The Call of The Puffincat - Online Home of Dublin Comedy Team 'Diet of Worms'

Tivoli Heights

2012-02-14T08:55:00.002Z

DLRCTV's latest offering. A gritty soap opera, featuring ourselves, Eric Lalor and Foil Arms and Hog's Sean Flanagan. Enjoy.

DoW

Nils on Wheelz

2011-12-20T12:11:00.003Z

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Community Television, or DLRCTV as it's slightly more commonly known has just uploaded the latest episode of Nils On Wheelz. This is the channel's most popular show about cycling (it has four) and it's well worth a wee peek.
DoW

Rathdown Roots

2011-11-08T12:29:00.002Z

Another offering from DLRCTV, an online channel that we are involved in along with our good friend and collaborator Alex Gill. This is Rathdown Roots with Dr. John Johnston. Much more to come in the coming months. Enjoy...

DoW

The Tainted Trilogy

2011-09-21T09:31:00.002+01:00

A live reading of extracts from Shane's trilogy of novels - Tainted Milk (the sci-fi espionage romance fantasy), Tainted Nog (a thriller set on Christmas Eve 1989) and Tainted Outcome (a Choose Your Own Adventure novel). Exciting stuff...

DoW

Hope is Dead

2011-09-17T10:13:00.003+01:00

In other news. Our own Shane appears in the new Sleep Thieves video. Ch-ch-check it out...

DoW

On The Dart

2011-09-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

He'll kill me for posting this, but Rory has recently been hosting a TV show on DLRCTV (Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Community Television) to help pay the bills. He wanted to keep it quietish, but it's up on YouTube and I couldn't resist sharing...

DoW

CULT Teaser Trailer

2011-08-09T14:45:00.003+01:00

We've just released the teaser trailer for our upcoming play CULT at the 2011 ABSOLUT Dublin Fringe. Have a look, let us know what you think and if you like it, perhaps show it to some friends. Sharing it on Facebook, Twitter or the like, would really help us fill our venue come September (here's the smaller link http://bit.ly/cultfringe). And without further ado, here it is...

Thanks a million for reading and watching. Hopefully we'll see you there. For further details of the show go to...
http://www.fringefest.com/event/cult
DoW

2011 ABSOLUT Dublin Fringe

2011-07-23T19:59:00.005+01:00

We're delighted to announce that we will be putting on our new play 'CULT' as part of the 2011 ABSOLUT Fringe, this September. It will run from Sept 13-17 at 9pm in the brand new Lir Theatre. With an additional 2.30pm matinee on Saturday Sept 17. You can get your tickets right now from the Fringe website.

Here's the blurb...
Five devotees wake up in a remote barn following their cults mass ascension. Disorientated and confused, they can’t understand why they are still down here and not “up there”. Now these five followers without a leader, five sheep without a shepherd, five dimwits without a clue must choose a new chosen one but can’t decide who to choose. The cult comedy group, Diet of Worms have found their higher calling and are waiting to recruit you.

Hope to see you there,
DoW

SNL Fans!

2011-07-18T16:13:00.008+01:00

For those of you that are:

A) Saturday Night Live Fans, and
B) Podcast fans...

... check out these 2 new Podcasts courtesy of Kevin Smith's Smodcast empire:
Both have interesting inside stories from the writer's rooms and backstage of SNL, as well as accounts of how a struggling comic/improviser rises up the comedy ranks to get an audition with Lorne Michaels and Marci Klein.

Friday Video!

2011-07-08T17:08:00.005+01:00

The Black Keys are a band. They recorded their first 2 albums in the drummers basement on an 8-track tape recorder from the early 1980s. His second name is Carney, so he could probably play drums for Ireland. Hope you enjoy this video.

Hipsters, Behold Your King

2011-07-07T18:40:00.002+01:00

from the very excellent Buzzfeed...

If you want to make yourself insecure/inadequate then ordinarily the site Stockholm Streetstyle is normally a good place to start as they feature the freakishly beautiful Scandinavians, but..... every now and again there is a douchebag (above) that makes you realise that it's all going to be ok.

Sponge Mop Squarepants

2011-07-06T17:50:00.003+01:00

IF you like designing t-shirts, but dont know what to do about it, here's a suggestion!

You can submit your own t-shirt design to teefury, they are always looking for fresh new designs to feature, they pay $1 per shirt sold and you retain full rights to your design.

This t-shirt was available for 24 hours, like all the t-shirts made here

Worst Pizza topping ever lands on small town

2011-07-05T17:15:00.003+01:00

...if you have ever questioned whether climate change/general environmental madness is a very real thing, then this may change your mind. In March this year one million Anchovies turned up dead in the Redondo Beach marina, Southern California. The end of days is going to be pepperoni based, it would seem. from here

Belarus! what? where?

2011-07-04T13:17:00.010+01:00

The winner of comedy dictator of the week is.... this guy!

The government in Belarus has blocked access to Facebook and Twitter to contain public unrest as the country suffers its worst financial crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union.

If there's one thing we've learned from the past that:

Military uniforms, fancy parades and dictatorships never work out on the long run.

Odds are you will be caught:
...or become friends with Margret Thatcher, then get caught:

...or become a really nasty adjective:

Statistically, having a moustache increases the probability of impending doom for up and coming dictators.

This is why THIS guy should never be in charge:

of anything.

You can see more about Belarus here and here and about Willie O'Dea here.

There are no words..

2011-07-03T15:54:00.001+01:00

1st Blood

2011-06-30T23:18:00.005+01:00

We have just finished the first draft of our new play "Cult"!

Don't Panic.... the future

2011-06-30T00:07:00.002+01:00

This video is a couple of years old, but even still THE CLOTHES MOVE BY THEMSELVES JESUS CHRIST and changes in light and heat cause the clothes to adapt HOLY SHIT SERIOUSLY THIS IS THE FUTURE WHY ISN'T EVERYONE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS and the colour palette is for a different season but still catches the eye with it's subtle shades and WE ARE GOING TO DIE AT THE HAND OF ROBOTIC CLOTHES THAT WILL GRADUALLY THROTTLE US OVER TIME, ultimately the design has already moved on but we hope you enjoy looking at this.

Broccoli House

2011-06-29T01:18:00.002+01:00

This is a Broccoli House...

-Check this out by Brock Davis

Puffin n' Cat

2011-06-10T19:38:00.002+01:00

Another gem turned up by our 'pufffincat' Google alert. This is a Puffincat drum n' bass offering from Tadhg O' Ceallaigh. Enjoy... The Adventures of the Puffincat by GeorgeBush666
DoW

Over The Line

2011-06-05T19:45:00.002+01:00

Hello there,

We're just writing to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported our Fund:It campaign. We've just reached our €3,000 target. This will go towards producing our new play 'Cult' for the 2011 ABSOLUT Fringe. We're unbelievably grateful and genuinely blown away by everyone's generosity. It means so much to us all to know that so many people support us. We're working really hard on the play and we hope you will enjoy it and think it a worthy investment.

If you didn't get a chance to donate something towards the show and, importantly, avail of the rewards (including tickets, invites to rehearsal room run throughs, subscriptions to exclusive DoW video podcasts and your very own Puffincat cartoon made just for you), don't worry, there are still four days of the campaign to go. So, you can still donate any amount of money you like, no matter how small, by following this link here. The more we raise, the more we can spend on paying our crew, costume, promotion and advertising etc and the better our opportunity of making the play a success.

Thank you all so much for reading and for the tremendous good will we've received. Now, to put on the play!

Diet of Worms

Cult Promo Photograph

2011-06-05T19:17:00.000+01:00

First sneak peek at one of our promo images for 'Cult'. Photograph taken by the wonderful Adam Ozmin.DoW

Whoa! We're Halfway There!

2011-05-23T11:28:00.002+01:00

Hello there,

Well, we're halfway through our Fund:It campaign and, funnily enough, we're at the 50% mark towards our target. Thank you to everyone who has so kindly offered their support so far. We've been genuinely blown away by the good will we've received. Work on the play is going really well. Everyday we get more and more excited about it all. We've been very busy in the rehearsal room (one or two minor set backs aside), work-shopping away and getting to grips with the script.

We've also been off to get our promotional photographs taken for the Fringe brochure and the poster. We can't show any of the snaps yet, until we get them all touched up and beautified, but they look incredible so far. Basically, it was the five of us shivering and wet, knee deep in heather, hanging off a mountain in the Sallygap, dressed in ceremonial green robes. At one stage, a tour bus stopped because the driver thought we were "performing a pagan ritual". It's difficult to have to disappoint that many people at once, but they zipped off sharply when we told them that we were simply doing a photoshoot.

