Hey Hey What What

Happy new year to everyone: all the boys and girls, all the sad and happy people, all the optimists and pessimists, all the loved and unloved, all of you and all of me. May 2010 bring us what we want, what we pray for and what we dream of.

I recently rewatched an old favourite film: The Madness of King George. I forgot how good it was: it tells the story of how George III of Hanoverian England lost his mind. We see him degenerate from a jovial, overly excited, well liked monarch to a foul-mouthed, deranged lunatic. With an ambitious Prince of Wales (played by Rupert Everett in all his oily and wigged glory) waiting in the wings to become Prince Regent, it becomes highly important for the mad king to find his sanity. He is aided by William Pit (the younger) and a parson-turned-doctor who uses unconventional methods to treat the poorly sovereign. Wonderfully portrayed by Nigel Hawthorne, the cast also includes a German accented Helen Mirren who plays Queen Charlotte, the devoted and patient wife of Farmer George, as he is lovingly known as by his subjects.

It is also a play by Alan Bennett, and as you can imagine, the dialogue reflects his usual wit! An interesting look at lunacy and how it affects even the highest of kings.

Written in Squid Ink

After 6 months of waiting (I exaggerate but the wait was significantly long), a vertigo-inducing seat, it was time to see Eddie Izzard LIVE at the O2. Mum and Art had to endure me on the Thames Clipper ride to the stadium. That is 20 minutes of hyperactivity and a blabber of incomprehensible chatter every time the Eddie Izzard Stripped Advert came on the built-in floating TV. But next thing I knew, we were seated in the massive O2 tent and then after a play of lights, Eddie Izzard stepped on to the stage, bowed at all corners and began his mad tirade on human civilisation with dinosaur roars, speeding raptors, jazz farm animals, raptor porn, chariot windshield wipers, wikipedia, the out-of-towels-Pepys-diary-keeping giant squid, Mr Squirrel and every other surreal combination of everything.

In an nutshell, he was absolutely amazing. I can still see his name in lights, his expressive eyes and the way he laughs at his own ridiculousness.

Phantom II: He Still Loves You, Christine!

It's here. The months leading to the opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new spectacle loom ahead. On this dark, mist-filled path, one can only imagine what wonders await us. Love Never Dies follows up the story of our much loved, well used characters (the Phantom, Christine, Raoul - okay no one really likes Raoul but he's a necessary character - Madame Giry, and Meg Giry) but in a new setting. An over ground one at that, which makes for some interesting symbolism. As far as I can gather, the Phantom is now an important figure in new-world-type-thing-going-on New York, being the successful owner of Coney Island. He lures Christine (husband Raoul and their son Gustave in tow) over, having pined for her for the last 10 years. Move on, Phantom? But I suppose his torment is what he (and his loyal fans) live on. So bring on the potential tragedy (or surprise happy ending - come on Phantom needs it) and sweep us off our feet with your music of the night.

Ramin Karimloo (the sexy one) plays the Phantom in the new production, with Sierra Bogges as the ever wandering Christine. I've already got my tickets for March 2010. Can't wait.

Halloween

Ghouls and goblins and phantom masks
Love and life and heartbreaking tasks.
There is nothing more to say about this day.
Nothing more to add to what you have to say.

Now don't we all like a horrorshow filmy to viddy once in a while?

I had the opportunity to read A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess a few months ago. A verbal, sexual fest of words (just flowing like unmuddied water), it was such a read that caused a plethora of emotions. The story was amazing, frightening and adventurous. Alex and his drogues will be beating you with their actions but wooing you with their language. We lap up whatever his tongue dictates.

Fairuz then recommended me the film. A Stanley Kubrick classic of the same name, it is a wonder to the eye as it is a pleasure to the ear. A ready hand to cover one's eyes at times. But one's gulliver is indeed filled with words by the end of it! Morality and ethics are brought to question by Alex through his actions and his punishment. While his treatment is as contreversial, his pleasure in ultra-violence is manic as well as fascinating (only a mandman could derive such delights in rape, pillage and pain) - not to mention a love for Ludwig van.

Moloko plus first, my brothers. Right, right, right? But not this notchy for what thou didst have in mind.

September Ramblings/Happy Merdeka

Looking back on the last months, I can say that I've done things I never thought I would, seen stuff that opened my mind, felt everything from heartbreak to elation to excitement to happiness. What can I say. It's all been good. Hey scrap that. It's been one helluva (don't you just love that word?) ride.

I wrote at the beginning of the holidays that we'll be discovering ourselves, welcoming new sides of us. Humbert Humbert said, parentheses included, (in reference to his and Lolita's travels) we had travelled everywhere and seen nothing - or something to that effect. I think I've practically been nowhere but seen everything. I stayed in London most of June, July and half of August: I worked, I camped, I cried, I spent days that never should've ended, but I loved it all. I was in Malaysia for the other half of August, and most of September to be with family, friends, to read, to rekindle my love of the X-Files (for all my highbrow Marxist ways, where would I be without Mulder and Scully?) and restored my tired soul. It was indeed tired.

Oh and Happy Merdeka, Malaysia. 52, and it's only just going through its teenage years. As countries go. It's a young nation with an old soul, and a lot of attitude.

Something to Tickle your taste buds

Enjoy!

http://twitter.com/razakbaginda

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

I recently revisited an old classic (and an old personal favourite - it's listed as a favourite film on Facebook and as we all know, Facebook never lies) starring David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Conti, Takeshi and Jack Thompson in the roles of Japanese prison guards and British POWs, set in a Javanese camp in 1942. Under the poignantly touching title Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, the film sheds light on the relationships, tension and dare we even say, love developped during captivity between captor and captive.

Bowie plays as Jack Celliers, a Major in the British Army while Sakamoto (who incidentally wrote the score and the brilliant tune of the same name) is Captain Yonoi, the head of the camp who develops an obsession with Celliers. Conti is the namesake of the film: Colonel John Lawrence who in the film, acts as liaison officer because of his proficiency in the language and culture of the Japanese. Takeshi is Sergeant Hara who in his drunken moments proves to be the gentlest human being while with sobriety, he is the strict guard of the camp.

An amazing film that takes us into the minds of soldiers who under their caps, and their bland uniforms, are truly only just simply human.

Communism is the new Chic

Has fashion replaced idealism?

Karl Marx did not have a section on fashion in Das Kapital. But Karl Lagerfeld am sure has other plans. In lieu of the Golden Star of the USSR, we have instead the gilded Cs of Chanel. To be honest. I am quite shocked, if not slightly flabbergasted at this flagrant capitalistic gob in the eye to communism. It is the irony of history I suppose: Cold War enemy of yesterday, inspiration to fashion today. The question that begs to be asked is this: will we be fashioning turbans, headscarves and the crescent in the next generation? While American foreign policy dictates who we hate, French haute couture dictates what we wear.

The bag - Lenin is spinning in his Red Square tomb: