Ken Savage: Man of Blog

Great stuff, Ken. You have a lovely conversational tone; it's a nice change of pace from a lot of bloggers who overcompensate for not being very good with horrible, artificial humour.

I identify with that stance a lot. In fact, I was just talking about this - how we're entertained - recently with my best mate regarding games. While I can appreciate the benefits so many of us take for granted now in the "instant click, instant gratification" age, I do miss the sense of "event" that used to come with a new movie (or from finding that last copy of a game you thought no-one would stock anymore.) The long wait for video was certainly an extra incentive to see stuff I wasn't quite sold on theatrically before. Now, I'm becoming more and more selective about this.

It's weird; we complain about having too few options or what they are and then when we get more or they change, we often miss the old system.

Good post sir!

The only thing I don't miss from the 80s cinema experience was the 15 minute breaks right in the middle of a movie (at least that's what used to happen on my side of the world).

I remember being so stressed about my parents leaving during the break because I knew they'd probably miss the first few minutes of the second half of the film, like I thought holding it in and fighting the popcorn cravings was an epic task to be admired, or that missing a few minutes of a film would completely ruin the experience. I kind of still feel like that, with a particular intolerance for insolent people who decide to have a chat and call their boyfriend/girlfriend during a film.

Great first blog. I'm sure everyone here has some fond memories of childhood theatergoing experiences, I know it brought some back for me (as well as fond memories of going to all sorts of comic book stores, toy stores, music shops, and bookstores with my dad) and it's certainly still something that's important to me and these days I'm perpetually a bit worried about it falling by the wayside. Not enough people care about the actual experience of it, and while I don't expect everyone I know to love it as much as I do, I remember when all my friends used to go out to the movies in a big group every weekend. Now I'm lucky if I'm not going by myself. Part of that is just getting older and being pulled in other directions, so I'm right there with you on the nostalgia.

Yeah I really liked the blog too. You're an example too us all in terms of creating a conversational tone and being informative.

Wait...these blogs are supposed to have interesting content!

Love, love, love, this Blog.

It’s always great to see people posting passionately about stuff like this. You really get a sense of your love for the band as well as your wry understanding of their place within pop culture. Bizarrely I’m working on a piece right now that could almost be a sister blog to this, might have to link across to yours.

Another great entry, Ken! As a fellow child of the 80s, I too hold power chords sacred. So, this post really connected with me.

I swear, if I didn't already know that you were from the UK, you could almost pass for one of us Yanks.* Seriously. With your first two blog entries, if it wasn't for the locations you mentioned, I would almost swear you lived right down the street from me.


*My sincerest, humble apologies for offending you. =)

Ken's two-for-two! Keep 'em coming, man.

Sir, no apologies are necessary for social commentary. Especially when it highlights the alarming lack of interest many Brits have towards politics. We're not much better off in terms of attitudes on the ground, but at least we're 100% on what our parties stand for and this informs (some) voters in a much more positive way Here than it does across the Irish Sea... in my experience, anyway. Sure, plenty of us are too invested in rhetoric and misdirected passion, but the very fact that such belief exists gives me hope.

Tyranny is its own incentive, Emperor-Elect!

Sorry for my lateness to the party. I've been away from my compy for the past few days, so I haven't been able to read up on this until now.

Another good entry! As an American, this entry was educational. I think you provided a nice balance of humour and insight.


I will also say that you've already written three blog posts while I have yet to post my second. Boy, do I look bad. =)

Another great entry, good sir. I totally feel you on this one. My parents owned one of the first PONG machines that Sears department stores were selling back in the 70s, so video games, computers, and I grew up together. Yet despite that, sometimes I totally fumble with the (supposedly) simplest technological wonders nowadays.

Loved the blog, love the feeling of nostalgia you bring forward. My first console was an N64, but I used to love playing with my friends old Amstrad when I was younger. Somehow at the age of eight I was able to deal with 10 minute load times. Now I'm 24 and if something takes longer than four seconds to load I get antsy.

Holy cow. I vaguely remember this system...

Conversely, I have trouble with fax machines...

GoldenEye was huge for us back at school. From the ages of 12-14, at least part of most days was spent killing one another in the Facility level (still one of my favourite gaming memories; it was such a well designed setting) or just repeatedly shooting soldiers whose only wish was to use the bathroom peacefully. Usually, in the face, crotch, or rear. The latter was always best though, because, even if you snuck up behind them on the lower difficulty settings and shot them in the tuckus, they'd just hop around and scratch their bloody cheeks, before resuming watch.

What? We were about 14!

My first console was a Super Nintendo when I must've been about 7. Mario Kart and Street Fighter II: Turbo were the biggies.

I'm "only" 26 (*breaks into tears*) and my friends and I have had similar realizations/discussions. I mean, I'm pretty tech savvy, but I relate to the latter part about how weird it is to think that I spent like half of my life in a world where cell phones and even, early on, the internet were not prevalent. Not only were they not prevalent, but since that's changed they've grown by leaps and bounds.

