Hospitales #1

Jeez! Father K here, quite literally 'back from the dead', and feeling none to the worse for it (OK maybe a bit). It's been as Vinnie Jones once said in Lockstock "emotional". But I'm gonna keep this brief for now. In my new series "Hospitales" (geddit?), I will be exploring the highs and lows of prescription drugs, just exactly how much a man's penis can expand and contract according to mental state (and the ingestion of prescription drugs), nurses that are bitches, seeing dead people, hospital food and just how good a cup of tea can be when you really need one.

Plus the usual amount of shite I promise but never deliver. But I am back, thanks for the good wishes my four favourite correspondents, I'll be in touch soon.

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Well folks, I'm off into hospital again today, this time for major heart surgery. (Ho hum...) Yes it's the replacement of my right aortic valve, with a plastic one. They did in fact offer me a pig's one, but apparently they only last about twenty years, and I'm a vegetarian anyway, so, um, "no thank you" was my response to that one.

So I'm anxious about how it's going to go. They have to stop my heart for about four hours, putting me on a 'heart/lung machine' whilst they hack up my ol' ticker. There's a 1/50 chance that I won't come out of the op. and a 1/50 chance I'll have a stroke. Nice odds huh? Still, there is a 100% chance that I'll snuff it if I don't have the op. so it's a no brainer really.

On a positive note, I'll be looked after by a top team in hospital, the ever gorgeous and wonderful Mrs. K is being a superstar and will be taking two weeks off to look after me when I get out of hospital in approximately two weeks time. Plus, apart from gaming and blogging, I won't be able to do much else, so hopefully that wil encourage me to update this old place a little more.

So, in short, if this is the last post I make, may I just say how much I've loved meeting my fellow bloggers and gamers (you know who you are), how much I love my wonderful family, Mrs. K, and the 'three gingers', Joe, Mart and Ted. Three songs I wish played at my final send off will be "Will You Be There?" (MJ), "No woman no cry" (Bob Marley) and "Ghetto Gospel" (Tupac). I am, however, rather hoping this will not happen for about twenty years or more, ha ha!

Take care peeps! I'll be seeing you...

Retro Video Review # 1: "Spawn"

One of the great things about my bedroom "entertainment centre" (TM.1997), is that for the first time in many years, I have a VCR! I actually gave about 100 videos to charity shops about a year ago, but I did keep hold of a few essential titles. Videos are so cheap these days, that I will also be picking up a few more classics as I travel along life's highway over the next few weeks and months...


So I thought, "hey, why not give each of my newly watched videos a very short review? So here goes... Spawn was one of the first comic cross-over films I can remember (after Christopher Reeve's 'Superman' and Tim Burton's 'Batman'. Pre-dating the celluloid reinvention of X Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Daredevil et al, Spawn represents a darker side of the comic-film crossover. Whilst Hellboy might flirt a little with the 'anti-hero' persona, Spawn did it first and IMHO, did it better.

To do an ultra-quick synopsis, Spawn is the story of a war between the forces of heaven and hell, with our hero recruited for the dark side. Of course the hero wasn't always a servant of Beelzebub, but was once 'special ops.' agent Al Simmons (Michael Jai White). Simmons is unfortunately betrayed by his squad's colonel and fried to a crisp. Once suitably dead charred and hideous, (plus losing his wife to trusted colleague Terry Fitzgerald (J.B. Sweeney) he is drawn into Hell's army by the Clown/Violator (John Leguizamo). For the rest of the movie our protagonist has to wrestle back the humanity of Simmons from the clutches of the ethereal Spawn, by making suitable moral choices, not letting off a deadly virus (and then wasting people in a variety of ways!)

There is also a fine performance by Martin Sheen, as duplicitous squad leader Jason Wynn, the ultimate incarnation of "the man". 100% bastard, Wynn has made a hellish pact with the Clown, who is playing him against Spawn in the hopes that he himself will get to lead Satans army. Confused? So you should be, LOL!

"Wanna see some puppies?"

As a character Spawn is way cool! He is a dark superhero with an 'ectoplasmic skeleton' which can shapeshift in a handy a variety of ways, and he has a propensity for manifesting chains, barbs and hooks from various parts of his body, which then stick into various parts of other people's bodies...

But Clown's character is where the movie is really at... Obnoxiously humorous and very disgusting, Clown stops Spawn form degenerating into a shmaltzy 'good vs. evil' morality tale (although there is a depressing amount of 'cute puppy/saving orphans' sub-plots in the movie.
Watching the film again with fresh eyes, I did wonder whether Mike Myers had used some of Clown's character traits for Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers films...

