When James Ellroy paid Belfast a visit

Saturday the 7^th of November 2009. The Waterfront. Belfast. A man came to visit and somewhere deep inside me I knew things would never be the same………..Please excuse the cack-handed attempt to ape the style of a true master. The night James Ellroy came to visit Belfast to publicise his new Blood’s A Rover, the long awaited final part of his Underworld USA trilogy, will be a night long cherished by fans of American crime fiction. The event was organised with aplomb by David of No Alibis fame, who had somehow managed to secure Belfast as the final leg of Ellroy’s exhaustive tour. He came lurching on looking for all the world like John Malkovich’s dad, he read some selected passages from Blood’s a Rover, well I say read but I can’t help but feel it doesn’t really do him justice Barked and snarled seems much more apt. A short interview followed with Stuart Neville, where you could see he wanted to ask Mr Ellroy tough questions, but I think he was just as awestruck as the rest of us.

However there was meat in his responses and Ellroy emerged as a bizarrely and infuriatingly contradictory person, I drew my own conclusion that he’s basically a right-wing nut-job with strong liberal views; God only knows how he gets through the day? He talked about why the book took so long, he talked about an affair he engaged in and he also spoke about his breakdown. Blunt honest and self-effacing doesn’t even begin to cover it. The Q&A with the audience went over well, however he was welcomed to Belfast so many times I suspect he begin to worry was he ever getting out of the place. Also time has softened his attitude towards the movie LA Confidential, years ago when it came out, he had very little time for it, but he spoke fondly of it and even cracked a joke about one of the actors involved. My heart did go out to the poor guy who stood up and praised his favourite Ellroy book before asking his question about it. Only to get the response, basically translated as I hate that book, I wrote it for money and I will never write another like it.

As I left the Waterfront that night clutching my copy of Blood’s A Rover, I looked back and saw Mr Ellroy holding court, signing books and joking with his fans. I noticed a man staring intently at him. This guy looked like he had stepped straight off the pages of an Ellroy novel. A quiet man bristling with tension and ruthlessness. I asked David who he was and was told it was Ellroy’s agent who had flown in from New York for the last night of the tour. Of course it was, who else could it possibly be.

Game of Thrones Series 1 - Kinda Spoiler Free

Never in a million years did I think I would not only have watched and enjoyed Game of Thrones, but I would also be compelled to do a write up on the first series...

Now to make clear from the start I haven't read the books, I don't intend to ever read the books, I'm not reviewing the books, I'm reviewing the TV Series.....This is not to denigrate the books I'm sure they are fine exponents of the printed word, but that genre has never really been my cup of tea. Which leads into my first thoughts about the series Game of Thrones...which was 'Sounds alright I suppose'. It only really came to my attention because parts of it were being filmed in Northern Ireland, and HBO(Second only to the BBC) were producing it.

From the opening of the first episode 'Winter is Coming' the info dump is intense and and can leave you reeling a bit, various houses are introduced Stark of Winterfell, The Lannisters, Targaryen and Baratheon...not mention various acolytes, henchmen and old enemies. Virtually everybody comes with a lot of emotional baggage and some semblance of a back story. So there is an awful lot to take in, having said that by the end of the second episode you have a very sure grasp of what is happening, why it is happening and exactly who it is happening to...but much more than that,you care about the characters, and with such an ensemble and in such a short space of time this is no mean feat. So all credit to the writing team on this series.

Overall the approach of the series seems to be in true HBO style, a broad canvas upon which a plethora of characters are strewn across the locations, inter-connecting back-stories and narratives linking them all in some shape or form. The climax of the season comes in the penultimate episode and the final episode is used to wrap up any loose ends and prepare the ground for the second series. Hell it worked for The Sopranos and Six Feet Under so if it ain't broke don't fix it.