That's all for now. 17 days left and €1,500 still to raise. So if you know of anyone else who may fancy themselves as the next Lorenzo Di Medici, please let them know about the campaign. We really appreciate the support.

Thank you so much,
Shane, Amy, Rory, Niall, Clare and Philippa (Diet of Worms)

Adventures in Procrastination

2011-05-13T22:49:00.002+01:00

Episode 2 of our new writing room web series, 'Adventures in Procrastination' is up.Thanks so much to everyone who has supported us already. Really really appreciate it. We're 26% of the way towards our target in Diet of Worms' Fundit Campaign. But still a long way to go. And if we don't reach this target in the next 27 days, we don't get a penny! Spread the word. http://bit.ly/mKCRRF
DoW

Fundit Update 1

2011-05-10T15:37:00.002+01:00

Four days down and 30 still to go. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated or spread the word about the campaign so far. We really do appreciate all the support.

We've had a great time on Fundit so far and it has co-incided with a very exciting time for the play itself. We've made some very interesting breakthroughs in our workshop sessions and everyone is super pumped about where we are headed with it all. As you can see from the video below it can get pretty exciting in the writing room from time to time.We're off to get the photography done for our poster etc this weekend so wish us luck and we'll talk to you again soon. Thanks again for the support and please keep spreading the word around about our campaign, we still have a long way to go to reach 100% - which we have to do in the next 30 days, otherwise we don't get a penny.

Thanks so much,
Rory, Gaffo, Clare, Philippa, Amy & Shane (Diet of Worms)

Fundit

2011-05-09T12:19:00.001+01:00

We have begun work on our new play entitled 'Cult'. It's about 5 characters who are left below following their cult's mass ascension. It will be presented as part of the 2011 ABSOLUT Fringe and we're extremely excited about it all.
This year though, to get the show on to the stage, we are trying out a new exciting process called 'crowd funding'. This is where we ask the general public to support the show by donating small amounts of money and in return they will receive interesting and exclusive rewards that only we would be able to offer. For example, tickets to the show, an invite to a rehearsal room run through or, if someone is really generous, their own Puffincat Cartoon made for and featuring them. It's a really cool idea that can help creative types like ourselves realise our ideas.

The campaign is live on Fundit.ie. You can see more details here. So please do give it a look and let us know what you think. If you're on Facebook or Twitter, it would be great if you could help us spread the word to anyone who might be interested - http://bit.ly/mbJpF0 is the mini URL. People can donate from anywhere in the world and they can use credit card or LASER. So if you happen to be able to afford it - maybe lend us your support yourself. Either way, it's worth a peek.

We'll keep you abreast of how it's all going.
DoW

Take Away Shows

2011-05-06T12:08:00.011+01:00

This, in my opinion is the best music blog on the internet that I have seen while on the internet or talking about the internet and that other people have shown me when we were talking about music on the internet.

Vincent Moon (real name Mathieu Saura) usually records two or three tracks filmed in an unusual environment for the website La Blogothèque. This has included Arcade Fire performing in a lift, Architecture in Helsinki singing from the windows of an apartment block and Valleys playing in the snow.

Take-Away Shows (or the French title Les Concerts à Emporter) are hosted on the website Blogotheque, who decided in 2006 to find another way to share music, taking musicians out of their comfort zones to improvise a performance in an unusual setting. These videos have been the inspiration for many similar blogs around the world. It's a shame there is no equivalent for Dublin.... YET*

*I am not planning to do one either**

This is my favourite: Bon Iver :
**YET

Remaining Faithful

2011-04-27T23:39:00.003+01:00

A seemingly innocuous argument about who's turn it was to buy the milk led to a frosty atmosphere on the tube ride home. Shane and Miss Faith broke up hours later.
(Photo taken from the excellent 365 Days of Jen)
DoW

President Cakes

2011-03-18T17:13:00.002Z

Another uncovered scan from Shane's hard-drive spring clean. A short story printed in Oh Francis! a couple of years ago.DoW

Niall's Ski School Pro!

2011-03-16T19:07:00.000Z

Another Ski Lesson from Niall's Ski School. This episode - Now that you're a pro, what a drag it is to have to ski next to beginners.DoW

Oh Fringe!

2011-03-15T13:02:00.003Z

Rooting through the old hard drive there, I (being Shane) found a scan of this article I did for Oh Francis! in 2009 about my experiences in Edinburgh. Read it... or don't. Either is cool. (Click to make it big)DoW

X-Treme Ski World

2011-03-11T09:55:00.000Z

More from Niall's Ski School. This time, Lesson 7 - Spotting the Rabbit.DoW

Pappy's Are Coming

2011-03-07T13:57:00.002Z

The GLORIOUS Pappy's (formerly Pappy's Fun Club) are in Dublin tomorrow night and if you have any interest in comedy, you will make it your business not to miss their show. And even if you don't have an interest in comedy, you should STILL come down. These guys will make you laugh in a way you have yet to experience. Tomorrow night in the Workman's Club, as part of Schnitzel Comedy Club. Seriously, don't miss it.
DoW

The Bane of Baggot Street

2011-03-07T10:44:00.007Z

I am very lucky to live in a great flat on Lower Baggot Street. It isn't one of the one's pictured but it is lovely and big and bright. Yes it can be cold in the winter and the floors often creak but it is generally pretty brilliant. My one issue is having a front facing bedroom. The old sash windows and single glazing do very little to drown out the street noises and I am finding it harder and harder to stay asleep at nights. There are just constant wake up-able factors at work. I accept and expect it from a Friday and Saturday night or the week or so leading up to Christmas. Last week, for example, I was treated to a 4 am rendition of Ireland’s Call with brand spanking new lyrics involving Abrakebabra’s chips.

Usually though, Sunday’s on Baggot Street are a tranquil affair; a peaceful day and night occasionally interrupted with an over zealous delivery truck driver at 6 in the Monday morning.

Last night, however, was a particularly loud night. Whoever runs the Sunday nights in McGrattan’s might want to not notify so many loud dickheads the next time round. Even at ten o’clock last night, before much booze or dancing had been had, I could hear jumped up arseholes screaming down their mobiles phones at one another; “I JUST CAN”T F*&KING FIND IT. I DON’T, OH WAIT THERE IT IS NOW” “I’M DOWN THE POXY LANE WAY AND CAN"T SEE IT!!!!!” I should have guessed that if they were this loud before their night out, there wasn’t much hope for them being any quieter in a few hours time.

It was the one in the morning throwing of the bins ceremony accompanied by high pitched screams which woke me in the end. After a few minutes of this ritual, I decided to take a look at the culprits out my window. I have honestly never seen such jumped up teenage boys in my life. I was kind of glad there wasn’t much more than bins to be thrown outside as these boys looked like they could have uprooted and thrown trees at each other given the chance. They did look like they were having fun I guess, but I really like to be able to sleep.

As I watched them kick my recycling bag a good hundred metres down the street, It made me think about the kind of things which I would have done at the end of a teenage, drunk fuelled rampage. I was probably prone to being a bit loud, a bit rambunctious. I might have even dabbled in a bit of public vomiting but I never kicked a bin… did I ever kick a bin? I really bloody hope I didn't. This will be the one time I get a comment from someone reminding about that time that I kicked a bin in their face and there was glass in the bin and it stuck in their eyes and they are now blind and severely scarred and miserable. Sorry in advance.

I got back into bed, not wanting to look like I was re enacting the role of concerned older male neighbour from the drink awareness campaign a couple of years ago.

After a brief amount of social networking and a 4OD documentary about the Fat Plague (We can catch the “obesity virus“. And here’s me thinking it was about eating too much and not moving) I eventually got back to sleep.

Maybe I just need to accept the fact that I live in a night time hotspot for this kind of douche bag-ery? Maybe I was even a bit jealous of the Bin Kick 6. Their unusual ways of dealing with waste disposal coupled with impressive breathing techniques to enable them to be so loud for so long. Their carefree attitude and being that pissed on a school night. Maybe I should even be thanking them because at the end of the day, they had chosen my recycling bag to kick halfway down the road and now I don’t have to deal with the fact that it didn’t get collected last week.

Amy of Worms

Footnote; I will be experiencing a birthday next week and as we all know, scientist haven't yet invented a way to make them go backwards so perhaps this is me just getting a bit older and being much less fun

Niall's Ski School Continues...

2011-03-03T09:30:00.001Z

Another lesson from our resident ski expert, Niall Gaffney. Enjoy and learn...

