The Siren: Issue 7 by Simon

It’s tough at the top Ray Darcy Interview: Page 6

Inside:

Kila ■ Future Kings of Spain ■

■ Dillnger Escape Plan ■ Rosanna Davison ■ David

Kelly

n e r i S the

| Issue 7 05.02.08 t en m le pp Su t en nm ai rt te En e College Tribun

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ISSUE 7

Music “We traditionally finish our tours in Dublin, it’s the light at the end of the tunnel” Stars: P4

Raising eyebrows Health “It started off ok, but after the first day or two it began to get rather unpleasant”

We put diets on trial: P8

Headliner “Bosco’s male. That is official. But I assure you Bosco is a boy” Ray Darcy: P6

Arts Little Miss Sunshine. I had thought was it the worst script ever written” David Kelly: P100

The Dillinger Escape Plan’s founding member and fret-master general Ben Weinman took time out from a gruelling tour schedule to explain to Lorcan Archer what it’s like to invent your own genre and being followed everywhere by those damn pesky kids Cast your minds way back to the momentous year of 1999. Teetering on the brink of a new millennium, it was easy for a music fan to cast his or her eyes over the 20th century’s achievements in art and music, the seemingly non-stop flow of expression that at no time had ceased to twist and change, always channelling the spirit of its restless creators in its many forms, be it jazz, rock, swing, electronic, classical or folk. It seems fitting then that the last year of such a vibrant period should be marked by the release of the shattering Calculating Infinity, The Dillinger Escape Plan’s debut album, and a work that more than set up the group as both visionaries, but also without peer in terms of pure creativity. Never had such an insane combination of jazz, hardcore fury and electronica sounded so daring. “We’ll be performing on the Conan O’Brien show soon,” mentions guitarist Ben Weinman casually over the phone, a smile evident in his tone. “I guess it’s another milestone, because it’s something I thought a band like us would never be able to do. We’ll probably end up getting someone fired for that one.” He’s got a good point. The group’s evolution in the eight years since the turn of the millennium has seen them channel the completely off-the-wall blend of noise rock and blistering technicality of the past into a far slicker proposition evident on Ire Works, miraculously without compromising the unique sound they’ve been famed for. Notorious for prompting journalists to invent the term ‘Mathcore’ to describe their intensely technical sound and their numberless imitators, the band haven’t taken one step backwards, despite the huge array of problems that assailed them on their latest effort. Those included the sudden departure

of drummer Chris Pennie, a vast range of medical injuries for several band members and the mounting pressure of subsequent cancelled tours and shows. “The one thing that stands out for me over the last year is just getting that album done, and being so damn happy with it too. I felt like it might not have been done at several points, absolutely. I didn’t know if it would be made from day to day. People would ask me from day to day, ‘Why are you being so vague about the band?’ It was because we just didn’t know. Everyday we’d go a little further, until we got to the point where we were onstage, playing a show. I haven’t been this excited and happy about the band since it began.” With a revitalized line up now in full effect, the ball is most certainly in the audience’s court again, with the group being more than famed for their unhinged live shows. Youtube viewers, keep an eye out for the group’s infamous performance at a Virgin Megastore release show, where singer Greg Puciato simply sprints across the heads of an unsuspecting crowd. Fire breathing, scaffolding climbing, there are no limits. “I couldn’t help it, even if I tried,” admits Weinman, concerning the energy the band exhibit onstage. “It’s just what the music does to me. I physically twitch when I hear it. It’s how much I associate the music with energy. There are some moments when I’m onstage playing, and I feel like I’m not pushing myself fully. And that’ll get me wound up, and I’ll have to give it my all then. So its kind of natural, I feed off that drive to need to give it 100% each night. Particularly to the energetic and aggressive side of it.” The new album certainly does continue down the path of raw power,

but significantly with the encompassing elements of electronica and jazz working their magic to create a properly diverse piece of work. Ire Works quickly received maximum marks from noted publications like Kerrang and Decibel Magazine. But a lot of interest centred on the mysterious hidden code and message included with the album, which could only be deciphered with help from the group’s website. “Well, we like the idea of people putting some work back into something they listen to, it’s sometimes more beneficial for music to work on you and vice versa. It’s a bit strange alright, but I guess that’s just who we are.” The band can call upon a vast array of influences, as can expected from a group who have covered everyone in the past from Justin Timberlake to Aphex Twin. “For me, the hardest thing as a musician is trying to do something like a side project, outside the band,” admits Weinman. “Because I feel like everything good I come up with should go towards this, my main band. “It is strange, walking down the

street back home, to have kids following you singing one of your riffs though, saying ‘Man, I grew up listening to 43% Burnt. Its cool, but just plain weird.” laughs Weinman, referencing what is possibly the one of the most shockingly discordant songs the band has ever done. Irish fans will get a chance to grill the group soon enough, as The Dillinger Escape Plan make their first trek over the Atlantic for the first time in several years this month. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been over. We’re really excited. We love playing country to country in Europe. I do see some similarities with the crowd between Europe and the US now, even in styles and trends, and maybe that’s to do with the internet, as ideas start moving more quickly. But it’ll be fun.” Standing too close to the front may result in singed eyebrows, but who needs eyebrows anyway? The Dillinger Escape Plan brings the noise to The Village, Dublin on 16th February. w w w. d i l l i n g e r e s c ap e p l a n . c o m www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan

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Craic agus ceol in the Student Bar Kíla frontman and renowned poet Ronán Ó’Snódaigh sat down with Eoin Boyle to wax lyrical about the folk-group’s successful career so far and what lies ahead Kíla occupy a very special place in most Irish music fans’ hearts, managing to play really Irish sounding songs with perfect execution, without ever once coming close to kitsch or cheesiness. Their mixture of world music and lively traditional instrumentation is a joy to behold on record, but according to eccentric frontman Ronán Ó’Snódaigh, it’s in the live environment that everything the band does really comes to life. “I’m addicted to it,” admits the candid singer. “Generally when we play music people react positively. Music is music, and in a live setting everything just makes sense.” This is generally what breaks down the barrier that may exist between the group and the crowd for Ó’Snódaigh. “Maybe until people saw us play they might have some preconceived notions, but generally when we play it all comes together nicely.” The live stage is where most fans would probably be familiar with the group, with the band having played the length and breadth of the country for almost two decades. The group belongs to the hallowed few of Irish musicians to have truly found a place in the hearts of

the country. Part of what makes the band so engaging live is the bare-footed ﬁgure of O’Snódaigh giving it socks onstage, with antics and vigor aplenty. “That’s something I’d be kind of embarrassed about actually. I generally tend to let myself go and remember a erwards what I did,” laughs the singer. “I don’t practice in front of the mirror or anything, that’s deﬁnitely a bit too vain. I just try to let myself go with it.” Now with over ten albums completed and hun-

