Saturday, May 28, 2016

Starspot #209

Boris Johnson

Upper St, Islington
walking by talking intensely on his phone
while Alfie & I were talking intensely over a pint
27/5/16

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Coincidence

26/5/16 jogging listening to Soul Music on The Fairytale of New York
with the line mentioning: "The Rare Old Mountain Dew"

reading Thomas Chatterton Williams 'Losing My Cool'
in which the crackers are drinking Mountain Dew = soft drink = illicit alcohol = poitin

Thursday, May 19, 2016

The C4 Years

"You've been a highly valued member of this team and have achieved some superhuman things in your time here. I know you will go on to impact the world in interesting ways. On a personal note, I am extremely grateful for your wisdom and support particularly  during the early years when we were trying to change the culture. You have been a great ambassador for the channel."

JH

“During this time he has made a huge contribution to the success and creative profile of Channel 4 online. His commissions include seminal multiplatform projects such as Embarrassing Bodies, Big Fish Fight and Don’t Stop the Music to the first wave of Original All 4 Shorts including Tattoo Twists, Drones in Forbidden Zones and The Black Lesbian Handbook. I’ll miss him and wish him all the very best.”
RDH

Nico Macdonald You've been the channel to Channel 4 for people interested in media and innovation. Your generosity of time, ideas and resources has been much appreciated. New channels to be dug!

Rupert Raby Wow best of luck Adam. It was back in 2005 when you got me on board to help with Famelab! You gave me the chance to work on loads of great projects many of which were multi platform pioneers so thanks for the opportunities and hope our paths cross again in the future.

Denise Turner It was always a pleasure to work with you on projects and to reiterate what others have said above, thanks for having faith in us.

Annabel McLeod Wow Adam! You've been such an inspiring person to work with. I really admire how much you're always changing the world using digital. 

Ioana Mischie Dear Adam, Thank you for everything. Working for 4oD was my first experience of working in the UK and it wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t someone like you to have faith and complete trust in the project and to be so enthusiastic about encouraging young voices worldwide. You are one of the best professionals I know and I feel each country should have its own Adam Gee in order to constantly spot new talents, create fresh and innovative cinematic concepts. I am honored and grateful I had the chance to learn from the best. Good luck in everything, I have my whole faith in what you’re up to!

Tommy Hutchinson Very best Adam. You were always very generous in using the great channel 4 brand to help others. I'm one of many who greatly appreciated your guidance and support.

Christopher Thorpe Congrats and looking forward to seeing what's next. An amazing body of work there Adam

Gareth Langley You've been a great visionary for the past 13 years Adam, and have a wonderful portfolio of work behind you that would make anyone proud. 

Andy Barratt I've bloody loved working with you Adam, I'm gutted. You have my sincere gratitude for all your support and best wishes for the next step on your journey - one which I hope will see us team up again. 

Keeley Louise I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for wherever you pop up; at the top, no doubt. Best of luck and thank you Adam for being so truly inspiring. Visionary is the right word. You valued my opinion from day one as if we were equals and were so much fun to work with. They won't know what they had 'til it's gone Xxx

Tom de Grunwald Good luck Adam, what you've done there has been amazing, and I'm really glad to have got to work and generally enthuse together recently. Looking forward to your next steps mister.

Mark Downie Adam, you've done amazing, inspiring work - but I'm sure there's loads more yet to come. Thanks for being so brilliant to work with. Here's to the next chapter!

Paul Canty You've done great things during times of amazing change. Well done, and looking forward to seeing what's next.

Mark Earls Congrats and Bon voyage. You've done amazing things there. Sure you've got loads more to come! M

Carlton Reeve That's big news, Adam! Massive loss for C4. The very best of luck with your next adventure - I know it'll be amazing

Rukhsana Mosam Thanks for all the support Adam, it's been fun!!!!! See you soon x
Lori Faye Adam, it was amazing working our project with you. So creative! 
Umut Gunduz Thanks for all the fish! X (love the work we did together)
Ronan McCloskey Thank you for the opportunity to work with you Adam
Ally Branley Good luck Adam, I always loved getting involved in one of your new projects. I think you became a genre.
Matt Locke Fantastic! You put in a very good shift, and did so much ground-breaking work. Time to break ground elsewhere now! Congratulations!
Zam Baring Good luck with whatever comes next - I hope it'll be as visionary as the last 13 years!
Serena Lloyd-Smith C4 have lost a creative genius but no doubt whatever you touch next will turn into gold too. And let's not forget you and the team winning award after award year after year! That was by far my favourite team to be a part of and I feel touched to have been a part of it at its prime.
Annika Small Wow...end of an era. So excited to see what next. You are forever one to watch...and learn from. 

