The Weekender: Chin up, fingers out! It's the Weekender, here to catapult you into Friday night

Date
21 March 2014

Gather round, children, it’s the Weekender! Remember party bags full of birthday cake smooshed in soggy Noddy napkins, balloons pre-covered in dribble by your over-enthusiastic musical chairs competitor and shiny hats plonked on begrudging heads? Well imagine the week is your party, and the Weekender is your party bag, crammed with all of the bouncy balls and not a soggy smooshed cake anywhere to be found. Strictly good stuff here, kids. We know, we spoil you.

To prove it, this week we brought you an interview with the incredible Gilbert Blecken, who interviewed and photographed the biggest bands of the 80s and 90s long before Top of the Pops came on the scene. We also showed you Geoff McFetridge’s fantastic new paintings for his show Meditallucination, and a series of portraits of New York couples who have been together for over 50 years by photographer Lauren Fleishman, to warm your heart and your cockles.

- Sam Pilling told us all about why he loves Depeche Mode’s Wrong.
- Maisie Skidmore wrote about iPhones killing off valuable toilet literature. Predictably, toilet jokes ensued.
- In the Bookshelf feature, writer and creative director Duncan Campbell let us take a peek at his five favourite tomes.
- Illustrator Scott Smith admitted that he still loves drawing weird creatures.
- And super cool band Wild Beasts made us an incredible Friday mixtape!

James Cartwright

In last week’s Weekender I was banging on about how witty Clive Martin is, and for the sake of consistency I’m going to do it again. This time he’s having a go at arrogant business-types who pretend they don’t sleep. Someone please give him his own show.

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Vice: Clive Martin on the men who refuse to sleep

In other news I spent two hours of my week watching this incredible documentary about one of the USA’s most respected recording studios Muscle Shoals. It’s not really one you can squeeze in before you leave the office this afternoon, but well worth tracking down again on Sunday evening.

Rob Alderson

I mentioned this on the podcast this week but the more I muse on it the more it baffles me. Courtney Love has done some strange things in her life but claiming to have found the missing Malaysian plane by way of an indistinct photo and some red Microsoft Paint style text must take the biscuit. So surreal…

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Courtney Love reckons she’s found missing flight 370

Maisie Skidmore

In my eyes, Vivienne Westwood is the epitome of a female role model. Not only has she carved a career for herself with wit, daring and instinctive decision-making in an industry which didn’t always welcome her DIY attitude and punk aesthetic, but she’s also stuck to her guns on many an occasion when those less courageous would happily have backed down quietly. You can only respect a woman who shaves her head at 74 in protest to fracking.

If my resounding support hasn’t swung you, here’s a new advert PETA released this week in which she makes a incredible case for turning vegetarian in order to conserve water usage, while she takes a shower! What a cool lady.

Lisa Farrell

In 2004 Dave Chapelle decided to throw a free block party in Brooklyn, New York City and invite some of his friends to perform… and by friends we’re talking hip hop and neo-soul legends including Kanye West, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Roots and Lauryn Hill! Michel Gondry made an incredible documentary about it, so if you love music, comedy and sobbing to truly inspirational films you should watch it.

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