It's not often you watch a series and are looking at the casting and thinking uniformly 'Yeah they've got that pretty much spot on' - Game of Thrones is one of those series. Also if you had told me last year that I'd be raving about a series that featured Sean Bean, Mark Addy and Jerome Flynn in it. It would probably have lead to me punching that person in the face and telling them shut up. But they are three actors I've never really had a lot of time for Bean is overrated, Addy is annoying and Flynn well it's Jerome Flynn for God's sake. But yet all three were excellent, assured believable performances with just the right amount of OTTness, which this series requires.

The other thing I love about the casting is the high proliferation of the 'Old Guard', I'm talking about stalwarts such as Peter Vaughan,Julian Glover,James Cosmo,Clive Mantle, Charles Dance and Donald Sumpter. Actors of that caliber really do raise the bar for the series, they bring depth and subtlety to their characterisations, and in some scenes they only have a few lines but they command your attention nonetheless. And just when you think you know them and what makes them tick, their characters pull a surprise out of the bag towards the end of the series. Vaughan's Aemon reveals his family history, Glover's Pycelle demonstrates his deception in court and Dance's Tywin is shown not to be the bloody-minded head of the family as suggested by his offspring throughout the series. Special note must go to Clive Mantle's Greatjon Umber - he plays it like Gene Hunt in Camelot via Monty Python and the Holy Grail....might not be to everybodys' taste but I found him massively entertaining.

As ever with any ensemble cast some people will shine and rise above it to potentially steal the thunder, so in no particular order here is my top 5 characters/actors in Game of Thrones.

Iain Glen/Ser Jorah Mormont - A brilliant character played with just the right amount of charm, and old school class,to make him rise above the cliche character he could've been,however the main thing that makes him so fascinating is his relationship with......

Emilia Clarke/Daenerys Targaryen - If any character goes on the obligatory 'Journey' then it's Daenerys Targaryen from the soft easily led sister at the start of the series to dragon wielding Khaleesi at the end of the series, literally rising from the ashes stronger than any Kahl. Magnificent.

Aidan Gillen/Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger - I've always had a weakness for the duplicitous charming characters, I find them so entertaining as they are capable of just about anything and coupled with a bravura performance from Mr Gillen, makes for interesting and intriuging viewing.

Conleth Hill/Lord Varys - Now I've never been a big fan of Conleth Hill, I always felt I was missing something when I seen him act, but his performance in this must be a career best, subtle, clever and creepy, his scenes with Sean Bean in the dungeons are lovely little two-handers that work mainly due to the superb delivery from Mr Hill.

Peter Dinklage/Tyrion Lannister - Very little to add about this character and Mr Dinklage's performance that hasn't already been said, Noble, funny, risque and tragic all doled out in equal measure just perfect, any episodes without him do lack something..

Special mention must go to Jason Momoa as Kahl Drogo who generated his own 'meme' online with Khal Drogo drooling or 'Drogooling' as it came to be known, barely said a word and nearly stole the show, it would seem certain demographics are as shallow as the rest of us.

As with all things there are a couple of niggles, and I do mean only a couple. Firstly the look on Lena Headey's face whenever she is being challenged, is pure 'Smell the Fart' acting of the highest order and I really do wish she would stop doing it as it is undermining the performance in a huge way. Also those ravens don't half get about quick. Something happens in King's Landing and the BlackWatch at the Wall are reading about it minutes later, we cut back to Kings Landing and events have only moved on at most a couple of hours. I know they are being used as a narrative device to push the plot forward, but a careful watch on the timeline within the scripts might be warranted.

Coming from Northern Ireland I really can't let slide the fact some of the location work was done virtually in my own back yard, and I have to say the production team's use of Matte Painting and set decoration was excellent and Tollymore Forest has never looked better, never mind encountering White Walkers I'm surprised they didn't disturb any mushroom pickers....

If you haven't already seen this series....then what the hell are you doing reading this?

Can't wait for the second series, especially after some the plot reveals and developments in the final episode, it is gonna be great........

