Come on follow the Geordie Boys!!

Two of my favourite Geordies pictured above. Being a Wallsend lad myself it's always heartening to see the Toon represent! All they have they've earned, all the plaudits they get...they deserve. Anyone who thinks what they do is easy is a doughnut! If it looks effortless then they have worked hard to make it look so!
I do wish they'd use some of the cash they're stockpiling to elbow Mike Ashley out and give Newcastle United a bit of compassion, and love, at boardroom level. Alas you can't have everything...well, where would you put it?
Keep on keeping on lads!

Excelsior Out!

Tell us another one, George!

And so the net result of years of austerity is? The need for MUCH MORE AUSTERITY!! Osborne et al are hiding among the usual forest of excuses: global slow down/Labour mistakes/massive overspending etc but the real question is: Are we to be sacrificed on the hubris soaked, ego-altar of a failed economist? It would seem we are.

All advice Osborne has been given, that contradicts his current path, he has chosen to ignore. Right from the get go the cry was "Too Much/Too Soon"; growth needs nurturing not ignoring. To see growth as an inevitable by product of massive cuts is a dangerous fantasy to persist in. The much trumpeted 1% growth recently was entirely down to "special circumstances" (Jubilee/Olympics etc) and IN NO WAY a reflection on government policy. The only reason "triple dip" isn't the current buzzword, is that those who are about to cause it DARE NOT SPEAK IT"S NAME!

Make no mistake Osborne, and his gang of imbecile's, are frogmarching us toward disaster. The ballot box will have to act as our saviour and that day cannot come soon enough.

What I want to know is: Does George Osborne actually think that John Maynard Keynes is the guy who invented WINE GUMS?

Excelsior Out!

RIP Mr David Jones

"Sons of the Silent Age, they never die...they just go to sleep one day"

A legend...gone from our lives but NEVER our hearts. Everything suddenly seems out of synch and off kilter. A powerhouse of creativity and imagination he carried generation after generation of musicians upon his genius...witness the outpouring of universal grief today, lest there be any doubt.

Simon Pegg phrased it well: "To all the broken hearts today, consider this: This planet is over 4 billion years old...and yet you managed to be born in the same era as David Bowie. Take joy from that."

I include my original tribute below:

"In this green and pleasant land we have been blessed, throughout the years, by an abundance of musical genius. It goes in stages, and fads come and go, but we do crank 'em out. 

For me one man stands alone (above Mercury, Lennon and Jagger) for his Burroughs-esque command of language, his unique visual stylings and his pure theatre. 

There is a timeless beauty about him, and his music, that will be studied, debated and loved for as long as their are inquisitive minds, open hearts and rebellious souls.

He is the one classic artist that, as we speak, could revisit ANY of the many characters he has been and re-inhabit them with effortless style, ineffable grace and cool to burn...and that's how i've featured him, reacquainting himself with Aladdin Sane.

Mr Jones, I am not worthy!

Excelsior Out!"

And all the tears in the Universe will never be enough...

Excelsior's Savage Pencil

Ladies and gents, i'll be brief (for once)...it is my intention to self publish a coffee table book containing the work on this site, in addition to a number of new pieces. Above is the proposed cover image for this "weighty" tome, containing a caricature of yours truly.

"Excelsior's Savage Pencil" will be a comprehensive, irreverent and frankly goofy journey through the dimly lit recesses of my "so called" mind. I'm looking for feedback, from as many of you as possible, as to the viability of this idea. 

Feel absolutely free to leave comments here but, please keep them clean as this is a family blog!

To the many hundreds of folk who have viewed (and are viewing) this site I say thank you. It is my distinct pleasure to do it and, I hope, the work makes you smile at the very least.

Excelsior Out!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Episode-Vii-A-New-Hip-359062130

With Disney's mind boggling purchase of Lucasfilm (and all it's attendant goodies) and the sense-shattering announcement of "Star Wars. Episode 7,8 & 9"; i've been stirred to create the above, affectionate, spoof...or is it?