Overall a total winner. Pick yourself a VCR and some old tapes for peanuts... Video cassettes are the new vinyl!
FK Verdict 8/10

Kingdom Hearts? Meh...

Sappy? Crappy? Just a little bit too fluffy and lavendar? Pass me the sick bucket...

There have been scant 'good days' during 2009 for me so far, but one that would definitely class as a GREAT day, was the day I gave up on Kingdom Hearts forever!

I'll explain... during the summer, I cleared loads of old crap out of the house. Whilst sorting through all the rooms, I cobbled together a nice little set up for my newly replenished bedroom. It consists of a fairly big TV, a video, and a Ps2 (and therefore DVD), all of which were given to me for free at one time or another. I bought a digi-box for £20 and lo and behold I've got me a little "entertainment centre", state of the art for 2001... lol!

Mrs. K loves it too, and I can now escape to the PS2 in my bedroom, whilst Ted commands the 360 in the main living room and Martin continues his love affair with the PS3 in his festering pit. So, I found myself in my room more and more as the summer progressed, and I decided to clear my backlog of 'bought-but-un-played' PS2 games. These included Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry 1 & 3, Yakuza II, Scarface and Okami amongst others, in short, plenty to keep me going over the summer. Yakuza II was the first game that I played, and what an absolute joy it was, from start to finish

Now this is a man's game... LOL!

The next project needed to be something very different to Yakuza II though, (it's quite intense at times) so I decided on Kingdom Hearts - Now for some reason, all the saves on my memory card were gone, so it meant starting the game again from scratch. I got to both the Alice In Wonderland world and the Hercules world, and then just got stuck, getting continually wiped out just at the end of battles, making the whole thing tedious, frustrating and repetitious.

OOH! NICE! I want one!!!

Eventually after a few days of play I just got pissed off. I hate abandoning a game unfinished these days, so it was a big decision. I decided to try Scarface. It took me a while to get going on it, but now I cannot stop playing it. I want to complete everything in it, the overall appeal of the game is excellent. Graphics, voice acting and soundtrack are superb, and the story unfolds nicely. The selling of drugs and ownership of turf are paramount to your success as Tony Montana, and this element reminded me very much of GTA China Town Wars. There is also respect points awarded for the purchase of "exotics", luxury items, decor, cars, henchmen and works of art, whose ostentatious acquisition is a key element of boosting status. The violence is frequent, bloody and extremely enjoyable. Lock on with L1, shoot with L2, it couldn't be simpler!

In fact, you could say that Scarface, in reality a GTA clone, compares extremely favourably with it's progenitor. It's worth remembering that this game sat at the top of the gamer's retail charts in the UK, throughout the month of October in 2006, shifting over a million units in its lifespan, and eventually making it's debut in the current gen as a title for the Wii. Despite the very bad rep which movie-tie in games have, I would thoroughly recommend this title to any GTA fan and any lovers of action games in general. And to Sora, Donald,Goofy and the rest of those big shoed, spiky haired, Square Enix inspired sissies, I say what Senor Montana would say: "Hey! F**ck you Chico! Say hello to my little friend..." LOL!

Good God! Gargantuan Gaming Gridlock!

When I look back across the archives of FKWS for 2009, it is not an impressive one in terms of blogging. In fact I've just about managed to keep hanging onto the tenuous grip I have on the blogosphere in terms of my own blogs and those of my dear brothers.

That being said, it has been quite a mad year, in terms of my health and the adjustments we have had to make as a family unit. And just as I was ready to start back at work full time for the new academic year, the docs tell me I am in grave danger of shuffling off this mortal coil if I don't have a major heart operation... within the next two weeks... HOLY AORTIC CAVITIES BATMAN!

So I have decided to use my time off work as an opportunity to reconnect with this epistle and those of my blogging chums. No grand promises however, I'm far too slack for that...

So, rather than drone on for ages about my gaming past since GTA China Town Wars, I thought I'd present it in list form and perhaps expand on individual titles if I wish to later... I will however post a little link to websites for each of them in case you are intrigued. Ready? Here goes...
GTA IV (again) (360)
Lost and Damned (360)
GTA San Andreas (360)
50 Cent BOTS (PS3)
Yakuza II (PS2)
Kingdom Hearts ...meh...(PS2)
Scarface (PS2)
Sega Rally Revo (PSP)
Soul Calibur (PSP)
Stranglehold (360)

Now I've looked at it, it seems pretty short as lists go, but that is also because I've been enjoying time with my family, tidying, de-cluttering, and decorating the house, getting my eldest off to university and spending time with non-gaming friends, so I'm happy that it's short. Any way, "keep it brief" is my new mantra for posts. Tata!

