It's now a couple of days after ITV showed Russell T Davies' latest TV drama, The Second Coming, and I am firmly of the opinion that it is a work of genius. Pure and simple genius.Ah, it's good to be back.
Munching Carpet is dead. Long live modestic.
Starting something new is somewhat of a scary thing. You have no idea if what you are starting will succeed or whether it will fail miserably at the first hurdle. It's like the fear of the blank page that so many writers - myself included - speak of. The expanse of white just waiting to be filled. But by what? By this. This e-zine may be a success or a failure, but with any luck, we'll have a bit of fun along the way…
Oh, and I apologise, but this issue seems to be rather heavy on the DVD reviews, normal service and all that…
Anyhow. You're here now. That's what matters. Enjoy the ride…
Hmm… Kind of appropriate to start with this, I think…
The Second Coming
It's now a couple of days after ITV showed Russell T Davies' latest TV drama, The Second Coming, and I am firmly of the opinion that it is a work of genius. Pure and simple genius.
The premise is a simple one; what if the second coming of Christ actually happened? Right here, right now. In the year 2003. With no ifs, buts, maybes, uncertainties or doubts as to whether or not it is Him or not. That's The Second Coming…
Russell T Davies had been trying to get this made for quite some time. Soon after Queer as Folk 2 aired, it was announced that Channel 4 would be screening it, but after a change of personnel at the top of their drama department, they passed on it. Just when it looked as if it might never get made, ITV stepped in and snapped it up. And what a wise move it was…
The Second Coming stars Christopher Ecclestone - surely one of this country's finest living actors - as Stephen Baxter, a man who one night has an epiphany and realises He is the son of God. Of course, such things happen all the time in real life, the number of people with mental health problems with God complexes is a large one. But Stephen Baxter is not mad, He really is the son of God. And to prove it, he turns night into day at Maine Road. But just Maine Road. Inside the stadium it is as bright as day, outside dark as night, and a pillar of light ascends from Maine Road up into the sky.
Of course, it is not long before Maine Road is deluged with reporters from across the world to record this event. In one particularly moving scene, a news reporter played by - find out her name - is covering the event, and as she relates the events as she sees them, she slowly comes to the realisation that she is witnessing a miracle, and that Stephen Baxter is the son of God.
There are many directions in which The Second Coming could have gone, so many clichés that could have been invoked. Somehow it manages to avoid them. It has an ending that you genuinely won't see coming; it is most unexpected and yet entirely consistent with the production.
I'll discuss all this in a little more depth in Issue #2, as there are several points I wish to make, but to do so would ruin all its surprises. And you really don't want that…
I would go so far as to say that The Second Coming is almost Potter-esque, despite being nothing like anything Dennis ever did. It is a thought provoking piece of work that stands out a mile in the increasingly bland world of 21st Century television, where soaps - and as much as I love them, any more than 2 episodes a week of anything is too much - and vehicles for ex-soap stars seem to rule the airwaves.
The only criticism I would have of it is that it's just too damn short! I would have liked to have seen more tangental sub-plots which showed in much more detail how the world at large dealt with His arrival. Don't get me wrong, what was there was damn good, I just wish there was more.
The DVD was released the week after…
Rather surprisingly, the two episodes are presented - a music subsititution due to an unclearable Mel C track and excepted - exactly as seen on the telly, so at the end of the first episode you have a "next time" trailer, and at the start of the second a "previously" re-cap. A neat touch. The overall quality of the picture is superb; the bitrate is ramped up as high as they could get it throughout.
There are a couple of extras; firstly four minutes of out-takes, most of which aren't that great, to be honest, and if this section were not there, it would make not a lot of difference. Secondly - and much better - is 33 minutes of deleted scenes. Some of these are quite short, and some are versions of actual scenes with out the effects shots; the big speech outside the Police Station from Episode 1 doesn't quite have the same impact with a big sheet of green in the background where the crowd should be… The centrepiece of the deleted scenes is a 15-ish minute section from Episode 2 whereby the forces of darkness use various means to try to tempt Steve's friends over to their side. It's a particularly impressive sequence, and it's a bit of a shame it had to be cut. But as is explained in the commentary, in cuts where it was included and other material cut, it didn't hang together as well.
