Homebrew, the Wolf of King Street, and running away to join the circus.

Hello again! It has, as ever, been an interesting few months, I quit a bar job, found another job, quit that, then quite literally ran away to join the circus.

I left my bar job with the intention of starting another similar job, but was swayed by the glamorous world of 'Marketing'. Now, I've seen Mad Men, surely I would spend my days in a suit, pitching cigarettes to other men in suits, and drinking Martinis? Well. No. Initially I was impressed, a small, smart office, staffed by ambitious young people, taking on older, established marketing firms by using the new tactic of 'direct marketing'. I was trained and instructed in their methods, and sent out to make my fortune. What this boiled down to was, door to door sales, with my earnings based entirely on commission, something that is in a moral and legal grey area. Well, door to door didnt phase me, I'd done it before for charity, surely I could do it again for myself? And I could, sort of, I made average progress. But then I started to pay more attention to the environment I was in. As is the case with 'Earn up to £1000p/w! Be your own boss!' sorta jobs, it appeals to people who think they're Jordan Belfort. In fact lots of people mentioned Wolf of Wall Street as their favourite film. It was a peek into a world I found both fascinating and depressing. A world where people spent all their commission on a suit they would wear to the office in the morning, and then change into 'normal' clothes, to avoid looking like a door to door salesman when they went round being a door to door salesman. A world where everyone talked about 'the law of averages' and 'good days and bad' or 'dont get negged out'. Another concerning element to it was the way many of the people working there were disparaging to people who had a job that paid hourly, as though this somehow inspired laziness.

I'd advise anyone thinking of entering that world to look deeper into Wolf of Wall Street as a comment on the American Dream, and if you still fancy it, watch the Maysles Brothers brilliant, albeit depressing documentary, Salesman. (1968)

Working for this marketing firm, I was surrounded by a mix of bravado and desperation, a sort of 'fake it till you make it' attitude that was entirely geared towards consumerism. It was a little jab at my clothes that eventually made me leave the twisted circus of rampant capitalism (which for all its desires was nothing like the excesses of Wolf of Wall Street, because they couldn't really afford it), I've ended up working in an actual circus.

A friend sent me a text that was from an employment agency asking for 'bar staff. Immediate start.' Eager to give it a go, I called and was interviewed n got a position working at the Cirque du Soleil while they perform here in Manchester. Now I can't speak for the show itself having only seen snippets of it on a tv screen above the bar I work at, but in terms of employers, they are great. A really international crew, my supervisors are Spanish, Dutch, American, Romanian and Belgian. I knew I'd found a great bunch when the head of staffing gathered us all round and said 'If anyone starts giving you shit, come and find us, and we'll fight them, that's what we're paid for, you don't have to put up with that.'. That attitude, coupled with simple things like being appreciative of our work, means I'm enjoying my job for the first time in a while.While the job will only last a month, I have been assured my agency can find me more work afterwards. And despite being sorely tempted, I will not follow the show around the globe, purely as you have to fund all travel and accommodation yourself.

It's been called my 'itinerant twenties' by concerned relatives and I have to say I'm enjoying it.  Might review a film on the next blog, there's some good stuff coming out soon.

Oh and many of you will be pleased/scared to know I have started homebrewing again, I've a batch of ginger beer on the go that should be ready to drink in a couple of weeks, I'll letcha know how it goes.
More soon!

Strange times

We live in strange times

You don't need me to tell you, there's been a lot going on these past weeks. The UK has voted for greater autonomy/isolation. Which is weird really, cos our rejection of isolationism and trading is what helped us through the Great Depression of the 30s better than the USA.

Speaking of that era, I've been rereading the autobiography of Woody Guthrie, the US folk singer who gave us such classics as 'This Land is Your Land' and 'The Car Song'- interestingly enough, some of the original verses of 'This Land is Your Land' reflected Guthries socialist beliefs- 'Was a high wall there that tried to stop me/A sign was painted 'Private Property'/ But on the back side didn't say nothing./This land was made for you and me.

