Nathan Barley comes to TV

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All those crowd members at the GOP convention were just a whisker away from being Nathan Barleys then

― Masked Gazza, Monday, 14 February 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

ha, reminds me of the big 'hipsters and the things they wear' fite we had last Summer/Autumn. if Brooker and Morris are sneering at this aspect i don't sneer with them because that's such a petty little thing to criticise - i mean The Idiots at SugarApe and elsewhere often look pretty good! and Morris and Brooker have terribly dull dress sense judging by their TV appearances, but then they're scatter-brained/neurosis addled writers bigger on substance so it's par for the course (and Dan wears dull clothes in the programme too, because he doesn't care either - which is a philosophy i often go along with myself, but it doesn't mean The Idiots are idiots just for wearing 'daft gear').

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

But it's not a petty little thing to TVGoHome's Nathan Barley, it's something that he spends much more time and energy on than his rubbish media.

You're also maybe making the mistake that people who don't look 'smart' don't care what they look like, when usually they care at least enough to not want to look 'smart'.

(I still haven't seen the episode, though I have it on tape somewhere)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 14 February 2005 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

There is the thing where it's much easier to write a story about the most amazing song/dance/etc in the world ever, and much harder to translate this to a medium where you actually have to produce something that good. Except now with 'bad' :)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 14 February 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Most of the fashions so despised in TVGH were (perceived) futile grubbings around in irony and kitsch and backward-looking stuff, like a foretelling of PornStar, rather than actual new stuff like the flipflops. The only new element was low-slung trousers, which is a pretty rubbish innovation in the first place.

(cue the fashion cognoscenti telling me that actually PornStar was around ten years before TVGH, and people have been wearing low-slung trews since 1929)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 14 February 2005 14:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, I've been experimenting with slippers and pink thread and here's what I got:

http://www.imomus.com/slipperyears.jpg

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

surely the machismo of revulsion incarnate! ;-)

― debden, Monday, 14 February 2005 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)

fancy a quick round of cock muff bumhole Momus?

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I am just wondering how many people contributing to this thread are actual media types? ie people with first hand experience of what's being portrayed in the program. I mean how many people know the ins and outs of pitching ideas to newspaper editors? I'm guessing more people on this thread than in your average suburban estate.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

People enjoyed 'Ab Fab' though, didn't they? And unbelievably some people in the media or on its fringes grew up in the suburbs.

I mean fair play. The last time I went out was to a bar near Old Street decked out in Communist kitsch, with a DJ who veered between undi hip-hop and George Formby where they served Polish beer at £2.80 a bottle. But I'm no media wanker, trust.

― Henry Miller, Monday, 14 February 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

momus, that is truly delightful :)

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread is making me like the show more, for sure.

― cutty (mcutt), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Momus, you look like a baddie from Doom II.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

But compared to Ab Fab none of the characters were grotesque enough, daft yes but no where near as vile as they could have been. This is why for me at least it wasn't as funny as it could have been. With the exception of Pingu everyone was treated nicely. Unless we are give decent reasons to dislike these people (like in the original tv go home bits in which Barley is a vile horrible person though that could of course be Brookers projection though the icky stuff with prostitutes would suggest other wise) then it's just Teachers in Hoxton.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

where was it actually set? hoxton, westbourne grove, soho? or some sort of composite? it had a feel of west london and hoxton intermingled. i was v. drunk while watching it though.

― debden, Monday, 14 February 2005 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

it's a made up name ('hosegate'?) but i wd say hoxton/shoreditch/clerkenwell.

― Henry Miller, Monday, 14 February 2005 15:48 (twenty-one years ago)

they should have a fake tube station in it, like in Eastenders, or at least an ELE 'under construction' one

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked the wistful 'Crouch End' one in Shaun of the Dead.

― Henry Miller, Monday, 14 February 2005 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Some things Barley did in TVGoHome he almost certainly won't do in the TV show. He won't, for instance, read Sleazenation magazine from cover to cover in a hotel room in Tokyo. What would be the point of remaking 'Lost In Translation'? Anyway, it would be expensive to film, although AbFab managed to fly its cast to New York for a few hours' shopping. Another thing the TV Barley won't do is this:

http://pzat.meep.org/cunt/tvgohome16062000.jpg

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

But Morris has been there! The gush sketch in Jam trod pretty similar territory. Wouldn't the sitcom format just render that a slightly uncomfortable wank joke?

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

the show reminded me of the Sleazenation offices so badly i thought i was living through a flashback.

-- stevie

See, I thought it looked like The Face offices pre-Shaftesbury Avenue.

I find Dan very sympathetic, yet agree with all Matt's points against this upthread. I found the Sugar Ape meeting and Weekend on Sunday scenes both very funny and beyond painful, but then perhaps this is a little too close to the bone for me.

What it has done is created labels. I can easily see "he's got this Dan Ashcroft thing" or "he was totally Jonatton Yeah?" being thrown around as descriptions.

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I think there's been a shift, perhaps related to the fact that Brooker and Morris discovered they were much more interested in Dan Ashcroft than Nathan Barley as they wrote the show. The shift is between a Nathan Barley who's dark and uncomfortable and in all of us, if only we catch a glimpse of the mirror at the wrong time -- something Will Self-ish, if you will -- and a Nathan Barley who's essentially Rick from The Young Ones, an annoying git.