The commentary is very impressive. You have the writer, Russell T Davies, and the director, Adrian Shergold, and boy do they gas! This is how a commentary should be. There are numerous anecdotes about the production, how things were done, the reasoning behind why things were done a certain way, and all the challenges they had in making it. It's possibly the best commentary I've heard - the only one that sticks in my mind as being better is the Phoenix Nights one. The only problem is that the commentary on Episode 2 is about 20 seconds out of sync with the picture. Not a major thing, but it is a little distracting.
You can pick this disc up for £10-13 so you've got no excuse, really. You gotta buy it…
Easter Eggs: not found any.
Rating: Badger.
Richard Killman: today is February 24th. If you read this in time you might be able to tune in to see the moment in Coronation Street when Richard Hillman's world fall apart around him as the truth about him is revealed. For months he has been the best thing about Corrie, snarling his way around the street, with his plots and schemes to make money by killing people. Pulling on those black leather gloves whenever he was up to something (sounds familiar). The grand irony, of course, being that id he had held on a little while, everything would have come through for him. I'll miss him when he's gone, but go he had to, characters like his should always burn bright for a short time, and then be snuffed out. Stay in for too long and they fade away and become mediocre… Something Killman has never been!
"He Use To Give Me Roses"
Prisoner on DVD
Prisoner (or Prisoner Cell Block H to give it it's "we've got to change the title or Patrick McGoohan will sue" name) is possibly the finest television programme to be exported from Australia. Well, with the possible exception of the Simon/Vicky/Brendan Molly era of A Country Practice… And now, a dozen of the best episodes are available on DVD. Well, I say a dozen of the best, what I really mean is eleven of the best and one piece of execrable SHITE that should have been junked…
The spread of episodes is a little odd. The first 400 episodes (AKA the Bea Smith years) are represented by 4 episodes, the 500s by 4, and the 600s by 4. Still, what's there is pretty damn good stuff.
Disc 1; "The Early Years" features;
Episode 166; some of the women had tried to escape through a tunnel, which collapsed, trapping some of them, and killing one. This is actually one of the weaker episodes in the set, but is still pretty good.
Episode 287; the debut episode of Joan "The Freak" Ferguson, the prison officer who was a worse criminal than pretty much any of the inmates. "I think she's going to fit in well" says one of the other officers; how wrong could they be? Also notable is that this episode sees the Freak's first "Black Glove Moment", always a signal that she is up to no good (a technique ripped off, whoops, sorry, paid homage to by Richard Killman in Corrie, recently…). It's just a shame we haven't got the next episode on here, as I recall that one as being particularly good as well…
Episode 327; the prison has been set on fire as a diversion to enable Bea to bash The Freak, but it all goes wrong when a secondary fire in a storeroom causes a stash of turps to explode.
Episode 400; the very best episode. Without exception. Suffice it to say this is Bea Smith's final episode, and boy is it a good 'un… Unfortunately, after this episode, Prisoner went into somewhat of a decline which, with the occasional exception, wasn't really turned around until Rita Connors arrived.
Extras on this disc are a short interview with Val Lehman (it is good for what it is, but could, and should, have been longer), a set of continuity polaroids (there's more on the other 2), and clean closing titles.
Disc 2 - The Terrorist Siege
Episodes 550-552; one of the recent intake was a lady called Ruth Ballinger, the wife of a big crime boss, and he wants her out. So he hires some mercenaries to break into the prison, and free her. It all goes wrong, of course, and they end up taking the women and some of the screws hostage. This is the longest run of episodes on these discs, and it needs to be. The drama plays itself out quite slowly, with various escapes plans, and ways to distract their captors. When the mercenaries start killing the women, you really are at the edge of your seat as you wonder who they will kill next. Surely they wouldn't kill one of the leads? Would they?
