Gay in the UK video blog (Ep. 14): A new spring look and a slew of news from an English country garden

cute new intro. :-)

ya'll get some interesting news over there. teachers writing books about how they long for their students (or pupils as you say), airlines not wanting gay men...nude beaches....interesting stuff.

this is random as hell, but do you guys get Starbucks in the UK? I just realized if i ever were to become an annoying tourist, that is one thing that could help the annoyed stares and stuff. starbucks. i get lost in that stuff. :-)

afhickman

I was in London a couple of weeks ago and managed to catch "Plague over England."  I thought it was fascinating, especially on the subject of cottaging, but I was a bit surprised that the actors--although the play covered thirty years in their lives--never seemed to age.  How did they do that?  I also saw "Spring Awakening," which was definitely worthwhile, if a bit depressing.  The boy who played Melchoir (Aneurin Barnard) is stunningly beautiful (had I seen him a week earlier, I should have added him to my AE Hot 100 list), but the acting honors belonged to Iwan Rheon as Moritz.  I found Duncan Sheik's music (at least the up-tempo numbers) to be a marvelous counterpoint to Wedekind's 19th c. play.  However, the actor who played Hanschen was a bit too arch in the gay role.  I understand that the director was going for comic relief, but I really wanted the audience to take his seduction scene of another boy seriously.  I think they would have, had one of the gay audience members behind me not started cackling evilly and calling out the actor's name (Jamie Blackley).  I think he wanted us to know that he knew somebody in the cast.  It was really tacky.  Of course the gay characters in the play get the last laugh, no matter what the driector intended, as they are the only ones whose relationship ends "happily."  By the way, I knew the audience member behind me was gay because he kept announcing the fact at the top of his lungs, both before the play started and during the interval.  Perhaps he was drunk, but there was really no excuse for his behavior.  Agreed?

Aneurin Barnard (sans curls)

"The mountain has wings."

I've never heard he was gay. In fact, I think I remember reading the opposite, which made reference to the amount of flamboyant characters he's played...

Oops, what I actually meant to say was 'gay-friendly and played many gay roles' actor, but I shortened it to just 'gay' by which I in no way meant to imply that Tom was homosexual - he's not - bad me.

We have about 12 billion Starbucks over here, I'm not fond of them. I've just got back from my uni city, Exeter, which is very hippyish, and since I've been gone they've moved 3 Starbucks, 3 Cafe Nero's and 4 Costa's in - it just looks weird - I go to the independant ones - Boston Tea Party and Cafe Espresso rock!

Spring Awakening - I love the play, but I hate musicals, so I can't quite bring myself to go and watch it! And ageing in plays - well it's quite difficult to a quick make-up job - unless you go for powder in the hair that issues innappropriate plumes of smoke when the actor gets enthusiastic - maybe they should all just start eating a proliferation of Werthers Originals as they get old....

Your new intro is really cool. I kept replaying it.

 

I only left one vote on my Hot 100 list to give to the boys from across the pond (and it's as close to my Sophie's Choice as I ever want to get).  Won't say which I chose but really should have added both.  With all the remorse, I should be able to turn back time.

Look forward each week to your vlog and miss you when you have to miss a week.  Plus kudos to the designer of the intro.  Think you should give on air credit to them.

Cheers

PS before the assuming and flogging begins...I am in no way trying to belittle the subject of Sophie's Choice.  Think of it as litterary allusion and not something I have to get all Eleni about...and yes, on the interwebs, sometimes the explanation has to be longer than the referance.

Thank you for all the theatre and tv info Tim although I'll admit I was a bit distracted by Ryan making faces in the backround :)

I personally don't have an issue with female historians writing things from a slightly fictionalized female perspective. Any method that manages to get the public interested in history and historical figures is worthwhile to me. I think that many women are more likely to read about historical figures or at least find them more interesting if the point of view is from that of a woman. Since so much of history has been writen from a male historian point of view, I think it's a worthwhile means of educating the general public in a different way.

Btw, I'd love to hear all the conversations when you both go off on a tangent that we don't get to see. If you ever decide to post them on YouTube or elsewhere, let us know.

Like the use of a new location too, although really too cold for a bar-b-q? I've seen people in San Francisco in their garages in the pouring rain with parkas on in March having a bar-b-q... it can be done!

I agree, BBQ in all weather! I'm a halloumi man myself.

 

What I was saying when it all crossfaded because our show too long, was that it's all very well for a male to criticise a female for writing from a female perspective, but isn't he writing about patriarchy? His tv series, Monarchy, is all about war and leadership. Granted, that includes Queens, but they are still put in power by men, surrounded by lords, etc. if a woman wants to to explore the emotional lives of historic figures (albeit that this is often supposed) I think it can be a good way of exploring the role of more everyday women than - they cooked and cleaned. And women who had sexual relations with men in power weren't all whores as some male historians might have us think (I'm thinking for instance of the much maligned Nell Gwyn - so-called the King's Whore - who was a much respected lady in her day.

Oh gosh, history, I could ramble for ever!

 

OK - so quick note that I'm in Torino at the GLBT film festival, judging the best short film - you can read my reviews so far at www.fyiradio.net/blog

 

Alle Salute!

You make me laugh, many thanks.  You need a gardener!