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

http://hem.passagen.se/tufflan/youngones/bilder/rick.jpg

"Peace and fucking, keep chopping them out, my nigga."

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

reminded me of the offices of the short-lived music webzine burnitblue.com.

― Henry Miller, Monday, 14 February 2005 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

the problem for me is that Barley actually does look and sound like someone i know who i used to work with in nowmedia (as i always preferred to call it irrespective of tossiness) and even envied a little tho he was definitely not anywhere remotely near Barley's level or cnutishness and he'd be appalled for me even referring to him in this light, and rightfully so. whew, i got out of that one pretty well...

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Momus is so right, anyone who has read the original articles knows that Barley is almost satanic in his unpleasantness and who better than Morris to splatter theis over the screen? In my head I saw something like the film version of American Psycho; cold surfaces, hard drugs, hollow relationships and no empathy whatsoever.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, the film of American Psycho couldn't help making Bateman way too nice too. Film and TV really can't invoke our fear of our inner demons in the same way prose can. They always cast someone just a bit too cute, and cut out the truly revolting bits. (I don't remember the film Bateman fucking any eye sockets...)

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe it's a DVD 'Easter egg'

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

but did Bateman really fuck an eye socket in the book?

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, he fucks some skulls. It would be funny if Barley were a serial killer, but he's mostly just inconsiderate.

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:26 (twenty-one years ago)

skullfucking = inconsiderate. Momus you are the master of understatements. if i had a tiny hat i would doff it you.

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

no isn't all the skull fucking just a daydream, the sick fantasies of a bored man with everything he could possibly want? That was my interpretation.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

i think i heard a Boards Of Canada track briefly in the episode - did anyone else? it's the same one i posted up ages ago that didn't seem to have a title so i decided to call it 'Syphon View'.

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

isn't all the skull fucking just a daydream, the sick fantasies of a bored man with everything he could possibly want?

Well, the thing about Pat Bateman is not that he's good because he's rude, yeah? It's that he's good because he looks like he's good because he's rude, Yeah?

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, the thing about Chris Morris is not that he's good because he's rude, yeah? It's that he's good because he looks like he's good because he's rude, Yeah?

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

ha!

― cutty (mcutt), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Over the last couple of days, I've asked a bunch of my IRL friends about this show - I've enjoyed a lot of Chris Morris' stuff, and I used to enjoy TVGH, so obviously, I'm interested in this, but nobody I asked had seen it, and hardly anybody had even heard of it!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

was tvgohome on the telly? or a book?

― cozen (Cozen), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

It was a spoof TV listing. I'll be interested to see if we witness Barley cashing a single check from his parents. That was just about the defining gesure of TVGH's Barley, the essence of his cuntiness. But TV's Barley will probably never go home. We'll never see his parents or their money. Believe!

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the poster campaign is quite inspired. i wonder how many/if any saw it, having never heard of Barley, Brooker or even Morris before, thought 'oh wow i want that phone!' and then saw the programme (it should've got quite good ratings as it was generously scheduled and even a little earlier than Bo Selecta if i'm not mistaken) but even then didn't necessarily twig (i can imagine those not familiar with Barley/Brooker switching over). maybe no-one. but the ads are designed with the same sneery attitude that the writers have elsewhere - the idea that there really are people out there who would be suckered by it, and not understand/care about the programme at all.

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

TVGoHome was on the telly AND it was a book

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

It looks like Brooker forgot to pay his website hosting bills.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, broken link.

http://pzat.meep.org/cunt/

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

must have completely passed me by.

― cozen (Cozen), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe you're too young. It was very big in 1999.

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

the tvgohome site was working as of last week, maybe they took it down on purpose?

― cutty (mcutt), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, going along with something else momus said above, the one bit i did find funny was the whole 'it's the best thing i've ever read', 'what was the second best thing you've ever read?' conversation but only because i thought the bloke had answered 'Heidi'

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 14 February 2005 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

According to Bex is way better.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 14 February 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

That Heidi line would have been much funnier coming from Brent, which it easily could have. That was another problem I had with it - almost all the acting was rub.

Steve I thought the BoC track was something off MHTRTC - I'd know it if I heard it again.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 14 February 2005 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

the acting was fine, tho some were better than others.

how did the guy at SugarApe (he looks 'senior' i.e. around the same age as Dan if not older) find out about the 'southern French' thing so quickly do you suppose? given the only way was for WoS bloke to tell him about it? it was mildly amusing but totally unlikely.

i keep thinking back to the bit where he joins in the CMB game in the pub and how much i like it, almost as if i liked the fact that he was enjoying the game, this almost being heart-warming, that here's where rather than revealing himself to be a fellow Idiot he reveals himself to be a fellow...human? not sure, but it seems like a fun variant on RockPaperScissors i.e. harmless fun. what was interesting was when the receptionist girl (why is she the coolest person in the programme? is she completely together and smarter than everyone else? then why is she 'just' the receptionist etc.? age old device but intriguing in this context) told him off for doing this he immediately stopped. so it seems Dan is saved yet stifled by the girl and what appears to be an unrequited crush on her. also intriguing.

i'm surprised how much i enjoyed it based on these thoughts.

has there been this kind of discussion with According To Bex?

― Alienus Quam Reproba (blueski), Monday, 14 February 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

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