Episode 536; described as a "special bonus episode" by the DVD sleeve. Described as "a big fat piece of hairy shite" by me. It has a couple of minutes of plot at the start as a loose plot point is tied up, but then it turns into a flashback episode, with clips of the show at its peak; for one thing we get this set's only Franky Doyle moments here. But while the clips themselves are good - and a reminder of how the show has slipped since Ep#400 - the framing of them is abominable. Characters who only the previous episode hated each others guts (and come the following episode will hate again) suddenly sit around the rec room and have a chinwag about "The Good Old Days". It just doesn't ring true. It grates. But that pales into insignificance compared to the final scene. It's as if the scriptwriters have realised that they haven't got a cliffhanger so they'd best think of one. So we have Mrs Reynolds bursting into reception announcing that "There's been a riot at Barnhurst…" and all that comes after it. With the dire cliffhanger; "Three of them [prisoners] burnt to death. One of them was XXXXX XXXXX."
Of course, it was all just a contrivance so that they could have a large intake of new characters, half a dozen ex-Barnhurst cons arrived the next episode. Strangely none of the previous Wentworth inmates that had been transferred there over the years…
Extras here are more continuity photos, and an interview with Anne Phelan (Myra), which lasts twice as long as the Lehman one…
Disc 3 - The End
Episodes 600 & 601; Lou Kelly is Top Dog, and want to exert her authority. So she instigates a riot, holds not only the screws, but some of the women too, hostage, and shows everyone what she does to laggers… It's a typical example of a Wentworth riot, really…
Episodes 691 & 692; this is it. The end of the series. All these loose ends to tie up… With Rita Connors colluding with The Freak over a bank job, all seems lost. Especially as Rita is dying of cancer.
Prisoner really does end on a high. The final episode is a masterpiece, with a twist you won't see coming. Only Episode 400 is better, I reckon, and you get that on this set, too…
Picture quality on these DVDs is a little variable. Sometimes it looks fantastic, but on others you can see quite bad MPEG artefacting. It's not so bad that you shouldn't get the set, as the picture is still much better than any VHS. But just be warned; R1 Twin Peaks this aint…
Oh, and BTW, watch the interviews after the episodes; here be spoilers…
At the moment, to get these DVDs you need to order them direct from Australia, I'd recommend going to ezydvd. They're pretty damn good.
Also, at the end of the month, Set 2 is released, and features the first four episodes (lots of Franky Doyle…!), Rita Connors first episode proper, and a Blackmoor episode amongst others…
Now. When do we get an A Country Practice set with Molly, Part of the Family, and lots of other choice episodes…?
Easter Eggs: not found any.
Rating: otter.
Darius Rant!
By Sarah Bushnell
I, personally, being absolutely and utterly unbiased (Honest! [Covers 'Darius' No.1 Fan pendant with hand]) am fed up with the narrow-minded people who cringe at the mere thought of Darius Danesh. Ok, many people may have vivid memories of chewing a lounge cushion, (yes, chewing a lounge cushion) as the Scottish-Sex bomb gave a somewhat 'original' rendition of the Britney classic 'Hit Me Baby One More Time', but, if we were all judged on our past experiences, would any of us ever, really be taken seriously? I'm sure, more than the odd person out there, has blurted out a drunken rendition of 'I will always love you' surrounded by a pub full of our closest friends, family, neighbours etc and lived to tell the tale without the rest of our life being judged on that one single time!?
As anyone who has heard Mr Danesh's new album will clarify, his talent will overwhelm even the biggest of Darius's sceptics. The guitar, which was taken to the Popstars auditions but wasn't allowed to be strummed in conjuction with an 'original' tune and lyrics as they weren't looking for TALENTED people, just future Hearsay members', is put to extremely good use.
