2015 - The year in multimedia and other fun stuff

As is traditional here are some highlights from the cultural universe in 2015

Articles/Essays

I've become slightly obsessed with Tim Kreider, but I only got his awesome book of Essays - We Learn Nothing in 2016. But it all started here with The Summer that Never Was - a sumptuous meditation on summer. Get that audiobook too, it's seriously great, possibly the best on this list. 

An essay you can taste: How to grieve with Challah bread

Movies of the year:

Force  Majeure / Overnighters / Me Earl and the Dying Girl / Whiplash / Lost Gold of the Highlands / Citizen Four / Mad Max

Shows

Master of None - great stuff from Aziz Ansari, thoughtful, inspiring, diverse, odd. More of this please.

Short Films

Daylight Savings time - this is a smart fun one. 

360 degree bike ride this is real trippy and I basically just want to live in this universe...

We walk together: a Syrian family’s journey to the heart of Europe – Powerful snapshot from the Refugee Crises. I've never seen Shakespeare spoken with more intensity than the gentleman at the end. 

Great creativity on show here, incredible Chatroulette first person shooter 

Terry Gilliam on Stop Motion animation - not new, but one of the most inspiring from last year.

This is such a fun fresh sumptuous music video 

Radio/Podcasts -

Another year where I mostly listened to podcasts over all other media. Here are some classic episodes from this years favourites:

Love + Radio still killing it with the strange stories of life...

Mystery Show - meet and love Hans Jordy

Everything is stories - Joining Forrest Fenn on a real life Treasure Hunt.

Tape Radio - if you like podcasts about podcasts... 

Thehttp://www.

This American Life - I'm enjoying having a bath and listening to great episodes of TAL. I really liked these two - The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar and The House on Loon Lake

Snap Judgement - Storytelling with a beat. Here are the host Glynn Washington's top 5 episodes, they are all great 

Invisibilia on Fear

Longform - interviews with makers

Audiobooks

We are all completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler /// So You've Been Publicly Shamed Jon Ronson

Books - Summer book Tove Jansson - beautiful book, made me want to go and live on a scandinavian Island - always the sign of a good book.

The Water Book - Alok Jha - Water is a big deal, this lovely science book takes us through hard science via philosophy which is always my favourite route. 

Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy, intense, not exactly a new release, but a claustrophobic belter.

Music

Mac Demarco - love this instrumental album and it's free for some reason, but his albums are all cool so buy them too.

Some enjoyable YouTube comment nonsense on the video too.

Midnight in a perfect world Ben Gibbard DJ mix

Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear

Beautiful music session on a (quiet) electric bus. Great idea which sells the concept, and tells the story... Seinabo Sey - Younger

Moon Hooch More of this needs to exist in the universe

Events

In the Dark Radio was great this year, radio listening events are few and far between, look forward to more soon. Bar Shorts film night is a great source of inspiring films, Tree the play by Daniel Kitson and Tim Key was ace. Rhymes with Orange for amazing poetry as usual.

Really enjoyed Emily Haworth-Booth's awesome comic book drawing course. I am the worst at drawing, but found it really fun, and helpful, definite recommendation if you're in London.

Travel

Cycling around Europe. Spent a month doing this and it is just the best. If I was 18 I would just take the whole summer off and cycle as far as possible. People are so nice to you when you are a weird foreigner on a bike in an inexplicable part of Germany.

Staying in the woods, in shepherds huts in the middle of Winter in Dorking is so great, these guys are really lovely at the Green Escape.

ENJOYABLE BONUS GIFS

As per usual in recent years, I haven't discovered enough new music/ read enough books/ listened to enough Audiobooks so please do send recommendations if you have any.

Here's to 2016!

Cereal and Celebrity

squirrel-cafe_1737745i

On Sunday I was waiting to go to a pub quiz in Gospel Oak, I didn't fancy going home so I killed some time in a weird little shop in Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill is an interesting area, it is home to the brilliant Museum of Everything, a great little museum, unlike any other museum I've been to, it includes such things as this

You should definitely go, it's free entry, but the kind of free entry where you will give a donation after regardless because it's so fun.

