Theatre Review-The Tempest

"No more amazement: tell your piteous heart. There's no harm done."...

In Memory- Prince

Prince June 7th 1958 - April 21st 2016

Purple Rain, remember when you first heard it? I do, it was one of those horrible school disco things. The ones that used to serve tepid coke and mars bars for 10p, proper sized mars bars not the excuses they sell now. It was 1984 and I was 9 and I remember not dancing, I didn't and still don't. but listening open mouthed to Purple Rain and thinking that it was unlike anything I had ever heard before. The now iconic guitar licks and that voice starts, this for me was the song Prince could never ever better. I liked When Doves Cry but I loved Purple Rain, for me it showcases everything I loved about Prince. Achingly vulnerable lyrics and a voice that you could recognise anywhere but the guitar work on the song and arrangement simply just doesn't age and is still just as magnificent.

I kind of lost track of Prince once he entered his odd 'Symbol' phase so I limit my adoration to pre Symbol albums. Sadly, I never got a chance to see him live but if you can, check out some of his performances and see how he holds the audience in his hand. Ultimate showman and talented musician. Prince's legacy will stand for all time alongside all of the greats, those that really produced something of worth and will never ever be forgotten. I'm sorry if this is a little disjointed but right now that's all I've got- I will end this with some words from the man himself......

Dearly beloved

We are gathered here today

2 get through this thing called life

Electric word life

It means forever and that's a mighty long time

But I'm here 2 tell u

There's something else

The afterworld

A world of never ending happiness

U can always see the sun, day or night

Good night my sweet.....

Review: Guess Who's Not Coming To Breakfast, Lunch Or Dinner?

Would I like to review a short film which is all Leave It To Beaver colliding with Texas Chainsaw Massacre? That would be a yes!.....

In Memory: Gareth Thomas

Gareth Thomas February 12, 1945 - April 13, 2016

Sad news today that Gareth Thomas, or Roj Blake as I've always known him, has died aged only 71...

Press Release: Invasion Of The Not Quite Dead (#IOTNQD) Is Back In Production

It's Back!!! 

Indywood Studios are very pleased to announce that the Indie Horror Film, Invasion Of The Not Quite Dead (#IOTNQD) is now back in production after a short hiatus. An intense and redefining take on the zombie genre sees an infection spreading through a small village community leaving blood drenched devastation in its wake.

In 2006, independent filmmaker & entrepreneur, AD LANE, came up with a name that best described how he wanted to live his life, it was #INDYWOOD. Representing pure INDEPENDENCE... the idea was for him to make a film on his own terms and to revolutionise the way movies got funded by pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved using the social networking site Twitter.

Filming of #IOTNQD is now more than half completed with the final climatic scenes slated to begin shooting in May, in and around locations in Kent.

A new website and trailer for the film will be coming soon but, in the meantime, you can keep up to date with all the latest news at:

Twitter- @IOTNQDfilm
Facebook- www.facebook.com/invasionofthenotquitedead

The Sound of Silence and The Stigma of Ignorance

This is the first time I have ever written this down, ever shared my whole story. There are a few reasons why but the biggest of those is the stigma. We live in a society that is full of people who think they are experts on mental illness. They are people who have never suffered, never battled the black dog. People who have never sat in a living room while their family live and felt totally and absolutely empty. Dead inside, yet still breathing. These people, these experts, are the very ones that spread the lie, give the stigma its power. Some of them don't even realise they do it, such is the insidious and creeping nature of this untruth. Yet, it is this attitude that keeps so many in chains, unable to break the strangle hold that threatens to throttle them to death. It is time that those who suffer in silence are given a voice, it is time that I tell you what I have experienced and make myself vulnerable. There is an answer, if not a cure, and there is a way you get to live again. But first you have to admit you have a problem, a serious one.