The deadly phrase 'I have tickets to see Darius at (insert venue here)' has been known to slip from many people's lips. This sentence can result in ridicule to the subject and serious grievous bodily harm to the one who is ridiculing.
We DARIUS FANS, are not afraid, infact are very very VERY proud to tell people we are fans and are listening to, staring at and groping Darius Danesh at any possible opportunity. We are all-too-happy to vent our anger, as often as we see fit, especially at people who detest his album and work, and do a grand job of poisoning others against it, without having sampled the Delights Of The Iranian-Scottish Wonder themselves.
You have been warned.
Please Note: Darius Fan's do not have 'I am a Darius Fan' stamped on their forehead. They could lurk behind closed doors, with banners, posters and videos, ready to tempt and convert you to the church of Daneshment. No amount of hatred or loathing will discourage them. They will conquer the world (or maybe just a small part of it…)
Red Dwarf II
Red Dwarf Season 2 is the best season of Red Dwarf, so even if the DVD was just the episodes on a disc, it would, let's be honest, be a 100% essential purchase. So with all the extras it has on it, that makes it a 100% essential purchase…
Thankfully, Red Dwarf on DVD features the original versions of the episodes, not the dreadful remastered versions they tried to foist on us a couple of years back. Because adding in piles of extra CGI shots of the ship, whilst cutting out lines of dialogue (and whole scenes, occasionally) is a really great idea… (note; sarcasm)
The episodes themselves surely need no introduction. They are the finest collection of episodes in the show's run. We start with Kryten, with a very different take on the character to what we are used to. Imagine if David Ross had been available to be in Season 3? How different would that have been? Better Than Life will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first episode of the show I saw. In black and white on a portable telly. On we go through Thanks for the Memory, a mini mystery episode; how did Lister break his leg, and why have they no memory of it? Stasis Leak is all about a phenomenon called a stasis leak, which is like a leak, right, stasis, hence the name stasis leak. It's the first of three episodes this season to feature alternative versions of the crew. Then to Queeg. Which is not only the BEST ever episode of Red Dwarf, but I would actually go so far as to say it is the best episode I have seen of any sitcom. Yes, including Only Fools and Horse. Yes, and Fawlty Towers. Yes, and Steptoe and Son. Yes, and… you get the idea. It's largely because it's the only episode of the show that centres around Norman Lovett, who is a comedy genius. Just the look on his face is enough to make me laugh. And every single time I watch the episode, just before the end, usually when Holly is singing is song, a tear comes to my eye. Just brilliance. The season is concluded with Parallel Universe, in which the crew er, go into a parallel universe using the incredibly complicated Holly Hop Drive; such complex controls…
Like I said, the episodes on their own would have been enough, but there is a plethora of extras. Not all great, though…
The highlight is the almost twenty minutes of deleted/alternative/extended scenes. Some of these are quite, quite, brilliant, sum not so. You can tell the budget for these extras is somewhere around 7p as there is one scene in which the Cat does a duet with Talkie Toaster. The toaster's dialogue wasn't recorded at the time, so rather than go to the bother of recording it for the DVD, they just subtitle the toasters lines, which does somewhat detract from things.
There's also an interview with co-creator Doug Naylor, Smeg Ups which we've all seen before, a rather crappy trailer (read a "why bother" trailer), raw special effects footage, the A-Z thing from Red Dwarf night - guess we'll be getting Can't Smeg Won't Smeg and the University Challenge thing on future DVDs. Another trend that's becoming apparent is a three-ish minute montage of loosely linked clips with a pop song played over it. The first had a bunch of "drinking clips", the second has a set of "alternative personalities" clips. These are rather pointless, really, and add nothing to the DVD at all. The full length Tongue Tied is good fun, though.
