On telly this week

[Frank]

Lemmy: The Movie* is on BBC4 now. It'll probably be on iplayer. It's a common misconception that Lemmy is a bass guitarist, when in fact he is actually the worlds greatest rhythm guitarist. He just happens to be holding a bass. Normal guitar strings are too flimsy for our Lemmy.

It is!. The Lemmy doc is great - if, as John Ronson's film suggests,  Stanley Kubrick's boxes are the key to understanding the man, then I think the same can be said of the three minute sequence in that Lemmy doc which deals with his boots (9 min 55s - 13m 00s).

Changing tack completely, did anyone else see  America's Poor Kids? Even if you can sometimes question the priorities of the parents, it's difficult to argue that their children should have to suffer too. It's full of surprising stats such as that 1 in 9 Americans are now dependent on food banks, but its real power is watching the way the kids just accept grim stuff like living in motels, having to get rid of pets, and being so poor that seeing spam on the dinner menu is worthy of a wee dance.

[Spikes]

Lemmy: The Movie* is on BBC4 now. It'll probably be on iplayer. It's a common misconception that Lemmy is a bass guitarist, when in fact he is actually the worlds greatest rhythm guitarist. He just happens to be holding a bass. Normal guitar strings are too flimsy for our Lemmy.

It is!. The Lemmy doc is great - if, as John Ronson's film suggests,  Stanley Kubrick's boxes are the key to understanding the man, then I think the same can be said of the three minute sequence in that Lemmy doc which deals with his boots (9 min 55s - 13m 00s).

Caught this movie last year, and had the good sense to record it.
Lemmy is, well Lemmy. What more can you say?
You could almost feel sorry for Justin Hawkins from the Darkness regarding his encounter with Lemmy. In the company of the real deal, he goes from boastful oaf to a slug with a ton of salt on it.

[Link Prime]

Lemmy: The Movie* is on BBC4 now. It'll probably be on iplayer. It's a common misconception that Lemmy is a bass guitarist, when in fact he is actually the worlds greatest rhythm guitarist. He just happens to be holding a bass. Normal guitar strings are too flimsy for our Lemmy.

It is!. The Lemmy doc is great - if, as John Ronson's film suggests,  Stanley Kubrick's boxes are the key to understanding the man, then I think the same can be said of the three minute sequence in that Lemmy doc which deals with his boots (9 min 55s - 13m 00s).

Caught this movie last year, and had the good sense to record it.
Lemmy is, well Lemmy. What more can you say?
You could almost feel sorry for Justin Hawkins from the Darkness regarding his encounter with Lemmy. In the company of the real deal, he goes from boastful oaf to a slug with a ton of salt on it.

You two have just convinced me to buy this!

[Spikes]

Never really cared for The Doors, but catching the documentary about their album L.A. Women, i found myself totally engrossed. Top stuff.

And a equally good doc on Blondie was broadcasted last night, but that doesnt appear to be available on the i-player

[Spikes]

Tonight on BBC4 11.35 - Julien Temple's 2009 Dr Feelgood documentary Oil City Confidential, gets a very welcome repeat.

[Frank]

Neverwhere, the Neil Gaiman TV series nobody loved, is coming to Radio Four and Radio Four Extra. I remember the TV series being dull and a bit shambolic (and having Malcolm Tucker play an angel called Islington seemed a little too on-the-nose), but it's resurfaced in enough different forms over the years to make me think there must be something to it that either the original show or the teenage me didn't quite get.

As Gaiman points out in the interview linked to above, the budgetary limitations of the original don't apply to the radio version, and the BBC seem to be grooming Gaiman for stardom (via Dr Who). Casting James MacAvoy, Sophie Okonedo, and 'Pope' Benedict Cuminersnatch suggests someone thinks this might follow the familiar route, established by properties like Alan Partridge and Hitchiker's Guide, from radio to the big screen.

Neverwhere begins on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 16 March at 1430 GMT, and continues on BBC 4 Extra from Monday 18-Friday 22 March at 1830 GMT

[Goaty]

Hello radio, my nemesis!

Neverwhere sounds good

[Frank]

Hello radio, my nemesis! Neverwhere sounds good

Damn! Sorry, Goaty, but - like the rest of us - you can enjoy that gorgeous picture of an increasingly distinguished Gaiman leaning on an illuminated traffic cone. I can't decide whether he looks more like Jeff Goldblum or Judd Hirsch:

[Dandontdare]

I loved the original TV series - it was cheap in the same way that Dr Who and Blakes 7 were, but didn't stop it being good, and I bought the graphic novel years later which is exce4llent. can't wait for this radio version - radio4extra is ace - I've also been enjoying HP Lovecraft, Terry Pratchett, plus loads of good crime dramas and old comedies lately - pfft - who needs a telly?

[Goaty]

Jeff Goldblum or Judd Hirsch

sauchie, Gaiman is biggest above than either... he is the god... (wish he will written 2000AD stories in future!)

[Frank]

Gaiman ... is the god... (wish he will written 2000AD stories in future!)

I don't know how much chance there is of that, considering the circles he moves in nowadays, but luring him back to write a continuance of one of those Future Shocks he did seems possible. In fact, getting all the now-big-name writers who penned one-offs to contribute to a special issue celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the first published Future Shock seems like a doable idea.

I've enjoyed most of the books and comics of Gaiman's that I've read, and The Sandman was something really exceptional, so I suppose that means I'll always give anything he's involved with a try - unless it involves fairies.  I like his wife too.

[Goaty]

True... also he doing one of Doctor Who episodes this year... but in some way the PR said he make Cybermen more scary in his version, I don't know how he would do that as Cybermen became some jokes likes Daleks...

[Link Prime]

I like his wife too.

She wouldn't be my cup of Chai-Latte, but fair play to the G-Man.

[Tombo]

The really funny (perhaps intentionally so) thing about that interview is the picture of the cast, they completly ignore poor James MacAvoy/Richard Mayhew.  It's as if he'd fallen through the cracks in their perception.

[Frank]

I like his wife too.

She wouldn't be my cup of Chai-Latte, but fair play to the G-Man.

Gaiman's got a proven thing for arty shiksas with their own pianos.