It's no secret I didn't care for George's prequels. For all his protestation that "they were aimed at children" even a casual analysis reveals George's personal hubris. Eschewing offers of help from Lawrence Kasdan, Frank Darabont et al; he went his own way and produced limp, confused, nonsense aimed at no one in particular. He "forced" into life a back story that was intriguing enough as one line in the original; but dragged out across three movies it felt tedious, thinly sketched and unforgivably hackneyed. By his own admission he's not a good screenwriter, leading to characters that failed to engage and dialogue that curled toes the world over. But I come to celebrate George not bury him.

His imagination gave birth to a universe of possibility that, given the right talent, could go on to rewrite cinema history. Oscar winner Michael Arndt is hard at work on Episode 7, with Lawrence Kasdan (oh, the irony) and Simon Kinberg waiting with baited breath to crack on with Episodes 8 & 9. Which signals a good start for Disney, all they need do now is pick the right megaphone and we're laughing!

Update: There has been an AWAKENING!!

Excelsior Out...oh, and..."May The Force Be With You"

Bill and Don's Excellent Adventure

Bill Maher has spent the last 18 years trying to persuade Donald Trump to appear on his show "Real Time"...with no success. 

I'd give up Bill because this is how I think that "meaningful exchange of political views" might go.

Excelsior Out!

A Beautiful British Comedian

A little nod to one of the finest comic creations these shores have ever seen...The Pub Landlord, personified in the wondrous Al Murray. Playing beautifully with audience expectations Al's shows are a masterpiece of understated intellect. 

His routine with the inflatable globe reduced me to a quivering, tear stained wreck. I'm proud to add the great man to my series of Great British Stand-Up's, soon to be featured on The British Comedy Guide website.

Excelsior Out!

Open a new Tin of Peep Show...soon.

Thought I'd post a little tribute to one of the funniest, and most innovative, comedy shows around "Peep Show".

David Mitchell (no relation) and Robert Webb are compellingly, aching funny throughout. All support turns are stellar, my favourite being Matt King's deadpan Super Hans, the louche, drug addled musician so beloved of Robert's Jez.

The new series kicks off soon and this illustration will, hopefully, feature on "The British Comedy Guide" website soon.

Excelsior Out!

Mr Obama goes to Washington

Next Tuesday a race will be decided, the result of which will resonate far beyond it's initial parameters. For cares own sake we must hope that wise heads, sturdy hearts and calm nerves prevail for, if they do not, then heaven help us all.

I've nailed my colours to the mast with the above contribution. Good luck Mr President...i hope you won't need it.

Excelsior Out! 

Shaun in the Land of the Dead

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/

A post for Halloween, just made it. "Shaun of the Dead" is a modern classic, created by some of my favourite people in the World. 

I've been a Simon Pegg fan since laughing, unexpectedly, at a "Buttercup Syrup" ad and wondering who the frenetic young actor was bunking off work. Nick Frost, and everyone else, in "Spaced" was fantastic...and I'm sure "Cuban Fury" will catapult him into the comic stratosphere. Edgar Wright is a genius storyteller who will come of age with "Ant-Man" for Marvel provided he casts Simon as Hank Pym and, my mate, Sally Bretton as Janet, his "Wasp-ish" wife.

Sterling work all round gentlemen...bring on another Cornetto!

Excelsior Out!!

The Thick, and thin, of it!

Now it's not like me to get political, my pencil isn't savage enough, but with BBC's "The Thick of It" bowing out with an excellent, sweary, finale i've been moved to create this tribute.

Actor, writer, director & Oscar Winner, Peter Capaldi has always been a quality turn but, in Malcolm Tucker he's found his "Magnificent Octopus". Tucker, in Capaldi's hands, is a Tour-De-Force of Political Nature...tearing down idols and battering subordinates with all the gleeful, violent, prejudiced abandon of a two legged tornado. 

