A Million Ways To Waste A Day…
Somehow, I had managed to live my life up to 2020 without any knowledge of Ma Rainey as an icon of early American music. The untimely death of Chadwick Boseman was the main reason many folk were drawn to this film, which had a fair Oscar buzz around it on release. Would he win an … Continue reading Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
In 1999, as my own love life was transitioning from one heartbreak to the next, The Man Who by Scottish four piece Travis was the most important and most listened to album in my life. It got me through a very weird and sometimes wonderful year in Harrogate and the beginning of the best year … Continue reading 10 Songs
Thom Yorke It was damp and misty after a lot of rain that day, the amps were on the fritz and there was a palpable tension in the electric air. Radiohead's headlining set on the Pyramid stage has gone done in music history as one of the best sets played at the seminal festival. Thom … Continue reading Radiohead, Glastonbury ’97
Jessie Buckley. What an interesting CV in only a few years! Her name kept popping up, and having lived in Glasgow for a decade, it was not rare to bump into folk who knew her or knew of her. Even a few actors I knew locally had been involved in the making of Wild Rose, … Continue reading Wild Rose
For the second alumni inducted into The Wasteland's new Hall of Fame, I wanted to have as much of a contrast to my first pick as possible. Therefore I have chosen a musician, who is a singer songwriter of extraordinary range, who is British and a woman. The Wasteland Hall of Fame #2 is the … Continue reading Hall of Fame Inductee #2 Kate Bush
Look what I found! http://kbswasteland.blogspot.com http://kirkswasteland.blogspot.com These are the archives of The Wasteland when it first began - there are literally hundreds of posts to go back and read if so inclined. If nothing else it gives a fascinating glance at the state of pop culture in those days. Hats off to Blogger that they … Continue reading The Old Wastelands
A very quick review of a little thing you may have missed on Netflix. Two of my very favourite creative auteurs coming together to make an interesting morsel, combining music, dance and filmic tricks, called Anima. It is the fourth collaboration between the P. T. Anderson and Thom Yorke, the last being the excellently moody … Continue reading Anima
Much like Eurovision itself, this film shouldn't be entertaining in any way, but after watching it for ten minutes it becomes a compelling car crash you kinda have to see out to the end. It doesn't really matter what you think of the songs, you are watching it waiting for the one thing you can … Continue reading Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
On 6th July 2020, a certain contender for the accolade of the greatest film composer of all time, sadly passed away aged 91. His unparalleled career included contributions to over 500 films, from his beloved Italy to Hollywood and all over the world. I can't pretend to have seen even a quarter of them, but … Continue reading 12 of the best… Ennio Morricone Scores
I have had a mixed relationship with the music of Lana Del Rey since her sensational debut album, Born To Die in 2010. I loved that album, and played it a lot! I still do. But always felt like it wasn't really for me, yet I couldn't help replaying it and humming the tunes. I … Continue reading Norman Fucking Rockwell
The Wasteland 