Tonight's show: Making a new Picture of Dorian Gray

In the second of today's shows leading up to Pride Weekend and continuing director's month on IR4MCU, Alex Fitch talks to British director Duncan Roy about his new movie. Following his terrific debut A.K.A., Roy returns to the topic of the social classes (albeit relocated to the New York art scene) with his adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novel...
N.B. Dorian Gray is showing next at The Cambridge film festival (download a PDF of the programme - it's on page 31) on the 12th & 14th of July...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Official movie website
IMDb page on The Picture of Dorian Gray
Duncan's myspace page
Interview with Duncan in Indie Wire magazine
Wikipedia list of Dorian Gray adaptations

Today's show: "How gay are comics?" part 1

In the first of today's two shows scheduled in the run-up to Pride weekend Alex Fitch interviews Patricia Jeres about gay representaion in comics both on the page and behind the writer / artist's pen. Patricia is an advisory board member of Prism comics - a company that promotes LGBT creators in the medium and previously worked for DC comics.


5pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links (which contain strong content - do not access unless you are over 15 / a liberal / not at work): Prism comics
Comic book queers podcast and forum
Reviews of gay comics at comics212.net
How gay was Captain America?
Daredevil goes to a gay bar...
Brokeback Mountain... the comic
How gay are Transformers?
Judges 19 interpreted by Neil Gaiman
Leviticus 20 interpreted by Alan Moore

Having read the latter; anyone feeling like going to Pride this weekend should know that Christian Voice are going to be picketing the event, so why not go down with a home made sign that quotes other anachronistic gems from Leviticus like:

Chapter 19 -
Verse 19: ...thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Verse 27: Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Chapter 20 -
Verse 9: For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

...just a thought.

Podcast: Alejandro Jodorowski and the art of the sublime

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 27.1mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Alejandro Jodorowski and the art of the sublime

Continuing directors month on IR4MCU guest presenter Virginie Sélavy (Electric Sheep magazine) interviews legendary Mexican director Alejandro Jodorowski about his career focusing on his admiration of eerie sound effects, Sam Peckinpah and the ‘Conquest of Mexico’...
The show is introduced by Alex Fitch and was edited by Richard Thomas...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Pages on Jodorowski from from Wikipedia and the IMDb...
Article on Jodorowski from The Independant
Buy Jodorowski comics from Forbidden Planet International
Electric Sheep magazine

Today's show: Schock! Horror! vol.8

In the last of the current series, Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movies... Like all the great movie monsters, Schlock! Horror! will return...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
*Wikipedia page on Japanese Giant Monster Movies
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: 'P' - the making of a Thai horror film

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.3mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: 'P' - making a Thai horror film

Continuing director's month on IR4MCU, Alex Fitch interviews British director Paul Spurrier who unexpectedly followed his debut film 'Underground' (starring Ian Dury and Nick Frost) with 'P', a Thai horror film made with a local cast and crew. This interview was the first one recorded for Close-up (nearly 2 years ago - so, sorry about the sound quality) and as tonight's episode is the 50th show Alex has done for Resonance, it seemed a nice way to celebrate the occasion...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Wikipedia page on Paul Spurrier
Official P movie website
Buy P on PAL Region 4 DVD
about.com article on Thai ghosts
frightfest website

Today's show: Schock! Horror! vol.7: Creatures that time forgot!

Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movies which includes this week, trailers for:
Dinosaurus! Never before seen on the big screen, a 60 foot monster tamed by a small boy!
The Land that time forgot! Discover a fantastic world exactly as it was at the dawn of time!
Gorgo! From the depths of prehistoric time... The headlines scream the story of the skin-divers who capture the creature...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
*Wikipedia page on Japanese Giant Monster Movies
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: Nick & Marc Francis' Black Gold

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 29.9mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at archive.org


Homeview interactive:

Fans of the show I did about video shops, may be interested in the comic strip that has appeared on the windows of Homeview Video over the last week...

More info at www.14-15-77.com

Tonight's show: Nick and Marc Francis' Black Gold

It's the start of directors month on I'm ready for my close-up and we're starting off with a film that's new and topical...
Alex Fitch interviews Nick and Marc Francis, directors of the feature length documentary Black Gold, which is released in cinemas tomorrow. Nick and Marc talk about the challenges of making the film, their desire to make their film stand out from other films in the genre and reactions from corporations and multi-nationals to their film.