So that's my round up of series one done and bloody hell I managed to wax lyrically about the series and not mention HBO's usual propensity for excessive nudity once.......ah bugger....there is lots of it by the way....even though Episode7 was oversold to me....unnecessary and gratitious yes....but I did worse on my 21st birthday...but that's another story...for another time.

May as well let the machines take over......

It is a funny thing, technology is both my saviour in the workplace and my executioner. I am a socially awkward person in certain circumstances, and I do attach the label of odd to myself as many others have done so in the past, I don't mind because I accept it to be true. I am truly always the one who can be seen shuffling around in the background, desperately not trying to meet the gaze of strangers and fluffing 'hellos' to people I barely know.

Years ago, when you were in work, the people you worked with were the people you interacted with during your working day. These days not so much as I have always found in the past I tend to not have an awful lot in common with the people I work with, whereas online via sites such as Facebook and Twitter I interact with (Work permitting) my friends and with various other people I have a lot more in common with). The end result is I'm finding myself making less effort with work colleagues, now on the whole and going by past experiences this is no huge loss.

However it has got me thinking what the end result of this will be, could we end up THX1138 style drones just doing our work and not bothering to engage with the person sitting next to us.................but it doesn't matter anyway as they are doing exactly the same thing, so at least nobody is getting offended.

There is a serious side to this some companies take a dim view and have blocked social networking sites within their systems......granted there are sometimes practical reasons for this but the benefits of these sites are being explored as well.....however I'm digressing from my point. Will this see the end of the cliche 'Water Cooler Moments' in work......also what will this mean for office romances....will they all become virtual? Well at least that means the guy with body odour problems who runs the post room might actually be in with a chance.....

What about office parties and work nights out, will the retreat into virtuality see the end of those horrendous experiences? So you see it's not all bad.......

Anyway I've just fallen off my chair the person sitting across from me has just asked me 'Do I like Glee'? - It's an outreach moment and no mistake.....

Was That Me?

Tues 19th
AM..........Woke up feeling tired as usual, the same thoughts that were in my head when I went to sleep are there when I wake up. The constant grind of routine is killing me, the same old feelings the same old tropes.The same banging my head against a brick wall. Basically I'm trying really hard not to overthink or even think about things at all, as I'm worried I will just want to crawl back into bed. Cup of coffee and I'll focus on the rest of the day after that.

Midday.....The sun is shining and I'm still dealing with crap, more rejection, more applications, more phone calls. I seem to be trapped in a rut......starting to believe I'm no good to anybody,feels like something is pulling me down and I'm going to take everybody with me.

PM......That was a terrible day,I've just wanted to scream and shout for the last hour, fell apart and just lay on the bed. My mind was totally numb, nothing was going through it at all. Why am I feeling like this? I want it to stop, I want to feel the way I used to feel.....that seems like such a long time ago.......can't do this anymore today.

Wed 20th

AM..............The day got off to a brilliant start more fighting, all my own fault. I'm not thinking things through, and I seem incapable of doing such a simple thing. I wish I knew where all this was going? It's always the same. Get up for nothing, go through the day for nothing! Sick of it!

Midday.......I'm finding this quite hard to do, as I feel much worse after I've done it, and there are still hours of the day left before I can go back to bed. I miss the person I used to be...that's a good thing right? Missing things is good isn't?

PM...........I've been sitting on a bench for the last 30 odd minutes, staring at nothing...........I know where this is going now...more counselling, more prescriptions for stuff I don't even want......


The above I discovered in an old notebook, and to be honest I'd forgotten I'd ever written it,it was done at the behest of my GP, he wanted me to keep a journal for a few days to ascertain my level of depression.....and as most people know if you don't self harm or wish to harm others or think about killing yourself then you're not that bad.

The scary thing for me was realising how little things had changed in my head, I had just learned to control them a bit better......that was until the end of last year...when my old adage of 'I'm okay I'm always okay just didn't seem to cut it anymore, and feeling the control slipping away from me again terrified me.....it's all about control.