Rafael Meavitali

Best Of David

Some questions I am comfortable with, not because I know the answer, but because they seem answerable, but defining my favourite David Jason piece of acting? That’s got to be one of the hardest questions out there, ever! That’s just cruel, isn’t it? Once you’ve got over the initial shock, tell the world what you think by clicking the above link.

This question brought me out in a cold sweat when I first read it; I had to watch a few re-runs of Fools And Horses to get me into the right frame of mind…

If I don’t choose Del Boy, you see, one side of my brain kicks up a huge fuss, but if I do choose Del Boy, then the other side kicks off; I’ve always loved Detective Frost, how can you not? But they’re both so different–so how does one decide upon the answer?

I considered it like this: who would I prefer to go for a drink with, Del Boy or Frost, if I had a once in a life time chance. Now, without even thinking it through I found myself saying “Del Boy of course!” but wait–Del Boy never had any money on him, did he? And if he did then that money would likely be stolen, or dodgy somehow, goes without saying. But what about Frost? He might buy you a drink but he’d probably be moaning the whole time about a case he couldn’t crack, or his superior giving him jip–

But no, even though it’d probably get me arrested I’d have to go with the one and only Del Boy, I think. Because if Del Boy came along then maybe, just maybe, Granddad would come along too–and maybe even Trigger if it was a really good day!

Got to love Del Boy, what’s your thought?

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Massive By Name, Massive By Nature.

It has been seven long years since Massive Attack released ‘100^th Window’ and hearing about their new CD was very exciting news indeed. ‘Heligoland’ is the duos fifth studio album to be recorded in a career which now spans more than twenty years.

The much anticipated new album was certainly worth the wait. It is always a bit of a concern that a band with such an impressive back catalogue will come up with a big, fat turkey and spoil things. Well, I can assure you there is absolutely nothing turkeyesque about this album whatsoever. And neither is there anything small. ‘Heligoland’ is massive in its production, massive in its ambition and massive in its complexity.

All of its songs are incredibly clever and have a huge amount of depth to them. The rhythms are totally unpredictable on many of the tracks and each time you listen to this album you will hear something different. The pair wanted to create something fresh with their skills and they have most definitely succeeded. It is a world away from ‘Blue Lines’ or ‘100^th Window’, but it is still unmistakably Massive Attack. There are numerous influences on ‘Heligoland’, but the Trip-Hop vibe still crops up throughout all ten songs.

‘Paradise Circus’ has been released as a single from the album and it is also one of the best tracks. It is slow, jazzy and extremely cool. The gorgeous vocals of Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star) are perfect for the song and give it a dreamy, lazy atmosphere.

Massive Attack are an extremely talented pair of musicians. Once again they have managed to go into the studio and come out with something which is truly original; and this is not the easiest of tasks in this ‘been there, done it all’ world of modern music.

One day last week I went out with one of my mates after a lot of arm twisting, we attended a Soft skill workshop. I still can’t believe that Lesley actually made me go to this, I mean you guys know me, you know that this is something that I wouldn’t normally do. Anyway, it turned out to actually be quite an entertaining day, I will post about it soon!

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Thank goodness for Andy Murray!

Hooray for England! Yes, we can rejoice. (Well…almost.)

Despite being one of the world’s—if not number one—most unlikely possibilities for sportsman turned chat show host, Andy Murray has won through to the second grand slam final of his career, beating one of the funniest named tennis players ever: Monaco born Marin Cilic.

Andy Murray makes me feel proud to be British and he should make you feel proud, too; ever since Tim Henman’s failing legacy—no offence Tim, we know you gave it your best shot, really—there was a very small part of me that couldn’t fathom a Brit ever winning big again, then along comes the Scot, curly hair and new found muscles and all; not only is he in with a strong chance of ending England’s ridiculously embarrassing seventy four year wait for a males grand-slam singles champion, he’s inadvertently turned a whole new generation on to a game which several years ago was ranked just behind tiddly-winks in the English school-playground coolness stakes.

Now is it me, or is a similar trend to several years ago being repeated as I type these words?

Just like in the weeks following smash hit film I Am Legend, where hordes of middle-aged men could be seen gathering around children’s play equipment in the day-time, in the hope of achieving several Will Smyth style pull-ups and being seen as the embodiment of man itself, men and women who never previously even considered tennis as a way of getting fit can be seen taking to courts everywhere, spurred on by Andy Murray. For that the Scot deserves a medal!

But maybe I’m getting too excited too soon, again: if murphy’s law (no pun intended) holds true then Murray will face tennis-terminator Rodger Federer—fifteen time grand-slam winner and very possible chat show host of the future—in the battle to end all battles on Sunday. Whatever happens we should stand behind Murray all the way. If he doesn’t win, nobody can say he didn’t pull his weight, can they?

I think I have a great suggestion for what we should sort out for Patricio’s birthday bash. Who would be up for a abrupt trip and spending a bit of money on some ski chalet holidays.

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Back to childhood: The Twenty One Balloons

The Twenty One Balloons is a fascinating work of fiction by renowned French American author and illustrator William Pene Du Bois. I’ve read the book five or six times and it always leaves me with a smile on my face, feeling several decades younger, as if I’ve been on an exhilarating, action-packed journey, free of the ties of the modern age.

Reading The Twenty One Balloons offers a delightful kind of escapism rarely found in fiction both accessible to children and adults. It’s fantastical and endearing tale of William Waterman Sherman—a retired school-teacher who’s new-found dream is to float completely undisturbed in a hot air balloon for one whole year and whose dream ends somewhat abruptly with him crash-landing on the volcanic island of Krakatoa and becoming stranded there for some time—always makes me think of being a boy and running free in the woods: times gone by when anything was possible and worth doing just for the hell of it. Making things with no sure hope of the outcome and no particular care to that way of thinking.

It’s the language in the book that does it for me—always simplistic, but never less than absolutely accurate—as well as the fine illustrations, which thoroughly document William Waterman Sherman’s many varied and hilarious mishaps; the book is short for a novel at less than several hundred pages, but proves that a good story is a good story, regardless of how long it takes to tell it.

For me, The Twenty One Balloons is one of the few literary gems which has it all—glorious illustrations, fantastic dialogue, intriguing human interaction—and never gets boring. Any first time author who is struggling with their word count and unsure of the merits of a short book should read it at once and become immediately inspired.

Jayne’s surprise pre-wedding weekend: I think I know what we should put together. We should book some val thorens accommodation as a surprise.

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