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: The Black Gold website
portafilter.net, a discussion group for coffee enthusiasts
Wikipedia pages on Black Gold , Fair Trade
and The World Trade Organization
A glossary of Coffee terminology

Today's show: Schock! Horror! vol.6 - Androids from the Atomic age

Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movies... Hear King Kong battle his monstrous metallic doppleganger created by the evil Dr. Who! Fear the Aliens who have come to enslave us and Destroy all monsters! Clear a path from the enveloping miasma of the Smog Monster!

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
*Wikipedia page on Japanese Giant Monster Movies
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: Paul Cornell - 'Human nature' and the BSFA

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.0mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Podcast: Benjamin Yeoh & Nakamitsu

Yesterday evening's 'clearspot' is now available to download... (mp3 format, 14.0mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Paul Cornell - 'Human nature' and the BSFA

There're 2 interviews with Paul Cornell on Resonance FM tonight in "I'm ready for my close-up" - the first conducted by Graham Sleight at the British Science Fiction Association meeting in January about Paul's history as a writer, the 1990s Doctor Who novels and Marvel comics... The second (by me) recorded yesterday concerns Paul adaptaing Human Nature for the small screen and also writing for the second series of ITV's Primaeval... Plus an interview with Hugo award winning critic and writer Farah Mendlesohn about the work of the BSFA...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Download / read the original novel online
Paul's blog
Graham's website
Farah's blog
Wikipedia pages on Paul Cornell, the novel Human Nature and the BSFA
The BSFA's website
The BBC's Doctor Who website
Pre-order Paul's graphic novel Wisdom from Forbidden Planet international
Download the trailer for / buy Paul's most recent Doctor Who audio CD - Circular Time
Buy the Elgar music heard in this show

Today's Clear Spot: Benjamin Yeoh & Nakamitsu

Alex Fitch talks to playwright Benjamin Yeoh about his translation of the 14th Century Noh play Nakamitsu - currently being performed at the Gate theatre in Notting Hill - which retains traditional (and bloody) samurai drama and musical interludes but also adds a modern day Yakuza framing device set in a strip club!

5pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: The Gate Theatre website
Ben's blog
Wikipedia pages on Ben and Noh theatre in general
Preview of Nakamitsu from The Guardian Guide

Podcast: The Worlds of Bryan Talbot

Tonight's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.6mb)

N.B./ as I have received 5 correct entries (3pm 30/05/07), the competition is now closed...

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: The Worlds of Bryan Talbot

On this week's "I'm ready for my close-up", Alex Fitch's guests are Bryan Talbot & Mark Wright, creator and adaptor respectively of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright... Alex will be talking to Bryan about his career in comics, focusing on Luther and Alice in Sunderland and asking Mark about the challenges of converting a graphic novel to the audio medium...
There's also a competition to win one of 5 signed copies of the Big Finish audio adaptation of Luther Arkwright CDs at the end of the show...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Find details about Bryan's Alice in Sunderland signing tour
Read a review of Alice in Sunderland in comic strip form
Wikipedia pages on The Adventures of Luther Arkwright
and Bryan Talbot
More info on Bryan's exhibition at The Cartoon Museum which runs to the beginning of July
Buy / sample The Adventures of Luther Arkwright web comic
Buy / download the trailer for The Adventures of Luther Arkwright audio adaptation
More info on Bryan's next project Cherubs
...which is drawn by former close-up guest Mark Stafford

Podcast: The Curzon cinemas podcast #02, May '07

It's finally time for The Curzon cinemas podcast #2 featuring reviews of films released this month at the five cinemas in the Curzon network... Presented by Alex Fitch and our new co-host Jessica Fostekew, a member of the comedy improv group The Institute, who has just completed an acclaimed 6 week run in the reknowned News Revue...

The show went live on May 21st 2007 and is available from a variety of sources.
If you have itunes installed on your computer, you can download the show by clicking here or visit the Curzon Podcast homepage at itunes here...

If you don't have itunes installed on your computer you can stream the show by clicking here and pressing the play button or right click here to save the mp3 file direct to your computer...

Films reviewed include Night of the Sunflowers, Jindabyne and Joe Strummer: The future is unwritten.

Links: You can read print versions of the reviews at www.backprojection.com
Visit the Curzon's myspace page and website

(mp3 format, 14mins / 12.8mb)

Today's show: Schock! Horror! vol.5 - Daikaijū Eiga*

Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movies including the trailers for Atragon, King Kong Escapes, Ghidorah, the three headed monster... A giant meteor crashes into the mountains and the three-headed, fire-spitting space dragon King Ghidorah emerges...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
*Wikipedia page on Japanese Giant Monster Movies
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: Blake's 7 redux

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.3mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Blake's 7 redux

Recorded at this year's Bristol international Comic Expo - Alex Fitch interviews the makers of the new Blake's 7 internet radio series - writer Ben Aaronovitch, actor Owen Aaronovitch who plays 'Gan', sound designer / actor Alistair Lock who plays 'Zen' and producer Andrew Sewell.


