Review: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

I'm not sure whether to recommend this or not... 

Benedict Cumberbatch is a very good actor and his make-up artist was excellent, taking him from a young man to an old man waiting to die, then an old man who decided to continue living. 

Based on a true story, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a quaint story of life from late 1800s to early 1900s - the ups and downs of life in an upper middle-class family with very little money. It highlights the absence of free will for many people of the time: the poor and the powerless, women who need to 'marry well' and even the proviledged classes who do not conform to society's rules. In this respect, it perpetuates how a collection of weathly men determined the value of others and it illustrates how harridan leadership spills into everyday two-faced gossip when people don't conform to the ideas of the rich and powerful. This can be accepted as history or, for some, an example of how little things have moved on 100 years later.

That aside, the story is that Louis had to take on the role of head of the household when his father died. With no discernable income, he has to provide for his many sisters and unwell mother and pay for a governess - an educated woman who is appointed by the eldest sister to teach the younger ones.

But this is also a also a love story. Louis Wain is a lovely, if awkward, person who, these days, may be considered to be 'on the spectrum'. He falls in love with the governess, which is frowned upon by people who know the family, as she is someone from 'the servile class'. The couple moves away and Louis takes various artistic commissions to support her, his sisters and his mother. 

There's a lot more to the story and, inevitably, there are sad moments. Go ahead and watch it - especially if you like cats - but be sure to line up some happier viewing to follow. 

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy and Toby Jones.

Louis Wain wiki

Music from Blues to Pop

Many British groups in the 1960s started off as blues bands then moved over to pop music under pressure from record labels wanting to make more money (for the band, too, to be fair).

In the mid-60s, Amen Corner had minor hits with Gin House Blues and World of Broken Hearts but their big break came with their third single - Bend Me, Shape Me - a pop song.

Earlier than that, though, Manfred Mann was a blues band. Original lead singer, Paul Jones left on good terms with his former band mates and his friend Mike d'Abo stepped in as front man. This marked the change from blues to pop.

Remember hits like My Name is Jack, Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James, The Mighty Quinn, Fox on the Run and Ragamuffin Man? All great songs; here's one: 

Paul still has a blues band and also toured with The Manfreds, including Mike but, amusingly, the line-up didn't include Manfred Mann whose Earthband was famous for covering Bruce Springsteen's Blinded by the Light. Tom McGuinness also formed a band - McGuiness-Flint - biggest hit When I'm Dead and Gone.

The band ccovered many Bob Dylan compositions but many of them also wrote songs, e.g. Mike d'Abo wrote Handbags and Gladrags for Chris Farlowe and covered by Rod Stewart. 

Beebopalula

Film Review: Nobody

Nobody is a 2021 movie with Christopher Lloyd, whose character is the dad of the lead actor, Bob Odenkirk. It begins by showing the dull repetitive life of a family man which is disrupted by a break-in. The man, Hutch, does nothing (explained later in the film) but soon regrets his inaction and decides to track down the perpetrators. During his search, hints of his past life start to creep into the story.

When he finds the couple who broke in, he discovers that they acted out of desperation as they couldn't afford medicines for their sick baby. Hutch leaves, angry and frustrated, and catches a bus. During the journey, some drunks crash their car and catch the bus, still drinking, then begin to harass a young lady travelling alone. Hutch starts a fight.

Afterwards, he learns that the younger brother of a notorious 'baddie' died following that fight - and the elder brother's endless supply of thugs and assassins was sent to hunt down Hutch.

How does it end? You'll have to watch it yourself - it's worth it. Here's a clip:

This will appeal to those who enjoyed John Wick, Seven Psychopaths or In Bruges. Even if you aren't keen on fight scenes and gun battles, it's a good film with humour so it's quite fun!

Ted Lasso and Wrexham

I often confused one story with the other. Ted Lasso was a brilliant TV series about a fictional football team based in London, whereas the other was a documentary of a real team in Wales, Wrexham.

Both were of interest to me, with my roots in both places.

I first discovered Ted Lasso (10 years ago - before the series hit the TV screens) when Jason Sudeikis played the character as coach at Tottenham Hotspur.

(My nephew is also a coach, currently employed by his dream team, 'Spurs. He appears in several of their videos, social media, etc.)

Moving on to the Wrexham story, Rob McElhenney persuaded Ryan Reynolds to jointly invest in the club and they have made such a difference! They've thrown themselves wholeheartedly into every aspect of the club and community. I'll be interested to see how far they can go.

And, yes, I've visited the ground at the invitation of the then owner Pryce Griffiths. Following his retirement and sale of the club, Wrexham AFC suffered years of turmoil until fans raised the money to rescue the club from administration. Rob and Ryan stepped in when finances were low and the rest will eventually be history.

As for Ted Lasso, it was always going to end after the third season and it was a great finalé. 