But the weirdness for me and perhaps people my age in general is that we're old enough to straddle an imaginary line like that but sometimes it's hard to remember what it was like living on the other side of it. Just something like youtube is such a familiar thing now it's amazing when I remember it's only been around for like 5 years. I was in college then, but I'm like, "wait what did we do before it existed?" But then since I do remember some things about growing up along with cell phones and the internet it's also weird looking at kids today who don't know anything different, like you talk about in the blog. I'm like what are they going to be nostalgic for? Okay maybe not, but there's still something weird about it. Getting older is weird.

Re: video game nostalgia, I grew up with an Intellivision, but only because my family was slow to catch up to the video game cutting edge (thing was actually pretty cool though, even if it didn't have the name brand appeal of Atari). Never got an NES, only got an SNES several years after it came out. N64 was the first time I was actually up to date with all my friends.

As such I think that period - the last few years of Super Nintendo and first few of the Nintendo 64 - are the pinnacle of my love affair with video games. Don't get me wrong, I still like games, I have an Xbox 360 and I see myself continuing to like and play games for many years but I'll probably never again connect with them to the same extent I did back then.

That's why whenever someone asks me my all time favorite video games I'll probably always top the list with Super Mario World, Goldeneye, and Mario 64, no matter how many amazing games I've played since.

Oh god, multiplayer Goldeneye. My friends and I were all about the Library, and I remember using rockets a lot. We'd play that shit for HOURS. I have a friend who was absolutely obsessed with that game, made it his mission to unlock every single cheat, extra character, extra weapon, extra level, game mode etc. possible. He got so good from playing so much even today he's really hard to beat in multiplayer even though he hasn't played the game regularly for years.

Man, Vigo deserved a far, far, better film. He's one of the best things about Ghostbusters 2.

I <3 Cohagen, I actually think he's one of Arnie's better villains but I think having Michael Ironside as a goon sort of takes away from his evilness.

Excellent idea for a blog. I really enjoyed your selections, but I'm a little sad to see Generation One Starscream absent. His total spinelessness always amused me, reaching it apex when Galvatron froze him with a canon shot, before crushing his severed skull with a single step in Transformers: The Movie.

Another excellent blog idea. I seriously laughed just reading the pre-link intro.

Whether or not you're a fan of the guy's movies or persona, anyone who enjoyed this blog or is interested by the topic owes it to themselves to listen to SModcast #13: SFodcast (or SWodcast.) Smith's anecdotes on flea markets, the American equivalent of car boot sales, are hilarious. I got as far as your part about "finding a bargain", Ken, before I knew I had to mention that.

Point 2 was beautifully phrased. It made me want to go sale-to-sale looking for such breaking men and give them their much needed reality checks.

You were absolutely right to clarify this, of course, but how weird is it to think that some people don't know Only Fools and Horses? Seriously, I defy anyone from these islands to think about that for a minute and not find feel a little perturbed.

Keep up the good work, man!

I'm really enjoying the blog posts you do that are like this - offering us a look into different aspects of British culture. As a Yank it's especially neat when you talk about things that are similar to stuff we have here, but just a little bit different.

Your Car Boot sales are almost identical to the Flea Markets we have here in the states. The main difference is that we actually set up tables in places specifically set up for the markets, but the types of sellers you listed are almost exactly the same.

Excellent point. I suppose it would've been a bit of a stretch to have separated animated, slimy Starscream from Bay's bland, rather forgettable Starscream. They are still the same basic character, after all.

Sorry to hear about the dyslexia.

Loved the story idea about the boy in the coma, that sounds like something genuinely interesting and it'd be a fantastic way to critique the way media seems to be aiming specifically man-child properties.

I always wanted to be a novelist and I always had terrible ideas, always fantasy novels with dragons and fucking unpronouncable names. I built up this really detailed character once and then realised he was essentially a Clive Barker rip off, that's when I realised I had no talent as a fantasist.

Great blog.

Me, too. I'd love to see it... and your Star Wars/Star Trek crossover. Seriously.

Totally.

Lamentably, a good mate of mine has a similar affliction. I'm forever telling him he should translate his ideas into something more than just a conversation stimulator. A few hundred words, whatever form it may take. As long as it doesn't become some ephemeral "do you remember that sci-fi project I pitched to you ages ago?" conversation down the line, I'd be happy.

I keep on at him, because he's genuinely good and has lots of great ideas. I'm not just being a friend about it, but it's particularly frustrating to see him squander those ideas or just sit on them - there are so many people who'd love to have the choice he has.

Glad to hear it, man! If you'd like to investigate screenwriting a little further, you could do worse than checking out the would-be screenwriters thread here. Plenty of books I'd recommend will pop up here and there. Plus, it'll give you a good idea of some rudimentary "do's" and "do not do's." It's tough going, but fun enough to really make it worth your while.

Pleasure! Just reading through that thread reminded me of tutorials. Except the word "interesting" wasn't used in reference to someone's work so much it lost virtually all meaning.

Sounds like a great time, Ken! You're a lucky man.

I'm the same with cinemas. The Dublin Road Movie House is my preferred choice (the Odeon's alright, and technically a "better" cinema, but it's a bit on the steep side and kinda hollow.) Clientele tends to vary massively wherever you go, but it averages out nicely at Dublin Road. Plus, you're within striking distance of some excellent bars/take-aways.

Another great blog, Ken. Sounds like you found a nice, little slice of cinema heaven. I wish there was something like that where I live.