10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to the new Blake's 7 at www.blakes7.com
Wikipedia pages on Blake's 7 and Ben Aaronovich
IMDb page on Owen Aaronovich
Outpost Gallifrey page on Alistair Lock
Interview with Andrew Sewell at www.blakes-7.co.uk

Today's show: Schock! Horror! vol.4 - The revenge of science!

Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movies including the trailers for such incredible monsters as Rodan, Mothra & Varan the unbelievable! Plus, the inevitable showdown: King Kong vs. Godzilla!!...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: The current state of anime

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.7mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: The Current state of Anime

Alex Fitch interviews Helen McCarthy, author of 'Hayao Miyazaki - Master of Japanese Animation', '500 Manga heroes and villains' and co-author of 'The Anime encyclopedia' about the season of Japanese animated films she's curated at the Barbican which coincides with the 90th anniversary of the medium. The season continues this month with a sold-out screening of Satoshi Kon's new film Paprika, so Alex and Helen talk about the director as well as the work of his predecessors and contemporaries such as Miyazaki and Ôtomo plus the continuing influence of manga artist Osamu Tezuka.

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: If you want to queue for returns, here's
info on the Barbican Japanimation season...
...plus next month's 'Animate the World' season
Wikipedia pages on Satoshi Kon, Hayao Miyazaki, Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Osamu Tezuka and anime in general
For the latest Anime news, why not check out otakunews.com
Buy 500 Manga Heroes and Villains and The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 from amazon.com

Today's show: Schock! Horror! - vol.3

Richard Thomas continues his look at the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movie trailers ...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Podcast: 50 years of American Splatter or how I learned to stop worrying and love the grindhouse!

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.1mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

One last plug for tomorrow's event...
N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Tonight's show: 50 years of American Splatter* or how I learned to stop worrying and love the grindhouse!

Continuing our celebration of Walpurgiswoche, Alex Fitch interviews Stephen Thrower, editor of the legendary Eyeball magazine about his Grindhouse festival on Saturday at the Riverside Studios cinema in Hammersmith; Stephen will be showing 6 rare American splatter movies to help illustrate his book (Nightmare USA) and introducing Q&As with the film-makers. Alex and Stephen talk about the history of Grindhouse cinema, its influence on recent teen slasher movies and reasons why Tarantino's latest is looking like a flop...

*Yeah, alright, Psycho started filming in 1959, so strictly speaking, it's 48 years of American Splatter, but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it!

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com


Links - Buy Stephen's book from fabpress.com
Buy tickets direct from the Riverside Cinema
Wikipedia page on Stephen Thrower
Kamera.co.uk review of Eyeball Compendium

N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Today's show: Schock! Horror! - Cold blooded...

As it's the afternoon of Walpurgisnacht, why not tune into Richard Thomas' new weekly bite sized (15 min) show, as he presents the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movie trailers... Today it's the turn of primordial landscapes and lost continents and the beasts that roam within
them...

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

Podcast: The current state of Sci-Fi Movies

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 27.3mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

If you'd like to buy any of the films that Louis Mentioned which showed in last year's festival:
Die you zombie bastards!, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America and The Machinist are available to buy on PAL region 2 DVD, while
Subject Two and Recon 2020: The Caprini Massacre are only available on NTSC Region 1 DVD...

Tonight's show: The current state of sci-fi movies

Alex Fitch interviews Louis Savvy, organiser of Sci-Fi London, the capital's annual science fiction and fantasy festival about this year's event. Sci-Fi London is held from the 3rd to the 6th of May and this year features such films as Recon 2022: The Mezzo incident and Plane Dead (a.k.a. Flight of the living dead), documentaries like Future by design and also runs concurrent with Cine-excess, a conference on cult cinema that includes screenings of David Mamet's Edmond and Gyorgi Palfi's Taxidermia. Alex and Louis discuss these films, the highlights of last year's festival and (natch) the current state of sci-fi on the big and small screens.

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

In comics news: It's the GRAPHIC NOVEL WEEKEND at the Cartoon museum in London, so why not go along to hear talks by Posy Simmonds, Ilya, Nick Abadzis, former Close-up guest Mark Stafford and forthcoming Close-up guest Bryan Talbot... Click here for more details.