 

Tough Guys with a Soft Centre

I really, really do not like traditional heroine stories from a bygone era. This also extends to most romance books and films, traditionally written from a woman's viewpoint, where she falls in love with the strong silent hero, for example.

That doesn't happen these days, does it? Oddly, I find myself fascinated by certain characters who are tough guys with a soft centre.

To focus on two actors who play these characters very well, Adam Baldwin and Christian Kane (both who were up for the part of Jayne Cobb in Firefly and, I believe, are friends), I'll refer to the TV series (plural) Chuck and Leverage.

By the end of Chuck, I found that the story of the main two co-stars had played out but I was left wanting to know more about John Casey, whose character developed brilliantly as the series progressed. 

In Leverage, Eliot Spencer was a straightforward yet complex person and I wanted to see more of him. But... did I want to know more about him? Debateable, given his brief descriptions of his past deeds. And it was great to see that Adam Baldwin had a guest appearance in S5. As far as Eliot goes, I'm delighted that, not only has Leverage:Redemption now aired but Christian Kane has the lead role in Almost Paradise, where he plays a similar character - tough, soft, not quite loveable.

Having read an old interview with Christian Kane about adapting to his role in The Librarians (a series that I've been trying to watch for a while, having seen a Librarians movie, but it's an additional cost over and above paying for Prime/Freevee), I'm even more intrigued to watch his portrayal. There's a rumour of bringing back a new series of The Librarians but, of course, everything from the 'States is taking forever because of the Writers' strike. Money-grabbing studio execs are trying to save money on paying writers and supporting actors/extras. Wow, big businesses are greedy - who would've guessed!

I haven't seen Angel, where both actors have roles, because I wasn't keen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I guess that has to be on my list? I'm just curious to see how AB & CK fit these different characters.

Conclusion: the strong, silent hero is alive and well in the 21st Century. In the UK, Chuck, Leverage and Leverage:Redemption are free with Prime (I think that Firefly and Serenity are also available - but to buy).

Your relevant comments are welcome.

Nostalgia: Working in the 1970s & 1980s

In 1977, I was learning to write programs using a teletype (a big step from punched cards); I was good at Basic, reasonable at COBOL, not so great at Fortran. I loved working in the I.T. department (tho' it wasn't called that in those days); my colleagues were far better programmers than I was but I was very good at specifying requirements for specific needs of management so I moved into Management Information Systems. This involved specifying the program interface and training staff in using it. Good as it was, a similar opportunity arose in another division of the company which offered much more money plus a company car.

It was around 1982. I got the job, sold my lovely old TR7 (bright yellow) and was supplied with a brand new Ford Sierra (a car that had only just been launched!) 

It was a great job; I had to procure (or specify) software for a number of small business applications (e.g. estate agents) so that the sales people could entice these buyers with our multi-user desktop compter system. I had to prepare marketing materials, write instruction manuals and train the clients (hence the company car).

So - what happened next? IBM took the world a step backwards by launching their single user Personal Computer. The first time the acronym 'PC' was used in this context. And the company I worked for decided to relocate. 

Although I'd only been there a year and the company provided me with a car, a daily commute further south and across the Thames was too far to contemplate. They offered assistance for me to move house but I liked where I lived and didn't want to move 60 miles south-east. As luck would have it, I didn't need to.

I was approached by an ex-colleague who had heard of a new position opening up which he thought I'd be ideal for. Having said I was interested, I was invited for interview by my potential new employers. Of course I said yes but would be going on holiday in a week so could we meet before then? 'No problem' I was told. 'We'll send you the airplane tickets and book you into a hotel for a couple of nights, if that's OK'... 

While I was to be based locally, it turns out that the co-owners wanted to meet me and to show me their working environment before I came on board. So I flew to LAX, stayed overnight at an airport hotel then caught a flight to Las Vegas to meet everyone at a trade show (COMDEX), stayed overnight in Vegas, flew back to LAX then to LHR. I just had time to get home and pack for my holiday, as we were leaving the next day!

Yes, of course I got the job. It was possibly the best job I've ever had. Responsible for product support (mainly COBOL) to existing clients/resellers and marketing to build on the client-base throughout Europe, I loved it! Oh yes, my company car was a VW Scirocco (eventually replaced by a Toyota MR2).

I pretty much had autonomy in Europe and visited the company's selected dealers in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain... plus a couple of trips each year to Head Office in Los Angeles. Wow, I know I was lucky and enjoyed every minute of it. Business increased sufficiently to expand the team so I employed a better programmer for product support (whew!) and a marketing assistant. I also recommended an experienced salesman (an ex-colleague) to sign up larger accounts.

Sadly, good times don't last forever. When the major co-owner died, the company was sold and incorporated by another one, which hadn't a clue how to run the business. Luckily, I was head-hunted by a rival company - but that's another story.

Falling on my Feet?

A 20-year career span and a dive into fairly recent history when changes were rapid. This is quite long so please feel free to stop reading if you get bored... 