“I generally tend to let myself go and remember afterwards what I did. I don’t practice in front of the mirror or anything, that’s definitely a bit too vain. I just try to let myself go with it.” dreds of shows under their belts, the band is still hungry to expand on their creativity. “We have something nearly in the bag,” hints the singer. As can be expected from a group as diverse as Kíla, the creative process is always interesting. “We’ve mostly ﬁnished recording an album. It’s just a case of getting everyone behind it, sorting out the concept and what everyone else wants to contribute. We are currently to and fro over that but we have something, and Colm (Mac Con Iomaire) has been calling it Soundtrack to a Dream Sequence. I’m looking forward to it.” This is one of the factors that set Kíla apart, the ability to release exciting new music for years on end, quite apart from the gigging experience. “I love

recording as well as playing live. It’s what I was built for.” Never was this point so strongly underlined as when Kíla decided to contribute the soundtrack to London West End production Monkey! Providing the soundtrack to the play allowed the group to let down their hair so to speak, and attempt something they’d never tried before. “It was great fun, that’s why we put it out as an album eventually. It wasn’t meant to be released, as it was just a soundtrack for a play but we had so much fun we decided we had to put it out there.” 2008 is set to be another active year for the group, with a busy nationwide tour scheduled in March and a special show in Barcelona for St. Patrick’s Day. With so many years of music already behind them, the band finds themselves still hungry for expression and productivity in the most natural of ways. “You can be inspired by somebody’s spirit in a game of football, or in a film, or in a book, it makes you really want to try harder with what you’re doing. I still have the hunger for music, and that’s all that matters really.” It’s not all smiles and sunshine though. “Yeah, sometimes I can go off in a sulk if something doesn’t work out,” grins Ó’Snódaigh. “But it doesn’t take me too much to bring me back out.” Nominated for both a Choice Music Award, one of Ireland’s most respected shortlist prizes, as well as another Meteor award, the band can hardly claim to be sliding into obscurity. “I’m delighted,” reveals the frontman. “It’s always nice to be nominated for that sort of thing. It really does feel like someone from outside has just popped in and said, ‘Well done lads!’”

Kíla play the UCD Student Bar on Thursday 7th of February

Lett the battle begin L Lorcan Archer explores the ins and outs of the National Student Music Awards, one of Ireland’s biggest Battle of the Bands competitions, currently on the warpath to UCD The Bank of Ireland National Student Music Awards are currently accepting entries from across Ireland into the renowned competition, with only a couple of weeks le until the ﬁnal submission date. The Media Awards are unique in that they oﬀer third level students performing with their personal bands the opportunity to perform in front of an unmatched collection of music industry professionals in Ireland, including journalists, broadcasters, A&R personnel, agents and bookers. The prize up for grabs includes everything that promising young artists could do with, including

extensive recording time at Religion Music Studios, Dublin, a substantial cash Prize from IMRO, CD duplication from Easy Duplication, rehearsal time at The Rehearsal Rooms, a HotPress Interview, consultation with music lawyer Edward Traynor; and even a photography session thrown in for good measure. All that is required is that the group involved has one full time student among their ranks, which certainly isn’t too hard to ﬁnd, so competition will be stiﬀ, and only the best shall survive. Past winners of the prize have included luminaries such as Delorentos,

who are now up for a Choice Music Prize. Regional heats will take place around the country this coming March, including one at UCD, which will culminate in a ﬁnal show at the Village venue in our fair capital. Interested parties should ensure they’ve send their required demo CDs to the following address by the deadline of 12th February: NSMA, Suite 49, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6. Those chosen shortlisted by the panel will appear in UCD as part of a four group competition to make it to the ﬁnal on March 6th. For more information, check out www.nsma.ie

■ Last year’s winners: Saviours of Space

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Aural Examinations subject material stand out is how it’s so conﬁdently delivered in the collective Dublin twang. Occasionally, the references to the US giants of hip-hop are glaringly obvious in the rapidﬁre word deliveries, but the excellently arranged instrumentation and genuine lyrics helps to ensure the endeavor is a success. This is particularly seen on the brilliantly put-together ode to ‘that time of the month’ on Back to Front, and the subtle backing vocals and stroke-of-genius soul singer samples on Wake Up. As nnnpp may be expected, the vocal lines are delivered in a very fast pace, Irish hip-hop isn’t particularly well but o en the presence of the voices themknown for its overwhelming quality, selves don’t really grab the listener in the but The Infomatics could well be help- way that their inspiring American groups ing to change that, with this profession- might. This in itself can work for the song, al and seriously enjoyable collection of as it sounds like it could be any anonytunes. mous Dublin soul addressing the issues A modern, slick production, properly we all dwell on. catchy beats and excellently delivered Along with Messiah J & The Expert, rhymes all combine to grab the listener The Infomatics could well be part of a right from the start. The Dublin collec- new wave of serious Irish hip-hop and tive address various themes that appeal to rap artists, that both deliver in style and any denizens of this modern city of ours, substance without having to copy the forfrom poverty visible on the streets to the bearers in the US of A, and for that they’re annoyance of your girlfriend constantly more than worth keeping an eye on. texting you. What really makes such fairly standard Lorcan Archer

informatics

kill or create

Kings of the castle Joey Wilson, main man of Irish rockers Future Kings of Spain, talks to Lorcan Archer about the hazardous waters that bands must swim through and the need for young and free groups to control their own destinies

black mountain cat power

jukebox

in the future nnnnp nnnnp

Think of the least sexy song of all time. Barbie Girl and The Lonely Goatherd spring to mind, but Sinatra’s New York New York is definitely up there. While classic, it has certainly not been known for getting anyone in the mood. Until now, as Cat Power transforms this piece of timeless cheese into a supremely seductive ballad, immediately letting you know that this album is just a little bit different. Original and inspired, Jukebox features two original songs from Cat Power, and her take on ten slightly obscure songs from legends like Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, James Brown and Hank Williams. But this is no cover album, the aim of which is to pay tribute to the original artists – Power instead utilises her sultry voice to show these artists up shamelessly. She has an ability to effortlessly make other people’s songs her own, though while listening to her original compositions one wonders why she feels the need to. Power’s original salute to Bob Dylan, Song to Bobby, is a sweetly trickling folk song that’s funny and endearing, and displays Power’s gorgeously lilting and almost conversational voice perfectly. This song gives us the greatest insight into Power herself, while the other tracks tell us just one thing: the girl’s got style.

Canadian rockers Black Mountain unashamedly love 70s Rock. Their second album In The Future tips its hat to the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and progressive godfathers Emerson Lake & Palmer. Accordingly it sprawls and swirls with guitar and synth solos aplenty. Stormy High kicks off the album with a he y stomp that should be enjoyed at high volumes. The simple acoustic tones of Angel and Night Walks nicely counterbalance the heaviness and chaos of Stormy High and Bright Lights. It’s with the album centre-piece, however, that Bright Lights proves they’re not 70s imitators but rather innovators themselves and willing to take risks. They do so in laying down a seemingly improvised seventeen minute psych-rock monster complete with swirling synths, hypnotic bass, a crushing riff and Webber’s screamed vocals. Unfortunately it’s the more calculated ballads which let this album down. Wild Winds and the saccharine sweet Stay Free are simply forgettable. Otherwise In The Future is a very fine album. The band are innovators in their own time and a couple of weak ballads notwithstanding, they should be seen as worthy contributors to the long legacy of rock and roll.

