MIND OF A CHILD

I know that I have the mind of a child, but I don't care. The compilation of this list has given me hours of entertainment. Chrystal Tips rightly pointed out that I am horribly late with this post, but this is a subject close to my infantile heart, so I wanted to do a good job.

10. The Hair Bear Bunch


Hair, Bubi and Square bear. Launched in 1971, this cartoon was one of the loves of my early life. Each show had an identical format, with the bears breaking out of the zoo in which they lived, and being pursued by Eustace Peevely the keeper. I think it is entirely possible that the writer at Hannah Barbera who came up with the idea of a hippy bear with an afro, might possibly have been partial to the odd doobie himself.

9. Mickey Mouse.
I am not actually that big a fan, but I have to include him for one reason alone, Steamboat Willie. On November 18th 1928, the first cartoon with dialogue, sound effects, music and images was released. Starring Mickey, it went on to become a massive hit and Launched Walt Disney on the road to global domination.

8. Top Cat
Only 30 episodes of this cartoon were ever made and yet it is still on the box today. Believe it or not, they were all made in 1961/62. The cartoon was based loosely on the Phil Silvers Show. The little blue cat (Benny) was made to look like a character from the show called Duane Doberman who actually voiced Benny in the cartoon.

7. Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly.

My favourite characters from the fantastic Whacky Racers. Others included the Slag Brothers, the Red Max in the Crimson Haybailer, Rufus Ruffcut in the Buzzwagon, The Ant Hill Mob in the Bullet Proof Bomb and Dick and Muttley in the Mean Machine. I just loved the name Meekly, a name the character fully lived up to. Again, horrified to learn that they were all made between 1968 and 1970. Where has my life gone?

6. Mel Blanc

Mel Blanc was the man behind the voice of all of the characters in the picture above. He voiced over 1000 cartoons during what is often referred to as the 'golden age of animation'. This cel is called, rather movingly, Speechless. The studio produced it after his death in 1989. If you ever get time, look up his interview on You Tube. Every time he says something, it is like a trip down memory lane. All these cartoons were were made from the early forties onwards, and Mel became synonymous with practically every classic cartoon character from that period.

5. Baloo

The 1967 production of 'Jungle Book' contained one of the finest characters ever created by Disney. Baloo bear was voiced by an 1940's big band leader called Phil Harris who got the job after he was heard talking on the radio. Best friend to Mowgli and arch enemy of Sheer Khan, he sang probably the most famous song written by the Disney studio. Go on.......tell me you're not singing it now!

4. Homer Simpson.

The role model for millions of American fathers. Now in its nineteenth season, the Simpsons continues to entertain with consistently superlative writing. There is a nice little homage in the cast list. Mayor Quimby was given his name in remembrance of Fred Quimby, director of most of the early Hanna Barbera greats. I am frightened to admit it, but I see flashes of Homer in myself. I love the adaptation of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, with Homers most treasured possessions in each hand.

3. Puss in Boots

The funniest cartoon character ever created. Not No1, because it only appeared in one really good film. A stroke of genius to have Antonio Benderas voicing the part, a man that other men will begrudgingly admit seems to be a good looking sort of chap (no gay remarks please). The scene in Shrek 3 where Puss and Donkey swap bodies and puss tries his innocent look (above) is true genius.

2. Tom and Jerry

Created between 1940 and 1958, this is the most played series in television history. Mostly directed by the legendary Chuck Jones, this cartoon is still a joy to watch. Using animation physics (a drawing technique to make bodies replicate the object hitting them), Tom and Jerry was highly innovative in its day. Originally Tom was called Jasper and is identified as a Russian Blue cat. In the 18 years of the original series, both characters only ever spoke once. I still think the pin in the backside, red face and delayed scream is one of the best visual gags ever.

1. Wile E Coyote

The funniest cartoon ever, bar none. Launched in 1952, Wile was the unlucky pursuer of the Roadrunner. Using contraptions supplied by Acme, Wile spent every episode getting blown up or falling off a cliff. His Latin name (always in brackets at the start of the cartoon) was the same for the first three shows, 'Carnivorous Vulgaris', but was different for nearly every show after that. The little black puff of smoke from the canyon floor gets me every time.

So there it is. These hand drawn masterpieces are an integral part of visual culture. They also make me laugh like a drain. That's all folks

TOP TEN FOR THIS FRIDAY

The literary list exhausted what little education I have, so this Friday will be the ten best cartoon characters. One thing in this list is for certain, Prof. Pat Pending and the ring-a-ding converta-car will be in there.

THREE DAYS LATE!!

So, late as usual, I start my top ten lists. I am going to start with my top ten books, although only because I found this list actually quite easy to compile. Primarily because I have only read eleven books, so the only choice I had to make was which one to drop. Not sure about the running order, but here we go.

10. Failed States - Noam Chomsky.
Possibly the finest social/political mind alive today. A real genius, but a man of profound principal. He has been issuing warnings to the world for years, we could do worse than listen every once in a while.

9. Holidays in Hell - P J O'Rourke
An economist by trade, this is an account of his visits to the poorest places on the planet and why they have become so. What makes this book so enjoyable is that amidst so much desperation, he is still very, very funny. Acerbic one minute and compassionate the next, Mr O'Rourke has been entertaining me for years.

8. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Lent to me recently by a good friend, this is a profoundly moving book. To tell you about the content would be a mistake, just get yourself a copy and read it. Then when your children are past 10 years old, read it to them, just to make sure that we never forget.

7. The Point of Departure - Robin Cook
The diaries of a noble man in an increasingly ignoble profession. Both illuminating and funny, it deals with the build up to his resignation stemming from his opposition to British involvement in the Iraq war. Politicians seem to show so little respect for their position these days, that even I am starting to despair of a system that seems to almost welcome deceit and corruption. It remains a terrible shame that he died so soon after leaving office. This book offers a wonderful insight into the mechanics of government, whilst showing a man having to come to terms with a decision he felt compelled to make.

6. Billions and Billions - Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan remains one of the brilliant minds of modern times. One of the worlds foremost astronomers/scientists, he is remembered mostly in this country for the series 'The Cosmos', which he both wrote and presented. This book however is a look at some of the key issues facing mankind as we venture in to 21st century. Whilst I do not agree with all that he proposes, I found it to be thought provoking and challenging. Carl Sagan found out whilst writing this book that he had terminal cancer and had to curtail what was supposed to be a much bigger piece of work. As a footnote, he also wrote the film 'Contact' starring Jodie Foster.

5. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
I am not a huge fan of Dickens, but I absolutely love this story. I suspect that most of you have read it, so need no introduction to the plot. I remember being only nine or ten and being mesmerised by the twisting storyline and the ultimate sacrifice.

4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
Written in the late sixties, this book has brought untold of joy to all of my children. I don't know why, but this book seems to capture the imagination of every child that reads it. I must have read this book three or four hundred times and it still makes me smile.

3. Mere Christianity - C S Lewis
I know, very predictable. Still, for most people who are starting to think there is something more to life, this will probably be the book that gives them more to think about than any other. I found it to be a marvellous piece of work from a clearly brilliant mind. One thing though, I found that I could only read it in small chunks as it really made my head hurt.

2. The Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen Hawking
It is always difficult when talking about this mans books, as all the hyperbole tends to get in the way. Still, it does make some of the big questions in theoretical physics accessible to thickos like me. I always find it slightly odd that Hawking (and Carl Sagan for that matter) find the presence of God so difficult to accept. It always seems to me that the symmetry of science does nothing but suggest the presence of a really great architect, do you not think?

1. The Bible - God
Big name author, good story and a great central character. A book for all seasons I think. I don't think I need say more, I think it speaks for itself.

I would like to give honourable mentions to Heart of Darkness, Last of the Mohicans and Corialanus.

So there you go. You probably disagree with nine of the ten, but it is my blog and I don't care (tongue is now sticking out). If you think I have missed the mark completely, then feel free to tell me your suggestions, that way I can include them on my 'to read' list.

I LIKE A GOOD LIST

Like all men, I love top 10 lists. I have decided each week to post a top ten list of my favourite somethings. I am going to start this week with my top ten books. If any of you have any ideas about further lists, exotic or otherwise, please let me know your thoughts. I have my top 10 films and sporting moments all cued up, so some more thought provoking ones would be good. Friday will be top 10 day each week. Maybe I could start with the top 10 Welsh genius's....................then again!

I AM NOT STUPID!!!

Unless you have had a really bad education, you will know what this picture represents. I think that for years I have been calling myself a Luddite as a form of self defence, as if I had taken the choice not to embrace technology. The truth, alas, is a different story. I have never had a choice with technology. It has always had a choice with me, and guess what decision it made.....................TO VOMIT ON MY TROUSERS ON A DAILY BASIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today, I found a real gem on You Tube that I wanted to share with you. However, after a whole hour of saving all manner of things to my computer, I am still no closer to success. If you are reading this and thinking of all the words that can be used in conjunction with the word idiot, I refer you to the title of this piece. I think I have to face the fact that the modern world and I are starting to take different roads, but that is cool. The road I am taking is the one towards old age, where everything smells of wee and everyone talks scribble. That is no place for modern technology. It is a place for cholostomy bags and midday naps. So, I am out of the closet. I am not a Luddite, I just can't stand computers. Trust me though. the video I tried to show you was really funny.

What a shame

You know, when Kurt decided to take his own life, I think I kind of nodded my head and thought 'no surprise there then'. But today, I listened to him singing 'The man who sold the world' off the unplugged album and felt a real sadness. I think that to put him down as just another self destructive casualty of the industry is the easy thing to do. The music business, I would imagine, must flay away at any semblance of sanity that you may posses, and for somebody like this man, that must be a terrible price to pay. Being born with the desire to exploit your talent knowing that it may be the instrument of your torture...what a nightmare! Just looking at this picture of him and his child made me very morose. He was not just a drug addict or musician, he was also a father and husband (albeit to a total crackerjack) and I feel that I just took the easy route when trying to rationalise his death. Whatever else, he left behind some fantastic music.
I think Post Modern Monk did a piece like this not long ago on Amy Winebottle. Let's hope and pray she can avoid a similar fate.