Links: Sci-Fi London homepage
Cine Excess homepage
Taxidermia review at backprojection.com

N.B./ This year's Sci-Fi London features a special 1950s Hammer quadruple bill on May 5th, all the proceeds of which go to help Resonance FM... So, if you were intrigued by my mention of Stolen Face on our Halloween show last year, now's your chance to see it as well as: X the Unknown, Four Sided Triangle and the seminal British Sci-Fi film Spaceways! Click below for details...

We apologise for this distruption to the usual schedule...

No show this week, I'm afraid...

Richard has this to say on the subject:

Due to structural damage to the studio ceiling, we are obliged to close the studio effective immediately until further notice. All programmes from Thursday 19 April are cancelled including pre-recorded material. The scale of the work we need to undertake over the next few days will leave little time to arrange repeats. The nightloop will be the sole broadcast during this period. Many apologies for this. We have taken expert health & safety advice concerning this matter and they have advised us to take this course as a matter of urgency.
We hope to move to a new premises at the very earliest opportunity.
Until then, please bear with a schedule of repeats and disrupted programming.


More news as soon as I have it!

Now, more than ever(!):

Podcast: "How gay is the screen" part 2

Last week's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.7mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com
Read reviews of films showing at the LLGFF at backprojection.com
Listen to an episode of Midnight Sex Talk about gay bars in London
If you're one of our Californian listeners, you can catch Small Town Gay Bar at Outfest on Wednesday

Today's show: Schock! Horror! - Kong

In this new weekly bite sized (15 min) show, Richard Thomas presents the best examples of 1950s and 60s monster movie trailers starting with the Eighth Wonder of the World TM Kong!

4.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Listen to Richard's show on Godzilla
Buy the Region 1 NTSC or Region 4 PAL DVD of these trailers

Tonight's show: "How gay is the screen" part 2

Following the conclusion of this year's London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Alex Fitch interviews director Malcolm Ingram about his documentary Small Town Gay Bar and then talks to Inigo Andersson (a film night and club promoter) and Michael Hall (a video shop manager) who are helping to encourage access to gay film-making the rest of the year when the festival isn’t on...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: The London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
IMDb page on Small Town Gay Bar
Film Wotever's Myspace page
Michael's band Nebraska's Myspace page
MSNBC article on how TV is 'less gay' this year

Podcast: "Shoot, shoot, shoot!" - the films of Chris Welsby & Margaret Tait

Last week's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.1mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: "Shoot, shoot, shoot!" - the films of Chris Welsby & Margaret Tait

Richard Thomas presents a show on the work of experimental film-makers Chris Welsby & Margaret Tait who explore(d) nuances of the landscape when captured on film...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Chris Welsby's website
Lux Online biography on Margaret Tait
Article on the London Film-makers' co-op
Lux Online article on landscape film-makers
Fundació Antoni Tàpies website regarding the exhibition that gave tonight's show its name

Podcast: The Curzon cinemas podcast #01, April '07

April finds a sibling show to I'm ready for my close-up hitting the information superhighway...
Alex Fitch presents The Curzon cinemas podcast #01 featuring reviews of films released this month at the five cinemas in the Curzon network plus exclusive interviews with the directors of The Lives of Others and Half Nelson...

The show went live on April 1st 2007 and more information can be found here...
(mp3 format, 24mins / 10.8mb)

Podcast: "How gay is the screen" part 1

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.5mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com
Read reviews of films showing at the LLGFF at backprojection.com

Tonight's show: "How gay is the screen?" part 1

To coincide with this year's London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Alex Fitch interviews BFI librarian Emma Smart about whether there have been any significant developments in gay film-making and TV programme making since last year's LLGFF. Also included in the show is an interview Alex recorded last year with sci-fi writer and critic Kim Newman about the gay following that genre shows like Doctor Who and The Avengers generate...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: The London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Last year's I'm ready for my close-up on the LLGFF
Listen to the complete one hour interview Alex recorded with Kim
The official BBC Doctor Who website

Tonight's show: Depictions of madness (repeat)

Tonight's show is a repeat of April 27th 2006's, sorry...

Podcast: Black Musicians on Film

Tonight's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.3mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Black Musicians on Film

As a belated follow up to his article on the subject, Alex Fitch talks to Times journalist John Clarke about the history of Black musicians on film from 1929's Hallelujah to this year's Dreamgirls. The show also features clips from Stormy Weather (1943), Shaft (1971) and The Blues Brothers (1980)...