Primrose Hill is also home to lots of famous faces. I am disturbingly good at remembering celebrity faces. It's a real curse. I wish I could speak French, or snowboard, but I can't. I can, however, recognise Liz [Hyacinth Bucket's neighbour from Keeping up Appearances] from about 500 yards. Anyway, it's a big celebrity area, lots of actresses and actors and famous people.

ADAMSHAW

At nearby Chalk Farm station I once approached Adam Shaw to ask if I could do Work Experience on lunchtime business TV favourite - Working Lunch. He said it didn't work that way at the BBC anymore, but that he admired my gusto, it was the first of many BBC-based rejections.

I don't like celebrity faces, I don't think we should care less about what they get up to, If I see someone reading Heat magazine [other abominable awful heinous waste of paper publications are available] I feel weeping for all that is good in this world, then like slapping them, throwing their mag out of the window and giving them a cuddle.

But some celebs do live in Primrose Hill and this became clear when I saw a packet of breakfast cereal which cost £8.95. This wasn't like Uzbek Mountain Granola or something either, this was a packet of Lucky Charms

Wikipedia says 'Lucky Charms consist of two main components: toasted oat-based pieces and multi-colored marshmallow bits (marbits) in various shapes, the latter making up over 25 percent of the cereal's volume'

It sounds good, I mean marbits is up there with tofurkey [tofu and turkey], and wholphin [offspring of a whale and dolphin] as far as exciting portmanteaus go.

But it doesn't seem like £8.95's worth.

It has a big cult status in the States, but has never made it over here. I don't think the UK has a comparison, maybe imagine if the Coco Pops Monkey mated with Tony the Tiger, and the Honey Monster. The combo would get nearer the status of the Lucky Charm, plus you'd get some sort of great portmanteaud offspring [I propose Tonoco the Hongermonkey] . I think this cereal caters for nostalgic Hollywood expatriates or to aid the transition of their displaced children.

I have never eaten a Lucky Charm, but I tweeted a photo of this expensive box, and got lots of feedback.

LCBOX

tweet

MY favourite bit of feedback was this

I, of course said YES.

He packed them and posted them on Monday [left], I received and opened them on Tuesday [right]

luckycharms

I waited until Wednesday to taste them.

Wednesday morning I awoke with a cold and anxiously headed to the Kitchen. I went with the classic cereal+ milk option, and it worked they were good. I can't lie, these marbits really deliver a morning boost.

It's real nice of @HeyMercedes to post me food,  twitter is so great when people get involved. If the world did more twitter fun and less free newspapers and celebrity magazines the world would be way better.

I learned a lot about narrative when doing my degree, and there is a narrative arc that must be resolved. Would I pay £8.95 for a box of cereal?

In the imaginary, somewhat scandinavian, country I live in in my mind, this pricing strategy would be extended to most things that are bad for you. It seems to make sense. An £8.95 price tag probably sees me consuming these at exactly the right rate. I can't help but feel this shouldn't be a breakfast cereal, 25% marbit ratios and breakfast, just probably should not go together.

I probably would not pay £8.95, I did however, find some on the internet, for slightly cheaper, this ruins my narrative arc, but is information, and I'm all about open disclosure here. If I do get some, I'll let you know and maybe I'll post you some.

If anyone wants to develop some breakfast cereals with me I will consider licensing Tonoco the Hongermonkey. I have some other ideas too, Krunchy Katflapz, Wheat cordurouy, Tiny morning fun potatoes.

BYE x

Free bonus breakfast recipe:

Well my traditional breakfast routine is as follows

half a cup of frozen raspberries/blueberries/mango/pineapple/kiwi fruits

a quarter cup of  granola

some yoghurt

some sort of juice

I use the amazing Kenwood Smoothie 2 Go machine - what a gadget, it's a cup and a smoothie maker -IT'S LIKE LIVING IN THE FUTURE, a beautiful beautiful future, a definite recommendation from Culture Badger, I sometimes have one for pudding too, because I can.

Follow @heymercedes on twitter, and check out his record label -Walnut Tree Records