Notebook Letters 11

Earls' review of the new U2 album smacked of his dislike of the band. There was no mention of the superb song Magnificent or the title track. Well, I'm only on track two. Bonovox

I saw yet another great Kaiser Chiefs gig at Sheffield Arena last Monday. I was a bit unsure about the last album Off With Their Heads at first, but I love it now. I thought Ricky Wilson looked a bit choked at the response they got. Get well soon to Nick! Boosh Gal

The Void; Teletext page 825; 26th of February, 2009; 3/7.

Earls has Soft Toy Emergency figured out all wrong. While I admit Jen has a unique voice, I don't think "squeaky" is the correct word. And "hammy" guitars? Perhaps not. But most of all, the last description I'd give to their single is reggae. Madison Scott

Although they've managed to sell 100m albums worldwide, with over 40 Top 40 singles including a No 1, I wonder just how popular Iron Maiden would be if the media didn't ignore them. Caernarfonjez

The Void; Teletext page 825; 26th of February, 2009; 4/7.

It's only February, but the album of the year has to be Bonamassa's The Ballad of John Henry. Col York

I'd like to recommend The Works by Jonatha Brooke- her music set to Woody Guthrie's words. The result is a fabulous hybrid of Americana, country and soul. It's similar to Shelby Lynne at her best. Brentwood Tom

lily allen, Lady GaGa, Kelly Clarkson: are only women allowed to be No 1? TaDa

The Void; Teletext page 825; 26th of February, 2009; 5/7.

For me, The Coral are the band of the '00s. Prolific and consistently superb, they've managed to develop without alienating their fans. If you doubt my claim, check out their Best Of- you'll be amazed at how many great singles you forget they sang. Kyle Servera

Beavis And Butthead may not have had a classic theme, but it's a cartoon that was one of the main reasons I was first drawn to rock. I found their comments astute. Rich A

The Void; Teletext page 825; 26th of February, 2009; 6/7.

hitcher has powers

Simon: you old spoiler, you! The ending of the hitcher was not clear cut. The hitcher seemed to have some powers. My guess is he was supposed to be the devil on a jolly. Rosie Gilbert, Andover

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 1/6.

Farce of Ledger Oscar

So Heath Ledger won the Oscar after all. What a pathetic, tasteless farce. Talk about dancing on the poor man's grave. It just confirms the suspicions that the Oscars are so fashion- driven and superficial.

One might as well give up. I just hope that everyone involving in the marketing campaign can sleep well. Philip Seymour Hoffman should have won for his brilliant performance in Doubt. Edward, Kent

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 2/6.

Haven't a Cluedo

I'd like to see a British, wind-swept, backwater take on the Cluedo board game- not the doubtless Sunset Beach-esque Clue. Matth Stil, Wakefield

1/5 for Get Smart, VO? Even allowing for the fact that I like Steve Carell and think Anne Hathaway is the cutest thing on two legs, it's far better than that! My view is that it's an enjoyable spy spoof played with gusto: 3/5. Go buy! Tom Noys, Brentwood

Vortex: Nah, it's awful. (VO)

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 3/6.

I just love SM

Had almost forgotten to text in to say how much I agree with the reviewer who praised Scary Movie. I like spooky films but SM is just such a brilliant spoof and rips into so many classics that it is timeless itself.

From experience, the people who most dislike it are the snobs who can't stand seeing Scream torn into, as though Scream was the first self-referential movie ever made. Just my opinion, though! Phil Winters, leeds

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 4/6.

Remakes good and bad

Re remakes. Texas Chainsaw and Zach Snyder's Dawn of The Dead were terrific. On the flip side, Planet of The Apes was very poor. Anyone have a fave remake? GA, Leics

Help, help, help, Vortex! Does anyone out there know where I can get a DVD of a '90s movie called The Embrace of the vampire starring Alyssa Milano? Driving me nuts, people! Mark, Cornwall

Vortex: Loads of secondhand copies at Amazon.co.uk. Get on the internet!

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 5/6.

Best Bond remake

Gary Hilton, Manchester. I get what you're saying about the best Bond being always the one you saw first. And I saw connery back in the '60s but I still prefer the superior Roger Moore. Moog, Glasgow

To Gary Hilton. I'm 46- the first Bond I saw was sean connery. I still think Daniel Craig is the ultimate James Bond. Cookie, Wakefield

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 26th of February, 2009; 6/6.

* Dung beetles are guided by the Milky Way.

* The Food Standards Agency has two classifications for burgers- standard and economy.

* China has hippies who drop out of the rat race.

* Women started wearing high heels to look more like men.

* Only two presidental inaugurations have been forced indoors by the cold.

* "Russian flu" got its name because of the Cold War rather than because it originated in Russia.

* Fares on the London-Shoeburyness line have gone up the least since privatisation.

* Fat drivers are more likely to die in crashes.

* Dogs evolved from wolves that could digest starchy food.

