Typical. Just minutes after describing Theophilus London as what Kanye would be if he was cool and not a complete arse Kanye puts this out as a reminder that sometimes he is cool, not a complete arse and is never to be underestimated. Arse.
Kanye West feat Dwele – Power
Just discovered Theophilus London. I know, I’m a little behind the times, but probably still three years ahead of Q Magazine. He’s had three mixtapes out from what I gather: Jam, This Charming Mixtape – apparently he’s a big Morrissey fan, but don’t hold that against him – and at the end of April he put out the brilliant I Want You.
I can’t get hold of the first two and most of the links I found to I Want You were broken. However, I found a SoundCloud playlist here. Not ideal, but well worth sticking with. Make the most of it while it’s still there.
He’s like what Kanye would be if he was cool and not a complete arse.
Evidently there’s an album on the way, so for more info Theophilus’s website is here and his myspace is here.
Vice Magazine and Intel have put together The Creators Project to showcase the work of influential and inspiring musical innovators and creators. Diplo, Peaches, James Lavelle, Phoenix, Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier, Mark Ronson and film maker Spike Jonze all feature. Including an exclusive interview with each artist, videos and biographies it’s really very good.
I love the photography of Carlos Nunez. He’s got that whole ’70s rock’n'roll sex thing going on. See more at his website www.carlosnunezphotography.com and blog ohsnapscarlos.blogspot.com NSFW but not in a straight-up porny way.
Cool Snow White and The Joker iPad vinyl stickers.
If I had an iPad I might be tempted by a gothed-up Snow White.
There is an advert that pops up every so often over there on the right hand side. It may or may not be there now. Have a look. It’s one of these google ads that is generated according to surrounding content. It features a picture of a very smiley bald man with a laptop (or sometimes an equally delirious lady with lovely long hair and a laptop) and above his head it cheerily reads: Why not be a writer?
I think the same thing every time I see it.
BECAUSE IT HURTS AND MAKES ME WANT TO BREAK THINGS.
Just saying.
I am a big user of Moleskine note books. I have way too many of them. I will no doubt have way too many more. The pictures above are from an imaginary ad campaign that Amy Nortman, a student of the University of North Texas, won a competition with. What competition? I have no idea. But they are genius and ably explain the love of the Moleskine, so I hope it was a competition with a big fat cheque at the end of it.
See these and the rest of the series in their full glory on the Moleskine Flickr. To find your own deep love and spend more money than is reasonable on notebooks, see the Moleskine site.
Jay-Z. Definitely cool. Or at least he is when he isn’t in sportswear. Sportswear Jigga is not a good look. Sweat bands and basketball attire aside, Sean Thomas Carter is a leading light in rap, not just because of his lyrical skills and business acumen, but because he carries himself with a dignified confidence that demands you listen up and take notice. Is that not the core ingredient of cool?
I have ghosted celebrity memoirs. I have worked on biographies. I am currently two thirds of the way through writing a novel, plotting another and working on a film idea.
I used to do all of the above in Word. It used to to make me very unhappy.
I used to have folders all over my laptop with notes, research, transcripts, chapters, outlines, drafts, manuscripts. It was all very confusing. When the draft was finished I used to have to cut’n'paste each chapter into yet another Word document. Making sure there was a page break before each chapter was a nightmare. Keeping the formatting consistent made me want to kill. And if I wanted to change or move anything… I used to weep…a lot.
Not anymore. Oh no. Now I use Scivener. Now I have all my notes, research, transcripts, chapters, outlines and drafts in one place and when all the chapters are done I can compile them into a manuscript and output it to Word, page breaks and formatting included, at the touch of a button.
Am I happier? Of course. Would I recommend other writers try Scrivener for themselves? Absolutely. Am I more productive? Not a bit, but I at least get to procrastinate and be unproductive free from the fear of page breaks and formatting and not being able to find my notes the one time I do decide to write something. Which in its own way is worth every cent of the $39.95 it costs.
Don’t believe me? Why would you. Maybe the video below will do a better job of convincing you.
Elmore Leonard knows so much about writing he could write a book about it... or at least a list.
I never wanted to be one of those writers who ends up writing endlessly about writing but never seems to do any actual writing. Then again I never wanted to be one of those writers who spent hours on the internet reading other writers’ writing about writing instead of actually doing any writing, but I do a hell of a lot of that and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t found it a most enjoyable and educational way to avoid writing. So, by way of a compromise, here are some links to some brilliant writers talking about their brilliant writing.
Inspired by Elmore Leonard’s now legendary ’10 Rules Of Writing’, The Guardian ran a two part feature where the likes of Margaret Atwood, Richard Ford, Jonathan Franzen, Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin, Will Self, Sarah Waters and Zadie Smith divulge the 10 rules which either make them the writer they are or stop them wanting to self-harm. Some tips are more technical than others, but all are informative, entertaining and worth reading. My particular favourites are Richard Ford’s: “Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a good idea” and Roddy Doyle’s very wise opener: “Do not place a photograph of your favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide.”
The Guardian’s Ten Rules For Writing Fiction Part 1
The Guardian’s Ten Rules For Writing Fiction Part 2