DoW

Street Cobra

2011-02-25T20:57:00.001Z

Hey guys, if you've got a free moment, check out Street Cobra, which is part of RTE's Storyland competition, and give it your vote. The lads involved are deadly and we think it's pretty deadly too.
DoW

Niall's Ski School

2011-02-22T16:43:00.000Z

Niall teaches us how to drop off a major cliff. Extremely difficult technique taught in a simple way. DoW

New Puffincat Tees

2011-02-18T12:05:00.010Z

March, we find, is a pretty big birthday month for some reason. So we've added two new designs to our pantheon of Puffincat Tee-shirts and hoodies that would make excellent gifts. Check em out. First up is this 'Mix Mix Mix' effort.And then this handsome hoodie too...
DoW

New Years Resolution UPDATE

2011-02-15T17:37:00.005Z

So I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves, "Gosh, I wonder did any of those Diet of Worms guys ACTUALLY do any of the things they set out to do during their Resolutions Week". Well I can't speak for everyone, but I thought I would let you know that... drum roll please... I have started a dress making course. It's only a small 2 hours a week class but it's a perfect start for me.

This is part of the front of the skirt and a bit of a pocket (I think) that I'm making. The class I'm doing is rather lovely and relaxed with a nice mix of youngies and oldies. The fabric I chose is quite young, perhaps even childish (I did get it in the craft section of the fabric shop!) but it's really easy to work with and hopefully it will look alright when it is assembled.

I'm really enjoying making something. Creating a physical piece you can actually hold and, hopefully one day, even wear is a rather nice feeling. I can also finally use my sewing machine without being rather scared or wanting to cry. I will hopefully have the skirt finished in about two weeks so I might try and squeeze in another one before the class ends in April.

I don't think I'll be looking for a job as a cutter or a pattern designer any time soon but boy oh boy is it nice to have a hobby.

Amy

Beyond Belief presents...

2011-02-04T17:30:00.002Z

...Dan Dare, pilot of the future, in 'Tea and Toast'. Hold on to your space hats!

DoW

VoiceBox

2011-01-31T23:04:00.001Z

A wee video from our appearance at VoiceBox at the beginning of January.
DoW

Beetroot & I

2011-01-27T12:07:00.004Z

Shane has just begun a weekly diary piece on entertainment.ie. Its called 'Beetroot & I' and its basically the weekly world through the eyes of a struggling writer and his less than likeable cat. Check out the first installment here and you can also read their introductory interview with Shane right here.
DoW

Blind Elephant

2011-01-11T13:35:00.004Z

Killian Dunne (Philippa's brother and illustrator of many of our posters down the years) and his talented chums in the Blind Elephant Illustration Collective are putting on an exhibition taking place in The Bernard Shaw (11-12 Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin 2). The official opening is this Thursday, January 13th at 7pm and it runs there until Febuary 11th. Well worth a wander down to.
DoW

Resolution Week No. 7

2011-01-09T20:03:00.004Z

Day 7 of 'Resolution Week' and Philippa presents her list of very achievable New Year goals...These are my new years resolutions...
1. More exercise; I’m going to exercise the legs off myself. I’m going to go to the gym five days a week for at least two hours, until I’m forming sweat pools. Number one rule; no leaving the gym until I feel weak and have had to swallow at least one puke. I’m going to be so buff they’ll call me Miss Buff. No more of this flabby business, its rock hard abs time.

2. Get more rest; Nothing exhausts me more than rushing and racing around, pushing myself to the physical limits, why put yourself through so much stress? So this year I’m going to relax more. Spend more evenings and weekends snuggled up on the couch being calm and taking it easy. I’m going to get lots of sleep and stay in bed until twelve most weekends. Life is hard enough without all that moving about going from Billy to Jack so for me its all about reserving energy in order to forge a better year.

3. Better health; No more grot. Grot is so 2010. And absolutely no carbs. From now on its water, lettuce and seeds. If I’m good I’m allowed low fat yogurt. I’ll rid my body from toxins and cholesterol and sugar dependency and cravings. No more take aways, no more choc, no dairy, no sugar. Looking forward to it already.

4. Eat more pizza; Pizza is my absolute favourite food. Eating it makes me feel happier than anything else. So this year I’m going to eat more pizza. It simply is the best food around. Not only is it purely gorgeous but your average pizza contains calcium, protein and the tomato sauce is full of anti oxidants and vitamins A and C.

5. More focus and discipline; I’m going to really streamline my mental efforts and put so much work gearing my life in a definite direction towards greater success, with more rewards and building for a sound and secure future. Even if it means burning the mid night oil and seeing less of my friends and family I don’t mind because its a sacrifice I’ll need to take in order to achieve my long term goals. This also includes less dilly dallying, less messing, more being serious, more decision making, more proaction, less pro crastination, less time on the phone talking rubbish with my best pal. Goodbye to wasted afternoons and weekends, hello being mature, grown up and on my way to being just great.

6. Have more fun; this year is all about me allowing me to have more fun. I just want to learn to relax and enjoy life better, live in the moment and be totally chilled as regards what I allow myself to do and experience. So this means more spontaneity, less planning, a more care free attitude, not being afraid to day dream, more time with friends and family, less sacrifices, being young at heart, not taking things so seriously, stop worrying about the future, more time on the phone talking rubbish with my best pal. Things like that.

7. Get a cat.

Phil

Resolution Week No.6

2011-01-08T00:12:00.003Z

All this week, we've been asking all the Worms and their close collaborators to write a little post about their new year's resolutions. Today, Alex Gill, the director of our video based work (Dublin Stories, Taste of Home etc) adds his tupenceworth...
Those reading who know me well (I'm guessing that's about three of you!) are aware of my tendency to have an auld rant every now and then.. There's plenty of things going on in this world that warrant being on the receiving end of one of my patented vocal grumps I'm really not that fussy. However one of the most common and ongoing objects of my ire is Television, more specifically the quality of what's broadcast on Television as opposed to the actual quality of the brand of television (Michael Donnelly assures me Sony are best). This year I resolve to tone down my level of rant, for others sake, it's only when you hear your Dad doing exactly the same thing in exactly the same way at exactly the same programmes as you, that you realise just how annoying it can be.You see in my head my witty Charlie Brookeresque running commentary is complimentary to what's being viewed, in fact in some cases it's more interesting! Well guess what? it's not! well most of the time anyway

So from today, I'll do my very best not to give out about the fact that 80% of television shows seem to be about fat people trying to lose weight or skinny people trying to put on weight, or the fact that for the last year RTE keep repeating the same shows over and over, shows that nobody wanted to see in the first place, or the fact Craig Doyle is everywhere! how? why?? And on that subject why do RTE only use the same three presenters for EVERYTHING..!?? give someone else a chance! not to mention the sight of Ryan Tubridy banging his poxy cue cards on his desk on the Late Late, and why does TV3's version of 'Take me out' look so cheap compared to ITV's? It really doesn't have to, and is there a person or subject on this planet that some producer won't find it necessary to make a reality TV show about? etc. etc.

Alex

Resolution Week No.5

2011-01-06T17:16:00.009Z

It's Day 5 of Resolution Week and it's Gaffo's turn...

Dum Diddle Daddle Dum -a- Dee Diddle Daddle Deedle Dooooh! Hello! I never make new years resolutions. But this Christmas I went for a quiet pint in the local and happened upon something inspiring. There was a group of Traditional Irish Musicians setting up in the middle of the pub. It started with about 5 or 6 of them, but as the night went on, the group grew and grew until they took over the whole pub. My new years resolution? Learn a Trad Instrument!

I love how Trad Musicians can turn up to a Session and simply join in if they know the tune (and sometimes even if they don't). No need for fancy amplifiers or any other pedestrian hindrance. Just turn up with your fiddle under your arm and join in! Unless I'm missing some sort of secret wink or something? So now I'm wondering - what instrument should I learn? Wind instruments make me dizzy, and I can play guitars to a decent standard - so maybe a similarly fretted instrument might be the way to go? A Mandolin? A Banjo? And how do I actually go about it? Anyone out there got any tips? Ah sure feck it sure I might just eat me Corn Flakes!

Dum Diddle Daddle Dum -a- Dee Diddle Daddle Deedle Dooooh! - Yeeaaaooww!