Roe McDermott

Fergal O’Reilly

It’s been quite the busy period for the Kings, from coming out swinging with the Meteor Prize nominated Nervousystem back in September, to perfecting their passionate live performances with a swathe of gigs, including a rather high-proﬁle TV appearance on the Late Late Show last week. Guitarist Joey Wilson can be justiﬁably content with the progress of this most hardworking band. “Yeah, it’s good to be free from the troubles of last year, particularly surrounding the label issues and the album. Nervousystem has been out now for a good while, and it’s so good to be able to just get out there and play the songs again, rather than the waiting around and forced inactivity that we had with that unpleasant situation with our old label.” The fruits of the group’s labours are clearly evident, with he y amounts of plays on Dublin’s independent radio stations and Guess Again, the lead single from the full length a main contender for best Irish song of the year. “It’s just good to be doing what we love to do, getting out there, because it was looking pretty bleak back there for a while. We’re glad to be getting on with it.” The group is glad to be building on the success of their de-

but album, with the delayed release of the new album helping to work up anticipation amongst fans and on-lookers, one positive aspect of the slow progress. “It seemed like it was certainly taking a long time, but you know, once you’ve got it in the bag you just want to get out there and actively do music.” The warm reception of

agrees Wilson. “So much of a band’s presence moves online, to sites like Myspace. But as a group we still love playing live.” This was more than hammered home with the group supporting the UK’s Biffy Clyro on a brace of live dates recently when the band toured Ireland. “Yeah we played a couple of shows with them, but had to cut it short due to personal reasons. We’ll look forward to playing a lot more shows this year.” Speaking of which, the band has just headlined the first installment of the Murphy’s Live competition showcases in Dublin on the 30th of January. “It’s a good competition, and being free, we’ve shi ed most of the tickets already. It’s always good to have an opportunity for bands to get a platform to do what they have to do. You know, I think it’s about time a new band came along and really just kicked it out, and did something new. Someone that can really blow your socks off.” It appears that nobody has been blowing the Kings off their respective thrones lately. “I’m useless when it comes to keeping up with new stuff, and I’ve been listening to too much old stuff like Iggy Pop recently. The last band to really blow me away was Arcade Fire, I think I need to diversify.”

“It’s just good to be doing what we love to do, getting out there, because it was looking pretty bleak back there for a while. We’re glad to be getting on with it.” Nervousystem is an especially heartening event for Future Kings of Spain given the tempestuous state of the record industry worldwide. With the rapid shrinking of album sales across the globe, and the rougher than expected transition of music purchasing to legal downloads, success needs to be earned in the broader picture. “It’s certainly an interesting time for record companies and the music industry in general,”

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Photo: Brian Kelleher

the mars volta

bedlam in goliath

juno music from the motion picture nnnnp

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The Mars Volta’s fourth full studio album as a band continues their unique brand of music with o eat stylings and experimental touches that cannot be found anywhere on mainstream radio. To try and conﬁne their work to a genre would be doing them a disservice. Instead, come in with an open mind, forget about what people have told you they’re like and simply dive right in. Bixler-Zavala has his standout moments on the album; providing an ethereal voice that counterpoints and contrasts equally as well as it combines with everything else. He straddles the immense range of the songs with great accomplishment and it really shows. If there’s one thing that his voice, along with the rest of the band can do so well, it is to create a mood and that’s really one of the greatest strengths of The Bedlam in Goliath. From start to ﬁnish the band is able to invoke emotions and feelings from the listener like nothing ever quite listened to before. It’s not an immediate epiphany of sound due to the complexity of the album as whole, but it has much to be enjoyed from repeated listening.

It appears that we may already have on our hands one of the best movie soundtracks of the year. This compilation completely sidesteps the soundtrack formula of dull filler songs and average pop anthems. Instead, the Juno soundtrack is a collaborative effort of many contagious, alternative love songs which combine to produce an incredible record. The compilation has managed to blend together some oldies, namely The Kinks, and some more recent oldies like The Moldy Peaches while still managing to create an album that is both refreshing and infectious. The record is littered with acoustic songs, and their simplicity appeals to any listener. In particular, the amazing songs from the husky-voiced Kimya Dawson have a childlike sing-along quality, yet her politically conscious lyrics shatter this proposed innocence, making her songs perfect anthems for the movie character of Juno herself. This theme of innocence is maintained especially with The Velvet Underground’s fantastic “I’m Sticking With You”. The impossible challenge that faces the listener is to find their favourite song. The album is a pleasurable addiction for any listener, so prepare to surrender.

Fergus Looney

Fiona Redmond

Gig Guide

v From

05.02.2008

Tuesday 5th February: Queens of the Stoneage, Ambassador Theatre, €44.20, doors at 8pm Amy McDonald, Whelans, €16, doors at 8pm Wednesday 6th February: Queens of the Stoneage, Ambassador Theatre, €44.20, doors at 8pm Laura Veirs / Your Heart Breaks, Whelans, €17, doors at 8pm Neosupervital, The Button Factory, €15, doors at 9pm Thursday 7th February: David Geraghty, Whelans, €13.50, doors at 8pm Friday 8th Febuary: The Hoosiers, Ambassador Theatre, €25, doors at 8pm Droppin’ Bombs/ Cops & Robbers/ Mongolia/ Putrefaction, Lower Deck, €6, doors at 8pm Save Your Breath/ Forging Friendships/ First Death in Nova Scotia, Dorans, €5, doors at 8pm The Gandhis, Radio City, €7, doors at 7pm Saturday 9th February: Smashing Pumpkins, RDS, €59.80, gates at 8pm Athlete, The Village, €25, doors at 8pm Manchester Orchesta, Crawdaddy, €14, doors at 8pm Super Extra Bonus Party, Whelans, €10,

Smashing Pumpkins play the RDS on the 9th Febrary

doors at 8pm Hybrasil / Story of Hair / ABAM, Boom Boom Room, €8, doors at 9pm Monday 11th February: Los Campesinos!, The Village, €18, doors at 8pm Jamay, Whelans (upstairs) , 13.50, doors at 8pm Tuesday 12th February: Chrone Hoof, Whelans, €16, doors at 8pm The Cool Kids / Carps / The Infomatics, Crawdaddy, €16, doors at 8pm Wednesday 13th February: The Blizzards, The Village, €15, doors at 8pm Leman, Crawdaddy, €10, doors at 8pm

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FEATURES

Bobble Head the flesh The Den Legend Ray D’Arcy chats to Simon Ward about Bosco, real aliens and stalking Ian Dempsey UCD. Ireland’s so-called ‘Education Capital’. Populated by the Ireland’s best and brightest, groomed to be the next generation’s thinkers and leaders. Students who, for the most part would have been brought up on a rich diet of Bosco, Zig and Zag and Don Conroy. “God help us. The country is doomed”, jokes the chief protagonist of all this madness. Ray D’Arcy fronted Ireland’s first successful stab at children’s television for eight years during the 1990s. It was an innocent time, a time when hair was parted in the centre, woolly jumpers were all the rage, and D’Arcy’s gang would peer out through television sets across the nation. It had a curious effect on the psyche of young adults, now at a certain age. “It’s odd. I was on the Den for eight years, it was pre-Nickelodeon, and there wasn’t really much going on. The impression I get from a lot of people between the ages of 16 and 25 is like they treat me as an older brother. Maybe like a young uncle? I’m not too sure”. If D’Arcy slots in an older sibling, where does Bosco, that curious magic-doorhopping redheaded hermaphrodite fit in? “Bosco’s male. That is official. The lady who has his hand up his - is a lady obviously. But I assure you Bosco is a boy”. The memory of Ian Dempsey’s incarnations of The Den, Dempsey’s Den is preserved only amongst the most haggard of PhD students these days A er four years at the helm, Ian Dempsey surrendered the reins to D’Arcy, then presenter of Jo Maxi, a curious teenage music show. Luckily, those surrounding him were quick to offer encouragement. “I was up in the local pub, I was still living at home, this guy I knew - a local schoolteacher came over to me and said ‘you know what, you’ve bitten more than you’ll be able to chew’. Which was heartening. “Nobody else but Ian had done it, and Ian had done such a brilliant job, and made it his own. It was a er all called Dempsey’s Den. Yeah, it was daunting. But you can only be yourself.” Whilst children’s television is a

