Author Archives: graemelawrence

January: Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession render Princess Victoria first in line to the throne ahead of her younger brother In Saudi Arabia, 63 Islamist insurgents are beheaded for their part in the siege of the Great Mosque in Mecca two months previous Nigel Short, 14, becomes the youngest chess player to beContinue reading “The News of 1980.”

Flash Gordon. A bored, unseen villain plans the destruction of Earth, but not before he’s had his fun “playing”, controlling various natural disasters that decimate the planet (a scene later sampled by The Orb on “Earth (Gaia)”, see 1991). FLASH! A-AH! The opening credits role as Queen’s iconic theme plays. New York Jets quarterback, FlashContinue reading “The Cinema of 1980.”

Stalker. Camera Buff. Kagemusha. The Fog. Flash Gordon. Dirty Mind – Prince. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – David Bowie. Tangram – Tangerine Dream. Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel. Ace of Spades – Motörhead.

Some Rap Songs. Earl Sweatshirt’s therapy album, Some Rap Songs, serves as his chaise longue and we, the listeners, the ever attentive therapist. Earl’s third album, his first for three years, is a stripped bare record that utilises very few producers, uncommon in the modern hip-hop industry, keeping the sound simple, accentuating the subject matterContinue reading “The Sound of 2018.”

January: Turkey announces the beginning of a military offensive to capture a portion of northern Syria from Kurdish forces The US government enters a federal shutdown as a result of a dispute over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Scientists in China report the creation of the first monkey clones using somatic cell nuclear transfer, namedContinue reading “The News of 2018.”

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The Coen Brothers return to the American Frontier eight years on from their last Western, True Grit. The storytelling format has changed this time around, with the filmmaking siblings opting for an anthology of unconnected vignettes. The first of the six tales presents the title character, Buster Scruggs, a singingContinue reading “The Cinema of 2018.”

Following on from last week’s 2017 excursion, we head not very far at all to 2018. Phantom Thread. Annihilation. Utøya – July 22. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Shoplifters. Twin Fantasy – Car Seat Headrest. Some Rap Songs – Earl Sweatshirt. Joy as an Act of Resistance – Idles. DAYTONA – Pusha T. Crumbling –Continue reading “Week 14: 2018.”

Drunk. Follow Thundercat down the weird ass rabbit hole of inebriation; Drunk is a cool, funky jazz album that makes reference to Thundercat’s Motown and soul roots. Along for the journey are some of the most popular hip-hop artists of recent years: Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa and Pharrell Williams. The structure of the album givesContinue reading “The Sound of 2017.”

January: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at a nightclub in Istanbul killing 39 people and injuring 79 others Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States Millions of people worldwide join the Women’s March in response to Trump’s inauguration The British Red Cross describes the current situationContinue reading “The News of 2017.”

The Florida Project. In the shadows of Disney World, lies the Magic Castle motel, a housing project home to Halley, a young, single mother struggling to find work, and her hyperactive six-year-old daughter, Moonee. Moonee has inherited a bad attitude from her mother and regularly misbehaves, causing mischief for the residents of the motel. Halley,Continue reading “The Cinema of 2017.”