Okay, first off, lets give this book its full official title because it's important. The Road To Nowhere: How to be a Successful Failure in the Music Industry And it's the 'failing' that's important. You see failing in the arts - any art, be it writing, painting, theatre, or music - isn't actually 'failing', it's called creating. And successfully creating. Sadly, too often, artists don't get paid for this and we tend to live lives on our uppers, making ends meet; doing shitty

I've been waiting all year for this. Quietly. Avoiding all the promotional material and videos, publicity, and the (often right-wing) nastiness that has erupted online over race and ethos, creed and core values. I don't believe the latter has any place in Middle Earth, and I'm pretty sure Tolkien himself would not approve, but this post is not about that. In preparation I have reread much of 'Lord of the Rings', finally finished, understood, and thoroughly enjoyed (at 53) 'Th

Mmm. How to start? Firstly, I suppose, I have to say I didn't know what to expect when I finally decided to watch 'Night Sky' on Amazon Prime. Certainly the description didn't pull me in - an elderly couple with access to another planet under their shed - BUT I was intrigued by the casting of Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons, as I'm a fan of both. So I put it on my watch list and let it idle for a month or two, maybe three, before I was finally up for another Sci-Fi. So on it we

Having finished the Silmarillion before reading this, I have been amazed at the breadth and depth of Tolkien's worldly vision. It's huge. Hard to even picture as a reader. He must have had so many tales whirling about in his head. In this book, edited and compiled from his notes and poems by his son Christopher, 'The Children of Húrin' expands upon a particularly dark tale already told in the Silmarillion. However, unlike in the Silmarillion, which is concerned more with the

Yep. Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy dropped on Netflix on the 22/06/22 and me, yes me, I'd watched all 10 episodes by the 24th. It just wrapped me up in its juicy little Ben-arms and wouldn't let go. I loved it, though I do have to say this one felt a little bit different to the first two seasons. I guess the main reason for this is it centres around the Hotel Oblivion, a fictitious place, rather than a broader historic time and particular event that we're able to relate to

I don't know what to write about this. Really enjoyed it; And yet... But then is that the art of it, Making me want more. And I do. Want more... Lots! Outer Limits is mind-bending, surreal, and it draws on the mythology of Chronos (Time) and Ananke (Fate) against the usually stable backdrop of rural Wyoming. Being shown on Amazon Prime, it's very original and quite unique. Not only that, it sports an amazing cast who give up awesome performances. And I mean awesome. Josh Brol

For the last couple of weeks my blog has focussed on books - namely Tolkien's 'THE SILMARILLION' - and with 'THE CHILDREN OF HURIN' on its way to me, I will be returning to Middle Earth in the not so distant future. Okay. So what have I been doing instead of reading? I've been watching! Oh yes. Netflix's much anticipated STRANGER THINGS 4 was released on Friday. I wanted to savour it, draw the watching experience out, and I failed miserably. I couldn't stop watching. It was b

This week I finished reading the last two sections of the book that is - though these two parts are not directly part of the story of the jewels - The Silmarillion. Namely... Akallabêth Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age In Akallabêth we read about the creation of Númenór, a beautiful land created by the Valar (the Gods) in reward for the heroism of those great tribes of men in the War of Wrath. This is a line descended from Elros Tar-Minyatur, and in this naming we begi

I finished The Silmarillion. Not the whole book mind, just the Silmarillion part - which is about three quarters of the whole. I'm just reading about the Numenorians, and then have the Ring of Power bit to finish at the end (just a short piece), and, I'm sure, I'll write about those two too. But I have finished the Silmarillion. And after first picking it up 40 odd years ago, I was thirteen or fourteen and had been swept away by the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I wasn't read

I have to say I'm right into getting theatrical and extended cuts for historical and fantasy films these days. The first one I invested in was 'The Kingdom of Heaven', and it was just so much the better. Troy was the same, some of the battle effects they cut were amazing - made me wince - and then of course the three Lord of the Rings films - I can't even entertain watching the cutdown cinema versions anymore. Far too much was lost. And so the other day I stumbled on the exte