dream for many an aspiring presenter, appearing along-side two aliens and a talking turkey (a builder from the Long-Mile Road, naturally) wasn’t quite the aspiration the Kildare man had in mind. “It wasn’t something I dreamt up. In testimony to the people who were so good at what they did. We once had the most cynical of 1990’s Manchester groups in; they were fighting with the record company saying ‘No we’re not doing a children’s puppet show’. They’d be on a minute and they’d be talking to Zig and Zag as if they were best mates you know’. “I think that’s the only way the format could have worked, they were real. Well, they were real to me.” Eventually all good things must come to a close, and nearly a decade amongst sock monsters, birthday wishes and the peculiarly voiced Snotser, D’Arcy called time on his career in children’s television. “I really enjoyed it, and I would never do something similar again. It was very unique and brilliant. I’d given it all I had to give. We’d pushed out the b oundaries; we’d done live broadcasts from fields and people’s houses and my mother’s kitchen. I thought I needed to move on. “In an odd way, I felt the time was right. It’s always better in life to give people what they want before they know they want it. To leave before you’re asked to leave is always a good thing with children’s television. So I moved on in 1998.” While D’Arcy moved on from the Den, he couldn’t shake off Zig and Zag, who tagged along for his next television vehicle, 2Phat. 2Phat took some of the bizarre elements of the Den, twisted them, re-molded them, and added Velcro Girl. In the time honoured tradition of UCD/RTE fellowship, a miniature audience was introduced. “It was a sort of young adult teenager type of thing, with a lot of audiences from UCD, because they where handy. You used to have an audience of fi een and they’d come down, sometimes half-cut. It was a good laugh.” In 2000, Darcy swapped a decade in front of the camera for pastures new behind the microphone, with fledgling

“Bosco’s male. That is official. The lady who has his hand up his - is a lady obviously. But I assure you Bosco is a boy”

radio station TodayFM. Indeed the path from Donnybrook had already been ventured by that familiar ﬁgure of Ian Dempsey, who still presents the early morning slot. When asked whether the Den had become a training ground for careers at TodayFM, the presenter chuckles. “Well there are a number of other guys who didn’t make it, of course.” “Until quite recently I was following Ian Dempsey around, kinda stalking him. He did the Den, then I did the Den. He did TodayFM, then I did To-

dayFM. I think the great thing about the Den and why it has worked well when it did work was because it was like radio on television. There were none of the intrusions that television normally brings to something, because television can create a huge barrier between the people behind the camera and in front of the camera.” Ray D’Arcy’s 9am show has proved to be wildly successful, with his easygoing, laid-back persona reﬂecting well in the radio format as it did on the Den. “The way radio is done, the

breakfast show has a certain format to it. People expect a lot of time checks, the traﬃc, a bit of laugh, fast moving. When they get to nine o’clock people have got to wherever they’re going. People listen to radio diﬀerently from nine o’clock onwards. They want a companion of sorts. Something they can dip in to. They don’t want someone who shouts in their face. You need to be gentle enough.” Chris Moyles he ain’t. With the Irish radio landscape inhabited by a few notable characters, Joe

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Duffy, Gerry Ryan and formerly Terry Wogan and Gay Byrne, it’s interesting to evaluate D’Arcy’s status among such legends. “I’m always reluctant to compare myself. When I was in negotiations for this job, the management where like - who are you going to be? Gay Byrne or Gerry Ryan or who? I said strangely enough, I going to be Ray D’Arcy. It’s the only thing I can do.” “People work when they are themselves, if being yourself is a loud brash mickey-taking fella, fair enough. But it’s the reality about it that works for people. That’s not me, I’m different from that. I think people see though it if you have some sort of facade on radio, especially if you’re on five days a week for three hours a day and it’s live. If there is a facade people eventually see through it. It’s definitely easier to fake on TV.” Radio success can be measured by a number of barometers, the number of listeners, the type of audience, the cult following. H o w e v e r, you can get no greater confirmation of radiostardom when official effigies are made in your image. The figurine in question is the ‘Bobble-HeadRay’, a limited-edition miniature Ray claimed only upon winning a prize on-air. “We got samples of these things in, thinking it would be a great idea to

give it away as prizes for the show. They actually were really high quality, and it’s just completely ridiculous. It’s changed over the years. “It started off, with the ‘how mad is that story’ thing. How mad is that? If we read it out you got one of these Bob-

other. The Promised Land was DCU’s Helix Theatre. “Sunday night, eight o’clock, we went live and there’s something really buzzy about that. There was a big adrenaline rush. There’s people in the auditorium, there’s people watching at home. There’s a sense of community about it, and you get that less and less with live television. So to think that as you walk out, there’s people sitting down with their cup of tea sitting on their sofas across the country. Like it or loathe it, but you know anything can happen between now and nine o’clock.” 2005’s You’re a Star saw the rise of Donna and Joseph McCaul. The pair had come straight out of Athlone to climb to dizzying heights, ascending to contest the Eurovision for the pride of Ireland. It didn’t go too well. “I think Donna and Joe, they could sing, and it was a real Eurovision song, but they looked shite by comparison to the rest. And we haven’t done much better since.” Indeed D’Arcy has failed to escape the annual Eurovision festivities, and will host TodayFM’s this year again in glamourous Serbia. “The Eurovision is one of these great things. Everyone has an opinion about it, and everyone chats about it, but it really doesn’t matter at the end of the day. You can have a heated discussion about it but no-one really cares in the end, nobody dies. It’s not politics or religion. It’s a bit of a laugh, you can actually have a serious conversation about it, get all head-up about it. Then have a pint.” Idiosyncratic careers do not come much more unique than Ray D’Arcy’s. From running discos at fifteen, presenting Children’s television with Aliens, the carnival of Eurovision and The Rose of Tralee, no two jobs are ever the same. On thing remains to be sure about however. His years of presenting will have an imprint upon the current UCD generation forever.

“Donna and Joe could sing, but they looked shite by comparison to the rest. And we haven’t done much better since” ble-Head-Rays. At the minute we’ve started doing mailbag again with Arthur Murphy, so if you have something that annoys you and if your email gets read out, on Thursday, you get a Bobble Head Ray”. Perhaps these monuments to radio genius should be saved by their owner in case they become collector’s items. “I doubt it very much. But they are very well made. There are hundreds of them all over the country, adorning mantle pieces and dashboards.” Ray D’Arcy, while a rather modest and self-effacing man, still has a number of personal goals to reach and ambitions to fulfill. One such aspiration was met when he claimed the mantle of presenter of You’re a Star, RTE’s take on Pop Idol (with a dash of GAA-style parochialism and the promise of a Eurovision entry). “You plot out your career and you set challenges along the way. You have the things you need to achieve in your head. I wouldn’t be that ambitious, but I would like to feel that I can do certain things. One of the things I had never done is a big live show in front of an audience. I was excited by that part of You’re a Star.” And so it began. A bizarre nationwide phenomenon was born, with seemingly every village and parish cheering and texting for a local act of some form or

College Tribune

5th February 2008

Siren

HEALTH

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College Tribune

5th February 2008

Crash diet dummies With a new miracle weight loss fad being hyped up every week, Katie Keane takes a practical approach to investigating the often harmful effects that crash diets can cause

Weight loss plans are everywhere from advertisements to celebrity endorsements. Nowadays, with the size zero trend becoming ever more popular, we seem to be more bodyconscious than ever before. However, for a society on a supposed

health kick, we are taking the wrong approach as these diets may be more harmful than helpful. Along with three other college students, I decided to try out some of the most talked about diet plans and investigate their merits and drawbacks.