THIS IS IT!

October 28th is the official release date. Hopefully I'll have added some new stuff to the blog before then. Just thought I'd dip a toe in the water...

Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars DS

Well, well, well. The months have past and it’s been an absolute age since I wrote anything about gaming. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been playing games, good lord no! In fact, I’ve been gaming at every opportunity, which is part of the reason I rarely venture into the blogosphere these days. Whereas in the past, blogging about games was my passion, now actually playing them is more appealing.

So what has been keeping this old man amused recently? Well my birthday, way back in May netted me Condemned 2, Dead Space and Outrun 2 for the Xbox. Dead Space remains untouched, Condemned 2 has been abandoned due to it’s turgid pacing (I just lost interest in ‘Serial Killer X’ and the whole plot.) Outrun 2 (downloadable from XBLA is a sheer delight, the epitome of arcade racing – although somewhat ‘buggy’ and quick to crash.)

However, the franchise that has been keeping me busy throughout these turbulent times is the wonderful Grand Theft Auto universe, Rockstar’s fabulous gift to the gaming world. And the game that kick-started my current obsession? Why perhaps the least obviously appealing outing of the franchise so far, GTA China Town Wars for the DS.

Rockstar have already had a good degree of success in it’s transference of the GTA world onto handheld consoles (ignoring the GTA GBA fiasco) with Vice City and Liberty City stories for PSP (and indeed I will come to these games later…)

With the money I accrued for my 42nd birthday, I decided to invest in a DS Lite and GTA CTW. The whole package cost me £80-ish and at last I had a fully functional DS with a responsive touch screen again! (My old ‘original’ DS had been sketchy for ages…)

And so I dipped into the world of Huang Lee, ‘Uncle Kenny’, triads, mafia and ancient stolen katanas. But can the tiny cartridge of the DS really encompass the vast world of Liberty City and do it justice? The short and emphatic answer to that question is “YES!” All but one of the boroughs of Liberty City found in GTA IV are recreated in the world of GTA CTW. You can actually recognise areas and neighbourhoods, despite the top-down “birds eye” view, and when you do, it’s quite a thrill! It’s also a testament to what Rockstar Leeds have managed to cram into a cartridge no bigger than a postage stamp!

Yes, there have been compromises in order to get a fully fledged GTA experience onto the DS. The ‘radio stations’ have been replaced by a variety of set soundtracks of different musical genres (although even these have been lovingly created by current artists such as Deadmaus, mentioned on these hallowed pages just a few weeks ago!)

Cut-scenes are limited to still pictures and captions (think Phoenix Wright) and of course we have the 2.5D top down view, but once you begin to play the game sucks you straight in and you very quickly forget the differences between this incarnation and those brought out on full-size consoles. It’s pure, unbridled GTA fun. All the elements are there, driving, drive-by shootings, securing safe-houses and encountering a wealth of colourful and intriguing characters (like the cross-dressing Mafioso), all served up with a tinge of irony and a good dash of humour.

Did I mention the drugs? Drug dealing is the backbone of Huang’s existence in Liberty City. It’s how he earns money to buy weapons and builds his empire. You’ve got to know your smack from your crack and your weed from your speed if you’re gonna progress in the game!

The game is just SO much better than either of the PSP titles, which have me struggling and a tad bored. GTA CTW was a joy to play and complete, encouraging me to pick up GTA IV again and finish it, quickly downloading ‘Lost and Damned’ as soon as Niko’s adventures had come to an end. I’ve also downloaded GTA San Andreas, so I should be good to go over the summer!

Oh and I’ve got my six weeks holidays starting on Friday, but I’m not promising an increase in blogging output… there’s every chance I’ll be gaming instead!

GTA Chinatown Wars Official Site

GTA Chinatown Wars Wikipedia

GTA Chinatown Wars Video Review

Sway Tribute To MJ

Sway is one of the best UK MCs around. Signed by Akon, his lyrics are often quick witted and self depreciatory - making me think of Eminem at times. This was a quickly penned tribute to the King Of Pop, which featured in Radio One's farewell to the man last Saturday.

Refund News

I received an email from Viagogo (the company we purchased MJ tickets from)and this is what it said:

"Dear Simon,

At this time of mourning for Michael Jackson, we are together in our sadness at the loss of one of the greatest entertainers ever. As announced on June 30th by AEG Live, Michael Jackson's concert promoters, a full refund is available to you for the ticket(s) you purchased through viagogo for Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' concerts which were to take place at The O2 Arena in London. This refund will include all ticket service charges and shipping fees.

