If you haven't already guessed, I'm a sucker for photographs featuring odd angles, and am forever drawn to boats. So when I managed to fuse the two in a harmonious rhapsody, I am a happy fellow indeed. So today I present to you a rat's eye view of the fine brigantine, Windeward Bound.
I was intrigued to find some raised eyebrows the other day when I expressed disdain for the work of one K. Hepburn. I’ve always found her a dull and interminable actor, forever locked into playing the same feisty, offbeat scallywag. Now, I appreciate her bucking the norm, but a combination of red hair and that frankly grating toff accent firmly puts her in my “can’t stand” pile, and they fact that such an elitist shrew acts as some kind of cynosure for “strong women” displeases me.
In honour of Dame Katherine, I wish to begin a Katie Hepburn Dishonour Role of sacred cows. Some time ago, I entered into the dangerous territory of naming and shaming people or creative endeavours that annoy me, so they can join in to the inaugural class!
Katherine Hepburn
Dr Suess
Ian Curtis
The Dalai Lama
Robert De Niro
Radiohead (since 1998)
To this esteemed company – and to bring the intake into a far neater TEN – I wish to add:
Bill Hicks: if I wanted to hear crude and simplistic rants about politics, I’d just go back and work with undergrads again. Seriously, if the dude hadn’t died no one would give him a second thought. He’s like the Joe Strummer of comedy.
Frank Zappa: it’s experimental is it? That doesn’t make it right...
The Shawshank Redemption: number one film on IMDB? Really?!? How? Triumph of the human spirit? Overlong, dour, pompous example of agonizingly contrived and cloying twaddle morelike!
The Clash: where does one start with The Clash? Toffs hating toffs? Tick. Lionising mindless action over thought? Tick. Mediocre chords that seem pedestrian when compared to anything not prog-rock related? Tick. A couple of decent tracks amidst a long list of crap albums? Tick. Let’s face it, The Clash are lyrically superficial, musically ugly, and frankly, little more than embarrassing poseurs slumming it (and not very convincingly, I might add). The Clash are the Bill Hicks of Rock ‘n Roll.
THAT should set the cat amongst the pigeons!
Comments
I liked Kate in The Philadelphia Story and the one about 2 lawyers. I liked her so much 20 yrs ago that I read her bio.
I SO AGREE about De Niro!
Zappa was good (because he was odd) when I was 16 - & that's a long time ago. And he was very nice to the nutty groupy girl that wrote "I'm with the Band", so that counts for a lot. Others - don't know (much) don't care. Thought the movie was good - I didn't expect to like it though, maybe that's the trick to liking it.