Gaffo

Resolution Week No.4

2011-01-06T14:52:00.006Z

'Resolution Week' Day three and Rory has his say...“Resolution Week” sounds like a title of a bad film with Jason Statham that is so bad it’s kind of good. But I shall endeavour to give you a more original resolution than my usual fare. Yes every festive season I go home to be with the familial unit and start to reflect on the year coming to a close and what I can do better in the year to follow. I will usually start building up a list of resolutions that will see me being a healthier, happier, wealthier Diet of Worm from Jan 1st on. But my resolutions are so dull and predictable: “go to the gym more”, “cook at home more”, and “try to write more”. Not only are they terribly clichéd but they can also be dreadfully vague. Like “be more healthy” or “get my shit together”, without any specifics of course these vague thoughts will never be more than they are…thoughts.

I have also heard it said from some sort of “expert” on the radio that you should never give something up in January. It’s the most depressing month of the year and you’ve just come off the full on jolly-fest of Christmas to the bleak reality of the winter commute. You should indulge yourself a little bit in Jan, try not to put any harsh restrictions on your life and wait till the birds are singing in February.
This all makes lots of sense to me and I will now prescribe to this formula. Eat crisps, drink beer and play Football Manager to my heart’s content until nobody’s favourite month is over. This might seem like a massive case of procrastination and maybe it is, but I don’t really stick to my resolutions very well most years so why not try it.

So, in summary this New Years I won’t be giving up anything…for now.

Rory

Resolution week No.3

2011-01-05T11:48:00.000Z

On day 2 of Resolution Week, here's our script editor Níal Conlan with his New Year goal...
I hope I am not going to write what you think. No mention of the economy or the state of the Country here. I, like a lot of my friends, through fate or through events out of our control have hit a crossroad. Some of my friends have no jobs, no opportunities and have moved on or moved home.

I have said goodbye to many a friendly face over the past year, -some will get tanned, some will get frostbite and some I may never see again. Some like me are looking around trying to find what the hell to do next.

However, as much as I like living in my own head, inventing complications and the likes, I have resolved to do one thing above all others. I have great plans for this year, but I think this will have to trump them all.

I am going to lighten up.

I am going to lighten up, as tricky and uncertain as things may be, I am going to try to act like this guy...

Or these guys...
Essentially I am going to take a leaf out of this guy's book...
Níal

Resolution Week No.2

2011-01-04T07:35:00.003Z

It's day 2 of Resolution Week. And here with his New Year goal is Shane...It may not be the most popularly held opinion - in fact some people feel quite passionately to the contrary - but I f**king LOVE France. It is a long held ambition and life goal of mine to go and live in France for a year at some stage, perhaps write a novel there or something like that.

I used to be obsessed with Italy. When I was in school I wanted to learn Italian, dye my hair green (for some reason), get a season ticket to Juventus and go live in Turin. But then James Richardson's 'Football Italia' disappeared from our Channel 4 screens and Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal and soon my continental focus shifted north. I hasten to add that my love for France is not entirely football based, that was just one of a number of catalytic Gallic prods. There was also the food and the way of life, the wine and the architecture. Another important one was my burgeoning crush on my very pretty French French teacher at school. This shifted my interest in the subject up the priority list and I ended up getting an honours C in the Leaving Cert, which I was quite pleased with.

So having put it off and off again, my new year's resolution for 2011 is to take French lessons. I am always most envious of people who have two languages and am always secretly ashamed that I do not. It's time to something about it. Does anyone know anywhere good?
Shane

Resolution Week No.1

2011-01-03T13:55:00.008Z

Following on from our inaugural 'Hero Week' back in October/November here on the Call of the Puffincat - a week in which the five Worms and our collaborators posted about their heroes and heroines - We've decided to do another themed week. And seeing as it's new years, we've decided to go for 'Resolution Week' this time around. To get the ball rolling, here's Amy's...

I am a sucker for resolutions. Whether it be new year, new month or new day ones. I start with the best intentions in the world but my terrifically bad will power usually rears it’s ugly face a couple of days in. This year there are lots of little things I’d like to do and one pressing one I’d like to resolve; I have a sewing machine which I can’t use and I want to learn how to sew. Proper hemming and dressing making as opposed to badly stitching a hole in a sock.

Two years ago, my sister got me a sewing machine for Christmas. It has been gathering dust for too long. I attempted a pillow case which was going fine until it came time to change the bottom spool of thread. I turned into a thumby mess and haven't tried using it since. I’m not sure how much of a natural flare I have for designing or pattern cutting (I was responsible for the rather badly cut Demon Nun habits which we used in “Strollinstown”) but I would love to attempt soft furnishings or simple items of clothing. So that's it really - I'm going to do it - I think - I hope.
Amy

Hot Hot Hot!

2011-01-02T13:25:00.001Z

Somewhat bizarrely, Shane finds himself number 47 in the Sunday Tribune's Hot 100 for 2011 this morning. Its individual gongs like this that can lead to groups breaking up. Not us of course! This will simply lead to three to four weeks of passive aggression and whispered insults. Happy New Year to you all (except Shane)!
DoW

2010-12-26T10:13:00.001Z

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T09:32:00.001Z

Merry Christmas from us Worms to all of you. Hope you made it to where you wanted to be today and if you didn't, we hope you made the very best of where you ended up. Thanks so much for all the love and support this year. We really really appreciated it. Enjoy...
DoW

Shaner's Odyssey

2010-12-22T13:46:00.007Z

I took the ill-advised decision to travel to the UK one week before Christmas and boy did it suck. Myself, my Dad and my brother-in-law managed to get tickets to Arsenal vs Stoke. By the time we got off the tube at Arsenal though, we found out that the game had been canceled due to the increasingly stupid weather. Big disappointment.Then we had our flight home cancelled, so we booked on to another flight two days later, then that was cancelled, then it was re-instated, then it was listed as canceled again and then the surly Aer Lingus woman told us that yes it was still canceled, but THEN (apparently) it took off after all. Meanwhile, we were on a four hour train ride to Holyhead. One slow sail later, we were finally home. It was an epic journey home that was almost nothing like this, but almost completely like this, only with more snow and less dance music. We got home anyway. Unfortunately Rory and his girlfriend are still stuck on the continent, trying to get home from their trip to India. So spare a thought for them and all the other people desperately trying to get on some sort of machine travelling in the right direction.
Shane (from DoW)

Crisis? What Crisis? Oh, That Crisis.

2010-12-17T01:34:00.003Z

Yo Yo, A good friend of ours has asked us to give this video a plug. It's called 'Christmas in a Crisis', it's by Carl Cullinane AND it's all in aid of Focus Ireland and the fantastic and hugely imperative work that they do. So give it a listen and then give it a download. Its all for a great cause.

DoW

Douchebag of the Year?

2010-12-14T09:30:00.010Z

Probably. This man is an absolute tool. Sepp Blatter has simply laughed off the concerns of gay football fans (and just any decent people in general) about the potential problems that they will face if they travel to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - where homosexuality is, well... illegal. Here's his genius solution to getting around this silly little human rights violation...
Feel free to tell him yourself what you think of this via his Twitter page.
DoW

He's On A Boat

2010-12-13T23:27:00.005Z

The fabulous Tim Key's fabulous album 'Tim Key. With A String Quartet. On A Boat.' is not to be done without. My favourite bit without a doubt comes from track number 1; "I'm marrying Dead Claire, Edward announced at the annual curry - You can't. She's dead."

You can lay your virtual hands on it here.
DoW

Milk and Cookies

2010-12-09T18:13:00.008Z

There really is nothing like a good storytelling event. A good one is funnier than a comedy club, more musical than a concert, sadder than a funeral and more life affirming than a near death experience. They really can be special nights. In recent years there has been a new wave of these fantastic events popping up around the world. In the States they have great nights like 'The Moth' and Todd Zuniga's 'Literary Death Match'. In the UK they have the 'Book Club Boutique'. And here we had Shane's 'Not Also, But Only' and now have 'Milk and Cookies'. Milk and Cookies is a force of nature and if you haven't managed to get down to it in The Exchange in Temple Bar, you really should add it to your to-do list.

Next Tuesday is their next event and Shane just happens to be the featured artist. Come on down, the theme is the 'Fright Before Christmas' and it's going to be magic.
DoW

PS May we recommend subscribing to The Moth podcast on iTunes. It's so unbelievably worth a listen.

Zombies Ahead

2010-12-08T18:13:00.014Z

It is worth noting this terrible act of vandalism pulled in Austin Texas.

In January 2009 two city construction road signs near the University of Texas were reprogrammed early one morning in an attempt to warn of an imminent zombie attack.

...and it is worth re-iterating: DO NOT under any circumstances run around hacking into electronic road signs using the information contained in this step-by-step guide of how to transmit hilarious messages to passing motorists.

Here is a montage of other, related, disgraceful acts:

Niall Gaffney, Manimal!

