2010 - The Year We Made Contact

2010 could be seen as a rather 'difficult' year for me. Or to put it another way 'completely fucking shit'. Particularly the second half. I mean, I experienced redundancy, burglary, unemployment and fraud all within the space of a few months...

But despite all these various setbacks, I'm going to choose to look on 2010 as the start of a new chapter. Or, I would if it didn't sound so deeply pretentious.

I will remember 2010 as the year I gradually began to reclaim back some of my life. I wrote more and performed more (er, well 6 gigs... that's quite a lot for me). I visited Sicily and Berlin. I began to understand that drinking for 48 hours each weekend isn't always the best course of action. I kept my good friends and made new ones. I recognised the true enemy as fear and ignorance and the ones that harness that power to control and enslave populations and minds.

I also saw the glimmer of a life away from full-time regular 9-5 employment. This is starting to sound like a school end of year record book so I shall stop now and thank my loved ones for their patience and understanding and wish you all a happy New Year!

Robert W Monk

The London Underground Film Festival - 4th - 10th December

I wrote an article about the London Underground Film Festival -
It can be found HERE

bad thinkers stop now

I could write bad poetry until I'm dead
----------------------------------------------
Or, I could borrow from books already read
----------------------------------------------
I could stand my ground, too proud to receive
----------------------------------------------
A pathway constructed, with no chance to leave
----------------------------------------------

London 2012 - your charming smile touches my soul.

Work camps/
For the Dispossessed/
East London/
Ratford/
Growing/
Glowing/
Gold Medal/
For the one/
Who finishes/
Last/
Closing Ceremony/

The London Underground Film Festival - 4th - 10th December

With an enticing and eclectic programme featuring provocative screenings, performances and talks from established and up and coming artists the London Underground Film Festival is all set to shock and awe.

Running from the 4th to the 10th December, the Festival offers lovers of the obscure and strange the rare chance to see genre-less and genre-defying film take centre stage. Taking in darkly humorous shorts, inspiring geographical documentaries and avant-garde expressionism there is a truly mind - searing range of cinematic styles on show.

The programme is highlighted and contextualised by live acts, exhibitions and discussions including the surreal experimentation of Arthur Lager, the rebellious spirit and political activism of Dario Vigorito’s work in music video and the Greenaway Oration given by Dr. Patricia MacCormack on Necrosexualty.

With a whole week of events scheduled in the eccentric environs of London’s Horse Hospital the Festival has the time and the freedom to do things in its own mercurial
way.

As James Lowry, director of the London Underground Film Festival explains:
“I wanted to put together a large programme that would allow room for exploring various aspects of underground film. I try to understand things in their historical contexts, and I wanted to be able to explore the development of a genre, the work of an auteur and bring in film theory too. It seems like the many London film festivals happening at the moment are either too mainstream or too niche to allow for that kind of exploration. I think I just wanted to put together a film festival I'd want to go
to.”

So, cinephiles looking for something a little different you know where to go...

The London Underground Film Festival runs from the 4th – 10th December at the Horse
Hospital, Bloomsbury, London and tickets and the full programme can be found at:

www.londonundergroundfilmfestival.org.uk
www.clashmusic.com/news/london-underground-film-festival