Also as announced, you have the option to be sent the actual tickets you would have received to attend the show. If you choose to be sent your ticket, you will receive a refund of your original transaction less the original face value price of that ticket (and the transaction fee and relevant shipping charge for that face value only). Please note that the original face value of the ticket and any deductions will be clearly shown before you select this option.

The tickets printed with the special lenticular or 3D process, were inspired and designed by Michael Jackson for the fans attending his shows. (See above)

The special offer to receive your actual tickets will remain valid to 23:59 BST, August 14, 2009.

In order to request a refund or to be sent your ticket, please click here and follow the instructions.

Thank you for using viagogo!"

Well, whilst the tickets look good, and will undoubtedly make a great souvenir, I don't have the finances to go for this option, so I've asked for a full cash refund. I'm thinking of using the ticket money to book a couple of flights to New York for a long weekend or week... Or maybe to visit family in Toronto? I'm not sure what I'll do, but this tragedy needs to have a happy ending, so rest assured the money will be blown on something excellent to cheer me and Mrs. K up!




As a souvenir of the concert that never was, I've purchased a T-Shirt which I will wear proudly until it drops to pieces. Right, it's time I kicked myself up the arse and stopped moping around.
Expect a new gaming post this weekend!!!

The Final Rehearsal - They Don't Really Care About Us

Michael looks like he is as tight and fresh as ever, as he practises for the O2 performance. Ah, what could have been...

Coming To Terms With the Loss Of A Legend

This past week has hit me hard. I mean HARD. Apart from the death of Michael Jackson, which has hit me like the loss of a close family member, it's been a week of personally difficult issues. My neighbour's front window had a soft-ball size hole shot into it, after fifteen or so gang members rode slowly up my street with murderous intent, looking for her son. I was back in hospital for a small operation, reminding me of how different my life is compared to this time last year. Add to those issues a few small confrontations with one of my sons, and you could say that this week has not been great.

But the thing that has upset me the most, is the death of MJ. As the media goes into overdrive, raking over every angle of his death, re-opening the questions of Michael's sexuality, desired racial identity, relationships with Jordie Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, biological parenthood of his children, financial insecurity etc, there is also a healthy level of praise and adulation that has long been absent from the TV and newspapers. Finally, it seems his position as the most important entertainer of the modern age is about to be secured, as well as a final recognition of the barriers he smashed down in terms of race and injustice.


From the plethora of tributes and expressions of grief from the rich and famous, two have stuck in my mind. The first is from the Reverend Al Sharpton:
"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama...no controversy will erase the historic impact"

The second is from Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees:

"It’s so sad that we can’t praise people while they’re here in the world. When they’re gone it’s too late. The people who were down on him last year are praying to the altar of Michael Jackson today."

He went on to say that if a fraction of the praise and admiration that was being heaped on Jackson in his death, had been given to him in recent years, he might still be with us today.
Michael's life and contribution to modern culture are now being dissected into infinity. It would be futile for me to try and evaluate this phenomenon, as so many commenters are doing, and will continue to do so for years to come, for it would only be lost in an ocean of words about the man.




Instead, I'll simply recount the story of my own, (very late,) emergence as a full blown and fanatical Michael Jackson devotee.



I remember the Jackson 5 from the time I was about six or seven. I liked them well enough, particularly enjoying their cartoon show, but they were no more significant to me than any other band.

By the time Michael graduated into a global superstar after the release of Thriller, I was completely indifferent to his music. The year I remember that as being, was 1983. At the time I had just graduated from punk and was beginning to enjoy an exploration of all things psychedelic. My musical tastes were very much rooted in the sixties - The Doors, Love, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Who, Small Faces and Sly Stone. The contemporary black artists I admired and listened to existed in the worlds of reggae and hip hop... The Wailers, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse and Aswad... Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Afrikka Bambatta and so on. To me Michael Jackson felt like commercial pap directed at teen girls. His music couldn't have been less significant to me. I was always mildly amused and slightly intrigued by tabloid reports of his eccentricities, however.



Fast forward 10 years and I'm 24, working hard as a teacher, married with a two year old son. We have a load of Disney videos which we put on for him when we're busy, or occasionally, if time allows, sit down and watch with him. I loved that, sitting watching cartoons and cuddling my little son. Somehow, in amongst that pile of Disney films is Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. I don't know who bought it, but it begins to be the one we both select to watch most often. I totally dig it's spacey, fantasy, futuristic feel, despite the cheesey overtones! It becomes a useful movie to show in school for 'reward time'; every kid, no matter how good their ability to speak English, seems to love it, and it's guaranteed to keep thirty rowdy eleven year olds completely absorbed and engaged for an hour and twenty minutes... BONUS!