And

One bright morning in the shadow of the steeple/By the relief office I saw my people/As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering/If this land was made for you and me.

It's irritating sometimes that this song is used by Republicans in the US when Guthrie would have been appalled by Trumps anti immigrant views. But then right wing politicians have rarely been good at interpreting songs, from Reagan using 'Born in the USA' by Springsteen, or Cameron famously pissing off Paul Weller by talking about loving listening to 'Eton Rifles' by The Jam when in the cadets.

With the book getting me misty eyed with wanderlust, I decided to make a playlist for traveling and some Guthrie related songs. While browsing I ended up finding an album on spotify called 'FTA! Songs of G.I Resistance', which features Barbara Dane leading G.I.s in various protest songs, including a blistering version of 'We shall not be moved' that almost had me welling up.

And that in turn got me thinking about music and protest songs and the options we have at the moment. On one side you've got Ed Sheeran making huge sums of money with vacuous empty pop shite and dedicating songs to David Cameron, on the other you have the recently reformed King Blues getting donations for homeless charities at gigs and advocating grass roots action. So I can't rant and complain that 'they don't make em like they used to' as there are still people using music as a form of protest, and long may it continue. Because, with Theresa May now in power having said at a Tory conference 'We don't need any more immigrants' and not ruling out deporting EU migrants, we have an obligation to think beyond national borders and consider inequality. My friend currently applying for a visa in the UK has been asked on the form- 'Have you at any point committed any genocide/ethnic cleansing?'- as though someone who had committed one would be above lying on a form. 

I was, like many folk my age, shocked by the Brexit result. As many of us planned various getaways and escape plans, rose tinted ideas of heading the US came to mind. But they could well elect Trump! So at the moment I find myself working, day by day, unwilling to settle, or make any long term plans.

It's strange times we live in, so I appreciate you reading my ramblings.

I'll leave you with a lengthy quote from Woody, a hero I couldn't kill even if I tried:

"I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim or too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling.

I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you.

I could hire out to the other side, the big money side, and get several dollars every week just to quit singing my own kind of songs and to sing the kind that knock you down still farther and the ones that poke fun at you even more and the ones that make you think that you've not got any sense at all. But I decided a long time ago that I'd starve to death before I'd sing any such songs as that. The radio waves and your movies and your jukeboxes and your songbooks are already loaded down and running over with such no good songs as that anyhow."

I did want to put a link to the great 'We Shall not be Moved' version I heard, but, it costs about 10 quid on itunes, so I got the next best thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBD6aQ0AMhs

Little things

At a time when Greenpeace is supporting the killing of bears and David Cameron is still holding onto power, it's easy to feel down and ponder how bad things are, believe me I spend a lot of time doing just that. Which is way it's so goddamn essential to enjoy the little things. When things arent up to scratch on a global scale, for the sake of sanity learn to appreciate good music, good company and little victories.

I had a little victory at work today. Currently working for a company that is paying one of my colleagues is paid 3.70 an hour as an 'apprentice waitress' (legal, but morally bankrupt), is often a place where everyone feels defeated. One of the co owners, was helping me around the bar (getting in the way, whilst also telling me how to make a cup of tea), and casually remarked 'Well, this job is piss easy anyway, so I can relax'. Now this is clearly not a little victory, it is a tiny defeat in a day of tiny defeats, the victory comes moments later, when they clearly cannot figure out the coffee machine they claim to have 'mastered'. 'Oh Jack, can you help me with this?' OH HOW THE MIGHTY HATH FALLEN. So I help myself to a little victory 'But' I reply 'I thought this was piss easy? Relaxing even?' The nervous laughter and grudging 'Uh. Yeah' I got in response kept me grinning for the next 11 hours on shift.

