Okay, I really should just call this section “Top Ten” and be done with it.
In no order:
Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse
Jigga What/Faint by Linkin Park & Jay-Z
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
Numb/Encore by Linkin Park & Jay-Z
Closer/In da club (remix) by Nine Inch Nails & 50 Cent
Till I Collapse by Eminem
Loose Yourself by Eminem
The Pretender by the Foo Fighters
Shrinking Universe by Muse
Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan
and a close outsider:
In The House - In a Heart Beat by John Murphy
In no order:
‘Creep’ by Damien Rice
‘Karma Police’ by The Bad Plus
‘Just’ by Mark Ronson Feat. Alex Greenwald
‘No Surprises’ by Shawn Lee
‘Paranoid Android’ by Sia
Okay… coming in at number six:
‘No Surprises’ by Marissa Nadler Feat. Black Hole Infinity. BTW, her album “The Saga of Mayflower May” is brilliant background music for a dinner party or backing cocktail hour down the beach with the wind blowing and the sun setting and the booze flowing.
Okay, this one is hard. I could easily give you fifty of my fav soundtracks, a hundred even. Or a list of great moments in cinema that are beautifully matched by the score: Stevie Wonder’s “I believe” at the end of High Fidelity, Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” in the bus scene of Almost Famous, “Mad World” in Donny Darko, any of dozens of John William’s scores - such as the fight scene at the end of Star Wars Ep 1. Anyway, my desert island, all time TOP FIVE most memorable film soundtracks - that can be appreciated as great albums all on their own - in chronological order:
Paris, Texas (1984) - this formed part of the soundtrack to my youth, particularly summer holidays in high school.
Pulp Fiction (1994) - heap of great songs that takes me back to the mid nineties.
I am Sam (2002) - interesting Beatles covers by some great artists.
Man on Fire (2004) - the Scott bros have long had great soundtracks, and I think this is the pick.
Into the Wild (2007) - I grew up on Pearl Jam and Nirvana, so Eddie Vedder’s songs here are nostalgic for me and perfect for the film and main character’s journey.
Okay I couldn’t help myself. Some other notables are:
Dead Man (1995), Neil Young’s brilliance lifts this movie.
Romeo and Juliet (1996) - probably more due to Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For a Film)”
High Fidelity (2000), great mix.
Closer (2004), particularly Damien Rice.
Four Weddings and a Funeral, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, 28 Days Later, Good-morning Vietnam, Moulin Rouge, Four Feathers, Donny Darko, 2001, Fight Club, Requiem for a Dream, Heat.
1. Metal tongs. Unless you have asbestos hands (a chef friend claims he can take hot oyster shells straight out of the oven with his hands) you need these.
2. Good knives. They don’t have to be the most expensive but they have to be stainless steel or ceramic and SHARP. Swiss, Brazilian, Japanese, it doesn’t matter. You’ll need a steel too, to keep a nice cutting edge. If you can only afford one good knife or a full block of okay knives, buy the one good knife. The bigger the better.
3. Thick wooden cutting board. This, much like a futon bed, should be considered your workbench.
4. Le Creuset pan or Dutch oven/casserole dish. This is for fool-proofing your cooking, and everything tastes better cooked in heavy cast iron. Yeah, a bit on the expensive side, but they will still be cooked in after you’ve made your one-way trip to the crematorium.
5. Smeg oven. 0-400 in ten seconds and a patented cooking method that seals in all the air. It’s near impossible to burn anything in a Smeg.
1. Credit card. My preference is AMEX but maybe have a VISA or MC as well just in case.
2. Cash. Make sure you have a range of denominations, and a few US bills always come in handy too.
3. Licence. Don’t give the cops an excuse to book you.
4. Cabcharge. Preferably from your place of work. Great for those trips to the airport.
5. Recipe, written on a small piece of paper. See note below.
Some of you may want to carry a business card, in which case you could substitute it at number 4. I don’t have any, and I certainly don’t want any.
Okay, what recipe and what’s it for? This is for my male fans who may not be good cooks. Me, I’m a semi-pro chef, so I don’t need this. Recipe is up to you. Make it simple yet delicious, and something that if you spend the night at someone’s house you can be fairly certain that they will have the ingredients on hand. I don’t know, maybe pancakes, or an omelette. Having a good recipe on you (in your mind or in your wallet) is like carrying a Glock; you don’t have to use it but it lends confidence. This reminds me: you DON’T NEED a sous chef. Cooking with your wife or girlfriend guarantees trouble. Unless you’re soul mates, cook alone. Trust me.
1. Do it weekly.
2. Keep them clean. I mean, clean them and let them dry before you go anywhere near them with polish.
3. Don’t use a brush. I know this will be a contentious point but it’s something that I learned in my butler training and it’s a good tip.
4. Use a soft cotton cloth to apply the polish. Old Clavin Kleins are perfect.
5. Buff the polish off with stockings/pantyhose/whatever they’re called. How you get your hands on them is up to you. The ulta-fine open weave makes a brilliant shine.