About this time, the first allegations of child abuse emerged from Jordie Chandler, or to be more correct, from his aspiring movie producer father. I didn't believe the allegations, they smacked of extortion way back then. But I felt Michael had made a bad choice in paying the family off, rather than vindicating himself and proving his innocence.

Then in 1995, came Earth Song. Little Joe, my son, now four, saw the video on the chart show and asked if he could have the CD. I duly obliged, and we listened to it and sang it together. It also had a dance mix on it and a 'megamix' of all of his solo hits, promoting the HIStory CD. It was cool. It was the first time I'd bought a Michael Jackson song.

I liked the video too, but I wasn't so keen on his stage performance at the Brits. I felt it was cheesey and that Mike was being a bit too 'messianic'. Jarvis Cocker from the band Pulp thought so too. He ran on stage and waggled his arse. It was quite funny, but I also thought it was a bit mean to the fragile Michael.


Cocker's subsequent treatment at the hands of police and security however, was way out of line.

And then I suppose I just forgot about him. I spent the latter half of the nineties off my head at a gazillion raves, festivals and parties. Acid house and dance music dominated my conciousness. The new millemium saw me chilling out and getting used to middle age after my last flourish of youth. Staying in and listening to music or watching TV with Mrs. K became my ideal evening.
Michael was still way off my radar musically though.

In 2003, the family had gone shopping at the Trafford Centre, the local mall. Joe (12) and his younger brother Martin (9) had been allowed to go and have a look round on their own, and returned excitedly saying there was a MJ impersonator dancing and doing the moonwalk outside the HMV store. It was to promote a new CD of all his number one hits and the boys asked me if we could buy a copy. I told them "sure", and sent them off with the money. We listened to it on the way home. I was intrigued by how much I'd never heard and how good this 'new' stuff sounded to me.

Virtually the next day, Michael's haunting mugshot was all over the papers.

(- Now as a quick aside, his changing face had never bothered me that much. I'd always thought it was his, to do with what he wanted . I didn't consider his skin lightening or nose reduction to be a betrayal of his race any more than I considered his increasingly androgynous look to be a betrayal of his gender -)

But that face looked ghastly to me that day, not at all good. The Bashir documentary had aired and Michael's flawed decision to put his (I believe 100% innocent) sleep-over arrangements with Gavin Arvizo into the public domain had backfired on him spectacularly. Bashir had entrapped Michael with the deception of false trust and friendship. He seized the opportunity to exploit Michael's naivety and innocence, and portrayed him as a predatory paedophile. It was disgusting to watch Bashir turn from obsequious and gushing, to judgemental and damning. Michael was like a lamb to the slaughter - he simply could not believe there was anything wrong with what he was doing.

No one in his family circle or collection of advisers or friends had been strong enough to tell Michael to stop. He had become so disconnected with the real world, that he didn't see he was voluntarily climbing upon a cross of his own making. The media and public were now clamoring to hammer in the nails. Incidentally Martin Bashir has said since Mike's death:

"Certainly when I made the documentary there was a small part of that which contained a controversy concerning his relationship with other young people, but the truth is that he was never convicted of any crime.

"I never saw any wrongdoing myself and whilst his lifestyle may have been a bit unorthodox, I don't believe he was a criminal."

I just didn't buy it. I could see that he was ignorant, naive, ill advised, perhaps even arrogant in the belief he could do as he pleased. But I emphatically believed in his innocence. It seemed very odd that this was happening when Michael was having his first commercial success in years, with a number one album and top five single. He was being charged by a man, Santa Barbara DA, Thomas Sneddon, a man who it seemed had harboured a grudge against Jackson for 10 years, since the settlement of the Jordie Chandler case. The accusing family themselves were known grifters. Again it looked like Michael was taking the fall because of his naivety and generosity.



I began to listen to his music more intently and carefully. The more I listened the more I liked. I bought every CD available by the Jackson 5, the Jacksons and Michael as a solo artist. I loved everything, but for me the albums that I loved the most were his later ones, Dangerous, Blood On The Dance Floor, HIStory and Invincible. I bought and watched every DVD and video I could. I became convinced of his genius as an entertainer. His music and performance eclipsed and out-shone every other music I had liked up until that point. As I watched his later videos again and again, a strange thing happened... I got used to his face. Even his later looks didn't freak me out. I'd go as far to say he still looked good in the videos for "You Are Not Alone" or "Blood On the Dance Floor"... Controversial I know!