Films! I mention them now n then on here, when I'm not railing against some of the injustices mentioned earlier, I enjoy watching films, n this week revisited an old classic:

BLUE COLLAR (1978) written and directed by Paul Schrader (of TAXI DRIVER fame) starring Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto as Detroit car plant workers who steal from their union. It is a brilliant film in a number of ways, and although a depressing film, has a number of humorous moments that are made more memorable for their scarcity. I won't bother reviewing this film, I could probably fill a book, so I'll just say watch it if you can, it's good.

Music! I love music (who doesnt?) and when head to work of a morning, I want something that'll start the day off well- recently been listening to a great song by the Detroit Cobras. Due to my poor internet skills, I cant seem to find it on youtube, so, imagine if you will:

this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKD1mO5rt2A

covered by this band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WznyUXhuPmY

In fact, looking for those videos I found they did a great Strokes cover too. See? Enjoy the little things.

So yes, a little deviation from the ranting and reviewing, but I'm sure normal service will be resumed (whatever that is) the next time I post.

Until we can pull together and change the big things, we have to keep ourselves cheerful by enjoying the little things.

Is it just me?

Is it just me?

This week has seen the revelation that many powerful people, our PM included, have profited from shady tax affairs, hiding their money offshore to avoid paying tax. These revelations have been met with a mixture of anger and cynicism- Iceland is getting their shit together and trying to force their head honcho to resign, which is what us Brits are doing to, albeit with many people saying 'we always knew they were dodging tax, now we just know so what's the difference?'- Well maybe they have something, we've always known that a lot of the upper echelons of society are dodging tax, but now we can prove it. I'll tell you the difference: me and many like me are fucking sick of it.

Now I could go on about the Panama papers and how they suck, but as blogs are personal, and I have a personal story that relates (sort of ) to the issue, I'm going to share it with you guys. Recently, I started a new job at a bar/restaurant- nothing unusual in that, I'm an arts graduate, it's only natural I should be serving food and drinks to people. However, after a few weeks I received my first wage- an envelope full of cash. Yay! Oh. Not enough cash. The money I've been given equates to working for 6.50 an hour. Below the minimum wage. I ask the boss about it. Apparently he is in the process of buying his wife's business (conveniently at the end of the tax year) and as I'm 'still on trial' I'll continue to be paid cash in hand until a few weeks down the line when 'We'll have a sit down chat and work out what's best for you'. My bullshit sense is tingling. I decided to talk to a few of my colleagues, they're also all on cash, similar wages, some of them in spite of being over 25 n thus eligible for the new minimum wage of 7.20.

Now, on my only day off of the week I'm gonna sit down n tell you all why this is wrong:

Its indicative of a wider culture of 'fuck it, if he's doing it, I'll do it'. (Although I feel my current employer has never had any qualms about dodging tax regardless).

It also means I am party culpable purely through accepting it, as I'm evading income tax and national insurance contributions. (I'd probably get my income tax back as a rebate cos there's no way I'm earning enough money) And national insurance is something I really agree with, it's something everyone pays, usually in line with what they earn, to help people who are unable to work, or who are ill.

Tax evasion itself is 'a legal grey area'- as most savvy accountants will tell you, with enough money you can basically pay 'as much tax as your moral compass allows'. See: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/on-demand/62134-001

What annoys me as much, if not more, is that my employer was trying to pull the wool over my eyes by telling me that I'm on the wage I'm on because I'm 'on trial' while people who have worked for him much longer than me are still on the same wage. Ironically, my flatmate is working for a restaurant chain, and works almost double the hours I do, for minimum wage, but after tax, we take home similar wages. It's like if you work minimum wage and dont somehow game the system you're losing regardless. But that doesnt make it right.

Now I know exactly what I should do- phone HMRC, report my employer, get what I'm owed and walk out. But I'm not going to, because I need the money, and because a lot of my colleagues might lose out too. What I'm going to do is demand to be put on the books (ie start getting paid legally and properly) in two weeks. Otherwise I leave. I like this job, I like the place, I like the people I work with. But I am sick and tired of employers taking advantage because it's hard to find work.