Reportedly based on Alastair Campbell, his foul mouthed, splenetic poetry (courtesy of Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Simon Blackwell, Jesse Armstrong and a host of brilliant writers) is the stuff that TV gold is spun from. 

The movie spin off "In the Loop" pushed the idea onto a bigger stage, while losing non of the bite. It is well worth seeking out should you not have seen it.

Genius work all round, ladies and gents

Excelsior Out!

   

Battle of the Bonds!

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/

In trembling anticipation of the imminent release of "Skyfall" here's my take on a "Battle of the Bonds" theme.

My thoughts are: All the Bonds have their own qualities: Connery: louche, violent & great Iconic movies. Lazenby: action packed and Diana Rigg. Moore: colourful characters, light comedy and grand spectacle. Dalton: hard nosed, splendid take on the character. Brosnan: slick combination of Connery/Moore, marvellous updating of the concept. & then came Daniel.... Craig OWNS this character now. His furious, bustling Bull-Like take has reinvented the canon for a new generation. The first guy, since Connery, who actually looks like he CAN do all the things his character can do.

We're locking into "Skyfall", in I-Max, this Sunday and excitement is at fever pitch. The key ingredient this time, I feel, is Sam Mendes. He is, arguably, the best director EVER to get his hands on Bond. We can only speculate what Hitchcock (offered it but turned it down) and Spielberg (wanted it but never offered it) would have done...while salivating as to what Nolan WILL do with it in 2014!

Excelsior Out!  

What a Night-Mayor!!

Clearing out old files and stumbled across this one of our..ahem... "esteemed" Mayor. I think it captures his essential...erm...bumbling idiocy, but I could be wrong.

The true horror of this image is that this loon could, one day, be Prime Minister of this country. A thought to curdle the blood!!

Excelsior Out!

BusW**kers

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/



A bit "after the event" I know but worth mentioning: "The Inbetweeners" is the highest grossing British comedy movie in years...in more ways than one.

Fearless, many laughs, great gusto and beautifully observed...10 out of 10 from me. 

Excelsior Out!

Wanderin' Star

Just a quick tonal study of one of the toughest men ever to kick down Hollywood's door. A real war vet, he came to acting late...but boy did he make up for it.

Never less than brilliant, my five favourite performances are: "The Dirty Dozen", "Point Blank", "Hell in the Pacific","Emperor of the North" and "Gorky Park.

For our younger viewer's...it's the incomparable Lee Marvin.

Excelsior Out!

Hello, to Jason Isaacs...believe it or not!

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/


Having recently made Twitter contact with the majestic Mark Kermode i'm throwing my hat in the ring for the most unusual "Hello, to Jason Isaacs" of all time...in that it's not spoken it's ILLUSTRATED!! 

AAYYTTHHAANNQQUEW!!

Hopefully it will merit a mention on 5Live's splendid film review show this Friday. Maybe even by...the Co-Host?

Excelsior Out!

Well, it is only a theory...

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/

Here's number two in my series of "Greatest Current American Sitcoms"...the majestic "Big Bang Theory". Perceptively written and beautifully played it speaks to the geek in me (that would be me then) with every line.

It's finely crafted pop-culture references and kooky characters make it a "must-see" in our house. With a new series about to burst onto our screens I urge you to see it at all costs. Once it takes a bite out of you addiction ensues.

"BAZINGA!"

Excelsior Out!

Empire vs The BattleSheep

Ladies and Gents, I give you the completion of my "Three Colours Critique" trilogy...the staff of Empire Magazine. Beginning with Messrs Kermode and Mayo, then the mighty Kim Newman, the trilogy is...ahem...my life's work realised, and combines my love of cinema with my facility for caricature.

To judge the accuracy of my work I suggest you visit Empire's excellent magazine/website (see what I did there) and check out these wondrous writers, and their terrific prose. 

I think they're decent likeness' corralled in a reasonable in-joke.