Easter Eggs: on disc one, go to the bottom left option and press down to get to the Holly watch. Select this and it will take you to the Holly Hop Drive, the controls of which I'm sure you can work out for yourself…
Rating: koala (but wombat for Queeg).
How to re-vitalise the UK music charts.
The UK music charts have, in the last decade, become increasingly irrelevant. What was once a national institution is now a national farce. Taking a look at the new releases on a Monday, you can usually predict exactly what will be number one the following Sunday. It never used to be like this. The problem is the "new entry at number one" phenomenon of recent years. Some stats;
In the first 40 (ish) years of the charts, 25 songs went straight in at Number One.
It took three (ish) years more to double to 50.
Now, every year there are more that 25 songs going straight in at Number One.
It used to be such a rarity, such a special occasion when this happened. It was an event. The usual way of getting to Number One was to climb up the chart to get to Number One. Now the opposite is true; if you don't go straight in at the top, you almost certainly ain't gonna get there. Which is a shame.
There are a number of things wrong with the chart system at the moment, the main culprit being the multiple CD format scam. Under chart rules, you are allowed to release three versions of your single. At present, this is usually a tape, and 2 CDs. The trouble is that the 2 CDs will have the same track 1, but a different track 2 and 3. Fans of the band will want all the b-sides, so will buy both CDs, effectively buying 2 copies of the same single. Thus creating a big advantage for any band - and not all do - that does this. This was why the Pop Stars The Rivals #1 race was won by Girls Aloud. They had a double CD, One True Voice had a single CD. Had they both had a single CD, One True Voice would have won.
So what can be done. Easy. I said it before, and I'll say it again. In order to be eligible for the charts, allow a band to release a single on as many formats as they like. With one caveat; all formats must contain the same tracks. You can have extra multi-media malarkey on the CD and DVD, but that should be essentially the same on both. Thereby creating a level playing field for the big and indie labels…
And no, including airplay in the charts is a dumb idea.
The Seeds of Death
The second of the nine complete Patrick Troughton Doctor Who adventures to be released on DVD sees the Doctor up against those chilly Martians; The Ice Warriors. The plot is simple enough, the Ice Warriors want to invade Earth as Mars is dying, and they use the teleportation system - T-Mat - to spread their seeds (of death, no less) around the Earth from the T-Mat relay station based on the moon.
The Seeds of Death, like its predecessor, The Ice Warriors, is quite a slow paced story, but does seem to drag less than the Martians debut (and that had two of its episodes missing and truncated into a mini 10 minute recon…). It's a typical Troughton era "base under siege" story, although at least has the "innovation" of featuring three bases; the T-Mat relay on the Moon, T-Mat control on Earth and the weather centre.
Like I say, it is rather slow, and I can't help but think that it would have helped greatly to tighten the pace of the tale if it had been a four, rather than a six parter. Episode 4 is particularly slow, mainly because Troughton went on holiday to Blackpool, or wherever it was that Troughton like to holiday, that week and is absent throughout.
Seeds is a pretty average, run of the mill Dr Who adventure. Not particularly great, not particularly bad.
The Seeds of Death DVD, however, is absolutely fantastic.
The quality of the picture is simply stunning. The VidFIRE effect used on the picture restores the film recordings to as near as the episodes looked when they were first broadcast in 1969. DVDs like this must surely put an end to the lie that all archive black and white television must look poor. I tell you, if it wasn't for the obvious Sixties look of the sets and costumes, you could make people believe this was taped a week last Thursday. It is simply beautiful, and only makes one more despondent that there are so few available black and white Troughtons - four complete, three with two episodes missing, and various other oddments - that can be released like this.