Am I the only one who just wants to get paid an honest wage, pay their taxes and get on with it?

'Next time some greasy moron starts bullshitting me I'm going after him, all the way to the president of the United States'- Hunter S Thompson.

And yes, I know, I still havent written about films in a while.

Career opportunities.

So, I've come full circle. Last we spoke I was bemoaning the fact I was unemployed. Shortly after writing that blog I went on the dole for a period of about 3 weeks, before I found work as a fundraiser for a charity (During my brief stint as a dole mole I received the princely sum of £33.10).

Well great! I'd found a job that paid well and did well, what's not to like? Well, as it turns out, quite a bit. I was paid by an employment agency, but worked for the charity, which meant any confusion over wages was simply batted between the companies- 'go ask the charity' 'oh go ask your agency'.

The charity, as a charity, is fantastic, I support what its trying to do, and what it stands for. However, the way it made me feel and behave as I went about raising funds for them was terrible. It was, essentially a sales job, but instead of selling a product, I was selling the moral high ground. Going door to door is surreal, you see into a lot of lives and a lot of houses. The salient points I got from the 6 weeks or so I worked there is this:

people with no money, while the most eager to give, cannot afford to give it- it was heartbreaking to see people with so little trying to push coins or notes into my hand (something I couldn't accept both by law and principle)

People with some money fell into two categories- they were either eager to share, and some of the most warm hearted people I've ever met (I still have a stubby beer given to me by the second person I ever signed up, I keep it to remind me people aren't pricks), or, they completely hate the fact that inequality means someone is disturbing them while they're trying to watch TV.

People with loads of money, almost to a fault, were either dismissive, angry, or I couldn't get past their huge metal gates to ring their doorbell.

So the job reaffirmed a few things I already suspected, people with less are more eager to share it. But while my job often seemed to 'target' people with less, ('There's some good council estates here' was a phrase often heard) if I were to ever help people with less, directly, by giving out the charities number, for example, it was seen as a waste of time- 'you've given out more numbers than you've collected'.

In short, the main aim of working for the charity, was to sign people up to donate. Fair enough. But if you don't sign up enough people in the amount of time given, on your bike- during my stint there, 5 people 'had their assignment ended'- e.g. they were sacked. I myself had something of an epiphany on a bus to work on Monday morning- I'm doing a job I don't enjoy. Is it worth it?. To which I decided it wasn't, got off the bus, walked home n quit.

Working for a charity in such an aggressive, sales capacity was not good for me. I often caught myself becoming judgemental towards people who didn't donate. Who the fuck am I to judge anyone? I don't donate to charities every month, I give cash as and when I choose. But if someone says that to me or my colleagues on a door suddenly they're tight bastards?

The hypocrisy I was exposed to, and part of, was overwhelming. For example, many of my colleagues had other experience, working for other charities- one said 'I miss working for *cancer charity*, you pretty much just had to talk about kids with cancer and they gave you money, it was easy, I made a fortune in bonuses.'- Surely, that is not a remark from someone who is driven by charity, that is a remark made by someone driven purely by money. And a lot of people are. And that really pisses me off.

I think the overlap between business and charity is scary, and the mentality it inspires strange, as though the very idea of charity becomes a commodity, a way for people to write off real taxes and mental guilt. Because we live in a very unfair world, you don't need me to tell you that. But when someone knocks on your door and tells you its unfair, then offers you a chance to make it less unfair in exchange for money, something isn't right.

What I'm really getting at here is, question everything. If someone is homeless, it's great to help them, never stop helping people. But as soon as you ask 'why is that person homeless?' suddenly you're opening a can of worms. Philanthropy is fine, but never question what creates such inequality in the first place? Fuck that.It boils down to having a personal philosophy. Mine is that people should all have the basic things they need to survive and thrive. That's easy to dismiss as 'starry eyed dreaming' but why settle for less? As a species we're a pretty incredible bunch, and we shouldn't write it off as 'That's just the way it is' (No matter what the great 2pac says).