As my passion for his music grew, Jackson's whole life was put on trial in a Santa Barbara courtroom. I watched the Sky dramatisations of the day's events in court, avidly every day. I looked at the fans outside the courtroom. At one point I would have seen them as fanatical nut jobs, now I identified with them strongly. When friends and visitors found out I liked Michael, they reacted with either bemusement, pity or disdain. To be a public supporter of Michael at this time was not a popular position! I read around the case, found out what I could from the Internet. I was encouraged to see messages of support from artists such as P. Diddy, LL Cool J, Missy Elliot and James Brown. I read these in the Voice, the biggest black publication in Britain. The only good press for Mike, was in the black press.

Then came the verdict. Not guilty on all charges. As each verdict was delivered, one of the fans released a dove. I was ecstatic. I was overjoyed. Michael's life, including the most intimate details of his physical privacy had been aired in public. His home had been violated by searches of his most intimate possessions. He looked gaunt and frail, not exultant and victorious. The trial had clearly had a devastating effect on a man who had still been able to dance like a twenty year old, just a couple of years earlier.

But surely he would regain his strength? Surely he would put the record straight and explain himself in a frank interview with someone like Oprah? Surely he would 'rise again'? Well it didn't look like it. Mike flitted from place to place, country to country, with nowhere seeming like home.
When photographed his trademark 'quirky' outfits no longer looked mysterious, they just looked weird. Fans waited anxiously for new material which never came. Michael had become a ghost of himself.

Until last year that is. Thriller 25th anniversary edition had new collaborations from Kanye West , Will.I.Am and Akon. Ebony magazine printed some photos of him looking... beautiful... for once. And then the O2 Concerts! I did two posts about them, which are here and here. I was going to go and see him! One of my ultimate ambitions in life was going to be realised!!! I knew the show would be an extravaganza with Mike contributing a small amount, but if I had seen him perform just one song, I would have died a happy man. But it was never to be.

Now he's gone and I feel like there is a huge hole in my life. You shouldn't be able to feel as sad as this about someone you never met. But that is what being a true Michael Jackson fan entails!
For the last four years on the kitchen noticeboard in my house, has been the front cover of the Manchester Evening News dated 14.06.05. It has a close up of Jackson's face with a one word headline "INNOCENT". You'll notice it says innocent and not 'not guilty'. In my hall for every visitor to my house to see, is a small portrait of Mike which I got for £1 at a thrift store. I'm proud to have been an "out and proud" supporter and fan of Michael, before the 'all too late' hysteria now he has been taken from us. I'm doing things to cope. I've transferred all my CDs to my PC, so I can make compilations and burn Cds for people. I've written my thoughts down for posterity. I'm wondering about whether I'll go to any tribute show that will be put on in the wake of the O2 gigs. I do know I'll be keeping Mike in my heart for the rest of my life and doing my best to ensure his legend is cemented into the consciousness of all those I come into contact with!

Michael Jackson Rest In Peace

What can I say? I'm absolutely devastated. I hope he is at peace and that he will be remembered for the right reasons. Good night Michael sleep well.

Father Krishna - The Video!

A couple of dear friends of mine made this video which they very kindly posted over at the Planet Dreamcast Forums. I never had anything like this before and I'm tickled pink! Thank you Brit and Tom!

Deadmaus & Kascade - Remember

More music that's floating my boat at the moment, but couldn't be more contrasting than my last musical reccomendation, is this rather wonderful tune from the intriguingly named, Deadmaus.
From it's subtle progressive house beats to it's hauntingly soothing vocal, I could listen to this song for hours at a time. Now I know it's not BJ or Nebacha's cup of tea, but I'm hoping it might resonate with a couple of you guys out there. It rather reminds me of this tune from way back in my raving days...



Now I know the few readers I still have would much rather hear about my current gaming habits and believe me , I've got a backlog of games to tell you about, including Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Condemened 2, Resident Evil (remake), Lost Planet, GTA China Town Wars, Outrun Online, Watchmen and House Of The Dead: Overkill .

So I'll get to that soon enough! Until then, this is Father Krishna reminding you all that I'm still alive and floating round the blogosphere!

Eminem - Relapse

It was a bit of a no brainer really, I was always going to love Relapse, the new CD from Eminem. I’ve been a big fan since his first single back in 1999, buying up every studio album, compilation, D12 release and collaborative sampler – plus his posthumous collaborations with such rap icons as Christopher “Biggie” Wallace and Tupac Shakur. I’ve bought videos, DVDs, posters, and seen him live on the “criminal” tour supported by Xzibit. In fact you could say I’m something of a “Stan” when it comes to Eminem – I’d class myself as a super-fan.