Extras are on the second disk, and are very impressive. There is a documentary entitled Sssowing the Ssseeds which is all about the experiences of the people who were inside the Ice Warriors costumes, featuring newly filmed interviews with Alan Bennion and Sonny Caldinez and archive material of Bernard Bresslaw. They say you have to suffer for your art, and it certainly seems that these chaps did just that. Amongst other things they regale tales of how impossible it was to see anything, as not only did they have tunnel vision, but their eye pieces kept steaming up. It's an interesting insight…
The Last Dalek is behind the scenes footage of the climax of the 6/7 lost classic, The Evil of the Daleks (they keep tosh like The Dominators, but chuck out the likes of Evil, Power and Menace. Perfect logic…). It's a fascinating look behind the scenes, and although the film itself is silent, the film has a commentary track by two of the special effects designers, Michaeljohn Harris and Peter Day, who explain the happenings on screen. Even though they do keep referring to the Emperor Dalek as the Queen Dalek… We'll let that pass, though…
We are also treated to a minutes worth of censor clips from The Web of Fear and - rather briefly - The Wheel in Space. The Web clips only make one wish that more existed of it than the clips here and episode one.
There's also the next of the rather pointless, but fun, Tardis Cam clips. The usual informative production notes (I was sent scurrying to the internet when I found out that one of the actors - Louise Pajo - appeared in Prisoner Cell Block H…), and a photo gallery. The format of the photo gallery on these Dr Who discs is much better than most, in that here the photos are presented either full screen, or as close to full screen as possible in the case of portraits, and cycle through automatically. So many discs seem to think it's a better idea to have a "next" & "previous" interface, with a pretty frame around the pictures. Tottenham. This reduces the size of the pics. We want 'em like this, as big as possible!
To be honest, if you're a Dr Who fan then by now, you'll already have bought Seeds. Or at least you should have. So whatever I say will not sway you at all. If you're not particularly a fan, then Seeds is a good place to start. Just remember that it ain't no fast paced Hollywood film. And watch an episode at a time. That's how it was made to be shown, that's how you should watch it…
Easter Eggs: highlight Tardis Cam on the extras disc and press left…
Rating: octopus.
Film & TV Snobbery
Do you know one thing that really gets on my goat? The snobbery there is ingrained into all corners that Movies are always better than Televsion, that somehow if you work in television, you are inferior to someone who works in Television. That if you have directed a movie - no matter how mediocre - that makes you better than a director who has only done televsion.
There is much talk at the moment about the Red Dwarf movie that has been brewing for a while now. The tone of the comments coming out of the RD camp is that it's almost as if the eight seasons matter not a jot now that they've made it to the movies. I bet it won't be half as good as Queeg…
The best Televsion is easily on a par to the best Movies. When you have such high quality fare as I Claudius, Our Friends in the North, The Singing Detective, Twin Peaks, The Second Coming, and so on, how anyone can say that Televsion is inferior, I do not know!
The Fellowship of the Ring - Sponsored by the Argos Catalogue.
By Chris Arnsby.
Got somewhere special to go? Then dress up for the occasion with our Girls Dressing Up Box. Three fantastic costumes, Nurse, Princess and Fairy Queen so now you can look just like Galadriel. Just £17.99.
"Such value as I have never seen!" Even Boromir cannot believe what a good deal these compact Binoculars are at just £29.99. And with their built in AM/FM radio then keeping an eye open for Ringwraiths need never be a boring chore.
"Hold up my legs aren't as long as yours!" This fun 'First Steps' walking and learning centre is just £30.50 and will soon turn your toddler into a strider!
Camping out in the Midgewater Marshes has never been such fun. This Gazebo and Hardwood Chair set is a wallet friendly £230.00. You'll feel like the King of Gondor himself and it's perfect for when a dear friend drops in (or should that be when a friend drops in with a deer!)
Having an unexpected party? Clean up quickly with the Electrolux Superbroom. At only £19.50 it's a wizard deal!