Living in the London commuter area in the 1970s and 1980s, finding a job was easy. For me, anyway. A friend called me 'jammy' - and here's why. 

A clerical beginning.

I left school at 16, having failed biology but with passes in the other nine subjects, including English and maths, which were considered important by most employers. I landed a clerical role with a local branch of a national general insurance company. When the company was taken over and the branch relocated, I had enough experience to walk into a similar role at a branch of another insurance company. When this one was taken over and relocated, I secured a position in a newly opened UK HQ of an international life insurance group. All this in three years!

Over time, I had developed a well-rounded knowledge of all kinds of insurance and assurance administration and had also taken a part-time course of business studies at the local college so, when my employers asked me to work with the computer department (or IT these days) to ensure that their mundane procedures were being automated correctly for sharing data with the international HQ and to provide analyses for actuarial databases, of course I agreed. Having done this, I decided to switch careers. There was currently no role for me within the computer department within the company so, after four enjoyable years, I left.

A switch to technical.

A week later, I walked back into the same building! Same door, different floor. A multi-national technology company needed temporary assistance for a few months. Unfortunately, I completed the project in under six weeks so I had to look for another job... until I didn't. My temporary boss called me in for a discussion, told me they'd like to keep me on and asked what I would  like to do. We settled on a mix of computer programming and data analysis. An exciting job, more money, plus opportunities to travel to associated  offices in Brussels, Paris and Stuttgart. Being an American-owned company, I didn't even have to be fluent in other languages. Did someone mention 'jammy'?

Of course, my record of having the rug pulled from under continued and, after two years, I was 'absorbed' into another part of the group. Not so bad a transition, though. Same location, different boss, similar job but with a different focus. Then, when the inevitable office relocation came, it was even better. During this time, computer input moved from teletype to screen-based, which gave me a wider role - learning how to use the new stuff and training other staff. For example, the typing pool moved from electric typewriters to Wang word-processing.

I can't remember the reason I transferred to another part of the group - I think it may have been the offer of a company car! It was quite a commute  to the new office - an hour each way - but the company supplied the car so fair enough. It was also two pay grades above my previous job and promised to be really interesting. Remember that I travelled to Stuttgart a couple of paragraphs ago? Well, that site had begun manufacturing small computer networks - this was before IBM took the world a step backwards by launching the PC. My new job, as part of a small UK team, was to: source or specify software to run on these multi-user small business machines; help produce marketing/sales materials and, when a system was sold, train and support the first client. All this with a view to then training a team of support people throughout the UK, as the client-base grew. This came to an abrupt end with the introduction of the PC from the mighty IBM. The job was soon to change and - guess what - the department was to be absorbed and relocated another hour's drive away. No thanks.

Having kept in touch with my old boss from a year previously, I had mentioned this to him and, next thing I knew, he had spoken to another ex-employee of his who mentioned me to his current boss and I was asked if I would like to come for an interview. The office was less than half an hour's drive from where I lived, the job was a new role and I thought it might be interesting, so I agreed to the interview.

This next bit is the pinnacle of Jammy with a capital J. The interview was with the boss at the company's HQ in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles. They sent me a business class air ticket and booked me into a hotel at LAX for the first night. On arrival, there was a change of plan. The boss, Dave, decided that I should meet the whole team, who were currently in Las Vegas at a trade show, so had provided a ticket for the onward journey the next morning, where I was met by his assistant and taken to the venue. I think, at this stage, the job was mine to lose - why else would so much money be spend on an interviewee? 

Yes, I got the job and it was the best job anyone ever had. This was a small but highly regarded technical company that provided software to IBM and other top flight computer systems manufacturers. They had a tech team in the UK and had decided to increase their European presence by providing European clients with software support from the UK rather than the USA, and also to add marketing and sales. Reporting to Dave (co-founder of the company), I was responsible for all marketing and customer support throughout Europe. This included occasional trips to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. to host or be a guest speaker at seminars and attend trade shows, basically answering questions about the products and the company. Of course, there were also trips to HQ in LA and the Las Vegas trade show. 

I was in heaven for four years until the other co-founder became terminally ill and - you've guessed it - the company was sold and marketing/support was absorbed into the new company's London office. I lasted three months before resigning. During that time, however, a software competitor wanted to open a UK office and, following an interview at their HQ in Germany, I was invited to set it up and run it. It seems that every cloud has a silver lining. I did this for two years but the recession was biting at the end of the 1980s and I knew that we could not endure losses for another year so I was honest with my German bosses, who I knew were under pressure to close some satellite offices. We agreed that, financially, the UK operation was currently non-viable and should be closed. This decision was not taken lightly as it meant redundancy for half a dozen people (including me) at a time of recession.

Marketing and Design.

Jammy days over, I was unable to find another job therefore I set up my own company, offering design and marketing services... but that's another chapter.