2010-12-05T11:49:00.001Z

A break from writing can mean only one thing. Another Niall Gaffney masterclass in animal impersonation.
Coming soon: Rhinoceros.
DoW

365 Days of Jen

2010-12-02T11:27:00.004Z

Shane's sister Jennifer is posting an iPhone photo every day for a whole year, documenting her life in London. It's called 365 Days of Jen and its very much so worth a dip into.
DoW

The Worms At This Month's VoiceBox (*Postponed)

2010-12-01T00:35:00.006Z

This coming Friday night, Amy, Shane and Gaffo will be special guests at Cian Hallinan's excellent VoiceBox night, in the Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey Street. Doors are at 8pm and its a fiver in. VoiceBox is, and I quote, "a live comedy chat show that blends modern media, audience games, the internet and interviews with Ireland's weird and wonderful." Hopefully we shall see you down there.

DoW

*Update* This event has been postponed due to the weather. We'll let you know when we have a rescheduled date.

The Great Trombone Passaround

2010-11-30T08:56:00.009Z

Avid readers of the blog may remember a post from way back in January 2008 where Shane encouraged you to learn the trombone with him. Well... how did it go? We thought so. So, Shane's had a better idea. What's the biggest problem stopping most people learning the Trombone? They probably don't have a Trombone. So Shane, (having thoroughly mastered the instrument at this stage) is now making his trombone your trombone too... neigh, OUR trombone.

Simply give us an e-mail and you can have the mighty piece of brass absolutely free, for as long as you need. All you have to do afterward is simply "blow it forward", so to speak. Look forward to hearing from you.

DoW

Prophetic Plasters

2010-11-22T15:29:00.003Z

In light of what's been going on, Plástear and Plástúir seem to have been trying to warn us all about for years. Why didn't we listen?!

DoW

Van Der Gaff Is On The Air, Babe!

2010-11-17T13:15:00.009Z

Gaffo's Dutch cousin Nils Van Der Gaff has been on Phantom talking about the Kuchen Tosser festival in Luxembourg. Check it out!
DoW

Marrakesh to Barcelona in 2 Minutes

2010-11-16T09:28:00.000Z

Came across this incredibly beautiful video over on the excellent Meet Me At Mikes. 1,000 miles, 2 weeks, 4,000 photos, in 2 minutes...

by Mike Matas.

DoW

Lest We Do Our Research!

2010-11-15T16:48:00.004Z

It was Remembrance Sunday this weekend in the UK and up and down the country, football clubs were making gestures to mark the occasion in a dignified and respectful manner. Including, that is, Scottish Second Division side Airdrie United. Here's what club secretary Ann Marie Ballantyne had to say after their match on the weekend... "A few people have picked up on this. It certainly was not deliberate... We were told the soldiers were Australian." It turns out that it was actually a photo of Nazi soldiers heading off to battle that adorned the front of their matchday programme under the banner 'Lest We Forget'. Oops.
DoW

Sanctuary That Sells Itself

2010-11-12T22:06:00.005Z

Our pals Delorentos have made a brilliant video with our other pals Tidal for their new single 'Sanctuary'. And pals squared bias aside, I think you'll agree its one of the cooler Irish music videos in recent years. Enjoy...
Yeah that's right! We have deadly pals!
DoW

Amy's Movember Odyssey

2010-11-10T23:40:00.001Z

Amy has been growing her moustache all month in honour of the men doing it for real all this month in aid of Movember. So make sure you get over to http://ie.movember.com/ to make a donation to this very important cause. 21 days to go and coming along very nicely...
DoW

Photo of the Day

2010-11-09T23:13:00.001Z

DoW

Who's That Celeb? Competition

2010-11-08T12:16:00.008Z

Who's That Celeb?! No, I'm not talking about Gaffo! But if you can name the famous celebrity duo that Gaffo and his lovely lady Kirsten ran into, you'll be in with a chance of going into a draw for the opportunity to be considered for a prize some time. Answers in the comment box. Good luck!
DoW

Halloweeny!

2010-11-05T22:16:00.005Z

Man-about-town Chewy Chewerson dressed as Puffincat for Halloween. Pretty good, n'est pas? And here's Gaffo dressed as Count Slutula. Truly terrifying...

DoW

This Brightens Up My Day...

2010-11-04T17:45:00.001Z

(via Luke Franklin)

DoW

Call Now!

2010-11-03T19:16:00.002Z

DoW

Hero Week No.9

2010-11-02T00:16:00.014Z

It is the ninth and final day of Hero Week. The kind of nine-day week that could only exist on The Call of the Puffincat. To finish off, it is turn of another of our collaborators; long-time consultant, friend of the group, one time member and now script editor, Níal Conlan aka the Bloogmaster (Strollinstown, Dublin Stories and now this blog). We really hope you've enjoyed this special week of posts. Take it away Níal...

Maybe it's because it's after midnight when I'm writing this, maybe it's because I've just come back to my apartment after visiting my folks, who are getting older no matter how many youtube videos I show them or mix cds I make for them... but in thinking about my hero, or at least as I sit down to consider who is worthy enough for this piece, I've been thinking a lot about life, the universe and everything.

I don't come from a religious family, and as a result have sometimes struggled with humanist principles; what happens in the world, what is the point of it all, what really matters. And that is why I have chosen my hero, one of the few people that had the ability to tackle all of those issues head on.

I've enjoyed reading everyone else's pieces, from the insightful (Amy), the revealing (Shane and Mike), Laudable (Clare) to the personal (Alex, Rory and Gaffo). For me, my hero is someone that taught me that although no one person has all the answers, life the universe and everything is a magnificent thing to comprehend.

I have chosen the late Carl Sagan as my hero.

Carl Sagan was a scientist and author whose achievements were legendary:

*He was involved with the American space program from its creation, he prepared the Apollo Astronauts for their journey to the moon.

*He put together the first physical message that was sent into space; perceived global warming as a growing, man-made danger, was given too many medals and awards to mention, and resigned from the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and voluntarily surrendered his top secret clearance in protest over the Vietnam War.

*He was an adviser on the Ethical Treatment of Animals and warned against humans' tendency towards anthropocentrism (human supremacy).

*In 1987 as part of an anti-nuclear and peace activist's protest, he was arrested on two separate occasions as he climbed over a chain-link fence at a nuclear test site

But it was his 1981 TV show Cosmos that brought Sagan into the public consciousness, and opened the mysteries of the world to millions. During his life as an author and a broadcaster, Sagan made it his mission to popularize astronomy, astrophysics and natural sciences. He made complex scientific principles accessible to people like me.

Along with Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan taught me to step back and see the big picture, and to look at the stars every once in a while.

So, in order to keep this light hearted, I have included this video.
Hopefully, if you're like me, the first time you see it may make you smile, and think.

Bloogmaster

Hero Week No.8

2010-11-01T20:36:00.000Z

Day 8 of Hero Week. Our long time collaborator, producer Michael Donnelly (Taste of Home, Dublin Stories, etc) is up today...

I can remember so vividly the moment I first came across the work of my hero. I was sitting in a student bar about to watch Chelsea V Manchester United. Just before the game began the feed cut to an adbreak and a wide shot of San Francisco came onto the screen. It took a while for the busy bar to settle down but 30 seconds into the 2 and a half minute long ad a whole bar of rowdy students were completely silenced and gripped by what was unfolding in front of their eyes.

In that moment the future became so exciting. I was a film student with no real interest in advertising. It was so rare in Ireland for a piece of advertising to truly grip you and make you feel something. In that moment I started to get it, it took me another few years though to put all the pieces together. People had become so brand aware that you no longer needed to advertise a product in the same way. It didn't need to be in their face. If a brand gave them something, made them feel something, they were smart enough to give the brand the credit it deserved.

The ad was Sony Bravia: Balls. My hero is the copywriter behind it, Juan Cabral.

Juan was 28 years old when he wrote “Balls”. Something similar had been done on Dave Letterman before where they spent an episode bouncing different things down the hills of San Francisco. Whether that was an inspiration for him or he imagined it all from scratch is irrelevant. The excecution is why the piece works so well and that is a common theme in his work. After producing a work like this I would have forgiven Juan to disappear into the background for a while. Instead, in the last few years he has produced almost a constant stream of work that has inspired and touched me.

For an example watch his recent ad for Eurostar:

It's the simplicity that really does it for me. It's almost indescribable. It just affects me like all good art should.

