Lizzie and Sarah: The Comedy of Pain and Desperation

Well, this is a find. Knocking about online in the uncommisioned pilot episode of Julia Davis and Jessica Hynes sit-com Lizzie and Sarah (video at the bottom of the post if you just want to scroll down!).  Starring and written by Hynes and Davis, the cast is rounded out by reliable comic talents like Mark Heap (Brass Eye, Big Train) and the actor Kevin Eldon (pretty much every great comedy series of the last twenty years.  Also, Hyperdrive).

Here’s the official BBC synopsis:

Lizzie and Sarah are two fiftysomething suburban housewives, perpetually mistreated and ignored by unloving, selfish husbands. The highlight of their otherwise dull lives is their role in an amateur dramatic society, The Borking Players. In the aftermath of a tragic accident which causes the death of a popular local teenager, emotions run high, and following a dismal birthday lunch for Sarah, the two friends embark on a spur-of-the-moment shopping trip. As the day unfolds, they find a way to wreak their revenge.

As Richard Metzger quite rightly points out over at Dangerous Minds (which led me to the video, thanks DM!), “Although there is nothing untrue in the above synopsis, don’t think for a second that you know what this piece is about…” This is a dark, dark show. Hilarious certainly, but bleak. And bleakly hilarious is a rare and pleasing juxtaposition.

The Jon Brion Diversion

Of course, I should be doing some proper work. But I started thinking about Jon Brion. Brion  (born December 11, 1963) is “an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist,singer, songwriter, composer and record producer” (much like the splenetic and rumbustious musical savant Craig Jeffery). I’m not massively au fait with his solo work but I am familiar with his soundtrack work as it forms part of several of what I  consider (often loudly and at length) some of the best films ever made. So this is really just an excuse to post some videos of highlights from those Jon Brion soundtracks.

I might get round to writing longer pieces on these films in the future but in the meantime its worth saying that although we each have our own reality-filters so the merits or otherwise of these films lies in the eyes of the beholder, while I understand that, if you don’t like these films then it would be remiss of me not to seriously consider either snubbing you forever or smothering you with a pillow to put you out of your tasteless idiotic misery. If you haven’t seen these films then go now and find them. Stop conversing with friends and loved ones, or whatever it is you do, and find these movies. It’ll be worth it.

More from the archives…

Look everyone! It’s Life at the End of Time, and its back! That’s right I have finally put my 2007 short film and non-youtube sensation back online. I presume it got taken off because no-one watched it. Nothing changes but the seasons, people.

Watching it again I still think its pretty good. Some of it doesn’t work, some of it goes on too long, but there are some good jokes in there. And it brings back happy memories of its production. Five fun-filled and exhausting weeks running round London spent in the company of the gentlemanly and talented Louis Jackson. I think the fun comes across.

Also considering doing a separate video for the song at the end; another co-production with the lithe and moral musical savant Craig Jeffery. As I recall, not without some distress, certain contingents proclaimed it the best part of the film upon it’s original nationwide (of course) release.

So here it is, emerging newborn and blinking back into the daylight. And if you don’t like it, well, there’s always the song at the end. Enjoy.

Help make this christmas number one…

Searching for any excuse, as always, not to do any proper work, I found myself toying with windows movie maker. here is the result. The song is one I did with my brother, the mysterious musical savant Craig Jeffery. That’s him singing and playing, the talented swine.  I only wrote the words, lacking as I do any musical aptitude. Although one day I do still plan to learn the theremin.

The enigmatic musical savant Craig Jeffery will no doubt fly into an artistic rage that such an unformed, unpolished version of his work has made it out of the paddock of his fevered, creative mind and into the memeosphere and no doubt my amatuerish attempts at crafting a music video merely add insult to injury. But screw him. I like it and the musical savant Craig Jeffery is too afraid of the internet to prevent me posting it. he once told me of computers, “they make such terrible, beautiful music, like the sound of sentient planets devouring one another”. he then wet himself and cried into his bowl of apple sauce.

If there is anyone out there however who wants to do a proper video for it once we have a more polished version of the song “in the can” (yeah, that’s right, i said it) please get in touch.

Anyway, here it is. A song about superheroes and the heavy burden of being superpowered. or something.