The Special K Diet This diet looked relatively easy to follow. Kellogg’s claim was that by following their cereal plan for two weeks, a participant would drop a jean size. It consists of two bowls of either special k or crunchy nut cereal a day, with one balanced meal for either lunch or dinner. Participants are also allowed unlimited amounts of fruit and vegetables. On closer inspection, there are a few limitations not advertised. The Kellogg’s website states that the participant must also be overweight with a BMI of over 25 for the diet to work effectively. Special K Participant: Katie Keane How easy was it to follow? At first I thought it seemed easy enough to stick to. The instructions were pretty simple, but I didn’t realise how tired I would get of eating sugary cereal all the time. How well did the diet work? Well I didn’t drop a jean’s size so it didn’t work for me. However, technically the website states that you need to have a BMI of over twenty five, which I didn’t have. What were the main drawbacks? I was very hungry during college as the cereal didn’t fill me up enough until lunch. Also because there were not any specifications to the balanced meal, mine was probably too generous. I never really felt very healthy

Weight Watcher’s Participant: Katie Baynes How easy was it to follow? It was very easy to follow this diet because eve-

The Soup Diet

The Slim Fast brand was started in the seventies and its plan was best described by their phrase “a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, then a sensible dinner.” Since then, the brand has expanded its product range to include meal bars and smoothies. Famous spokespeople for Slim Fast have included Kathie Lee Giﬀord and Whoopi Goldberg.

Various soup-based crash diets have been associated with celebrity weight-loss recently. The diet requires that participants restrict their meals to several bowls of soup over the course of the day. Celebrities associated with it include Dolly Parton and Sarah Michelle Geller. Soup Diet Moulton

Participant:

Ciana

Slim Fast participant: Ciara Mullin How easy was it to follow? It really wasn’t that diﬃcult. Some of the Slim Fast products tasted quite nice such as the milkshakes and the bars, but the smoothies were really awful. How well did it work? It worked for a short time while I was consuming the products but the results were only temporary, because as soon as I stopped, any weight I lost came back. during the two weeks because it just felt as if I was eating sugar all the time due to the sweetness of the cereal. Would you recommend it? I would recommend it to someone who was overweight and needed a simple plan to try out if absolutely nothing else worked, but for someone who was trying to get healthy, I wouldn’t recommend it. Conclusion: The diet seems simple enough to follow with the required willpower; however it could seem more like a clever marketing plan for Kellogg’s to push some of their less popular cereals. For example, a bowl of cornﬂakes has fewer calories than a bowl of Special K or Crunchy Nut, and yet it is not included in the Drop a Jean Size Plan.

The Weight Watchers Diet Founded in the sixties, the Weight Watchers Company specialises in providing group meetings, guidebooks and special meals for dieters. There is an online service for people who do not wish to attend the meetings and the specialised meals are optional. People carrying out the Weight Watchers plan can choose what they want to eat, as long as they stick to the amounts speciﬁed in the guide.

The Slim Fast Diet

What were the main drawbacks? I thought it was the fact that you have to buy products from the range to do the diet and depending on where you buy them, they can be quite expensive. I also felt I wasn’t getting enough fruit and vegetables during the time I was on the Slim Fast diet. Would you recommend it? Maybe as a drastic measure if you wanted to slim down for an event but not if you were trying to get ﬁt or be healthy and wanted keep oﬀ the weight for good. Conclusion: Like the Special K diet, Slim Fast seems to have a clever marketing strategy. The company relies on consumers to buy their products in

you couldn’t really use it as a quick ﬁx because it did take a good while before you saw any results. Would you recommend it? I would deﬁnitely recommend it because you aren’t restricted to a certain food group. I felt like I was eating healthily and didn’t have to miss out on my very important morning Starbucks. rything was measured in points and was already worked out for you in the guide. How well did it work? It did work, but it took a while before it kicked in. What were the main drawbacks? Well,

Conclusion: Unlike the others, the Weight Watchers diet plan seems to be something that could be sustained over a longer period of time. As a drawback however, it is up to the individual to make sure that they eat a balanced diet every day so a lot of will power is required.

How easy was it to follow? It started oﬀ ok, but a er the ﬁrst day or two it began to get rather unpleasant. How well did it work? I can’t complain as it did work, I lost some weight. What were the main drawbacks? I felt like I was lacking in energy all the time and it really would have been impossible to do it during college. Would you recommend it? It would suit someone who was

trying to lose a lot of weight very fast but I wouldn’t recommend it because I think it was very unhealthy. Conclusion: We are all aware that drinking plenty of ﬂuids is good for our body. However, eating large amounts of soup means that our body is being tricked into thinking it’s full when it isn’t. As a result our stomachs would be full and yet we would not have the energy that we usually have and require.

Feel the burn ■ Swimming is an excellent cardio exercise as it works your whole body by building muscle and trimming and toning body fat. Lane swimming sessions are run at almost every public swimming pool and o en is a lot more fun the gym. ■ Running is another great way to lose fat, and although it is not the most fun, it is definitely very effective and probably the easiest to fit in a busy schedule. Treadmills and tracks work you out but running in a park will burn more calories with the gradient constantly changing. Bouts of sprinting combined with running will doubly reward your efforts. ■ Skipping is also a great all over workout. A skipping rope is easy to carry and even easier to do wherever you are, giving you an unparalleled total body workout, as well as increasing agility. Frequent fi een minute sessions will get you back in shape in no time. ■ However, for those who cannot yet push themselves to engage in such heavy exercise, you can start out slow by easing yourself in with certain tips. ■ Drinking a litre of water a day will flush out toxins and clear up skin as well helping to lose weight. As most people are generally dehydrated all the time, the body stores reserves of water. If we keep out bodies hydrated, the reserves are no longer needed and are released and weight is lost. ■ Simply standing upright as opposed to sitting will cause the body to burn calories for the longer you do it. Although it’s a slow method, it’s a start. So instead of sitting down on the bus, stand up and burn calories at the same time.

■ Walking briskly without taking a break or stopping from lecture to lecture instead of strolling casually to your next destination and chatting to distant acquaintances is an easy way to get ﬁt without really putting too much thought into it. However, even as all of these are eﬀective, some more quickly than others, they can only show their optimum results when combined with a healthy

FASHION

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College Tribune

5th February 2008

Miss Congeniality --------- B E ---

a university when you’re eighteen are simple and generally based on where your friends are going and the most popular choice.” Like most students new to UCD, Davison admits to being overwhelmed by the vastness of the college. “The size of the place was very daunting. I was amazed with the fact that there were 500 people in the big lecture theatre in first year.” “I have fantastic memories of first year- of not having to do that much work, of all the socializing and the relatively few hours in lectures. I got involved with the fashion show and a big group of us hung out together in the Student Bar. I have very fond memories of the fashion show, it was pretty much my first bit of modelling experience I did apart form the odd charity event.” Although it is probably what Davison is most famous for, becom-

WHAT’S IN: KNITS Almost warmed to this one but evidence shows they will almost definitely make you look larger than you actually are.

ing Miss World was not an ambition of hers in her youth, and she took a bit of convincing to enter. “It was an accident really. I was shopping in Dun Laoghaire when a scout came along.” “She was recruiting people at the last minute for the local regional competition that would send the winner to Miss Ireland. I took a lot of convincing but eventually agreed as it was summer time and there wasn’t much else going on. So I entered, going on to become Miss Ireland and then eventually finding myself in China at the Miss World Competition.” Events such as Miss World have been the target of many a joke in films such as Miss Congeniality and Drop Dead Gorgeous. They’re o en labelled as offensive and demeaning to women. Davison explains

CLUTCH The must have evening bag this season. Get it in purple and kill two birds with one stone.