* Women look oldest every Wednesday at 3.30pm.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 25th of January, 2013.

By John Earls

Quotations of the week

"I could get everything from an eighth of weed in a week." Ian Brown says he became popular with Manc criminals when he did Top of The Pops.

"I remember when we just had Hello all about European royals. What happened?" lily allen is not a lover of gossip mags.

"He's not harder than me, but he's got a nasty streak. Twist that arm too far, and it'll stop." Pete Doherty reckons Carl Barat will reform The Libertines.

1/6.

The week ahead in TV

U2 are on jonathan ross (BBC1, Fri, 10.55pm), followed by NME Awards highlights on C4 (11.35pm), including The Cure and Glasvegas.

Les Gars are on The JD Set (C4, Sat, 1.10am). The Saturdays are on Sound (BBC2, Sat, 12.25pm).

Yoko Ono is on The Culture Show (BBC2, Tue, 10pm), with Diana Krall and elton john on elvis Costello's Spectacle (C4, Tue, 12.10am).

2/6.

The week ahead in radio

Bonnie Prince Billy is on Rob Da Bank (Radio One, Mon, midnight), with The Invisible on Huw Stephens (Wed, 9pm) and Chase And Status on Colin Murray (Mon- Thu, 10pm).

The Sisters of Mercy feature in goth documentary The G Word (R2, Sat, 7pm).

Ladyhawke and The Ting Tings do Dermot O'Leary (Sat, 2.30pm). Glenn Tilbrook is on jonathan ross (10am). David Byrne does Radcliffe & Maconie (Wed, 8pm).

3/6.

The week ahead in gigs

Noah And The Whale tour from Thursday, while Marina And The Diamonds start touring from Friday.

Little Boots tour from Friday, with Franz Ferdinand starting on Sunday, the day after Four Tet get going.

Howling Bells tour from Tuesday, with Razorlight starting on Sunday. Tours already under way include Metallica, the killers, katy perry, F*****, The Bluetones and Elbow.

4/6.

Champs of the week

michael eavis michael was unfailingly polite and stopped to give every journalist a chance for a chat at the NME Awards media centre. Whereas most bands treated the press run as a chore, he charmed everyone there.

Dizzee Rascal As above, but with added comedy. He did a spot-on impression of Earls asking a question and did a mock huff at a reporter asking about guests on his new album. "F*** me! You're presistent!" he said, with a huge grin.

5/6.

Chumps of the week

nigel evans As dull as U2's new album is to our ears, it's a bit much for the tory mp to imply the BBC is getting backhanders for giving them publicity with the band appearing on so many TV and radio shows. There are bands far lower down the food chain who become ubiquitous when they have a record deal.

Mercury The label won't allow Brandon Flowers' duet with Starsailor to be released, seemingly because they're on another record label. How petty.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 27th of February, 2009.

I wish the Radiohead v Beatles debate would stop. Without elvis presley and Little Richard, there would be no Beatles. Every artist has their influences. True innovators like eric clapton and Jimi Hendrix deserve a mention. Micky Brown

I can't believe we're so far into the cartoon theme without a mention of Bod and his pals. There's a striking similarity to the postman's theme and The Beatles' I will outro. Clarkycat

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 1/7.

Buying tickets for NME Big Gig starring The Cure, has been a disaster. First, NME's ticket agent Trinity Street went bust and we were told to re-purchase our tickets. After re-purchasing, we were told our original tickets would be valid after all, so we'd get refunds for the re-purchased ones.

As of Wednesday, I have yet to receive my money back and Ticketmaster is making interest on that money. What a fiasco. Darren Green

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 2/7.

I was appalled at Earls' criticism of One Eskimo singer Kristian Leontiou in his review of their Kandi single. Kristian quit doing solo music due to feeling uncomfortable with pressure from the industry. Yet I remember him for his Top 20 album. Calling him a "failed pop puppy" was an insult to a talented musician. Chris Wing

Earls: After the money Polydor threw at him, his solo career can be deemed a failure. And One Eskimo are wretched.

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 3/7.

David wasn't alone in watching Take That mime at the Brits. They're overrated, living off old fame, and when they split up again their solo albums will once more be a failure. Taz

Aaron shouldn't be surprised at Rolling Stone's gushing review of the new U2 album. They, q and NME are there to serve well-known artists. Magazines like Record Collector and Mojo are better for obscure acts, but stick to PS or Allmusic.com. Tony Christou

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 4/7.

I'm shocked at Earls' review of U2's new album. No Line On The Horizon is arguably their best since Achtung Baby. Considering U2 have been going for 30 years, it's a remarkable album. Earls never seems to give decent bands a good review- he's so negative and should cheer up. Start listening to music, rather than looking to criticise all the time.

Earls: Sorry, Bono. Please don't have me killed.

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 5/7.