I've come along a lot since that boy in the pub that afternoon. I have become fascinated with the future of creative advertising and brands increasing willingness to put moeny into art and entertainment. Juan Cabral has constantly provided fantastic examples of how this can work. You can't mention viral (the buzzword of a few years ago) without mentioning Cadbury's: Gorilla. This was Juan's first time directing as well as writing and it's very hard to argue with the result. The ad transformed the failing Cadbury's brand and boosted sales of their chocolate by 20%.

It's one of his more recent projects though which has really excited me as regards the future of advertising. In September 2008 Juan moved back to his native Argentina for the birth of his first child. He kept his position as Creative Director in Fallon, London and his one million pounds a year salary but now he works from home to be around his children.

I would have taken issue with him had he chosen to retire at this point, and I didn't expect to see another piece of work from him for some time. In March 2009 however he went about his most ambitious project to date. Sony: Soundville involved turning the entire Seydisfjordur village in Iceland into a huge sound system for a week. Speakers were placed all over the village and a soundtrack to life was pumped out throughout the day. The results are an incredible short fim, 2 minutes and 51 seconds long which was released through the web and shown in cinemas.

It may seem strange that I haven't talked very much about Juan the person as, to be honest, I know very little about Juan, the person. I do know that he has gained the nickname of “Fearless” amongst his work colleagues for the way he approches projects and the risks he's been willing to take. I know that he is married with one child (a son). And I know that he 'gets it' in a way thats constantly eye opening. I recommend you explore his work whenever you feel you need a little inspiration, or just a little entertainment.

Here's a few good places to start:
Sony Bravia: Balls
Sony: HD Experiment
Sony Walkman: Music Pieces
Cadbury's: Gorilla

Mike

Hero Week No.7

2010-10-31T01:10:00.002+01:00

Day 7 of Hero Week on The Call of the Puffincat and its the turn of the director of all of our live shows (Strollinstown, Friends of the Puffincat, etc.) Clare McQuaid.

We all have people who we admire, people who we think do a good job at their given profession, whether that’s a singer, actor, comedian or plumber. But asking the question, “who is your hero?” and choosing just one person to hold up above everyone else...well that’s no mean feat. I’m out of college a good few years at this stage, but last year I went back to the classroom and to a public lecture in Trinity College. The lecture was on climate justice and the speaker was Mary Robinson. If I’m completely honest, although I think climate justice is extremely important, Mary Robinson was the selling point for me. Mary was the first president of Ireland that I was really aware of and over the years the significance of her role became more apparent to me. I heard the stories of women hiding their votes from their husbands and about the bills she passed on issues like contraception and decriminalising homosexuality. Moreover the truly inspiring thing that I recognised was how she gave a voice to people who had no voice, whether that was Irish women in the 90’s or persecuted citizens in the noughties.

I feel lucky that I get to do what I love and I feel lucky standing next to the people who I share that with. Art in any form is about expressing yourself and I think that’s what Mary stands for, expression and freedom of speech. Anyone who advocates that and fights for that is fighting for basic human rights and in effect, for art and creativity. I am inspired by many things, I love the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Annie Leibovitz, my favourite Rothko is No.6 – Violet,Green and Red and I could never miss a play by The Corn Exchange or Barabbas. However, heroism felt like a different question to me, and the answer was Mary Robinson.

Clare

Hero Week No.6

2010-10-30T10:31:00.005+01:00

Day 6 and this comes from Philippa.

This guy right here is my hero...

I just find his whole persona intriguing. First off I admire his serenity, his relaxed and calm pose, his message that he is just one chilled out dude. It looks so completely natural for him to be sitting there like that, watching a bit of telly. He’s just had his dinner, polished off a can of fizzy pop (diet), he’s a little bloated. Now he wants to sit back and chillax and let the spag bol settle in his little furry ginger belly. Maybe watch some Taggart. An average guy, so why so intriguing?

Maybe it’s because he poses more questions than answers. How can a cat in that moment look so like a human? In poise, in demeanour in his glassy eyed transfixed stare at the TV? Even when the camera operator momentarily distracts this guys gaze at 00.33 he’s not bothered, he gives the camera a moments contemplation and then he’s sucked back in by the white tractor beam light of the TV. Nonplussed, that’s his style. He’s just taking in some advertisements. He doesn’t even care that his paw is resting a bit too much on his crotch. So what is his name? What is he watching? What else has he got planned for the evening? A long hot soak in the tub after a game of badminton perhaps? Nah, something makes me think this guy is not the sporty type.

He contrasts greatly with the cat in the foreground who is (no offence) just a regular cat, lying on a coffee table. This black and white feline is just cattish, nicely dozey, contemplating what to do between sleeping and napping. But behind this regular laying down cat sits a human cat cross over who appears far superior and possessing an all more vibrant intelligence and presence. I bet the thought of laying on that glass table never even entered his mind, he’s a couch man all the way. Is he some form of mutant? A missing link? Are these two cats husband and wife? Are we being naive in thinking this scene was captured in a normal human household? What if this is being beamed directly from Planet Cat and this is a run of the mill cat household with cat Dad on the couch, cat Mam on the table (as you do) and kiddie cat making some home movies out of boredom? Yes, Planet Cat. You as excited as I am at the possibility? It’s almost too much.

Now lets look at this guy...

I know for a fact he’s not living on Planet Cat because he has a human handler and human handlers are not required on Planet Cat because cats rule Planet Cat and no humans live there. Besides it’s pretty obvious he lives in Japan. Anyway this guy is kind of special also. He’s a really lovely cat but looks aside he can perform the human task of standing. Wowzers! But not only that when he stands or sits on hunkers he makes computer game noises! Amazing!

Did I mention I love cats?

Phil

Hero Week No.5

2010-10-29T00:15:00.001+01:00

All this week, we've been asking all the Worms and their close collaborators to write a little post about their heroes. Today, Alex Gill, the director of our video based work (Dublin Stories, Taste of Home etc) adds his tupenceworth...

Like most Irish men of my age, the seeds of my irrational obsession with football were sown in 1988. This was the year that Ireland took part in a major football tournament for the first time. I quickly learned that joining the world of football fan-ship for some reason meant supporting an English team. I chose Manchester United simply because they weren't Liverpool, the team all my peers had chosen to adopt, and I suppose I just wanted to be different.

My obsession continued to grow through the 1990 World Cup, eventually reaching it's zenith in 1994. During this time my bedroom was plastered wall to wall in Manchester United posters torn from 'Shoot' and 'Match' magazines or any publication that featured a picture of anything Manchester United related. I played football every day and every single match was a matter of life and death. It could be a game of '3 and in' or just four of us playing 'two on two' or even just me on my own practicing free kicks into an open garage door, it didn't matter because in my head I was playing at Old Trafford or Landsdowne road in front of 50,000 people.

Amongst all the players I idolized during this time one stood head and shoulders above the rest, a controversial French-man who did things on the pitch most footballers couldn't even dream about let alone pull off themselves. This man is of course Eric Cantona. For a 13 year old boy obsessed with football, Cantona was a god, he was so exciting to watch, his tricks and flicks and spectacular passing and goals were pure magic to me. His aim was to entertain, he tried new things without fear of failure as he had an unshakable confidence that made him believe that nothing was beyond him. He controlled games, everything United did went through him like a conductor guiding an orchestra. He was apparently the hardest working player during training which no doubt contributed to his belief that he could try anything on the football pitch and if it didn't work he'd just shrug and try something different.

Cantona was as fascinating off the pitch as we was on it. In general professional footballers are incredibly dull creatures often either extremely guarded when it comes to the media or just plain stupid. Cantona was different, he conjured up a philosophy studying, jazz loving persona to add to his mystery. The teenage me bought into all of this, he was by far the most interesting and exciting thing about the game I adored. He wasn't perfect, he had a famous dark streak which occasionally manifested itself through some terrible tackles. His temperament also 'gifted' the game of football one of the most bizarre incidents in football, a famous night in Selhurst park when he leapt into the crowd to attack a fan who had made a point of abusing his mother. It's hard to condone such behavior but seeing as how my mum was a contender for this piece I think I might have done same thing!

Cantona retired from football in May 1997 at the age of 30. True to his nature Cantona retired at the top having just won the premier league for the second year running. He left a massive hole in English football which to my mind has never been filled. Sure there have been great players since, possibly even more talented than him, but nobody has come close to matching his combination vision, flair, drama and uniqueness. His legacy and philosophy about the game I love is a lesson I would love to carry with me through all walks of life; work hard, be creative and never be afraid to fail.

Alex

Hero Week No.4

2010-10-28T08:02:00.003+01:00

Day 4 of Hero Week is upon us and up steps Rory...

Like Gaffo’s “hero” post yesterday. I’m choosing two people: The Coen Brothers. And like Vic and Bob, one cannot be considered without the other.

