7 June - TV stuff

Toph was out w. S. recently returned from Cannes where he was trying to fund an interesting film cum musical about Condoleeza Rice. Yes, sounds far fetched but these days anything is a worthy subject. Tell you more about it some other time. Shame am not meeting him, as he’s written a spirited defence of trash TV (which he has provided a few times as a director) in the Observer and I disagree with him and we could have wasted a good hour or two arguing. Having said that I don’t watch it so don’t really know what I’m talking about. It’s bad enough that as usual even w/o watching BBrother, one soaks up totally useless information about it… like one of the contestants was born in prison to a prostitute mother who then died (not sure if in prison or not). I think that’s exactly what researchers look out for, any sign of traumas that will lead to a degree of mental imbalance and hey, you’re in. Short of actually trawling psychiatric wards for people who are alredy certified deranged and possibly didn’t accrue more than a 25% of total vocabulary available to a native of this country.

But back to S. Before Xmas, I had gone to a screening in a disused church in Brompton of two films, one by him and one by his sister Nike. V different styles, different subjects. His was 12 mini films abut Madonna, but never actually featuring her or her songs as they couldn’t be cleared, and to be shown late at night on some cable channel. I thought he’d done lots and lots of work for no profit margin and it was all very inventive: plasticine figures, look-alikes, cartoons, transvestites the lot. Shame that despite the subject’s fame, it would never get many viewers. Nike’s film by contrast was about a forest protection project in Tanzania and clearly not so frothy and very earnest. I thought ‘How nice to be in this family spawning two, if not that talented, at least trying hard individual and I won’t go into what mum and dad do/did for a living, but it must feel a bit like this to be the Goldsmiths or the Birleys (I read my ES magazine).

I’m easily pleased, so I found no fault in either program. But the two more TV savvy male companions I was with had more critical comments, no doubt coloured by the fact that S. is very handsome to his coterie of female admirers and never has any trouble whatsoever pulling and that uh ho, would make you jealous. What was drolest for me was that a friend/guest at the screening does work for Nike sportswear in marketing. How refreshing that her attitude was a bit like mine ie. that it’s all a bit self involved working in such an environment, she said and there are lots of older people who use language that’s down with the kids and so on, thus making them instantly ridiculous. She didn’t wear the gear head to toe, but I told her that as far as branding goes they do a good job. I for one, still covet one of those fluorescent tight yellow Nike Night run tops. I was away, otherwise would have taken part in the race. As for the North Vs South Nike run, I was too late in trying to get a space. I only did a 10k of theirs once and that was brilliant. I remember the two guys at the finish line talking into tape recorders and recording what brand of shoes everyone was wearing. Just in case I was in any doubt as to why Nike sponsor the event: it’s all about gathering data. Am now not sure where exactly I was going with this train of thought …. Except that S. is now off to his house in Havana, as you do, and I wish I could just go along.