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Latest From Len
Posted Tuesday, April 01, 2008
So the whole Rudy's Rare Records thing is over for a while and the general consensus is that it was funny and pretty cool. There's talk of doing more radio episodes and we might even do it on the telly if we've got the time. However, I think it's important to do more radio because the audience have been so brilliant; it seems to have really grown on people, which is what you want.
The speech on Diversity that I gave a month or so back has really triggered a big response. Meera Sayal came out in support in The Independent, we made the front page of the BBC's internal mag ?Aerial?, it made quite a few of the tabloids, Charlie Hanson (top producer of things like 'Not Going Out' and 'Extra's') came out and said (at some corporate initiative) that the BBC comedy department was very caucasian indeed. There have been articles in various media organs such as Broadcast and the Stage and Television today and also Television magazine. It's very exciting - I've been in meetings with Diversity heads from the BBC and Channel 4, and had coffee with people from Equity, Bectu and David Puttnam! (He produced P'tang Yang Kipperbang, you know)... let's hope all this activity isn't bullshit and something actually comes of it. The best thing would be if the behind the scenes staffing of TV and Film were to reflect our society more accurately. This would mean that what you saw on your TV and Movie screens would resemble something you actually recognized - you'd see people that looked and spoke like you.
I'm all for a wide variety of programming, but when that programming is commissioned, produced, written, filmed, costumed, made up, and broadcast by a totally vanilla institution, it makes for an uncomfortable working environment. I couldn't even speak about disability or gender in my text because the ethnicity issue is so close to my heart. I'm giving the speech again at Channel 4 soon, that should be interesting - they've really stepped up their game recently, employing a head of multi cultural programming... which, ok, if not a giant leap - is at least a bit of a step in the right direction. The BBC are also doing good things with their mentoring initiatives and their writers work shops - but everyone needs to do more - NOW!
I've been working on my Radio 4 series which is called What's So Great About recently - I'm doing one on Dylan at the moment (His Bobness) and it's fascinating talking to people about someone you're not so keen on and looking at their faces as they get all excited. I was chatting to Bryan Ferry today, who is just like Prince Charles but with better hair. He spoke of Dylan's incredibly literate output, his love of words and his cinematic use of imagery in a song... I wanted to ask why he sounds like his gonads are in a mangler, but it didn't seem like the right place or time. I got him to sign a copy of For Your Pleasure, which I sneakily had in my bag on vinyl... Wow Roxy Music were futuretastic, weird and wonderful with that dissonant row in the background that persisted until Eno buggered off to shave his head and go all ambient on us. Interesting listening to Ferry's Dylan cover album, Dylanesque - he seems to be un-singing some of the songs, not using his usual smooth range - he said, some of the songs had so many words that he had to almost speak
the lyrics to get them to fit... plus he had to cut down some of the lyrics because, you know - some of the songs are long - 'Hurricane' alone is an hour and a half... you need sandwiches and a rub down half way through... I'm beginning to get the whole Dylan thing though... it ain't just about the voice or the politics or the lyricism or the output or the Electric thing - it's the whole package maaaan.
I'm doing a Radio 4 play with Peter Jukes soon called Bad Faith about a police chaplain and we're going up to Brum soon to meet up with some people in the 'hood. Maybe go on a ride-along and all that shit. I reckon it's gonna be cool, I can't wait. Obviously, I won't be armed when I'm being driven round the hood by law enforcement officers, so if you see me hanging around some cops up there - don't be causing trouble with me, I'm just there to observe - mess with them all you want... but just ignore me and pretend I'm not there... it's all for research, baby.
Please go and see French and Saunders on tour in their STILL ALIVE show... it's blummen hilarious, and not just because I'm married to DawnFrenchoffthetelly either... there are genuine laugh out loud, squirt your drink out your nostril type moments - it's also quite moving as you realise that this will be the last time you'll ever see these girls on stage. Bitch-slap someone for a ticket.
I'm slowly gearing up for the Australian tour of Where You From - there's going to be some re-writing of the script and I'm doing a tiny tour before I go, which ends up in Richmond... there will be details about the exact date of the warm-ups soon. Please come, I shall try and make it as painless as possible - thrill to a big man in a tight suit as he tries to remember what the hell he was doing last year! It will be fun!
Tunes: I'm loving Estelle and American Boy, I'm also liking the Duffy video of Mercy, because it features Northern Soul dancing which I used to attempt back in the day... I've been listening to Gavin Bryars and Tom Waits and some old homeless guy singing 'Jesus Blood never failed me yet', which is a 25 minute track that begins with the old guy singing rather tunefully unaccompanied, then Bryars brings in a simple arrangement which increases in complexity as it continues - ending up with the mighty Tom Waits echoing the old guy, singing alongside, in between, in front of, behind, in harmony, in unison... it's a great piece of work.
Big shout out to Neil Gaiman for being so cool and sending me behind-the-scenes pics from the new Coraline flick that's being prepped now... I also really enjoyed reading the galleys for his new 'Graveyard Book' muh hahahahahahahahah - you're jealous aren't you? Oh yes, you are...
I start my M.A. in screenwriting for Film and Television soon... I'm having to watch loads of films, best so far:
Black Cat White Cat
Gadjo Dilo (the crazy stranger)
Sunset Boulevard
Fanny and Alexander
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
I got loads more to watch, but so far, these movies have really affected me in strange ways... hmmmm.
Hey, big love to you guys - watch out for the mini tour in June - Australia! I'm coming for you! New Zealand - behave yourself!!!
Peace
Len
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