If you want to feel better about something, do something!

And that, ladies n gents, is why I quit working for a charity. Weird eh?

Here's the soundtrack to my jobsearching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZOrkPIZ1JU

Oh and I really, really will write about something film related next time.

New Years grumble.

Happy new year! Right, thats over, let's get on with it. From the 22^nd December to this current date (12/01/16), I have been unemployed. A grand total of 3 weeks. And its, well, shite. This is the first time I've been searching for a job and seem unable to find one. This is the big difference between being on holiday and unemployed, and it's something a lot of channel 5 documentaries (amongst others) need to realise. I'm not doing this because it's some sort of doss or cop out, I want to work, and it's not available. So, when Im not applying for jobs or making some sort of heinous veg soup (potatoes are awesome!!), I try and keep my mind occupied. Today I was flicking through the usual dross on TV, when I found myself past the horror channel (usually the freeview point of no return) onto BBC House of Commons Live. And this is when it got strange. This isn't my first experience of the channel, an innovative idea of broadcasting to the nation what our government gets up to, and how the day to day running of the country is handled. So at about 2.30, over some toast, I caught the debate on 'Affordable housing'. Now, Im 21, a long way off getting on the property ladder, but that's no reason I cant aspire to owning my own 'little bit of land' Of Mice and Men style.

So, settling in for some political battling, I was kinda shocked to see only around 50 MPs had bothered to show up. If I didn't show up to a days work serving drinks, in the House of Commons bar, for example, I doubt my employers would look kindly on it. But nevertheless, I watched a few of these MPs, such as Stephen Hammond, talk about affordable housing as though it is a dirty word. My understanding of the bill as it stands, is that high value vacant property, is to be sold by local councils, and the money gained used to pay for more affordable housing. Okay, so on the face of it that seems reasonable. BUT WAIT! Why are these high value properties not being rented by the wealthy who can afford them? Because they're waiting until the Council is essentially forced by the government to sell them, at a reduced rate, so they can either sell them on, or rent them out again for a higher price than the council rents them. Remember when the Post Office got sold for way less than it was worth to a lot of George Osbournes mates who made a fortune? Yeah. That. But with houses. So that bill will be passed, with many long worded amendments that I couldn't quite grasp. And why should I? None of the information broadcast at half 2 on a Tuesday was meant for me, an unemployed graduate living in the north of England. Surely the only conclusion I can draw from the half hour of live government I was able to stomach is that a room of 50 odd bored, listless looking fuckwits, decide on important things like how 'affordable' it'll be for me to keep a roof over my head in the coming years.

Add to that the death of David Bowie (a man who's life was made for the analysis suggested in my first blog), junior doctors on strike (which I support, the disparity between the pay and working hours of a junior Dr vs an MP is sickening), and a proposed tube strike, we've a lot going on in 2016.

Don't worry, my next post will be a film review (probably.)

As a nice lil sum up, and sorta seasonal vid, here's a scene from 'It's a Wonderful Life'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ne13Zft9Q

THIS PAGE CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR SPECTRE, DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM.

Right? Phew. Well then, what did you reckon? I came out of the cinema pretty happy myself, it was a well rounded Bond film, with all the stuff you'd expect, and some nice nods to the Bond heritage.

I must admit, I'm a huge James Bond fan in general, I've seen em all, read most of the books, even collected these magazine things when I was 12 (does anyone remember those, was it just me?). So yeah, I'm a fan. But as you know, this is about killing, or at least examining your heroes in greater detail, so I'll start where it's easiest. Ian Fleming. The writer of the original novels, a spy in his own right, who, it's pretty obvious from the books, was sexist n racist. That's agiven, he was a product of his time, Connery described him as 'a terrific snob', and also had a huge pre internet porn collection.. So yeah, something of a 'sexist mysoginist dinosaur, a relic of the cold war'-(see what I did there?). But his books sold millions, JFK put one in his top 10 they are trashy, and shouldn't be taken seriously. I enjoy them because of what they are: pulp fiction. They were so successful other spy writers tried to talk him down- John Le Carre, who wrote the huge doorstop book 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' said 'Bond isn't a spy, he's a global assassin'. Which still sounds cool. Anyway, I'll come back to Fleming, on with reviewing the film.

