Wednesday 20 November 2013

Dr Who???




Well it’s the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.  And if you are reading this you must have at least heard of the long-running BBC show.  I admit that I’m an intermittent watcher and remember the show mainly for its cheesy (now) earlier beginnings.  Here are some quick facts;  7 series, 798 episodes (97 missing*), 12 doctors (Peter Capaldi announced August 2013),  nearly 40 companions (male, female, robitc dog), 3 main adversaries are daleks (machine-type cyborgs), cybermen (cyborgs), and the Master (a Time Lord). 28 composers of music, 1 TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), New Zealand was the first overseas country to air the programme (Sept 1964), currently more than 75 countries air the show, one of the top 5 grossing titles for BBC, 2 Dr Who films, Torchwood spin off – (anagram of Dr Who), fans known as Whovians. 


Basically the series traces the Doctor’s adventures throughout time and space. Presumably he is called “Doctor” because of his vast intelligence; though he has demonstrated medical knowledge.  He is an “alien” from the Planet Gallifrey but is part human. His ship/box the TARDIS has become a commonplace word for a place that is much larger inside than it is outside.  By his reckoning he is about 1200 years old (“A Town Called Mercy”); however, writers maintain he is about (900 years old) and is regenerated each time he dies;  each regeneration mirrors the time in which he is created.  

Taken from Wikipedia


But what most interests me is The Doctor.  He reflects the time in which he is created and his clothes closely mirror his personality.  Here’s a summary of the Drs so far

1
William Hartnell (63-66)
Edwardian dress, older
Stern, patronising, distant
2
Patrick Troughton (66-69)
Scruffy
Energetic, clever
3
Jon Pertwee (70-74)
Romantic, ruffled shirt, cape, dandy
Suave, Bondish, technophile, physical
4
Tom Baker (74-81)
Looooong scarf and hat
Unpredictable, off-beat humour, moral philosopher
5
Peter Davison (81-84)
Designer cricket gear. celery stick, question mark
Boyish, warm, team leader
6
Colin Baker (84-86)
Colourful coat of many colours/patterns
Outlandish, egotist, volatile
7
Sylvester McCoy (87-89)
Question mark vest & umbrella, upturned hat
Magician, showman, vaudevillian
8
Paul McGann (96-
Elegant, velvet coat
Amnesiac, kissable
9
Christopher Eccleston (2005)
Punkish/gothic; black jeans, leather jacket
Intense, darker, brooding,  suffering
10
David Tennant (05-10)
Popstar, long coat, pinstripe suite, askew tie, converse sneakers
Cheeky, humorous
11
Matt Smith
Bow tie, tweedy jackets, looks like contemp Sherlock
Brash, lively, violent, unaware, Machiavellian
12
Peter  Capaldi




Sue Perkins
There was much speculation about the possibility of a female doctor in 2013;  especially after a hint in “The Doctor’s Wife”.  Many celebrities/actors were postulated as contenders, Catherine Tate, Heather Peace, Billie Piper, Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren, Sue Perkins, Tilda Swinton.  It’s interesting to note the breadth in ages—they would all bring something wonderful to the tole.  My personal favourite – Joanna Lumley….or what about Judi Dench?  Much of the speculation reveals more about the speculators and their conception of what is the essence of The Doctor – beauty, brains, brawn, personality, style?  As television is a visual medium, looks are important and so it's interesting to note that the females proposed are slim and attractive--how much is acting ability considered?  What about ethnicity - so far all of the doctors have been human, white and British.  It comes down to the writer's vision  of course – how will a female Doctor interpret the contemporary world and the Doctor’s/show’s philosophy?
Helen Mirren 
On that note I can’t resist ending with some of my fave quotes from the recent series
“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”
“900 years of time and space, and I’ve never been slapped by someone’s mother.”
“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!”

Cheers til next time,
Toni

*Aside: missing episodes:  97 of 253 of first 6 years missing (mainly years 1 and 2) when BBC wiped or destroyed

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Woke Up This Morning

Woke up this morning is an almost cliche way to start a blues song.  And that's exactly what we did when we were in Mobile, AL - we woke up this morning and decided to drive to the heart of Blues - Clarksdale MS.

We had heard a lot about Clarksdale - most particularly we know of the Shack Up Inn - a very unusual place to stay and in the spirit of research for this show - we drove 7 hours to spend two days in the hard of the Mississippi Delta. 

Clarksdale is right at the top of Ms is a small town (pop about 20,000); it is the birthplace and world capital of the Blues and location of the famous Crossroads intersection of Highway 61 and 49.  Now if you don't know what this intersection is then you ain't got no soul--it's where Blues legend Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil in return for musical talent. (Eric Clapton called Johnson the most important Blues singer who ever lived).   It is also the birthplace of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Ike Turner.  Bessie Smith died here after a road accident.  Most associated with the place is  Muddy Waters. Today Clarksdale is a city known for music festivals and jook joints and Blues museums.

In the Delta Blues Museum is a mock up of Muddy Waters' shack.  The Museum is small but well stocked and has plenty of videos and memorabilia for any Blues fan.  Speaking of blues - Delta Blues is one of the earliest forms of blues -- so named because its in the Mississippi Delta - famous for rich soil and dire poverty.  Thus the songs tell of hardship and love gone wrong--and is performed mainly by men (apparently women do the city blues).  It is best identified by bottleneck slide, instrumentation and rhythm.  Because it is music by the people for the people, early material was not recorded - it was thanks to two researchers (John and Alex Lomax--the story of their research is documented at Wikipedia, of course) that we know so much about its early roots. 

We were delighted with our accommodation at the Shack Up Inn.  The Inn is a fascinating concept -- the owners have resurrected an old (Hopson) Plantation and turned the cotton gin it into rooms;  they have also purchased genuine share cropper (shotgun) shacks and decorated them authentically  A little too authentically for my taste and after two nights I was looking forward to 1000 count sheets :)  But a visit to Clarksdale is incomplete if you don't stay at the Shack Up Inn - we stayed in the Crossroads Shack.

Obviously there are plenty of Blues places to visit.  Red's is one of the most famous - here's a video of its history.  Red's is a jook joint -- now jook joint has a long and rich cultural history.  I remember first reading about them in Zora Neale Hurston's "Characteristics of Negro Expression" -- here is a fuller explanation.  There's a Jook Joint Festival in Clarksdale every year.  There is nothing like a jook joint for getting into the Blues and for really experiencing the music and the culture.

The other most famous eating place is Ground Zero - where you can write on the walls and indulge in such delicacies as fried pickles!  I had the house specialty, the catfish basket.  IF you're lucky you might spot owner Morgan Freeman there.  

All in all Clarksdale is worthy of a visit and typifies the latest trend in cultural tourism.