I hope all concerned are flattered rather than appalled. I know, from Twitter, that Olly Richards was a little apprehensive at being given the "Excelsior" treatment.

It is meant in good natured tribute and, hand on heart, it's from an "Empire" reader who has been with the magazine from issue one. More power to your keyboard pounding lady and gentlemen, it's never less than a compelling read.

Excelsior Out!

Excelsior gets the Horrors!!

The good folks at SFX (the peerless Russell Lewin) have seen fit to print me once again in a Spooky, Oooky and throughly informative Horror Special. Thanks Russ, fun, as always.

Put me straight on matters horrific too. For years i'd been rabbiting on about a video nasty called "Brutes & Savages" containing real footage of a man being eaten by a crocodile...turns out that scene is FAKE! Cheers Russell, in my defence i was only a nipper when I saw it.

Make Mine SFX!!

Excelsior Out!

Excelsior in Mac Format

Your very own Excelsior made it into this months "Mac Format" magazine thanks to the mighty Dave Bradley and the, self confessed, grump Alex Thomas. I'm delighted with the results, my sorry efforts never looked better. Enjoy.

Excelsior Out!

#TeamSalmon

Last Saturday the BBC launched it's latest series of "Strictly Come Dancing", to great viewing figures. Today I post a good luck message for actor,spiritual guru,would be dancer and my Twitter mate...Colin Salmon. He's a terrific actor with a magnetic screen presence, and all round good egg; and he and Kristina are more than deserving of your enthusiastic support.

Hope everything goes splendidly for you big man, the Mitchell family will be cheering (and voting) you, & Kristina, on all the way.

Always remember: Why did the good Lord give us mountains if not to teach us how to climb?

You have all our faith.

Update: Colin and Kristina have seen, and approved, this tribute. Two prints are winging their way to them as we speak.

Excelsior Out!

The Day of the Black Dog

An artist left us in the summer...for reasons known only to himself. The 19th of August 2012 saw a tragedy unfold that people are still coming to terms with. 

The tabloids had their customary field day, with the macabre guessing games, no surprise there. Other people (of which I am one) sat dazed and confused, but everyone struggled to comprehend why a man (blessed with conspicuous success and wealth) should choose to sacrifice it all so publicly. 

The Red-Tops painted Anthony David Scott as a "Punters" director, making loud, clanging, populist nonsense for brainless multiplex cattle. To those who would agree with this theory I suggest you need your heads examining. Anyone who thinks what Tony Scott did was slight, or easy, should spend five minutes in the hell that is "A Michael Bay movie" (or with any one of the hundreds of "Bay-Clones" currently stinking up the Blackberry's of today's Hollywood hierarchy) and then revisit "Top Gun", "The Last Boy Scout", "True Romance" or "Crimson Tide"...and bask in the thrall of an artist at the very top of his game.

Living, to some extent, in the shadow of his brother, Ridley, did not seem to faze him. He pursued his own singular vision in everything he did. Creating a style that was endlessly imitated (Michael Bay step forward) but never bettered. Always testing limits, stretching boundaries and innovating technically; while bringing his painterly eye to every frame.

He, and Ridley, are influences on me and inspirations for me...and always will be.

I mourn his loss and, selfishly, the loss of all his future projects: his western (a Wild Bunch remake), his proposed "Warriors" reboot, his take on Mark Millar's "Nemesis" and, I'm sure, his "Top Gun" sequel would have rocked...and reminded the world, if any reminder were needed, of his directorial credentials.

Ridley's son, Jake, talked in a BBC documentary about his father's dark moods, calling them "The Black Dog". Maybe that same "Black Dog" stalked Tony? We don't know...and probably never will.

So, I say goodbye (with my poor contribution above) with awe, humility, respect and love (from one Geordie to another) to an artist whose loss will be felt across the film world for many, many years to come.

Excelsior Out! 

World's Greatest Sitcom...Undisputed!