Daniel Craig. Despite weird internet sites set up before his casting dead set against him, Craig has been, in my mind one of the best incarnations of Bond. In Spectre, he is given chance to add a little humour, which is no bad thing, and generally does a good job of playing the spy. I mean when he's escaping Blofelds lair, he kills about 15 guards and made it look easy. Normally I'd pick something like that apart, but while I was watching it in all its cinematic glory I was just thinking 'WOOO YEAH, GET SOME!'. Which brings me to Christoph Waltz, who if anything was born to play a Bond villian, especially one with as much pedigree as Blofeld. He's suitably nasty, and driven by revenge. Perfect, I look forward to seeing him in the future. (I also like the nods to Dr. No, the first Bond film, in both some dialogue, and Waltz's costume). In fact, the cast was brilliant all round, even Bill

'Exposition' Tanner.

Lea. Lea Seydoux. She's purty. And in Madeleine Swan we finally have a Bond girl who's a relatively rounded person rather than a bikini clad bimbo. I could rattle on for a while about Bond girls, and think I will:

Unlike Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Madeleine doesn't fall to pieces and scream a lot when there's a fight (how good is the train fight?!?), she finds the heaviest thing to hand and smacks the guys fighting Bond (played ably by Dave Bautista) in the back with it. I would've cheered if not for the fact in the next second she gets knocked out by a punch that made some of the audience gasp. So Bond is on his own? No! Madeleine comes to his rescue, wielding Bond's gun that he managed to drop.

Obviously the fact I have a bit of a crush on Lea, whether its in French art films, Mission Impossible 4, or a blink and you'll miss it cameo in Inglorious Basterds, I was always going to like her Bond girl. But the writing of her as an infinitely more fierce and independent character: 'If you touch me, I'll kill you', made it very easy.

So yeah, those are the things I liked, the casting, the costume, the set pieces, even a lot of the dialogue- 'Now we know what C stands for'. Where it fell down a little was plot... But then plot has never been a Bond films strong point. And just while I'm picking holes, when Madeleine is rescuing Bond with his own gun, she empties it firing at Hinx. Now, she's already proved she knows her way around firearms in the previous scene, but clearly the director, armouror or whoever, doesn't, because, as most gun savvy folk will tell you, with a Walther PPK, the slide locks back when the last round fires. (a great example of this is seen in the Frost n Pegg film Paul, when Jason Bateman delivers a beautiful line-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9WLi-QTrSA NSFW language, poor quality vid :/ ) Instead, the gun clicks, Madeleine looks down bewildered, and promptly gets strangled and has to be rescued by Bond. That sort of thing irritates me a little, but only cos I'm a closet gun nerd.

In Skyfall, the production did have to shoehorn in some product placement for Heineken- 'I just have to hack this really dense code.. Bill? Bill are you drinking?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Is that really apropriate?'

'Shut up Q, I'm going through a divorce.'

In Spectre it wasn't quite as blatant, which made for a nice change. They can make as many godawful adverts using Bond as they like, just stay out of the films.

What did everyone else think? Is it a fitting 'relaunch'?

Fleming is probably spinning in his grave at the idea of a black Moneypenny and a Bond girl saving Bonds life. Which is good. As I said I could happily ramble on about Bond for a good while, so I think I'll devote some separate posts to more specific Bond themes. (I'm thinking best fight scenes and top 5 Bond girls? Christ it's sounding like buzzfeed...)

P.S I'm pretty certain Ben Whishaw as Q is my new style icon. Forget Craigs suits, that always seem kinda too tight... Im gonna rock knitwear and a parka. At least more than I already do.