TEA IN THE RESTAURANT It looks funny. It smells funny. It tastes funny. Bottom line, it’s to be steered clear from. (Tip: Try not leaving it to stew overnight).

she used to have the same negative impression. “I would have had the same sort of ideas before I actually embarked on my experience but my opinions have been changed drastically since then.” “The girls who were in the competition with me were all university students or graduates and many of them had or were graduates studying medicine, law, dentistry, architecture and they really felt the Miss World competition as a way of putting them on a platform where they had a voice for whatever issues or opinions they wanted to convey and felt it would be a good addition to their CV.” “It became apparent to me that it’s not in any way something which feminists should be against, but I know that will never change. We were treated extremely well, and were never put in a situation where we had to ﬂaunt our bodies for the sake of publicity or for men. There were bikinis, but they were on the beach and were not in the context of anything else besides that. I actually found it quite liberating.” As for fashion, Davison is very passionate and ﬁnds it tough to pick a favourite item of clothing. She does admit almost ashamedly her penchant for footwear. “I love my shoes but of course I don’t have any more space for anymore,” the model mutters to herself under her breath. “I have a lovely pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. They’re just really unusual, of course they have the red sole and the typical shape but they’ve got a really unusual electric blue colour and they just photograph so well.” “I tend to mix

FRENCH AND SAUNDERS: Apparently soon to be going on tour, how can one resist.

KEFFIYEH SCARVES For the wearers who know nothing of their significance, its time to hang up your scarf; this I’m-so-indie fashion statement is over.

works ring your ially lou for co nd is espec time a n in io r sp g lex comp with a very ht cheek g e li h in er to femin hade to hig memb ards pink s owever re tw u o h H s . bones eep the blu ur temple. s sw d yo alway ards towar ply colour w ap and up ould never or nearer to h s s u o o Y r n e face than th you benea nter of your the ce the pupil.

IG RTN HT FO

Being an Irish model is no walk in the park, and Davison would be accustomed to posing for photographs in frigid conditions and enduring the media scrutiny that accompanies a high-profile career. Looking beautiful and staying thin is crucial in the modelling world, and the invasion of drugs into this world has tainted many an international model’s career. With the untimely death of fellow model and socialite Katy French making headlines nationwide last December, the problem of cocaine use is under the spotlight like never before. Davison believes that long-term steps must be taken to help solve the problem. “It seems to be becoming a huge concern. With the tragic death of Katy French and the other boys in Waterford, there has been a moral panic among the public about it.” “I personally am quite unaware of it and have only come across it once and that was at a private party and not in a nightclub. I think that obviously it is apparent that it is a widespread problem but I think that the people who are involved keep it at a low profile because I’ve never been around it.” “Obviously something needs to be done and I am glad to see that Pat Carey is taking action to stop it with the antidrugs strategy. There is a huge problem and it needs to be addressed but I don’t think that holding up people like Katy French, as sad or sudden victims will be enough to stop addicts. It needs to be a long-term approach by the Gardai, the government and the public.” The blonde and long-limbed model has many claims to fame- Miss World 2003, daughter of world renowned singer Chris De Burgh and prominent model and It-Girl of the Irish scene. However, until she was scouted for Miss Ireland, Davison lived a relatively normal life as a UCD student. “I chose UCD because when I was going through school I loved sports and I knew there were great sports facilities there. I got involved with the netball team in first year and I just felt that compared to Trinity, UCD had a better range of facilities.” “Also I suppose a lot of my friends were going. The reasons for choosing

-- OF THE ----

TY TIP ---U A Bluswhoenrders

Former Miss World Rosanna Davison takes time out to chat to Cathy Buckmaster about her time in UCD, the size zero craze and Ireland’s cocaine problem

designer with high street so I would go to BT’s and Harvey Nicholls, but I also love the little boutiques like Chica in the Westbury Mall. As for the high street, I shop in Topshop and Karen Millen and places like that.” It is well known that the fashion industry can be quite unforgiving with its criticism. The controversial size zero phenomenon strived for by many models is another example of the sometimes harsh stories we hear. “Here in Ireland we don’t have the same sort of fashion industry that would be in continental Europe.” “A lot of the girls, myself included, would do more promotional work with a bit of fashion thrown in as well. What we’re doing isn’t the high fashion modelling that you would see in Milan. I’m absolutely sure that those models out on the catwalks are under huge scrutiny and pressure to maintain their size zero bodies.” “The size zero craze is something I totally disagree with for health reasons and for aesthetic reasons and luckily in Ireland we’re not under that pressure to be that skinny but of course we make the decision to keep ﬁt and look our best. Being a small country and a small industry, there’s that competition to always stay on top so I suppose in that sense the industry can still be a bit unforgiving.” Future plans for Davison involve her ﬁrst presenting gig with GMTV, promoting the traveling Ice Show as well as being an ambassador for Audi. “I get to drive one of their cars and their launching a new car next week and in the springtime which I’ll be involved with.” She concludes contentedly that she has a few things going on in 2008.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN His shoes are show stopping with their eye catching red soles; the only thing not so hot is the price.

WHAT’S OUT:

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FILM

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College Tribune

5th February 2008

To the bitter end Godfather of Irish cinema, David Kelly, speaks to Cian Taaffe about his impressive filmography, the future, and what it was like working alongside John Cleese and Johnny Depp

David Kelly has led a life that most of us can only dream about and at 78, is still living that dream. Kelly began acting at the age of eight and has been working in theatre, ﬁlm and television ever since, best know for his roles as Rashers Tierney in Strumpet City, Grandpa in Into the West, Michael O’Sullivan in Waking Ned, Grandpa Joe in the 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and of course as O’Reilly in a one episode role in Fawlty Towers. Kelly was presented with two awards last week in UCD; an honourary fellowship from Dramsoc and an honourary life membership from the Law Society. Kelly arrived attired with his infamous bowtie and accepted his awards, claiming, “I was really thrilled and honoured to be asked to UCD to receive these. More so than any of these gongs I’ve been given, this means the most to me, because, I really am blown away by our new generation. Everyday I have good reason to believe that we are in good hands. My lot didn’t leave very many building bricks to be going on with – they weren’t very good, and I do think that today’s generation are bloody magic.” Kelly reveals, that despite his various ﬁlm and television achievements, the theatre will always remain closest to his heart, “I’ve always had a preference for the stage

and I still have, but I’ve gotten to the stage where I’m pushing 79, so I don’t really have the energy for it. I’ve had to turn down a lot of parts and what I’m really looking for is nice, little, well-paid cameo roles. Even Charlie and the Chocolate