Today I'm posting an homage to my favourite sitcom, "Community". 

From it's eclectic cast, reference strewn scripts and drum tight direction it is a totally captivating delight. I came to it in the second season but have devoured every episode thus far...we stand at Season 3. Community is the gift that keeps on giving, repeated viewings are rewarded with quips missed and references unspotted.

The cast comprises of faces, both fresh and familiar, who inhabit their characters completely. The obvious glee with which they bat around the crackling dialogue is infectious. The situations are outlandish, daring and gut-bustingly funny...it is the only sitcom I can think of that is true to it's characters while hurling them, with childlike abandon, into radically skewed stories week after week.

Crazed matinee idol Joel McHale plays disgraced lawyer and sarcastic super-stud Jeff Winger condemned to slave for a degree at Greendale Community College. There he is surrounded by a cast of brilliant oddballs: Comedy God Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne (Racist/homophobe/millionaire...but lovable?), dazzling Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett (sweet church lady with a dark side) stunning Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry (gorgeously kooky anarchist, intriguing & damaged) majestic Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir (he's "on spectrum" in a way that makes Jim Parson's "Sheldon Cooper" seem casually observed by comparison) the fairy tale that is Alison Brie as Annie Edison (simultaneously the simplest and most complex character of the bunch) pin sharp Donald Glover as Troy Barnes (Abed's best friend, sounding board and guardian)...supported by  the brilliant Jim Rash's camp masterpiece Dean Craig Pelton (much, much more than a running gag) and the peerless Ken Jeong as "Senor" Ben Chang (sinister,edgy and chock full 'o nuts)...it's a cast to die for.

It's like "Soap" + "Cheers" x "Monty Python" = Big Laughs!  

Season 4 is at the read through stage now and, in my house, expectation levels are at DefCon4. I wish the cast all the very best for this new season and long may they reign.

"Community" Rocks!!

Update: Yvette Nicole Brown and Gillian Jacobs have both seen, and loved, this drawing; giving it the official "Community" seal of approval. I sent two prints off to them a couple of weeks ago at their request. 

Excelsior Out!

Who gave Kim that chainsaw?!!!

Just a little illustrative tribute to a beloved film reviewer...Mr Kim Newman. Also a transparent attempt to get some work out of Empire magazine. Well you can't blame a guy for trying!

Excelsior Out!!

Ralph McQuarrie leaves us...dazzled!

The legend that is Ralph McQuarrie left this blighted planet recently, the better for him having graced it.

For those who are unaware of McQuarrie's work (you may not know the name but you will know the imagery) he is solely responsible for many of the iconic images that underpinned George Lucas' "Star Wars" trilogy. My favourite McQuarrie story though, is a one that Lucas tells often.

George was shopping his "The Star Wars.The Adventures of Luke Starkiller" all over Hollywood, and had been rejected at every turn. Not one Hollywood exec could "see" his vision, let alone believe in it enough to invest the $9 million (yep $9 million!!) required to realise it.

In desperation Lucas turned to industrial designer Ralph McQuarrie (who was working for Boeing at the time) and commissioned him to produce some conceptual paintings illustrating the script. This McQuarrie duly did and, in doing so enshrined a look (particularly for Vader) that would be adopted as lore for the entire series.

With McQuarrie's work tucked under his arm Lucas set up a meet with Alan Ladd Jr at Twentieth Century Fox. The script met with the same raised eyebrows but, when Lucas showed the paintings...well, let's just say that the film-making landscape changed irrevocably...and forever.

I love this story for two reasons. Firstly: it illustrates that Lucas has ALWAYS relied on the visual skill and imagination of others to bring his hackneyed concepts to life, Frequently standing on the shoulders of genius' like McQ to make himself artistically "Taller". Secondly: it confirms, as if confirmation were needed, the POWER of illustration. The crystalline simplicity of communication that is visual imagery and it's ability to stir the blood of the viewer.

Sail on McQ. Godspeed to you, sir...your immortality is assured.