Joel and Ethan Coen are a filmmaking team that have been making some of the most exciting and brilliant cinema in Hollywood for nearly twenty years. In my formative years it was the double whammy of Fargo (1997) and The Big Lebowski (1998) that really enticed me into studying film. Two of the best films of the 90’s in two years impressed the hell out of me and also made the film watching world stand up and take notice of these geeky brothers from Minnesota, who were previously known as makers of surreal, left of field, Indy films.

Together, the Coen Brothers are true auteurs. They write, direct, produce and edit (under the alias Roderick Jaynes) nearly all of their own work. Click on to their imdb.com profiles and you will see a series of movies that nobody else can compete with. From the utterly absurd and madcap Raising Arizona and The Hudsucker Proxy to the styled and sophisticated The Man Who Wasn’t There and Barton Fink to the dark, dangerous and brooding Blood Simple and No Country For Old Men, the range and quality of Joel and Ethan’s films is quite extraordinary. Their comedy stands up with the best of them too and in my humble opinion The Big Lebowski is one of the greats. It also might be one of the coolest films ever made.

This odd sense of humour is something that can be seen through all of their work and even in their attitude to filmmaking. Describing a movie of theirs; the very dark (or very funny, depending on how you look at it) Barton Fink as a “buddy movie” is an example of this mindset.

As an actor I can say it is my dream to work with the Coen Brothers and I think every actor in the world shares my fantasy. This isn’t just because they make great movies and keep that perfect balance between Indy-cool and commercial success, it’s also because few filmmakers can, so consistently, get incredible performances from their entire cast. Even in their lesser-loved films (all of which I love), the harshest of critics can still point to some luminous on-screen performances.

Martin Scorcese may have the pedigree, Christopher Nolan may have the technical perfection and Steven Spielberg may get the bums on seats, but for me nothing beats a Coen Brothers’ film. Go out and rent any one of their incredible titles now and make yourself smile.

Rory

Hero Week No.3

2010-10-27T09:06:00.000+01:00

Day 3 of Hero week and it's Gaffo's turn…

My fleeting interest in many a pastime, coupled with my tree shaped career path has left me with a lot of half-heroes. I've admired many a man, woman and animal from all walks of life. In the end, for the sake of this exercise, I have settled on one artist who has shown more originality and consistency than any others. Ladies and Gentlemen, the man I call my hero is Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.

I first experienced The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer when I was a lad of 12. It was mind blowing. A sketch show featuring a couple of fully grown men, who's sense of humour was even more childish than mine. It made me totally re-evaluate the merits of actually growing up. Their style was absurd and outlandish, harmless and playful yet utterly unpredictable.

Their next sketchual offering 'Bang Bang It's Reeves and Mortimer' further showcased their outlandish comedic style. If Vic and Bob had written that series for anyone else to perform, it just wouldn't have been as funny. It often seemed as if the duo were simply trying to make each other laugh, knowing that this in turn was a recipe for great comedy. They were always ones to promote up and coming talent too. Showcasing the likes of Caroline Ahern, Charlie Higson and Matt Lucas.

Bang Bang also featured a particularly inspirational mockumentary series about a night club in Hull.

For the next number of years, my Friday nights were planned around 'Shooting Stars'; Vic and Bob's quiz show. Which in their unique style, quashed the conventions of standard quiz show etiquette. Questions no longer needed answers, answers no longer lead to points, points no longer meant prizes and guests were no longer safe from bacon. The show was resurrected recently and a new series aired on BBC 2; still as innovative as ever, Vic and Bob continue to redefine the quiz show.

About this time last year, Vic (Jim to his friends) was doing a book signing in Edinburgh. My girlfriend Kirsten was lucky enough to meet him, and I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of "The Vast Book of World Knowledge". From her almost daily references to that meeting, I'm led to believe Vic (Jim to Kirsten) is a true gent. I hope the other one is sound too…

Gaffo

Hero Week No.2

2010-10-26T09:33:00.001+01:00

Day 2 of The Call of the Puffincat's Hero Week. Next up is the turn of Amy...
My first memory of watching Gene Wilder was in the seminal film 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. I didn’t quite know what I was seeing, probably because I was about eight, but I knew I loved it. He was a bundle of paradoxes; soft and gently singing one minute and a raging angry mess the next. His manic performance instantly mesmerised me. I was hooked and wanted to see and know everything there was to see and know about this hilarious, curly haired man.

I remember watching 'Hear No Evil, See No Evil' where Wilder co-stared with the equaling amazing and funny Richard Pryor. It is just so silly and so brilliant and instantly creates hilarious comedy moments. I’m pretty sure I cried watching that scene where Dave and Wally attempt to drive a car. It makes my face sore now just thinking about it.

Another wonderful performance was as Dr Ross in Woody Allen’s 'Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex*' Gene Wilder is a master of changing ordinary situations into surreal and darkly comic ones so effortlessly; a deep pause, a look and a rye smile transform him from a baffled doctor to a man in love with his patient's sheep.

I read Gene Wilder’s autobiography 'Kiss Me Like A Stranger' about 4 years ago. I could not put it down and finished it within a few days (Which is extremely rare for me as I’m not as fast or as keen a reader as I should be). One of my favourite parts of 'Kiss Me...' is described below during an interview Wilder gave to the Washington Post while promoting the book.

Wilder told Stuart (Director of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) that he wouldn't take the role unless Wonka entered the movie, and revealed himself to the public for the first time, pretending to be crippled and feigning the need for a cane. It's one of the most memorable moments in the film: In one instant Wonka appears to halt, the next he tumbles forward and leaps to his feet with a smile that says, "Fooled you!" - "I knew that from then on," Wilder says, "the audience wouldn't know if I was lying or telling the truth." Or whether Wonka was good or evil, sane or crazy, a question that isn't resolved until the last few minutes of the film. The tumble itself took preparation. "I spent about three weeks rehearsing that flip with a gymnastics coach."

A film of his that I am determined to get my hands on this Christmas is 'Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx', a project that Wilder shot in Ireland just prior to shooting Willy Wonka. All I know about it is has something to do with true love slipping away and collecting horse dung. But the fact it stars Gene Wilder will be enough for me.

Amy

Hero Week No.1

2010-10-25T09:38:00.000+01:00

Its Hero Week here on the Call of the Puffincat. For the next 8 days or so, the Worms, their collaborators and the Bloogmaster will be posting, telling us who their heroes and heroines are. To get the ball rolling, here's Shane's...
My hero is Clash frontman Joe Strummer. I seem to remember that it was just before and during my incredibly lame 6th year holiday to Santa Ponsa that I first encountered the music of The Clash. I heard someone say that they were great, and flush as I was with SuperValu deli counter money and devoid of anything else upon which to spend it, I was buying CDs willy nilly at the time. So I decided to check them out. At that point I had no actual taste in music to speak. Ash still "officially" constituted my favourite band and I was keen to immerse myself in something new. I bought the Story of the Clash Vol. 1, listened to it over and over again and completely fell in love with every single track on it. So followed a love affair with late 1970's British Punk music (I even wrote my terrible college dissertation on it).

I listened to, watched and read everything I could lay my hands on that even hinted at relating to the subject. I started to spike my hair. Not only did it take attention away from my receding hairline, but now it was making a political statement. Win win. As the years drifted past, my intense interest in the punk movement faded into the background somewhat, but my total interest in Joe Strummer and The Clash remained the same. His lyrics, thoughts and drive transcended all and his outlook and philosophy became a way of life to aspire to. And even now, ahead of short-lived contenders for the title; Ian Wright, Jeremy Dyson and Haruki Murakami, Joe Strummer still remains my hero.

To learn more about him, I recommend you check out Passion is a Fashion by Pat Gilbert and Westway to the World by Don Letts - but also this, this and this are good too.
Shane

Kitchens, Parties, etc...

2010-10-24T23:24:00.000+01:00

Really love the new IKEA ad featuring Man Like Me.

And this is the original by Jona Lewie, who makes a cameo in the ad.

DoW

Rebel Inc.

2010-10-22T17:45:00.000+01:00

Rebel Inc. was a fanzine that published emerging Scottish writers in the 90's -Irvine Welsh, Laura Hird and Alan Warner all had their first short stories published by the magazine. Photocopied issues spread throughout Edinburgh and at its height Rebel Inc. Magazine became one of the most successful underground publications ever, selling out nightclubs for readings.