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: BBC article on the Dreamgirls controversy
TimesOnline articles by John on The Gospel according to Al Green and the rebirth of soul label Stax
Indiana University's Black Film Archive
UCLA article on Soundies
Optronica at the BFI

Podcast: Disseminating movies - "Your local video shop"

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.3mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Disseminating movies - "Your local video shop"

On the 11th February, a large group of people gathered outside a video shop in South East London to protest about its closure and replacement by a proposed betting shop.

Alex Fitch was there to interview locals and their representatives about why the demise aroused such passion.

In contrast, this is followed by an interview with both the owner and the manager of a relatively new rental place in East London that looks potentially successful in this digital age and is intended to be more than just a video shop…

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com


Links: Sue Luxton's blog about the closure of Homeview
Brockley entries at 'Transpontine' blog
List of archived versions of 'homeviewvideo.co.uk'
Close-up Film Library, Brick Lane
The economic theory of The Long Tail

Podcast: 2000AD - ...and now

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 27.2mb)

For more info, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

In comics related news: Sparks are sure to fly when two divas of the US underground scene finally meet: Aline Kominsky Crumb will be talking about her dazzling, massive graphic memoir Need More Love with Melinda Gebbie, co-creator of Lost Girls, at the ICA on Sunday March 11th from 4pm, followed by a screening of the classic 1987 BBC Arena documentary The Confessions of Robert Crumb. An unmissable countercultural encounter! Book here...
The same day, previous I'm ready... guest, Paul Gravett's profile/interview with Aline will appear in the Sunday Review Magazine of the Independent... Find more info at www.paulgravett.com

Tonight's show: 2000AD: ...and now

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the venerable British periodical 2000AD, Duncan Nott and Alex Fitch present the second of two programmes about the popular comic book anthology. Tonight's guest is Matt Smith, the current editor who talks about the present and future of the comic...

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: 2000AD Online
Wikipedia pages on 2000AD and Matt Smith
Stream audio adventures of Strontium Dog and Judge Dredd from bbc.co.uk
Buy Strontium Dog: Down to Earth from Big Finish Productions

Podcast: 2000AD - Then...

Tonight's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 26.9mb)

N.B./ Downloads are now housed at www.archive.com

Podcast: The current state of Silent Movies

Last week's show is now available for download... (mp3 format, 27.2mb)

N.B./ downloads are now housed at www.archive.org

Tonight's show: 2000AD - Then...

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the venerable British comic book 2000AD, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott present the first of two programmes about the popular anthology. This week's guest is Pat Mills, the founder and original editor of the comic who has written such great strips as Judge Dredd, Sláine, Nemesis the Warlock and A.B.C. Warriors.

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: 2000AD Online
Wikipedia pages on 2000AD and Pat Mills

Podcast: Scoring Silent Movies

The show broadcast a couple of weeks ago is now available to download... (mp3 format, 27mb)

Links: Info about tonight's performance at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol
Watch excerpts of The Seashell... with music performed by Minima
Watch the 30 min silent version of The Seashell... on youtube

Tonight's show: The current state of silent movies

Continuing our spurious anniversary month, tonight’s show coincidently coincides with the 8oth anniversary of the release of Hitchcock’s film 'The Lodger', so, to celebrate: having teased you with excerpts of our interview with Matthew Sweet – the writer and presenter of Silent Britain and Shepperton Babylon – for the past two weeks, tonight "I'm ready for my close-up" is proud to have Alex Fitch's full interview with him on the subject of silent movies.
If you're wondering whether the title of tonight's show is a contradiction in terms... Well, you'll just have to tune in to find out!

Regarding the podcast of last week's (and probably this week's) show... I'm having server problems at the moment, so there may be a bit of a delay. Sorry!

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Links: BFI page on 'Silent Britain'
Matthew's episode of Back Row on Radio 4
Article by Matthew on the late Ernest Dudley
Transcript of BBC Four interview with Matthew
Wikipedia page on Hitchcock's 'The Lodger'

Tonight's show: Scoring Silent Movies

It's the one year anniversary of "I'm ready for my close-up" (I'll track down a copy of Richard's first show on William Greaves soon for podcasting) - so to celebrate the occasion we have a couple of shows about the birth of cinema and how it is still relevant and appreciated today.
Tonight, Alex Fitch is talking to Alex Hogg from the band Minima who are touring the country with a print of the 1928 film 'The Seashell and the Clergyman' written by Antonin Artaud. The film was infamously banned on first release in this country with the BBFC quoted as saying: "This film is so obscure as to have no apparent meaning. If there is a meaning, it is doubtless objectionable".
Minima provide a terrific new soundtrack to the film and there will be extracts in tonight's show which concludes with the start of an interview with Matthew Sweet, author of Silent Britain and Shepperton Babylon, and this will be continued next week.