“One role I regret turning down, because the actor who took the role won an academy award, is Little Miss Sunshine. I had thought was it the worst script ever written” Factory was only four years ago, but I wouldn’t be able to do that again. “I have turned down a lot of roles over the last few years, because I can’t take every part that comes up, but one I regret turning down in particular, because the actor who took the role won an academy award for the part, is Little Miss Sunshine, which I had thought was the worst script ever written.” Kelly may regret turning down a part in Little Miss Sunshine, but he certainly does not regret taking on the

part of Grandpa Joe, earlier that year, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Kelly reveals that the actor he most enjoyed working with throughout his entire career, was Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “Johnny Depp is a marvellous creative artist. You can sit in a room watching him and even at my great age, you learn something new. I think he is superb. I would put Johnny in the same league as my favourite actor of all time and that was Spencer Tracy, who was the greatest actor who ever lived, although I’ve never seen all the actors who have ever lived of course, but he was deﬁnitely up there.” Another actor Kelly loved working with was John Cleese. “I became good friends with John over the years and he’s very funny. He does this one gag, which will give you an idea about what John is like. If you’re driving along in a car with John, he’ll

stop the car, roll down the window and say to a passer by, ‘Excuse me, do you know where the BBC is?’ and they’ll say, ‘Sorry, I don’t’ or something to that effect and he’ll say, ‘Well it’s very easy, you just drive on here and turn le and it’s just ahead of you,’ and they always say, ‘Thank you very much’. He says it always works, you’re always thanked. That’s the type of person John is.” Kelly is quick to praise his peers, but is quite modest when it comes to speaking about himself, “People have said to me what would you like on your gravestone and I always say, I’m not interested, because I won’t be here to read it. I can never understand people wanting monuments of themselves.” Kelly also claims he will never publish an autobiography, despite his many heart-warming anecdotes and his successful career, because, “you need a huge ego to write an autobiography. There’s nothing to say really, I did the

job as best as I could and that’s it.” Kelly has spent his whole life acting and doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon; he is a true inspiration to budding young actors and even a er he’s gone, he will not be forgotten. “Every night I’ve performed for the last ﬁ y-six years, I’ve said, tonight I’m going to give the best performance I’ve ever given, because it could very well be the last and someday it will. “At my age that becomes an eerie thought, but I will never retire. That’s a promise, I won’t retire. I’ll go on to the bitter end. As I said jokingly, I’ll leave my head to the Abbey and from then on in I’ll be playing Yorick in Hamlet, and although there’s no lines, it’s a very good part, as you’ve a great scene with the leading actor.”

Ireland’s biggest film exposé Adam Watts takes a look at what we can expect from this year’s Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, with a diverse array of films from all around the world This year the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival kicks off on the 15th of February. A huge range of contemporary and independent films from across the world are being screened in Dublin’s Irish Film Institute, Savoy and Cineworld cinemas with the new addition of Movies@ Dumdrum. Since the conception of the Jameson Film Festival back in 2003, it has shone a spotlight on obscure and non-mainstream film and brought the genre to the attention of public audiences in Dublin. Under new director Gráinne Humphreys, this year’s festival offers delectable choice, such as Joel Conroy’s Waveriders, 12,000 years of Blindness and the premiere of the harrowing Polish war-time film, Katyn.

In addition, the festival prides itself on film retrospective, with plans to screen unique and elusive masterpieces such as the 1929 classic Pandora’s Box. As a celebration of one of the most influential directors in American independent and short films, Jonas Mekas’s finest movies are also being showcased, to the delight of many an Irish movie-buff. Thankfully, this year the most anticipated films heading our way are both Irish-based projects. Waveriders is a feature length documentary that delves into the rich history of surfing in Ireland, starring some of the biggest names in the sport from around the world. Trying to break the mold on the success of surfing documentaries, Joel Conroy’s Waveriders promises to be entertaining. From a slightly different perspective comes 12,000 Years of Blindness, where

footage of an expedition to the Burren in south-west Ireland yields lavish scenery shots while also tackling the stigma of blindness. The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is a lot more accessible to the public than the Sundance Film Festival. There is something very rewarding about seeing a ﬁlm for the ﬁrst time, knowing it is the premiere and also knowing that the director is about as anxious as Britney Spears’ record label is at the moment. There are many more surprises to be unveiled at the beginning of the festival as to the identity of some of the main features, but even with the line up as it is, this year’s Jameson Film Festival is looking very promising indeed. The festival commences on the 15th of February and will continue until the 24th of that month.

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College Tribune

5th February 2008

Intriguing but predictable This film has an incredibly seductive and intriguing marketing campaign. The teasing trailer has been showing for the past several months and that alone has been attracting a huge amount of interest. A hand-held camera shot of a party, the ground begins to shake. The camera rushes to the window and there’s a view of a massive explosion nearby. The screams of panic accompany a release date, and so the mystery begins. The film does not however quite live up to the tremendous expectations that this campaign has wrought. It is a very thrilling and entertaining film none the less. Cloverfield is your average monster flick, in the tradition of Godzilla and the like, but it differs in its approach.

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Cloverfield nnnnp

It is shot entirely from the point of view of the original camera holder from the trailer, and it follows a group of beautiful young people avoiding the monster. The camera work does not get as annoying as one might think but the storyline is brittle to say the least. The word idiocy deﬁnitely comes to mind when watching these characters. One man decides to seek out the one he loves and some friends foolishly follow - cue much predictable horror schlock. Cloverﬁeld does however deliver these scares with superb timing and a little style, which is all

combined with an interesting, if not a little annoying, look at the human psyche. Cloverﬁeld is a very entertaining watch and time well spent; just don’t think too hard about it. Eoin Boyle

Fails to deliver ■

The Savages nnnpp

Tamara Jenkins’ latest offering The Savages focuses on the fears of abandonment inherent in all of us, and the dread that people feel of becoming old and senile. It is an insightful look at a dysfunctional family and at the horrors of the American health system. With award-winning actors like Phillip Seymour Hoffman on board, one would expect this film to be much better than it is. The Savages has received two Oscar nominations, one for best screenplay the other for Best Actress (Laura Linney). There has been criticism aimed at Linney’s nomination with many arguing that it is more the script that was skilful rather than the actual acting. Hoffman however does present another outstanding performance through his portrayal of a man afraid of commitment, who has hit a brick wall when it comes to his professional life. His dry and sarcastic comments provide a laugh or two in

Fairytale fun this serious ﬁlm. The movie at times feels like a guilt trip, with a vision of the overcrowded nursing home where many old people are forgotten about, tugging at the heart-strings of all. Laura Linney, meanwhile, plays the role of a daughter who is forced to look a er her father, while her guilt eats away at her for not spending enough time with him. The dysfunctional lifestyle that she experienced as a child has taken its toll, as she constantly looks for commitment from unsuitable men. The Savages brings something new to the table, and is thought-provoking but on the whole, it’s nothing spectacular and fails to deliver on its initial promise. Max Harding

Directed by Mark Palansky and starring the kooky Christina Ricci and the increasingly attractive James McAvoy, Penelope is a quaint, charming film. It tells the story of a young girl who leads a lonely existence, struggling to find love. The only difference between Penelope and the rest of us is that, thanks to her parents and their feud with a witch, she’s been cursed with the nose of a pig. Her wealthy parents, having kept her isolated from the world for years, are now desperately trying to attract suitors for Penelope to help her break the curse, but even a sizable dowry doesn’t seem to make up for Penelope’s snout. Disillusioned, Penelope decides to break out into the world and to experience the things denied to her by her reclusive way of life. Initially covering

