this...

Edit this setlist | More Biffy Clyro setlists

Yeah, so if you didn't know already, I was in Perth last night to see BIFFY CLYRO!!! and it's safe to say that it was the 2nd best band I've ever seen live. Springsteen will always come first, always. But Biffy were awesome enough to overtake Blur, they were that good. The setlist was a great mix of everything from Only Revolutions to the scream-tastic songs from Infinity Land. Listen to "There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake." Totally different singing voice for the first minute or so!

Because Perth Concert Hall's quite small, especially for a band of Biffy's stature, the gig felt (at least a bit more) intimate than you might come to expect from, say, the SECC. The fact I actually got to see the band play makes all the difference. You don't really get the full experience if you're standing in a massive arena, which, fair enough, Springsteen wouldn't really be at the Perth Concert hall any time soon, but playing at an uber-stadium takes the intimacy away a bit, unless you have about 30/40,000 people at once singing Born to Run. Now that was an experience and a half. Sitting down, I believe, having never done it - and something I will NEVER do, unless it's a once in a lifetime opportunity - such as Pavement, LCD Soundsystem or Soundgarden (bands on reunion or final tours), would ruin a gig as well. There's no way I could have went to see Metallica staying in that one tiny seat for 2 hours. No chance.

What I'm trying to say is, unless there are any circumstances that prevent it, ALWAYS BUY A STANDING TICKET. The prospect of RATM next month scares me, yet delights me in equal measure. AND I'm seeing Pearl Jam that same month! It's official, life is good.

And now onto comic books! I've already told you how amazing Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life is, and I'll now go onto Batman: Year One, the greatest comic book of all time. Written by Frank Miller (300, The Dark Knight Returns, Ronin), it's basically a Batman origin story that revolves around Jim Gordon's arrival and Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham City, and how each tries to get rid of corruption, etc in the city. I can't recommend it enough, you just have to read it. Ask me for a borrow if you so desire.

With the news that production of Bond 23 has been suspended indefinitely, due to MGM having hefty debts of around $2 billion, rumours are swirling that Daniel Craig might end up being replaced. It's happened before, with long gaps resulting in Timothy Dalton being replaced by Pierce Brosnan, and with Brosnan himself being replaced by Daniel Craig. Apparently Sam Worthington's the favourite to take the role (he screen-tested for Casino Royale) but for some horrific reason, P Diddy's been given odds at the bookies for it! Even though Worthington would probably be quite good, I still reckon Bond has to be British. I'd like to see Idris Elba take over, because The Wire's shown he can act well, his turns on The Office and in RocknRolla shows some comedic chops, and what with society changing and all that, what harm could a black Bond do? You know it's the right choice, people. You might just have to wait about 10 years for it to happen...

This will do for now, I'll finish writing the next part very soon. Also, Happy Birthday Kirstie!

Darren out, saying take the pieces and build them skywards...

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Now playing: Biffy Clyro - Machines
via FoxyTunes

Sex Bob-Omb's "Launchpad McQuack," Dave Lizewski's Wetsuit and the Coolest Vending Machine Ever

Tonight, I finally got round to seeing Kick-Ass, as an out-of-the-blue surprise from Kirst, and I have to say, it's been my favourite film I've seen this year. Crazy Heart, Sherlock Holmes and the other films I saw (but can't remember which) were all fantastic, but Kick-Ass was a revelation. It probably has something to do with my interest in comic books spiking again recently - KA being a Mark Millar creation (who also wrote Wanted and Marvel's Civil War, by the way) - but it was just way better than I had expected. The violence is there, in shedloads, yes, but it's just there to watch. The Daily Mail might say it's going to mind-rape all children, and that the language is a symbol of the state of the English language, but as always, they're most definitely wrong. An 11-year old saying "cunt" is funny, because it... Well it just is. Also, watching that same 11-year-old chop a guy's leg off and then shoot multiple people in the face is just amusing. No wonder all the manor studios turned the script down... But props to Matthew Vaughn, who produced the film anyway, and all the better for it, because it's been a huge success, critically and commercially - a $12million opening weekend in the US for this is pretty impressive! It was also good to see sme of Vaughn's familiar faces in there, with Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng and Tamer Hassan, and with Mark Stong putting in a great turn as Frank D'Amico. Aaron Johnson makes a great Dave Lizewski, (Kick-Ass) partly because he's funny, but also because he's good at putting in a strong dramatic performance when it's needed. Need to see Nowhere Boy now, I wonder if he's as good playing John Lennon...
All in all, Kick-Ass is well worth the £7/8 to go and see it, you will not be disappointed.

By the way, HOW COOL is the DVD/ Bluray vending machine at the Vue in Stirling?

So the return to comic books? Two words: SCOTT PILGRIM. Bryan Lee O'Malley's series, about, well, Scott Pilgrim, came to my attention a few weeks ago when I saw the trailer for Edgar Wright's latest film, an adaptation of the comics starring Michael Cera in the title role. AWESOME! Basically, he's the bass player for a band called Sex Bob-Omb (find the reference yourself), who meets a delivery girl called Ramona Flowers. But in order for him to go out with her, he has to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends... Trust me, it's amazing. Let mek ow if you want to borrow my copy, feel free to ask. The more people see this, the better!

Darren out, saying "obviously one of us went to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and one of us didn't..."

The Return Of The King

After a fair while, I'm back! My apologies guys, just not had any topics that I'd particularly wanted to write about... UNTIL NOW! Again, not really, but just had to distract myself from my impending essay and test. So here's a list:

-I bought Crash Team Racing for the PS3
-I bought Crash Bandicoot 3 for the PS3
-Both are awesome
-I found out Michael Dorn was the voice of I.M. Weasel
-I had a rare retro week, watching I Am Weasel, Cow & Chicken and Dexter's Lab
-Mumford & Sons are an amazing band
-Doves' greatest hits CD is masterful
-North Berwick is magic
-I'M ENGAGED!
-A night at Gleneagles was a revelation
-I've never seen so many Range Rovers in one place at one time
-£45,000 Rolexes kinda suck
-£18 for 2 drinks is rageworthy
-I'll never complain about the price of drinks in Argylls, City, etc, ever again
-Student Confidential is the best lame film ever
-Stieg Larsson is probably one of the best authors of all time
-The Girl Who Played With Fire's ending is among the best I've ever read
-Is going to see Biffy Clyro in less than two weeks, and loves it

That's all for now, anything needs elaborated, let me know...

Darren out, saying "uh oh, it's scary scientist man!"