Links: Minima's myspace page which has info on forthcoming performances
IMDb page on 'The Seashell & the Clergyman'
Wikipedia page on Artaud
Download clips from the film from 'Expanded Cinema'
Director Germaine Dulac's battle for authorship

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: Imbolc Day

Last night's show is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Links: Out of the shadows - 50 cinematic masterpieces @ the NFT
Geoff Andrew's favourite films of last year
Watch Tom Purcell's The Long Weekend on youtube
Info about events in the IWM cinema this month
Buy Doctor Who: Year of The Pig from Big Finish
Matthew's episode of Back Row on Radio 4
More info on Imbolc and Groundhog Day at Wikipedia

Tonight's show: Imbolc Day

It's Imbolc day (Groundhog Eve if you're American) which means we're half way to Spring... To celebrate this minor event, Alex Fitch is sticking his head out of his metaphorical burrow and looking forward to various events in the cinema and home entertainment. Tonight's show includes interviews with Matthew Sweet (Silent Britain) about his Doctor Who audio plays, Tom Purcell (animator) about winning "Best Imaginative Response to the Subject of War" at the IWM student film festival and Geoff Andrew (BFI) about forthcoming screenings at the NFT.

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: The Magic of Alan Moore part three

The second half of tonight's show is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Podcast: The Magic of Alan Moore part two

The first half of tonight's show is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 28mb)

Tonight's Clear Spot: The Magic of Alan Moore parts two and three

Alex Fitch concludes his 'feature length' interview with Alan Moore, talking tonight about magic, Swamp Thing, Lost Girls, movies and saving the comics industry. The second half of tonight's show also includes clips from the Justice League cartoon: 'For the man who has everything' and 'Snakes & Ladders', Alan's meditation on history and DNA...

Links: Wikipedia entry on Alan Moore
Download comics by Alan for free from fourcolorheroes.com

7pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: The Magic of Alan Moore part one

Last night's show is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Tonight's show: The Magic of Alan Moore part one

Alex Fitch interviews Alan Moore, writer of stuff about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the highs (Kev O'Neill) and lows (Rob Liefeld) of collaborating with comic book artists, his notions of magic and ideaspace and just what giant bald men in nappies had to do with American paranoia in 1950s movies!

N.B./ parts two and three of this interview will be broadcast on Tuesday from 7pm...

Links: Wikipedia entry on Alan Moore
Download comics by Alan for free from fourcolorheroes.com

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: Paul Gravett's guide to comics part two

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26.4mb)

For more info on two of the writers Paul mentioned, here're links to the wikipedia pages on Gotthold Lessing and Philippe Druillet...

Tonight's show: Paul Gravett's guide to comics part two

Duncan Nott & Alex Fitch conclude their interview with Paul Gravett, talking about such topics as 'the graphic novels of Chris Ware & Raymond Briggs', 'the future of British sequential art' and 'things to hate about comics'!

Links: www.paulgravett.com
www.greatbritishcomics.com
Buy Paul's books from Amazon

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: Paul Gravett's guide to comics part one

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26.4mb)

Tonight's show: Paul Gravett's guide to comics part one

Continuing Comic Book Month on "I'm ready for my close-up", we have the first half of Alex Fitch & Duncan Nott's interview with Paul Gravett, author of "Manga: 60 years of Japanese Comics", "Graphic Novels - Stories to change your life" and "Great British Comics". Alex and Duncan will be discussing with Paul the continuing appeal of British Comics, the evolving market for Graphic Novels and monthly 'pamplets' plus the changing censorship of the medium in general.

Links: www.paulgravett.com
www.greatbritishcomics.com
Buy Paul's books from Amazon

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: The Horror films of David McGillivray

Originally broadcast 16th November 2006: As a companion piece to our show on Norman J. Warren Alex Fitch talks to Norman's contemporary and collaborator David McGillivray about the horror film scripts he wrote in the 1970s such as Satan's Slave and Frightmare plus his new series of short films, Worst Fears...