Stephen Hardingham Congratulations on your outstanding career at 4 Adam. You broke the mould in so many ways and exuded passion , intelligence and great humanity along the way. Respect.

Rich Payne Big news! Good luck with whatever's next - it's been a complete pleasure.
Dan Jones It's been an absolute pleasure, good luck for the next adventure
Nick Lockey Best of luck! If the next chapter is even half as good as the Channel 4 years it's going to be awesome
Henry Warren Massive news. Very best to you Adam. Many congrats all you achieved at c4.
Niall Keogh But you ARE Chanel 4!
Charlie Phillips wow, I can't imagine the place without you! You're a c4 legend
Jonathan Fraser A huge loss for them, good luck
Helen Newton C4 will be a duller and more pedestrian place without you x
Morgan Clark It's been a pleasure Adam. C4 are losing a real visionary
MT Rainey We'll miss you for sure, Adam. Considered a career as architecture critic?
Steve Manthorp Good luck. Spread the vision wider! 
Steve Moore What comments! All merited. That was one hell of an innings. 

JL: I just wanted to say many thanks for all your support over the years. When I think about it - from Osama Bin Everywhere to DSTM you have always been there during some of my biggest highs and lowest lows but always supportive and on my side. I very much appreciate it. Big respect.

JH: Thank you for doing the successful part of Don't Stop the Music! And for everything else.


Caroline Diehl What a great impact you've had. Hope you are super-proud. 
Serena Lloyd-Smith Out of the many years I was at C4, I spent some of the best moments working with and for these two creative geniuses. I owe a lot of what I know and what I will become to them and that (award-winning) team
Justin Gorman You are brilliant amazing thinkers and creators. Very excited for you. You will be amazing. (I know cause I've worked with you).

Readers' comments

  • Both brilliant people who'll walk into other jobs

Mark Limb End of an era! Glad I had the chance to work with you in the hey day!
Robert Page you've always been an inspiration.
Deborah Meyer DeWan You have been (and are) an inspiration across the pond for years!
Sian Elizabeth Creative Geenius fly on ... All T Best from Mancunia .. Xxx
Stephen Collins Foolish C4...All the best in greener pastures!
Susan Ferreira You rock Mr Adam Gee you have always been at the forefront of this multiplatform stuff and I am so excited to see what's next!
Oli Barrett There was always something incredibly inspiring and comforting knowing that Channel 4 had someone as brilliant as you working away inside. I am a huge admirer of your work and treasure our conversations. Long may they continue.
Phillip Hodson All bureaucracies resent the talent because the latter take risks and may rock their boat. But minus the talent there is no new business. Watch them worry. Don't imagine anything except how you decided to take your success elsewhere.
Safiya Ahmed Adam you were my first smile emoticon So many shared conversations and words of wisdom I took from our time.
Gerry Smith Adam You did some great stuff. Enjoyed working with you. at Ch4 on our creative project. Did a lot for diversity in the sector.
Sarah Asante Hear, hear!

HW: Adam I just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing content you've brought to life over your 13 years. To my mind you set the gold standard for what public service broadcasting should be. I have always admired your work hugely.
Channel 4 will be significantly poorer for your absence, so will the millions of its viewers/consumers.

HJ: You have been an immense champion of C4’s remit and values over the years and delivered many incredible projects that my team and I have often championed to others - so thank you for all you have done to help preserve C4’s reputation amongst the great and the good.


Nick Underhill: Thanks for all the Fish Fighting Adam! Always a pleasure working with you
SJ: I've always been so blown away by your stellar work 
MR: thank your for your support and tolerance!
PD: I am very sorry that you are leaving 4

so many great projects over the years with you, as a colleague and then as a producer. Excited to see what comes next!

