Jonathan Meades: Off Kilter

[cybertect]

The first episode in this three-part series was just on BBC4, looking at Aberdeen.

Up to his usual standards, though the first five or ten minutes was heavy going on the language - some of the densest and almost abstract narration I've heard on TV for a long while. It was like poetry or Burroughs' cut-up experiments.

Lovely take on Donald Trump at the end.

I'm looking forward to next week.

 

[El Jefe]

bollocks, missed this, will have to iPlayer it. I love Meades, even if some of it eludes me totally

 

[Chz]

He's completely insane now, as opposed to just mostly before.

That said, I loved it.

 

[Sesquipedalian]

bollocks, missed this, will have to iPlayer it. I love Meades, even if some of it eludes me totally

Me too.
(thanks OP)

 

[lang rabbie]

some of the densest and almost abstract narration I've heard on TV for a long while. It was like poetry or Burroughs' cut-up experiments.

First time I had the word condign used in the last twenty years.

 

[jms]

"Cardboard Halberd"

Genius.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine is an excellent archive of his previous work if you can't be bothered to fork out for the dvd (excellent though it is)

 

[cybertect]

Bumpage to mention that the second episode is about to start on BBC4...

 

[tarannau]

He's uncomfortable on screen, stilted with his delivery .... and still brilliant.

More of Meades and his meandering, insightful rants on telly please.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Up to his usual standards, though the first five or ten minutes was heavy going on the language

Yup is was good. If Meades wasn't heavy going on the language it wouldn't be Meades. I love it.

I get mad when I make a TV show for ITV and I am told to dumb my script down. I'm not exactly a wordsmith either. It's partly the reason that the TV has become the idiot box. It never had to be this way.

 

[marty21]

watching on beeb4 now, I do like his delivery

 

[cybertect]

Yup is was good. If Meades wasn't heavy going on the language it wouldn't be Meades. I love it.

Don't get me wrong: this was a good thing.

I thought the visuals had the upper hand in this week's episode (aside from some rather crude not-so-gradual neutral density filters). The imagery was captivatingly captured, especially the rust montage at the end.

I'm sticking with last week's analysis - this is poetry embodied in televisual form. Riddled with meaning. It should bear a repeat viewing.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I'm sticking with last week's analysis - this is poetry embodied in televisual form. Riddled with meaning. It should bear a repeat viewing.

It's nicely written with great pictures. That's what any show using a medium sound and vision should be.

 

[Gingerman]

The whole Scotland season on BBC4 has been brilliant,did anyone else watch that excellent docu presented by Peter Capaldi about Scottish Art?

 

[tangerinedream]

He's uncomfortable on screen, stilted with his delivery .... and still brilliant.

More of Meades and his meandering, insightful rants on telly please.

That's exactly why he is brilliant - cos he's slick and yet not slick. He's a master of the medium, yet a shambling amateur. In radio terms, the DJs I most admire are the same, Steve Barker, John Peel, even to an extent Danny Baker in the right light - brilliant, but held together with spit, sawdust and genius. Basically the opposite of most TV and radio

People who like this should watch Robinson in Space and London. you will like it.

 

[tangerinedream]

The whole Scotland season on BBC4 has been brilliant,did anyone else watch that excellent docu presented by Peter Capaldi about Scottish Art?

Yeah, I liked that. Not as keen on the Neil Oliver stuff, just don't warm to him though.

 

[tarannau]

If anyone hasn't seen Meades' concerted asssault on golf and Middle England I highly recommend a view of Middlebrow-on-Tee.

some of it here:

 

[Gingerman]

Yeah, I liked that. Not as keen on the Neil Oliver stuff, just don't warm to him though.

Is that The History Of Scotland prog? I enjoyed it when it was shown earlier this year,Capaldi was great,witty enthusiastic and knew his stuff

 

[tangerinedream]

Is that The History Of Scotland prog? I enjoyed it when it was shown earlier this year,Capaldi was great,witty enthusiastic and knew his stuff

yes, the programme is good, I just find him a bit, I dunno, trying for some reason.

 

[Gingerman]

yes, the programme is good, I just find him a bit, I dunno, trying for some reason.

You find him a bit........Scottish?

 

[tangerinedream]

You find him a bit........Scottish?

No, no, no,!!! - I am irritated by all of the coast presenters and whoever writes the scripts for it - i think it's a hangover from that.

 

[Gingerman]

No, no, no,!!! - I am irritated by all of the coast presenters and whoever writes the scripts for it - i think it's a hangover from that.

What!!! even the lovely Alice Roberts as well?

 

[lang rabbie]

The whole Scotland season on BBC4 has been brilliant,did anyone else watch that excellent prog presented by Peter Capaldi about Scottish Art?

Yes. Felt very envious of some of the places he wangled his way into with his camera crew - although I wanted to punch the smug Johnny Dumfries as he showed Capaldi those amazing Allan Ramsays at Mount Stuart.

 

[jms]

I thought that Peter Capaldi thing was a bit dull and superficial apart from when Alison Watt was talking. Interesting enough though I guess. Then again, I get to listen to art history lecturers quite a lot, so I'm biased..

Other documentaries sort of crumble away in the face of The Meades.

I'm sticking with last week's analysis - this is poetry embodied in televisual form. Riddled with meaning. It should bear a repeat viewing.

exactly.

amazing music choices this week, leaping from mozart's requiem into frankie lymon and the teenagers. ace. that's probably by favourite thing that he does, he'll go off on some incredibly serious, wordy tangent and then throw in an unexpected joke or pop-culture refrence that brings it all back down to earth.

 

[Chz]

I'm overjoyed that he agrees on Stornoway Black Pudding being a thing of great beauty. Off to get some now...

 

[gentlegreen]

It was curious to catch a bit of the repeat with signing late last night - it'd be interesting to see how much of his sarcasm is preserved.

 

[Cid]

Catching up on this, great stuff... I love his critique of Trump's golf course in Aberdeen...

'The very act of making a building is energy hungry and vastly wasteful, even if the building is an eco-igloo of fair-tade otter droppings, carbon-neutral panda scraps, ethical vegan meat, organic yoghurt blocks, recycled slurry and bio-degradeable avocado face whipe...'



e2a: Just the start of the second episode and his cynical description of people looking for their 'roots' in Scotland is fantastic...

e2aa: Godsy, player ∞...

 

[jms]

the trump combover footage was comedy gold aswell

 

[Bakunin]

The whole Scotland season on BBC4 has been brilliant,did anyone else watch that excellent docu presented by Peter Capaldi about Scottish Art?

Didn't see that one, I loved the one on the massacre at Glencoe, though.