Links: 'Worst Fears' website
David's filmography on the IMDb

Download (mp3 format, 26mb)

Podcast: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Thursday night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26.3mb)

Tonight's show: The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

It's the start of comic book month on I'm ready for my close-up, so in the first of a series of shows on four colour periodicals, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott are talking to Charles Brownstein, the director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
As we're still within the season of giving (it's Twelfth Night tomorrow), why not listen in and support a charity that protects comic book creators and shops from the vagaries of American law regarding the first amendment...

Links: CBLDF website
Wired article: When comics and laws collide
The Comics reporter article: Withdrawal of comics from a Missouri library
Baltimore City Paper article on the CBLDF
First Amendment Center website, re: Freedom of Speech and comics
Wikipedia article on 'The Millar Test' (US equivalent of the obscene publications act)

10.30pm GMT Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com

Podcast: Desperate Optimists and the art of the long take

Originally broadcast 5th October 2006: Alex Fitch interviews Joe Lawlor, who with Christine Molloy make up the film-making duo 'Desperate Optimists': a couple who make short films in a single take. Alex and Joe discuss the new film 'Daydream', which premiered at the Liverpool biennial last year plus Joe and Christine's award winning series 'Civic Life' and also mention their favourite examples of the long take in other people's films...

Links: Desperate Optimists' website
'Daydream' screening details
Buy 'Civic Life' on DVD
Civic Life review at backprojection.com

Download (mp3 format, 27mb)

Podcast: The best films of 2006

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26.5mb)

Tonight's show: The best films of 2006

It's the end of the year show... Alex Fitch asks various broadcasters and previous guests of I'm ready for my close-up to name their favourite film of the last 12 months. Guests include Emma Smart (BFI), Kim Morgan (Midnight Sex Talk), Kev. F. Sutherland (The Beano), Kai Clear (Film-maker), Grant Rogers (Artist / animator) and Toby Haggith (Head of cinema programming, IWM).

Other links: IWM student film festival
Alex's film reviews

10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM / streamed at resonancefm.com

Podcast: Restoring The Battle of the Somme

Tonight's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26mb)

Tonight's show: Restoring The Battle of the Somme

To (belatedly) co-incide with the 90th anniversary of 'The Battle of the Somme' (both the event and the film), Alex Fitch is discussing the silent movie and its recent restoration with Dr. Toby Haggith (Imperial War Museum) and Andrew Robertshaw (National Army Museum). To make the film more accessible to modern viewers Toby has been involved with the rediscovery of the film's original score and the commissioning of a new one, while Andrew has made a documentary re-editing the scenes of the movie into the order in which they were filmed to give the audience a unique insight into the making of the world's first feature length documentary.

10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM / streamed at resonancefm.com

Links: Wikipedia page on the film
Andrew's page about the battle and the film at the National Army Museum website
Imperial War Museum microsite about the battle

Podcast: The current state of Comics

Originally broadcast 19th October 2006: Alex Fitch interviews Kev F Sutherland (comics writer and commentator) about such topics as: Hollywood and the media's fascination with comic books which contrasts with diminishing sales in shops. From appreciation of writers like Alan Moore and Chris Ware in The Guardian to comics based on TV shows and by TV writers, there seems to be cultural awareness of comics, but the question is: how do we get more adults and (more importantly) children reading this great art form again?

Download (mp3 format, 25mb)

Links: Wikipedia page on Kev F. Sutherland
Kev's own website

Podcast: The current state of children's television

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Tonight's show: The current state of children's television

Tonight it's the "I'm ready for my close-up Celebrity Christmas Special"!
Alex Fitch presents an overview of this year's Children's television at Christmas with a special report on Sky's live action adaptation of 'The Hogfather'. Alex's guest in the studio* is Ed Petrie, Children's TV presenter / stand-up comedian and the show also includes short interviews with David Jason, Nigel Planer and Terry Pratchett.

10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM / streamed at resonancefm.com

*actually Ed's brother's bedroom, but let's not diminish the glamour here!

Links: Wikipedia page on Terry Pratchett
Sky's Hogfather site
Ed's website

Podcast: John Grierson and the Creative Treatment of Actuality

Originally broadcast 25th May 2006: Martin Williams produced this programme focusing on the work of John Grierson. Grierson spearheaded the British Documentary Film Movement in the years before WWII. Featuring interviews with Ian Aitken, author of Film and Reform (Routledge 1990), Realist Film Theory and Cinema (Manchester University Press 2006) and editor of the Encyclopaedia of Documentary Film (Routledge 2005) and Brian Winston, author of Claiming the Real (BFI 1995) and Lies, Damned Lies and Documentary (BFI 2001).