Congrats to & as they leave C4. The work they did there was epic & truly groundbreaking


Monday, May 09, 2016

Neue Pinakothek, Munich 2

Hans Von Marees
Goldenes Zeitalter 1 1880
Cezanne
Blue & gold

Klimt
Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein *
05

Early Art Deco
Only the skin is not abstracted, and the cloth
Framed face

Die Musik 95
Gold & turquoise
Stone v foliage

Schiele
Agonie 12
Stained glass style
Cf Klee

Franz von Stuck
Die suende 93
Cf Klimt
Munch
Very dim view of Woman

Thomas Austen Brown
Mademoiselle plume rouge 96
Klimt derivative
But nice roughness beyond face

End

Neue Pinakothek, Munich

2nd visit
9/8/16

Max Klinger
Else Asenijeff
c1900
Marble
Gem eyeballs

Maillot
Venus au collier
1818-28
Classical deco
Baudelaire - paradis artificiel

Vuillard
Scene in cafe
c1908-10
Lautrec (Degas)
Perfect sketchiness

Van Gogh
Blick auf Arles 1889
Natural framing

Sunflowers 88
Aquamarine bg
Clean

Plain near Auvers 90
Dynamism of brushstrokes - and falseness/invention

Gauguin
Die Geburt 96
Christian nativity informs

Puvis
Girl by sea c1882
Blue & yellow
Modern classical

Watts
The happy warrior 84
Burne-Jones palette & subject
Redon

Rodin
Helene Von Nostitz 1907
Fine, ethereal exaggerated by marked raw stone

Manet
Dejeuner in studio 68
Enigmatic challenging woman in bg
Front male is off centre gaze
Bosey
Cropped bg friend photographic vibe

Trubner
Christus im Grab 2 74
Caravaggio heritage

Feuerbach
Nanna c61
Leighton

Medea 70
Another Leighton woman
Cf Turner for aliveness of boat scene

To part 2

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Who flies the fliers?

6/5/16

On the flight home from HotDocs in Toronto I was sitting beside an off-duty Air Canada pilot and an old Canadian fella of Irish stock. The pilot was off to London for a long weekend with his older son of two. I filled him in on a few places to check out given his son's interests. He told me a bit about how they route transatlantic flights between Toronto and London, based on the wind patterns. I asked him to rate our landing out of 10: he gave it 7. He told me about how narrow the English Channel looks from the cockpit. It turned out his mother, born in Luton, was brought up in Bournemouth and left for Canada after the war. I wrote this note to Noah (in Bournemouth) on the plane to Toronto a week before:
" On the plane map (on the plane tv) there was a view as we left London where it sweeps in from the south and the only place labelled other than London was Bournemouth of all places!"
The pilot didn't realise there was an airport in Luton now. We compared notes on sons growing up. The character patterns of his two boys was similar to my own. He only ever gets a day in London when he flies in. He generally avoids London as the bus in after night flights is interminable. His plan for the evening after the 9pm landing was to head for a beer or two with the boy in Soho before checking in in St John's Wood. The 18 year old drinking age was viewed positively. There are few greater pleasures in life that one-to-one travel with your children.

Friday, May 06, 2016

Recent Happiness Experiment entries

FRI 6th May

A parting hug with Mike with the promise of reunion in September

Sitting next to an Air Canada airline pilot on the flight home from Toronto

Watching Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall (in How to Marry a Millionaire)

THURS

Reading Skinny Dip in the sun in Philosopher's Walk, University of Toronto approached by a colourful sparrow

Chatting to the owner of She Said Boom! record store in Roncy where I bought D Jane's Addiction on his recommendation

Dinner with Mike Victoria & Francesca listening to the Quint monologue from Jaws in Canadian French

WED

Showing Tattooed at Short Form Video panel at University of Toronto/HotDocs

Mexican al fresco in Kensington Market

Breakfast with Matt from Marble at Easy Over

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Toronto 2 & 3

Sun 1 May

* Roncy
* Museum

Reading Carl Hiassen - Skinny Dip in the university stream-ravine park on drizzly Sunday afternoon

Watching Gary Newman in LaLa Land with Ed Gibb

Kind of Blue afternoon nap in room overlooking roof of Royal Ontario Museum

Mon 2 May

* Museum
* university street to TIFF

Breakfast at Easy Over

Brian DePalma doc presented by Jake Paltrow at TIFF

Key lime paleta lolly at Carnita

Sunday, May 01, 2016

Toronto 1

* Toronto: High Park/Roncy
* Kensington Market
* Queen St

Chilling in Kensington Market with Mike in the sunshine

Sitting at the bar eating and chatting to the waitresses at Cubanos, Roncy

Having breakfast at Ace Cafe, Roncy with Mike and Francesca