Excelsior Out!

Look, this is the point!

Above is an homage to my favourite podcast! All power to "The Co-Host and Doctor Rant"!

Updated: Part "Un" of my "Three Colours Critique" trilogy... recently completed with the podcast crew from Empire magazine.

Update the Update: The good doctor has now seen this tribute, and approves wholeheartedly. He's promised to Re-Tweet it on Friday 12th October's radio show...what co-host Simon thinks is a mystery, thus far. 

The layout, as you've doubtless sussed, is inspired by David Bailey's "Kray Twins" photo (ooohhh the irony). As far as the likeness' are concerned: I was going for a judgemental, implaccable, "Easter Island-y" thing with Mark and a rag tag, mop top, unkempt, cheeky, quintessentially Dee-Jaay thing with Simon. Have I been successful? "Yoooo Deeeside!" (read in a Marcus Bentley voice)

Excelsior out!!

Is there a Doctor in the... ?

A tribute to, quite simply, one of the best television programs ever made. Now in it's final season, "House M.D." has been uniformly brilliant from it's (Bryan Singer directed) opening episode to, what I'm sure will be, it's grandstand finale.

Hugh Laurie (hired by producers ignorant of the fact that he was English) towers in the central role of Dr. Gregory House. Remaining steadfastly unchanged throughout the eight season run he plays a combination of Scrooge/Sherlock Holmes and Groucho Marx in a completely convincing medical procedural drama. If, in later series, the "Soap" factor became more prevalent then it's Laurie's performance that rescued it.

To everything there is a conclusion, here's hoping House's is a fitting send off for a T.V. legend.

Excelsior out!

"Elementary, my dear Watson!"

Available to buy as print, and other stuff, at: http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/gallery/

This image is now framed and hanging on the wall at, the legendary, Speedy's Cafe. Check it out, Sherlockians!

I recently fell head over heels for the BBC's "Sherlock", Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have crafted a brilliant version of Conan Doyle's mercurial sleuth. It demands so much of it's viewers and, in return, delivers both visceral and intellectual thrills aplenty. It's little wonder that each series consists of only 3 episodes, they're so densely plotted. Based on the Conan Doyle stories, but expanded, updated and infused with credibility to burn.

It's, not so secret, weapon is the ineffable Benedict Cumberbatch; his intense, haughty intelligence practically crackles from the screen. You cannot tear your gaze from him as the support characters marionette around him expertly. Cumberbatch is clearly having the time of his life, it's undoubtedly the performance he would've given had Moffat been courageous enough to give him "Doctor Who". Martin Freeman gives sensitive and capable support as Watson, learning the lessons of Ritchie's "Holmes" by making him more than just a sidekick.

To those of you yet to discover it, I urge you to go out and connect immediately...you will not be disappointed.

Excelsior Out!

The Fab Four

Having throughly enjoyed our family trip to Liverpool, before Christmas, to celebrate my daughters 16th birthday i felt compelled to mark the occasion with a caricature. We loved the time we spent in The Cavern Club, you really do feel the weight of the history (in a good way) when you're in there. I'll leave it to you, dear viewers, to identify the subject of that caricature...hopefully you won't need too many guess's.

Excelsior Out!

England Press Conference descends into Farce!

The latest England press conference descended into farce today, as the assembled media accused the FA of "fielding a ringer" to avoid Mr. Capello facing any embarrassing questions. The FA representative denied this vehemently but, it soon became apparent, that "Mr Capello" had only a sketchy working knowledge of Football. Ordinarily this would not have aroused undue suspicion but; when asked whether he favoured a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 for the Euro's he responded: "Look, i'm no expert but i'll have a bloody good look at it for you!".

In no time at all he began waving a Sainsbury's carrier and challenging the journo's to guess it's contents? He then jumped on the table and began performing impromptu contemporary dance moves? All in all an interesting afternoon was had by all!!!

Excelsior Out!