Avoiding the World Cup: Day Two

World Cup, 1, Avoiding it, nil.

Wouldn't you believe it, now it's in my mailbox. I've just been sent a link to The Barmy World Cup Sheep song . It's bloody awful, frankly, but what next? Football playing cats?
(Actually. maybe I should just video our one cat that loves football and add a music track to the video...)

It turns out that the guy who came up with this, Charley Darbeyshire of Bright Blue Studios , Ulverston, is actually the cousin of Designer Bob in our office. (The video was filmed by Tony Wilkinson of Red Onion Video ).

Also disappointed that little old lady in our street has put England flags in her window. But so far, only two cars with flags (according to some boffin, these add to your fuel consumption by an astonishing litre a day if you drive at 70 mph . Like anyone can get up to that kind of speed around Lancaster).

There was a discussion on BBC2 last night where film director Richard Eyre challenged all the flag waving, particuarly by politicians (a discussion made interesting only by Michael Portillo describing David Cameron as "naff" for doing it too). It's all bread and circuses, apparently, which is why the whole thing's got hyped to distraction. I think there's some truth in that.

Still, avoided any metatarsal-oriented news reports by going to see The Da Vinci Code, but what a dull film. Even an assesment of Trinidad and Tobago's chances would have been more interesting...

Avoiding the World Cup: Day One

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Well, actually, that's a lie, I've been trying to avoid it for weeks. But really, what's all the fuss about? If I hear any more about Wayne 'Shrek' Rooney's bloody meta tarsel I swear I'll put a brick through the telly and no, that won't be an excuse to race out and buy a 42" replacement and couch to match.

As my wife said when the dreaded injury occurred, 'get up, you're not dead', which perhaps wasn't very charitable but you really would think Rooney was going to play every position on the field for England and there weren't another, um, 20 + players in the squad.

One of my friends works in a nursing home and some of the little old ladies in there have gotten themselves in a right state, wondering if they're missing something and why the World Cup is suddenly so important... and thinking that it really must be important and perhaps they should join in somehow. is there a senior citizens version of the tournament?

Today's attempt to avoid the world cup may involve pouring cold water over passers by wearing England shirts and talking loudly about baseball. Since very few British people know anything about baseball — including me — no-one will dare challenge me and I will insist it is far more important than anything going on in Germany.

Catching up with the past

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Been busy this week — stuff for ROK Media (animation, mostly), Star Trek Magazine and some news items for downthetubes.net.

One of these is mention for an interview on the 2000AD Review site with Igor Goldkind, who used to work at Titan and 2000AD and who is, indirectly, responsible for my comics career.
Back in the 1980s, Igor was working for Titan Books, at the same time I was editing a scurrilous comics fanzine with Matt Bingham (who went on to work at FHM and other proper magazines, unlike me). He advertised for an assistant and I applied, got interviewed and was offered the job.

I can't quite remember the exact way things worked out but essentially I quit my job as a designer for a print shop and began to plan for the move to London... and then Bernie Jaye called from Titan to tell me that in fact, the job didn't exist and Igor should never have advertised it in the first place!

I felt committed to the move (it might have been that I hadn't even resigned from the print shop but decided to make the move anyway, my memory's hazy on that point) and upped sticks from Lancaster to London (my sister must have despaired at the sight of how much crap I brought with me, her landlady certainly did).

I phoned Richard Starkings at Marvel UK and he quickly called me back and got me in there as an assistant to Steve Cook (yes, famous photographer Steve Cook), working on Sindy and Doctor Who Magazine. Within about a month (at the time, a record for internal promotion I was told) I was editing DWM, and the rest is history.

So although I never actually worked with him, I owe Igor a debt of gratitude for making a major life change. Good to see that he's done well now. Thanks!