Ipso facto, using up your oxygen you know I’m shallow…

Last week I mentioned the artist Badly Drawn Boy and I got to thinking – perhaps there are those of you out there who may not have heard of him. His real name is Damon Gough, he grew up in Lancashire, England and he has been releasing albums (vinyl and CD EP’s) since 1997. I didn’t hear of him until he put out his first full length CD, Hour Of The Bewilderbeast in 2000. But I admit I wasn’t a real fan until he did the soundtrack to the film About A Boy in 2002.

One of my all time favourite films (and books) it’s a story about immature Will, a guy who’s a bit lost in his own world, doesn’t have much purpose and thinks about his days in blocks of ‘units’. In fact he seems to learn more about life from a 12 year old boy than he has from his own experiences. Since this is a music review blog, and not a film review I’ll spare you more details. Suffice it to say as Abby and I sat around on my patio having drinks Friday night I was reminded of how not only is it one of those films that we both can see over and over again (yes, I own the DVD) it’s also one of the best soundtracks ever written and produced.

Rarely I think has an artist so well captured the essence and meaning of a film as BDB did on this release. Every song, including the above quoted line from “Something To Talk About” relates to the story line, and the overall feel of the character of Will. One can easily listen to the CD and relive the movie while gaining more emotional insight into the minds of Will, the boy and his troubled mother. There is an evolution to these characters that one appreciates even more after a few listenings - even if you have never seen the film, you can still gain so much. It is easily one of the best CD’s, not just soundtracks, of the last 5 years. You should check it out! www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk or www.myspace.com/badlydrawnboy

I have been in love with Hugh Grant since I saw him in the Merchant Ivory film, Maurice, released in 1987. There was something about him that captured me. It wasn’t just his stunningly handsome good looks (this was well before his floppy bumbling character in Four Weddings and a Funeral that made him a star) there was a quietness to him that I found appealing. I have been a fan ever since. If he’s in a film, I’ll see it (coincidentally he stars in 3 of my all time favourite films – Love Actually and Notting Hill being the others besides About A Boy).

Despite his indiscretions with a hooker – I’m still a fan. I’m even more of a fan after last week. If you ask me – he should have hurled a whole POT of beans at that paparazzo who was stalking him outside his apartment in London. I don’t get this. Why are guys with camera’s allowed to sit outside some person’s house thereby invading their privacy? When Hugh Grant or any other celebrity complains to the police they are told that they have every right to be there and there’s no cause for ‘complaint’.

I’m tired of the argument that if you are in the public eye you leave yourself open to people taking pictures of you and if you don’t want your picture taken – don’t go anywhere. That’s silly! Why are celebrities entitled to any less privacy than the rest of us? Why was Princess Diana stalked to the point of death (conspiracy theories not withstanding)? Why is our society so obsessed with people who take their pants off one leg at a time just like everyone else? I think celebrity obsession has gone too far.

I get it – we, the public, feed into this frenzy by reading the magazines and web sights that give the paparazzi a ‘reason’ to exist. But there needs to be boundaries, lines that shouldn’t be allowed to be crossed, and consequences for stalking someone – even with just a camera. Maybe if more people hurled baked beans at the paparazzi they would learn to respect their ‘targets’ and back off when asked to do so. Perhaps even soon they would take up less oxygen.

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday…CHEERS!