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her face with a scarf, Penelope gradually reveals her true self to the world around her. Although the concept initially appears ridiculous, Palansky has actually created a warm, moving tale of self-discovery, and while it certainly doesn’t hit us with anything too shocking or revelatory, it avoids being saccharine or ﬁnicky. Ricci and McAvoy are well suited and turn in strong performances, while Reese Witherspoon pops up as the street savvy Annie, who befriends Penelope. Described as “Tim Burton lite” by critics at the Toronto Film Festival, Penelope certainly lacks the really dark elements of Burton’s work but nevertheless has a

FILM RETROSPECTIVE

Cannibalistic controversy Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust is one of the most controversial, if not the most controversial, films ever made. Originally banned in over 50 countries, Cannibal Holocaust remains difficult to come by and generally isn’t shelved in DVD stores. Despite its controversy, and its gruesome and horrificly brutal scenes, the film remains a fan favourite and has a huge cult following. The story follows a university pro-

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Canibal Holocaust

fessor, Harold Munroe, on his quest to find four film students, who never returned from filming their documentary in the Amazon Rainforest about Cannibal tribes. Munroe returns safely from his expedition with the news that the four young explorers were killed by the cannibals. He manages to retrieve their video footage, however, which shows their

journey and subsequent murders at the hands of the cannibals despite the fact that they were initially welcoming to Munroe and his guides. The footage we see within the film is incrediby terrifying and will chill anyone to the very spine. The special effects used in the film, which was made in 1980, were so unbelievably realistic that many authorities at the time believed that the actors were actually killed in the making of the film and the director, Deodato, was arrest-

ed, until he eventually proved that the actors in the film were still alive and well. Deodato may not have killed the actors in the film, but seven animals were genuinely murdered throughout the film, in such gruesome and inhumane ways, that it is impossible to describe. Watching this film will scare the pants off even the bravest of viewers and anyone who claims films can’t scare them, has not yet witnessed this gut-churning classic. Cian Taaffe

certain edge to it. Don’t turn your nose up at this modern take on an old fairytale. Orla Kenny

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College Tribune

5th February 2008

Horror, mystery and love Helen O’Sullivan takes a look at Dean Koontz’ latest thriller, The Husband, which will be released as a Hollywood adaptation later this year ■ ■ ■

Dean Koontz The Husband

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What would you do for love? Would you lie? Would you steal? These are the questions Dean Koontz grapples with in his 44th thriller, The Husband. Mitch Rafferty is your average Joe who earns a four figure salary working as a landscape gardener in California. His life is the typical American dream with his perfect job and his wife, Holly. However the next sixty hours prove to be the most torturing and emotionally demanding hours of his life, as he receives a phone call informing him of his wife’s kidnapping. He must raise two million dollars in cash in sixty hours or else his wife will be murdered by her kidnappers. Of course the rudiments are highly unoriginal but what follows turns out to be a series of impulsive events involving betrayal and murder. Koontz is best known for his suspense thrillers while incorporating elements of horror, mystery and love. The Husband is no exception as Mitch encounters all three elements throughout the sixty hours he is given. However, it’s the character portrayals in The Husband which give credence to the plot, with the narrative portraying the mood of the characters most of the time. The reader is also introduced to Mitch’s family and his father’s questionable methods of discipline. All this comes back to haunt Mitch and we begin to see mind games forming in his head. The reader is forced to empathise with Mitch as he faces battles, mentally and physically, while his gloomy childhood is being revealed. Doubt is always a key factor in a satisfactory thriller and this is where Koontz lets the reader down; with the reader never doubting the survival of Mitch or Holly. Sure there are twists and turns in the tale, but we never get the sense that it’s going to end badly for Holly and Mitch. There is always a glimpse of hope or a backup plan for Mitch and because of this you won’t find yourself racing ahead to the next page with your heart beating against your chest, which is not typical of the author’s previous works. Secondly, the story is highly unrealistic in terms of the outcome, but one could argue

Koontz’ portrayal of pure evil could not emerge without the exaggeration of the characters’ actions, thus making the lack of realism forgivable. With Focus Features and Random House bringing The Husband to the big screen later this year, you can’t help but think the film is going to be more promising than the novel itself. The setting of the novel is incredibly cinematic with fast paced chases and bloody encounters. Some might say, that Koontz had a film in mind whilst writing this novel, especially with the use of flashbacks and a back story. However, the release of The Husband is set to be Hollywood’s sixteenth adaptation of Koontz’ work, with the Watchers trilogy being the best known of these, and with Hollywood failing to impress Koontz’ fans in the past with these films, the film’s success really is as unpredictable as the novel’s plot.

Welcome to Miami Hannah Kousbroek reviews Gail Godwin’s Queen of the Underworld, a modern American bildungsroman for literary women It is strange that Gail Godwin, author of eleven novels, five of which were on the New York Times Bestseller List, remains relatively unknown in Europe. She has been writing since the ‘70s, and her preferred subject -modern women and the choices they must inevitably face- is very relevant to today’s readers. Her novels focus deeply and profoundly on the inner lives of her characters. They are so utterly real and believable, that one is haunted by their thoughts and opinions for weeks a erwards. Without being one of those preachy feminists who hates men, Godwin manages to show the importance of a fully developed intellectual life for women. She shows the attraction of a life of romance versus the academic life, and ultimately, that while love affairs can be liberating and empowering, what one accomplishes alone is more rewarding and significant. Queen of the Underworld, which appeared on the scene in 2006, is possibly Godwin’s most successful and engaging novel yet. At worst, Godwin’s ‘inner life’ technique can seem uneventful and slightly dragging – Queen of the Underworld has none of this. It is concise and ex-

■ Gail Godwin Queen of the Underworld

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citing and its heroine, Emma Gant, is a flesh and blood person; easily identified with and with recognizable flaws. This is probably because Queen of the Underworld is more directly autobiographical than any of Godwin’s other novels. The novel takes place in Miami, in 1959. Emma Gant is fresh out of college and starting a job as a reporter for the Miami Star. Castro’s revolution has taken place six months before, and Miami is starting to fill up with Cuban exiles. Emma has literary aspirations, and is determined to do well at her first real job, and, as she had hoped, life happens for her in Miami. However, rather than writing front-page exposés on Cuba, Emma is stuck doing obituaries and other odds and ends, terrified of being relegated to the women’s section. Within hours of starting her new life she is

caught up in the middle of Cuban exiles and shady Mafia dealings. The story that interests her most, however, is that of an upper class prostitute not much older than herself: the Queen of the Underworld. Emma balances the mundane tasks set for her by the Miami Star with an affair with a married man, her own, private investigation into the story of Ginevra Snow, Queen of the Underworld, and a keen interest in the comings and goings of the Cuban exiles staying in her hotel. At the centre of all this is Emma’s own story, her own life; it is no more singular and interesting than that of the people she meets, but this is the point of Queen of the Underworld. It is Emma’s ‘inner life’ that gives flavour to the events unfolding around her. This unique voice is what Emma has to develop in order to become a writer. Her mortifications, triumphs and uncertainties not only mark the route to emotional maturity, but also to intellectual maturity: the Chicago Tribune called Queen of the Underworld the long-awaited American ‘bildungsroman about a female writer in her formative years.’ Queen of the Underworld is a significant addition to American literature – it is funny, sarcastic, romantic and moving: a recommended read for anyone interested in pursuing a career in writing or just looking for a good book.