"Murmurings on the world around me"
It is kinda hard to write this zine, which let's be honest is an irrelevance really, when World War 3 is threatening to break out. Grenades at Gatwick, the threat of missiles at Heathrow. How long will it be before a terrorist or two manages to do something in the UK on a par with September 11th? It is worrying, but all I'm doing is sitting around watching old telly and writing tosh. You know. This tosh. That you're reading now. This zine really isn't important, you know. It's just a bit of a diversion that I hope you will enjoy. It'll be interesting to see how many people take their name straight off the mailing list after reading this issue…
Musically there is very little exciting me at the moment. The Mrs says I should listen to more Ed Harcourt, as he is apparently very, very good (she saw him live three times in the space of a week this month!). But nothing is grabbing me greatly. Well, there's always Tendertrap's second album later in the year…
As for telly, that's not too great either. You get the occasional peak like The Second Coming, but a hell of a lot of troughs. I'm watching too many soaps again. Corrie is best at the mo; it's not just Killman, it the whole ambience of the piece. It's back into gear again. Still not as Good as A Country Practice and Prisoner at their peaks, though. Emmerdale Farm and 'Stenders are just dull lately. The Farm, a year ago, was outstanding, but now, something that I can't quite put my finger on has been drained from it, and it's just going ever downhill…
Right now, I wish I'd started this zine a lot sooner, as there's so much to say, but by the time this is due out it'll be so horribly out of date. I'd like to tell you all about the Spitz all-dayer last December, about how great The Projects and Bearsuit were, and about how Tender Trap were just like a big fruity cake with a cherry on top. Delicious. And how Oh Katrina is Single of the Year 2002. So many things. But they're too out of date…
Some websites of note;
The Snu: Graht's website of fun and frippery. Blimmin genius!
Chameleon Circuit: if you think the Dr Who DVD covers are shite, here's the best place to go for replacements.
Rather Good: you know, the one with the singing kittens… Oh. There's other stuff as well!
Acountrypractice.com: Exactly what it says on the tin! No pictures of Fatso, though…
Bumblebeetree: Cool webzine from the bod who did the rather fantastic A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters.
Gratuitous Wombat Picture #1
Wombat Cell Block H
Accrington Stanley Update: with 32 games played, and 12 to go, The Stan are currently in First Place in the Unibond Premier League with 72 points, 11 points clear of their nearest rivals. Surely promotion to the Conference beckons?
Coming in Issue #2 of modestic…
Press Gang is the best thing British TV has ever made.
London weighting; bollocks more like.
How to make the perfect action movie.
Why The Underwater Menace is a near perfect Doctor Who story.
Talons of Weng-Chiang DVD review.
Prisoner Set 2 DVD review.
David Lynch Short Films DVD review.
Twin Peaks; some ideas.
A picture of a wombat.
And "much more", including more stuff from readers (hint hint!!!)…
(And yes, I know, I promised some of these things for this issue, but they ain't ready yet…)
Copyright and all that malarkey…
modestic is © 2003 Ash Stewart. All articles are © to whoever is credited with them. All uncredited items are © Ash Stewart.
The address for all correspondence, be it praise, criticism, death threats, missing episode hoaxes, pictures of wombats, articles, anything is this one
modestic issue #1 was written by Ash Stewart, Chris "Graht" Arnsby, and Sarah Bushnell.
This e-zine can be forwarded on to whoever you so wish on the proviso that nothing in it is removed, added to, or altered in any way. In fact I encourage you to forward it!
If you were forwarded this e-zine by a friend and wish to sign up for it yourself go here.
If you no longer wish to receive this e-zine go here.
Contributions are always welcome for modestic. You can write about exactly what you like. Any subject at all. It does not matter if I agree with what you write or not, if it's well written it goes in. Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of modestic, as is change and renewal…
You can chat about this issue of modestic on the message board.
You can see old back issues of Munching Carpet, if you are interested, here... At present you can see Issues #1-3. Issue #4 will be put up on March 23rd.
Issue 2 of modestic will be e-mailed out on April 23rd. And will be better than this one!
Final thought: Nothing in the world can stop me now!