Download (mp3 format, 27mb)

Links: Wikipedia page on John Grierson
The John Grierson Trust

Tonight's special: Jason Oddy - photographing simulation and protection

But hang on... It's a Wednesday! Why yes, but as a special advent treat we're broadcasting an IRFMCU hour-long special in today's clear spot at 7pm (and if you think that's a special treat, wait 'til you hear tomorrow's Christmas Celebrity Edition!). This would have been last week's show but Richard was torn between broadcasting it in two halves or putting it out as a full hour...

Richard Thomas produces and introduces: Craig Burnett in conversation with the writer/photographer Jason Oddy. Oddy's most recent project 'Playas' was just exhibited at Brixton's photofusion gallery about a former mining town in New Mexico that was purchased by the department of homeland security for the purpose of simulating terrorist assaults in urban America. Jason has also photographed unique sites such as the Pentagon, Guantanamo Bay, and American Cryogenics facilities to name but a few.
Craig Burnett is a writer and a curator at the White Cube gallery.

Links: Photofusion Gallery
Jason's homepage

Podcast: Audible pictures

Originally broadcast 19th October 2006: Alex Fitch talks to Matt Hulse, curator of and contributor to 'The Audible Picture Show' a touring collection of short films without pictures featuring such film-makers as Andrew Kotting and the Brothers Quay. Alex and Matt talk about the art of foley work, the under-appreciation of sound in modern society, the joy of found footage and the use of sampled soundtracks to create evocative soundscapes.
There will be a retrospective of Matt's work and a 'showing' of 'The Audible Picture Show' on Sunday 14th January 2007 as part of The Halloween Society's 4th Short Film Festival at the ICA. Please visit the sites below for more info.

Download (mp3 format, 27mb)

Links: www.audiblepictureshow.org.uk
The Halloween Society
Institute of Contemporary Arts

Podcast: Structualist cinema

Last week's repeat is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 25mb)

Tonight's show: Structualist cinema (repeat)

Richard Thomas talks to Ed Pinsent about the history of structuralist cinema from its beginnings in America in the 1960s to its development in Britain a decade later and beyond. Ed is the editor of Sound Projector magazine and hosts a related show on Resonance 104.4 FM (Fridays 5.30-7pm) on the subject of ecclectic music.
Originally broadcast 16th March 2006

Links: Ed's show - www.thesoundprojector.com/radioshow.html
Ways of seeing article on Structuralist cinema - www.waysofseeing.org/struct.html

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In "I'm ready for my close-up" related news: Fans of the Light Surgeons might like to check out 'Articulated' at the Oxo Tower from last Friday 'til this Sunday (10th), everyday from 11am to 7pm. An exhibtion on travel and human connections, with video installations by onedotzero, it features behind the scenes research by our very own Alex Fitch...

Links: Oxo Tower info
Onedotzero info

Podcast: The (Horror) films of Stephen King

Alex Fitch talks to Emma Smart from the BFI about film adaptations of Stephen King's novels and short stories. Featuring excerpts from his talk in Battersea earlier in the month and trailers from his earliest and most recent films...
(This show is dedicated to Grace, a King fan from Timsbury, near Bath, with thanks to The Times for getting me tickets to the Battersea event)

Links: The Times Online podcasts of Stephen King's talk in Battersea 7th November 2006
Stephen King's entry on Wikipedia

Originally broadcast 23rd November 2006, mp3 format 26mb

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In BFI related news:

For a free funky (albeit virtual) advent calendar based on the Fairy Tales of Lotte Reiniger (The Adventures of Prince Achmed) click here...
...and if you're looking for some more atmospheric and spooky entertainment this advent, why not check out the NFT's season: "Tales of Mystery and Laudanum" which this Wednesday (6th) includes a preview of Philip Pullman's "The Ruby in the Smoke" starring Billie Piper, which will be broadcast on the BBC this Christmas

Podcast: Whatever happened to Dan Dare, Pilot of the future?

First transmitted on September 14th 2006: Alex Fitch talks to historian Duncan Nott and Kev F. Sutherland, a comics artist and writer about Dare's continuing appeal and cultural legacy...
Download (mp3 format, 27mb)

Links: The official Dan Dare website
Unofficial fan sites - dan-dare.net & dan-dare.org where you can hear the clips featured in the show in full...
Spaceship Away - the home of new Dan Dare adventures

Podcast: History in film

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 26mb)

[Sorry for the audio quality at the beginning and end - I was using unfamiliar equiptment in my lunch break!]