Rebel Inc founder Kevin Williamson's idea was to apply the ethos of Punk DIY fanzines to contemporary literature, making it more accessible. Eventually, as Trainspotting took off (Irvine Welsh's first attempt at the story appeared in an issue of the magazine) it made sense for Rebel Inc to move into the publishing world. There, Rebel Inc published new writers and found old gems long out of print, and introduced them to a whole new generation.

I first came across Rebel Inc when Hotpress magazine issued a free sampler (which I had never seen before) -a collection of extracts from some of the books published by Rebel Inc, along with transcripts from pub meetings of Rebel Inc contributors talking new writers or about finding books in 2nd hand shops and loving them so much they brought them out of print for the Rebel Inc label.

Rebel Inc opened my eyes to some great books, I've never been as excited by a book as I have been by their titles. They have since been folded into the Cannongate publishing house, but you can find their titles if you look hard enough. If you do, I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

You could try these for starters:

Revenge of the lawn

Stone Junction

The Blind Owl

Everytime You Shave, A Moustache Dies

2010-10-21T17:53:00.000+01:00

Dead Cat Bounce's new charity single in aid of Movember. Check it...

DoW

iBap

2010-10-21T13:58:00.000+01:00

From www.ohnodoom.com/

Don't Start Me Talkin'...

2010-10-20T01:36:00.000+01:00

Ah Football Italia on Channel 4. Where else would you get half time scores told through Elvis Costello song titles, followed by po-faced analysis by the man himself? Miss it very much.

DoW

This is a good video, look at it with your face.

2010-10-18T17:53:00.000+01:00

The very talented guys at Tidal put this together for the excellent Gorgeous Colours, who have just launched their new E.P. The Creatures Down Below"

You can check out their really cool approach to recording, where you can pre-order the e.p. (funding the release), and receive tickets to gigs, artwork and other stuff (including a potential 5-a-side against the band!)

30 Rock Goes All SNL... Twice!

2010-10-16T11:05:00.000+01:00

The latest episode of 30 Rock Season Five aired last Thursday in the States. But this was no ordinary installment of our favourite sitcom. It went out live, in front of a studio audience... twice. Once for the East Coast and once for the West. You can watch both versions right here. What an incredibly fun idea for the ordinarily one camera show to seemingly enhance its (previously thought of as) unenhanceable position in our hearts.

The videos are only available for US residents but all anyone else has to do is download the perfectly legal Hotspot Shield here and enjoy all the NBC videos you can stomach.

DoW

OK, nobody panic, but...

2010-10-09T21:31:00.000+01:00

R.T.I. (Robot Technology Inc.) have developed a new warzone robot that fuels itself on Biomass, in their words:

"The system obtains its energy by foraging – engaging in biologically-

inspired, organism-like, energy-harvesting behavior which is the equivalent of eating. It can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment"

But what is the most common biomass in a warzone?
Why dead soldiers, of course!

The project is called: "The Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR)"

Surely they could have come up with a less petrifying acronym?

Check out details of the chilling death robot here.

Buy this documentary on the inevitable consequences of all this.

And listen here for an in depth discussion on terrifying advances in army technology.

It's Hard Working Class Musician Land Heroes Weekend

2010-10-09T19:21:00.000+01:00

In honour of the weekend that's in it, here is one of the bands worth following up on, checking out, maybe buying their e.p and stuff....

Planet Parade

You will be singing their songs. I am.

The band will be releasing their 2nd EP "Zulu Sound"

They play a launch show at Whelan's, Dublin on Friday the 22nd of October.

You can get tickets here and check out their CD here.

Unlogo

2010-10-08T11:04:00.000+01:00

Un*Logo*Fy

(verb)

1.To remove logos

Unlogo Intro from Jeff Crouse on Vimeo.

According to The Man "Unlogo Will Erase All You Worked For".

'Unlogo' is an iPhone App and Website.

You can use the App on your camera phone to replace corporate logos with images from an online databank that anyone can view and contribute to.

According to the creator:

"it takes back your personal media from the corporations and advertisers"

Acccording to me:

"its a lot of fun"

Link

Strollinstown in 25 Seconds

2010-10-07T08:45:00.000+01:00

A photograph taken every 10 seconds during our performance of Strollinstown at Schnitzel Comedy Club in Limerick on September 22nd in the Loft Theatre space. Photographs taken and compiled by the brilliant Alan Crowley of Raggle Taggle Consortium.
DoW

Fringe to Fringe

2010-09-30T11:50:00.001+01:00

The Dublin Fringe is over. So I hope you managed to check out some shows. Its a fantastic festival and I really hope it continues to grow so vibrantly, because it really is something special and has the potential to be something even more special in the coming years. We had a brilliant time. We've been to Edinburgh three times now (and Shane did it once on his own) doing sketch shows so it was a bit of a leap to do our first play. Having said that, everything we've worked on over the last couple of years seems to have gotten more and more long form, so perhaps it was inevitable that we'd end up doing one. 'Strollinstown' was by no means perfect. We got a fairly pompous two star review from The Times...

But when we take the line...
"but while director Clare McQuaid’s production has all the right ingredients, it hasn’t come up with a recipe."
...and reduce it down to...
"Director Clare McQuaid’s production has all the right ingredients."
Irish Times
...you suddenly find yourself with a very presentable poster quote for future shows. In fact, it was this same "two star review alchemy" that left us with the very presentable "Reminiscent of a young Monty Python ensemble" quote a couple of years ago in Edinburgh. Well fuck it, we paid for them to come to our show and pass judgment, the least we can do is mine something positive out of it.

But despite what Mr. Crawley thought, we were really happy with what we produced, we sold out the vast majority of our run and were delighted to be nominated for the New Writing Award at the Fringe Festival's closing ceremony. And although we didn't win, we had a fantastic night (see below).

So now we find ourselves in funny spot. Not stand-up, not sketch, not theatre. We seem to be on the Fringes of both comedy and theatre. But at least the good people at the ABSOLUT Fringe had a place for us. Thanks guys...

DoW

Once upon a time, before boob jokes.

2010-09-30T08:47:00.000+01:00

Some of America's most well observed comedy has come from writers that cut their teeth on the original National Lampoon magazine, including Michael O'Donoghue, P.J O'Rourke and John "Breakfast Club" Hughes.

One of them, you may not have heard of is at the centre of this book that I am recommending to you here today in this blog that you are reading now. His name was Doug Kenny, and the book is called "a futile and stupid gesture"

This was a time, in the 1970's, when National Lampoon offered more than simple American Frat House Sex humour, when the National Lampoon Magazine was a brilliantly subversive source of satire and cutting edge comedy.

You can read about "a futile and stupid gesture" here, and buy it cheap here (its well worth it)

-also back issues of the National Lampoon Magazine from its heyday are available on line too....

The Bloogmaster

Picture of the Day

2010-09-29T09:48:00.001+01:00

The Bloogmaster

Conspiracy Theory of the Week. HAARP!!

2010-09-28T07:58:00.000+01:00

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a research program jointly funded by the US Air Force, the US Navy, the University of Alaska and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program theory claims that HAARP could be used as directed-energy weapon, weather control, earthquake induction device and/or for mind control.

Youtube comment highlights:

redurkulous
Sooner or later everyone's going to learn the government has no sympathy. HAARP can not only create earthquakes, but the system can control the whole world, the whether isn't always by chance. everything is controlled.

cicadafan
1 day ago
hah i totally agree with you man!

sunny8562
1 day ago
@cicadafan Idiot ...

twintak
2 days ago
HAARP is going to kill us... Crazies gringos!!....

DISCLAIMER: The HAARP program operates a major Arctic facility on an Air Force owned site near Gakona, Alaska and has nothing to do with Harp lager. As far as we know....

The Bloogmaster

CHECK THIS OUT. It's Awesome.

2010-09-26T20:54:00.000+01:00

"Have you ever wondered what you could do with crayons other than draw or eat them? Artist Diem Chau crafts detailed sculptures on them."

The crayons came from doing research into Depression Era folk art. People had to make due with whatever they had and nothing was wasted...

Diem Chau is a Vietnam native, and you can read more about her crayon sculpture process here and teach yourself how to do it here

The Bloogmaster

I would like to recommend a band or song occasionally.

2010-09-25T10:07:00.000+01:00

This is one such occasion.

You can buy their excellent album HERE

and get tickets for their upcoming Dublin Gig HERE

The Bloogmaster

Postpone your holidays...it's not safe.

2010-09-23T17:59:00.000+01:00

Cap d'Agde, France.

The Irish Independent is reporting that a war has broken out in France, between sex people and traditional nudists.

" A flurry of arson attacks on sex clubs was blamed on low-level terrorism by nudist funda-

mentalists."

LINK

The Bloogmaster