Cool things I found out today

[Ginger Yellow]

Charlie Brooker is making a TV series about zombies.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Cool things I found out today

It better not be as shit as Nathan Barley.

[ian.64]

Cool things I found out today

Actually, I did laugh at the episode where Julian Barrett's character got paint in his hair and it became a popular style - mainly for the unforgettable moment where a cat got a pair of barber's scissors accidentally embedded in its noggin.

Apart from that episode and a club sequence that had a pretty nifty remix of 'Einstein-A-Go-Go', it was all a but so-so.

[My Name Is Ian]

Cool things I found out today

"Nathan Barley" is filed under my mental crib card of "Things That I Didn't Get Around To Watching Then Found Out Were Shit And Didn't Bother With". Is it as bad as I heard?

[Ginger Yellow]

Cool things I found out today

I found it really hit and miss, but on an episode by episode basis. One week it would be great, and the next it would be godawful.

[My Name Is Ian]

Cool things I found out today

I've got a week off work, and am using it very productively downloading and watching every episode of "Frasier". If I get a spare couple of hours, I'll give it a go.

[Guest]

Cool things I found out today

Nathan Barley was rubbish every week.

Ker-lassik old OTF thread

[Spearmint Rhino]

Cool things I found out today

Nathan Barley was really good every week.

[E10 Rifle]

Cool things I found out today

I'm really enjoying these increasingly frequent cultural taste-offs between SR and The Horse. They've got a delightful 'embittered old married couple' quality to them.

[delicatemoth]

Cool things I found out today

I thought Nathan Barley was piss-poor by Chris Morris' standards, but bits were OK. The big problem is they forgot to put many jokes in, at least in the two episodes I bothered to watch.

[Guest]

Cool things I found out today

I'm really enjoying these increasingly frequent cultural taste-offs between SR and The Horse. They've got a delightful 'embittered old married couple' quality to them.

Ha! Yes, I enjoy them too. It's only SR's steadfast refusal to make cogent arguments that drags them down slightly. ("I like this . . . I just watched another episode and you know what, I liked it! . . . I still like this . . . finished it now and, overall, I liked it" etc)

[Guest]

Cool things I found out today

I thought Nathan Barley was piss-poor by Chris Morris' standards, but bits were OK.

I'd agree with this. If you ignore the fact that Morris was behind it (and suspend your disappointment that it's not in the same league as what he's done before), Barley does have its' moments. There's something slightly sad about it though, in that it's a piss-take of young media turds made by people nudging 40. To that end I thought the subject matter felt a touch dated actually; I couldn't help thinking about James Lavelle and his whole 'executive DJ' schtick, and wasn't that all a good 5 years dead by the time that Barley appeared?

I do remember reading some months back that a second series was on the cards too. Not heard nish since though.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Cool things I found out today

ian.64 wrote:

Actually, I did laugh at the episode where Julian Barrett's character got paint in his hair

Geek pie. The one funny thing in the series. Although I do use the phrase "totally fucking Mexico" more than is strictly necessary.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Cool things I found out today

The Horse wrote:

I'm really enjoying these increasingly frequent cultural taste-offs between SR and The Horse. They've got a delightful 'embittered old married couple' quality to them.

Ha! Yes, I enjoy them too. It's only SR's steadfast refusal to make cogent arguments that drags them down slightly. ("I like this . . . I just watched another episode and you know what, I liked it! . . . I still like this . . . finished it now and, overall, I liked it" etc)

But that's an honest and natural reaction. I react to television shows in the same way I'd react to a pop song.

What I find freakish is your refusal-slash-inability to enjoy anything, bar maybe The Royal Tenenbaums and series 1 of The IT Crowd. (Actually, even the latter might me a false memory.)

[evilC]

Cool things I found out today

Spearmint Rhino wrote:

The Horse wrote:

I'm really enjoying these increasingly frequent cultural taste-offs between SR and The Horse. They've got a delightful 'embittered old married couple' quality to them.

Ha! Yes, I enjoy them too. It's only SR's steadfast refusal to make cogent arguments that drags them down slightly. ("I like this . . . I just watched another episode and you know what, I liked it! . . . I still like this . . . finished it now and, overall, I liked it" etc)

But that's an honest and natural reaction. I react to television shows in the same way I'd react to a pop song.

What I find freakish is your refusal-slash-inability to enjoy anything, bar maybe The Royal Tenenbaums and series 1 of The IT Crowd. (Actually, even the latter might me a false memory.)

There is a general refusal across much of OTF to accept the notion of 'just liking something at a gut level'. It's like everything has to be justified by proven methods of analysis. (Although how OTF might come to any agreement over such methods is beyond me!) Take me, for instance - I like Sigur Ros ...except for the silly vocals. Now, I know that will appall SR (and most others too) but it's just how it is.

By the way, SR - have you put your mouse pointer over The Horse's 'favourite record' icon and his 'philosophy' one? I'm hoping that the second is a Simpsons reference. :-)

[Guest]

Cool things I found out today

What I find freakish is your refusal-slash-inability to enjoy anything, bar maybe The Royal Tenenbaums and series 1 of The IT Crowd.

God no, The IT Crowd is awful.

[EIM]

Cool things I found out today

A mutual friend of Carcass and mine is in Brooker's Zombie prog. Never has anyone been so typecast.

[Ray de Galles]

Cool things I found out today

Spearmint Rhino wrote in response to The Horse:

What I find freakish is your refusal-slash-inability to enjoy anything, bar maybe The Royal Tenenbaums and series 1 of The IT Crowd. (Actually, even the latter might me a false memory.)

I think you're imagining that SR, there must be half a dozen times where I've noted Horse enjoying the same sitcoms as me.

Or is this a gag I've missed?

[Guest]

Cool things I found out today

It does seem to be a genuine misconception. Or possibly I've been out-deadpanned, I dunno.

[Nico Rijnders]

Cool things I found out today

I don't want to come over all cook'd and bomb'd, but this bit: "Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker's E4 zombie thriller Dead Set will be set in the Big Brother house" sounds a bit rubbish, doesn't it?

While I'm here, I didn't like Nathan Barley to start with, but grew to love it. The use of language was vintage Morris, I thought.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Cool things I found out today

Harri Saer wrote:

Spearmint Rhino wrote in response to The Horse:

What I find freakish is your refusal-slash-inability to enjoy anything, bar maybe The Royal Tenenbaums and series 1 of The IT Crowd. (Actually, even the latter might me a false memory.)

I think you're imagining that SR, there must be half a dozen times where I've noted Horse enjoying the same sitcoms as me.

Or is this a gag I've missed?

An exaggeration, more than a gag. I honestly feel like The Horse hates pretty much everything except The Royal Tenenbaums and... ok, let's say the first Suede album. You know, a few other things, but not much.

I suppose it's a shock to come across someone who thinks even more things are shit than I do.

[Ray de Galles]

Cool things I found out today

Spearmint Rhino wrote:

I suppose it's a shock to come across someone who thinks even more things are shit than I do.

Not on OTF.