So I’m not sure whether my gushing review of this CD could be counted as valid, but I’ll continue nevertheless. I don’t just admire Eminem as a rapper. I see him as a wordsmith on a par with the greats – Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Byron and Keats.



His lyrical dexterity is second to none. This quote seems to sum up the esteem in which I hold his skills:
“Despite the media portraying him as the devil at various points in his career — just the latest in a long line of anti-heroes here to steal your children's souls and minds — there always seemed to be something more just below the surface with this guy. As an anonymous poster recently wrote on a music chat board I visit, Slim Shady — Eminem's musical alter ego — is like a Shakespearean fool; there's often a lot of wisdom, even a genius, underneath his apparently mad ravings. In fact, in many ways, it could be argued that he was the first to bring a humanistic, even a more literary side, to hip hop that wasn't really there before — less false braggadocio and a lot more confessional technique, probably more of the latter than any rapper before him or since.” (Bill Holdship, Detroit Metro Times.)

Even when he stops rhyming and recourses to mumbled or slurred gibberish you know that’s just to throw you off guard until the next killer couplet is slammed home. Eminem is in full control of the rudder even when you think his ship is about to crash onto the rocks of taste and morality, he knows exactly where he is going and what reaction he hopes to illicit…

And believe me, you will be pushed to the boundaries of what you find acceptable. Subject matter in the lyrics of the album goes over well trodden ground, ranging from tried and tested avenues:- rape, murder, incest, serial killing, cannibalism, physical and sexual abuse, felching, torture, drug abuse, separating conjoined twins (!) and lampooning target celebrities (even poor old Christopher Reeve still gets a good pummelling, despite his untimely death...) But don’t get it twisted, all of this has to be taken with a pinch of salt, it's all a slickly performed persona – the tendency to rap about subjects ‘close to the knuckle’ is no more reflective of the artist Marshall Mather’s real personal tastes or leanings, than is the hack and slash actions of actor Robert Englund are, when he’s made up as the character Freddy Kruger – Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady are two very different entities.


All the essential elements of a Shady LP are there - skits with Paul Rosenberg and Steve Berman, (denouncing the rapper as a waste of space and his CD as lacking any artistic or commercial merit), collaborations with mentor Dr. Dre and protege 50 Cent, songs about his mum, and the slightly-anthemic-aimed-at-all-those-tortured-goths-wallowing-in-their- bedroom-sing-along-through-your-tears number, "Beautiful". (Why is the most tender and morally valuable song on the CD my least favourite? What does that say about me???)



Notable by their absence are, collaborations with posse D12, songs about ex-wife Kim and any evidence of the politically charged rhetoric that peppered his recordings during the Bush administration. Idon't miss the obsession with wifey, but I did miss the other two.

Beats and backing tracks are as tight as a nat's chuff, the standout track being "Bagpipes For Baghdad" with it's faux R 'n' B Eastern flava, all Bollywood strings, nose flutes and tablas over a thudding bass drum. The track is also notable for a hilarious Scottish flavoured Eminem expressing how he is feeling... "Fooking greet mon!"




I won't pull the album apart track by track they're all superb. Take advantage of the internet and listen to them all, you won't be disappointed. I'm still undecided whether the wholesale public examination of his addiction/relapse/rehab is a genuine attempt by an artist to work through his pain or a cleverly exploited opportunity to provide a concept vehicle for his 'comeback' LP. I'm not sure I care either way. What is definite is the fact that ten years into his career as a megastar, despite five years of seclusion, Eminem is as vital and visceral as ever, still relevent, still excellent and still at the very top of his game!

Star Trek or Wolverine?

Well, it's my birthday on Saturday, I'll be 42. Normally, that would be celebrated with copious amounts of booze, but as you all know this year will be different. Instead I'll be taking a very non-alcoholic trip to the cinema, where the only drink I'll imbibe wil be a giant diet pepsi, to wash down the nachos, cheese and chillis!

But here's the dilemma... Star Trek or Wolverine? I'm a long time fan of both franchises. I don't get to the cinema that often and I don't want to miss either. I've been a Trekkie since I was a kid, but I also read X Men comics as a kid and I've loved the three X Men movies so far... Plus I'm massively intrigued by Wolverine's back-story...

At the moment I'm swinging toward Star Trek, however, as I'm excited by it's reinvention and I love anything with Simon Pegg (Scotty) in it... I'll let you know where I ended up!

Going To See MJ!

