Bernard Manning - RIP?

Well, he's dead, sure he's pissing himself about it somewhere the old bastard. One of his less horrendous moments...

Clark & Michael

Socialism contributor and all round lord of the dance Andrew Kelly got us into "Arrested Development" all those years back. He then pointed out the David Cross was doing 10 nights just round the corner from our offices (we're going tomorrow). Finaly, he popped this link our way - a frankly genius web TV series about two kids and their attempts to get a TV pilot made. It's much better than I just made it sound. Updated every Wednesday, get on it now before everyone is crapping on about it. Like I am.

Clark & Michael

New Issue Of The Believer...

Best magazine around at the moment, The Believer, has it's annual music issue out right now. Typically brilliant, it's got an ace CD free with it (featuring Lightning Bolt, Sufjan Stevens and a load of other crazies). More importantly, it has an interview with Terence Trent D'Arby. What more do you need to know???

Jack & Megabyte

Jack White sure as hell knows how to market himself senseless. Yes, those White Stripes USB sticks you've been after for so long are finally available via the band's website. Got to say, I'm sorely tempted by a Meg one...

Jack & Megabyte White

The Mooch meets the Monkeys...

Dr Tobias Funke comes to town...

A REALLY LOVELY NIGHT OUT WITH DAVID CROSS & FRIENDS”, 100 CLUB, 100 OXFORD STREET, LONDON W1
19TH – 30TH JUNE 2007 (TUES – SAT)

He’s back. US comedy star David Cross returns triumphantly to London after almost 3 years away, and this time brings with him some friends. David will be performing for just TWO weeks at the 100 Club, Oxford Street from 19th-30th June, 2007. Also performing each night will be a selection of some of the best American stand-ups as hand-picked by David himself.

David Cross is renowned for his no-holds barred stand-up shows and has often been likened to Bills Hicks and Lenny Bruce. His irreverence pushes the boundaries of controversy with a warm style and spot on delivery that has his audiences across the world in stitches.

David started his career as a writer on The Ben Stiller Show and went on to co-create and present the groundbreaking, Emmy nominated HBO series Mr Show with Bob and David which aired 30 episodes over 4 years. He is perhaps best known for his role as Tobias Funke in Golden Globe nominated Fox Network comedy Arrested Development. He has also been featured in films including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ghost World, The Cable Guy, Waiting for Guffman and Men in Black (1 & 2).

His debut album, Shut Up You Fucking Baby, was the first comedy CD to be released by US label SubPop and was nominated for a Grammy Award. This was followed by a DVD that captured the behind-the-scenes of the tour, called Let America Laugh. His second CD It’s Not Funny was released in the UK.

“David Cross isn’t the voice of his generation – he’s more like the voice snickering at the back of the room to his friend about how lame his generation, the generation before and the generation after him is.” New Music Monthly

Cross’s true gift is that he’s pointed and side-splitting at the same time while never sounding like he’s doing a ‘bit’. He often supports top US bands such as The Strokes, and other numerous fans include Jack Black and Dave Eggers.

“A master of observational and political comedy” Time Out

“His seemingly spontaneous stand-up marks him out as a seriously skilled performer” Metro

“Appallingly funny” The Observer

“Not just the highlight of the week, the highlight of the month A cut above the rest. The most exciting comedian to hit London” Evening Standard

“Extremely funny….Cross has a talent to make the audience feel ashamed of their laughter” Jewish Chronicle

"If you miss an opportunity to see him perform...you're a total a-hole. David Cross dominates my world. I would crawl through glass to see him take a shit" Jack Black

So this morning, on my cycling route into work, having stopped at a road works traffic light around Gray's Inn Road I notice Boris Johnson pulling up alongside me. He looks brilliant, suited and booted, hair wild in the breeze, properly, fantastically eccentric as always. He inches in front, then, when the coast looks clear, jumps the red light.

Sod this thought me and the 4 other cyclists in front of me - if an MP can do it, we can.

He then rides up onto the pavement whilst we continue forwards on the road... into a lane of fast moving traffic coming our way. He cruises away, up the pedestrian walkway, whilst we have to navigate furious rush hour motorists screaming abuse at us as we plough up their lane, dicing with death, shitting it.

The moral of this tale? Never, ever trust a fucking Tory.

“I can’t help it if she checkin’ for a platinum type kind of guy…”

Start of June and we’re about halfway through the new issue, featuring words with Andrew Loog Oldham, Ian Astbury & Alain De Botton (that’s just the As) - all that’s keeping us going, apart from the British summer and whatever booze is left in the office fridge, is the new album from R Kelly. “Double Up” is stone cold pimpin’, I cannot stress enough how out-there-genius this record is. Take, for example, first single “I’m A Flirt” - a song where he basically warns dudes not to even introduce their girlfriends to him as he WILL shag them. By the time he declares “Let me remind you that I am the king of R&B”, who the fuck is going to disagree with the dude???? I mean, check the video for fuck’s sake, he’s wearing a pair of glasses with diamond encrusted lenses that I’m assuming that must be nigh on impossible to see through. We can't even begin to go into "The Zoo", "Real Talk" or the mother and father of all jams, "Sex Planet".

Shit dudes - great attitude, honorary Socialist, every time.