I agree with Rich about the state of current hip-hop. chris brown is tragic, and even Snoop Dogg is making trash these days. The genre peaked in the early '90s with Dre's Chronic, Da Lench Mob and Onyx. Now, it's wayered-down and bland. Kyle Servera

Kyle Falconer isn't a ned, he's a gadge. He's a product of environment. But that doesn't stop him and his three gadgie pals making quality music and putting on great live shows. Rancel BC

The Void; Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2009; 6/7.

Push has no heart

I saw Push and I thought it was very muddled. Camilla Belle can't display emotion, the plot is thin and badly scripted and most crucially- there's no heart in it. X-Men films and Heroes are far better than this sub-par attempt at sci-fi, to me. Sade, Ess*x

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 1/6.

Check out V*rgin pic

As a fan of The Last House On The Left, Aaron Close of leeds may want to check out (if he hasn't already) the film on which it is based, Ingmar Bergman's The V*rgin Spring. David Stewart, Strabane

I think the Oscar for Best Actress should have gone to Meryl Streep, as she was great in Mamma Mia last year and was excellent in Doubt. She is one of the most talented actresses of our time. Nicola, Glasgow

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 2/6.

Supernatural faves

evil dead's atmospheric charged tape recording sells this supernatural performance in The Exorcist, ditto for Jennifer Carpenter in Exorcism of Emily rose.

Italian Exorcist knock-off Beyond The Door has enough striking supernatural scenes to make it worth a spook. Legend of h*ll House remains a toe curlkingly creepy supernatural favourite. t rivers, suss*x

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 3/6.

Boycott Nightmare!

On the subject of a Robert Englund-less remake to A Nightmare On Elm Street. If you're really a fan of freddy krueger, if you're a fanatic of the Nightmare franchise, if you really love Robert Englund, then you must boycott The Nightmare On Elm Street remake!

No matter how good it could be. No matter how bad it's going to be. freddy krueger is Robert Englund. Robert Englund is freddy krueger. MWR, Thornaby On Tees

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 4/6.

Rourke a pc victim?

There's a slight hint of liberal political correctness about sean penn beating Mickey Rourke at the Oscars. The Wrestler is an anomaly in Hollywood because the protagonists are regular blue-collar guys. Carlito's Way, Colors and U-Turn are penn's best films. Rich, Aylesbury

Any info on Let The Right One In, the film based on the Swedish vampire novel? Derrick, Grimsby

Vortex: English version due in 2010.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 5/6.

Argento views welcome

Seen a few films from Italian Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria, Temebrae). I would be interested in anyone who has seen these films and any others he has made to give their comments, please. Chris, Welshpool

I recently saw the Mexican film Killometer 31, not normally into foreign films, but this really freaked me out and would recommend it. Obviously, The Exorcist remains the best. Phil, Stockport

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 27th of February, 2009; 6/6.

Scissor Sisters' Del Marquis

By John Earls

"I went through a lot of trauma before going solo. I don't know if I want to carry on making solo music- I hope I don't need to do it."

Scissor Sisters guitarist Del Marquis is about to release his second solo EP, Character Assassination, but this isn't the regular tale of a side-project.

"I went through a bad break-up," says Del. "Literally, I began making music just to get out of the house."

1/6.

Last summer, Del broke up with his partner of three years but had to stay living in the same house in New York for several months.

"This was on top of some bereavement," says Del, 31. "It felt like everything s****y was happening to me at once.

"I'd never dreamed of making a record before. But I didn't want to be at home, and I didn't know what else I could do in solitude rather than music."

2/6.

The major hurdle was writing lyrics.

"I'd never written a lyric in my life," admits Del, real name Derek Green. "I'm lucky in that Jake Shears sets the bar very hugh for lyricists. I'm fine when people hate Scissors' music, but I don't accept criticism of Jake's words.

"Lyric writing has become a case of fitting any old rubbish around a melody- I wanted, like Jake, to be more inventive than that."

3/6.

The EP shows Del to have a surprisingly strong croon, similar to Martin Fry.

"I love ABC! Thank you," laughs Del.

"It's the side I'm still unsure of. I didn't ask Jake for advice, and I should have done so. It's so, so, so different from just belting a song out in the shower. You have to learn phrasing, breathing control... as good as my producer was, I don't feel I got as much vocal coaching as I needed."

4/6.

As Scissor Sisters' least flamboyant member, Del is struggling with the idea of playing his songs live.

"In the band, I can step out front when I went out- which isn't often," he says.

"Making these four EPs, I've gained even more respect for frontmen. I know how entertaining Jake and Ana are, of course, but I didn't appreciate how much skill is involved to both capture a crowd and, well, stay in tune!"

5/6.

Has Del heard from his ex-partner about their thoughts on his music?

"Tiny pieces of second-hand tidbits," he says. "I gave my ex the demos, and said 'I understand if you don't want to, but this is what I've been doing.'

"The next EP has a horn section, and I'm really proud of how that one's come out. If I'd had any doubts about my songs sucking, I wouldn't have dared volunteer them to the ex!"

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 28th of February, 2009.