Well, that's the plan anyway! as you may or may not know, Michael Jackson has been booked to perform a series of concerts in London this year, and early into next. They sold out in minutes and thousands of fans were left disappointed and cheated of perhaps their last chance to see the man perform.

I was one of those disappointed... I expressed my dismay on these very pages, a feeling that I know only Junlee could appreciate. Still, the internet is a wonderful thing, and somehow, through a secure and official vendour, I now have two tickets to see MJ on Saturday January the 10th 2010! Sure they are about as far from the stage as they could be, but I saw Eminem under the same circumstances and that was awsome!

Now, for a start, this has cost me £300 which I really don't have right now. There'll also be the cost of travelling to and staying in London. Then there is the sketchy business as to whether Mr. jackson will be 'well enough' to perform one concert, let alone the 50 or so he has committed to performing. Seeing him shuffling round Las Vegas bookshops in a surgeon's mask doesn,t exactly fill one with confidence...

Still, for now, I'm on cloud nine. I know most of you wouldn't watch Michael Jackson if he was performing for free in the local park, but for me it's fulfilling a huge personal ambition. So hopefully, you'll be thrilled for me!

Chamone!

Stasis

You can see my house through the trees!

Well. It's 7.54 a.m. on a beautiful May morning and the sun is streaming in through the windows. The Victorian park opposite the house is in full bloom. At this time of day, at this time of year, my little part of Moss Side looks good.

My son, little Ted, anxiously takes his pre-high school SAT exams this week, (which is rounded off with my 42nd birthday on Saturday.) I'm seeing the heart specialist today - I haven't deteriorated or improved since I got out of hospital - so I've nothing really to tell him. I wonder if he's got anything important to tell me?

I'm still in blogging stasis - neglecting all of my blogs, for days, weeks and even months. Every time I feel like I've updated and am ready to get back in the blogging routine, I stop. I then feel guilty/lazy/rude (to my blogging friends and brothers) but this does not wake me from my blogging torpor.

I am gaming like a demon though. My fayre at the moment? Resident Evil. Resident Evil, Resident Evil and more Resident Evil. I've completed Resi 5 on Easy, Normal and Veteran, (unlocking and upgrading all weapons and uniforms) completed Resi 4 again on normal and at the moment I'm about a third of the way through Resident Evil on the Gamecube - although I'll openly admit I'm using a guide - (that game is hard!) - and just in case I need a little Resi on the go, I've started Resident Evil DS again, playing as Chris. Just yesterday, I saw my first cut-scene with Rebecca Chambers and finally understood her place in the first installment! Other than that, I've little to report! I'll chuck a little video of the game at the bottom...

Oh, but I did rent House Of The Dead Overkill this weekend... Perhaps I could share my thoughts on that?

So I'd just like to say HI! and a Happy May to you all!

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

I've not really found anything to really suck me in gaming-wise since finishing Resident Evil 5. My immediate reaction to finishing it, was to play Umbrella Chronicles on the Wii, which reminded me of how good, both the game (and perhaps more importantly,) the console are. The idea of an 'on-rails' light-gun game having as much content and game-play as a standard Resi game was a novel one. It is a format I have found compelling to play on a regular basis since I bought it, although total completion of the title is something that still eludes me!




You can imagine my joy at finding out there is to be a sequel, the hotly anticipated RE: Darkside Chronicles, which re-works the events of RE2 in a 'current gen' format for the first time. Having enjoyed RE Code Veronica, RE Dead Aim, RE: Outbreak File #.2 and Umbrella Chronicles, I'm very excited to see another RE 'offshoot' so soon after RE5.
Oh, and as well as Leon S. Kennedy in his S.T.A.R.S incarnation, you'll also be able to play as Claire Redfield and Ada Wong! Woot!


Actually, Capcom might be single-handedly ensuring the Wii becomes the most used console in my house, with the announcement that RE: Zero and the simply stunning remake of the original Resident Evil for Gamecube getting a repackaging for the Wii - with motion controls as they did for Resident Evil 4! That could see me locked into the RE experience on the Wii in one way or another for the next year! The games are being packaged together (as House Of The Dead II and III were for their Wii-welease) as Resident Evil: Archives.

Guess Who's Back?

Biff! Bang! Pow! The world's naughtiest rapper, that most skilful of lyricists and twister of verse, Eminem is soon to release his new album (see the countdown on the side bar!) . Here's the superb "We made you", containing the most wonderful rhyming couplet
"Wowsers! I just made
a mess in my trousers!"

It brings a tear to the eye doesn't it? See how many 'celebrities' you can spot!