Thursday 3 January 2019

2018 Reasons to Procrastinate


-J A N U A R Y-


Afternoon Tea Adventures
Doctor Who - Widen Your Gaze: Chapter Three: Marching as to War

Welcott prepares to march his undead army to 1950's England, to wage war against the Establishment. VTI Security Forces have been ordered to destroy The Space, and all the colonists living there. Julia Shahid is losing her mind. And the Doctor is finally opening her eyes to what's  going on.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

-F E B R U A R Y-


Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 8: From L.A. to Totterdown

As Jeremy struggles to recollect anything recorded by 80’s/90’s UK pop princess Cathy Dennis, and Vince struggles with his vocabulary, both men go to war as they create rival Supergroups. Also this show, they decide that The Banana Splits were a lot funnier than the Monkees; that psychopathic killers should really learn how to spell; and that classic BBC weather presenters Michael Fish and John Kettley should have either had a brief and amusing pop career, or they should have been involved with the 60’s militant US counter-cultural group The Weather Underground, if only to offer sound meteorological advice.

The artists/bands rated and/or discussed are Betty Boo, The Monkees, Stevie Wonder, and Nick Drake.   From L.A. to Totterdown


-M A R C H-


Baker Street Players - Stage Production - 7 performances - California, US
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes
 
 The Baker Street Players are at it again! It’s hard to control them! They are wild! They are undisciplined! They are unashamedly silly! There ought to be a law!

Hilarious scripts by Vince Stadon, highlighting the world’s most famous consulting detective, pulsate with jollity, charm, and mystery! The Baker Street Players and their Sound Effects Crew, with music and all the other bells and whistles, bring to life The Misadventure of the Impossible Magician and The Misadventure of the Disobliging Cadaver! You have to see it to believe it! It’s hijinks at its best!

You’ll meet the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, focused, commanding, aloof, dynamic, and timeless. And the good Doctor John Watson, the intrepid companion, with a love of the ladies -- and the ladies, well, they love him right back. 


There’s Inspector Lestrade, who is the brightest light in Scotland Yard, but who can’t be relied upon to locate the dimmer switch. And don’t forget Mrs. Hudson! Mr. Holmes gives it a good try, but she is indispensable with a good pot of Scottish Breakfast tea.

Throughout March at Baker Street West, second floor to Hein & Company Bookstore. Fridays & Saturdays at 7 o’clock pm on March 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 30 & 31. Sunday Matinee at 2 o’clock pm on March 25. Tickets: Adults $27.50, Seniors $22, Students $18. Online at www.BakerStreetWest.com or call 209-223-2215. (Photo by Farrell Photography)






Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 9: Confessions of a Failed Podcaster
 
Jeremy confesses to having an awkward relationship with irksome Jam frontman Paul Weller, and starts a campaign to demand more stringently regulated standards in Rap Artists' outrageous and unfeasible boasting; Vince takes The Byrds and Dexys Midnight Runners to task for their pretentious grammar, and fails entirely to locate Eastbourne on a map; and Jeremy inadvertently summons up the Antichrist. 
The artists/bands rated and/or discussed are Dexys Midnight Runners, Moby, The Byrds, The Jam, and Black Sabbath.
Confessions of a Failed Podcaster

 

-A P R I L-



Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 10:  The Dicky Davies Fight Club
 NEW YORK SPECIAL!
We don fedoras and sunglasses, and scoff hot dogs and bagels as we are joined in the Overrated Studio by old school pal and New York resident Neil Barret, who chooses a selection of great songs pertaining to his adopted city. As the three of us ponder the majesty of Daley Thompson’s Olympic moustache, and try to picture Sid Vicious attacking Whispering Bob Harris, Jeremy invents a new wrestling move, Neil gets annoyed at the egregious lack of specificity in America’s lyrics, and Vince confiscates the word ‘the’ from ‘the’ New York Dolls.
The Dicky Davies Fight Club.

-M A Y-

The Little Epic Little Podcast Episode 1: Pants
Recorded in Naomi’s back garden on a warm Monday night. Strange and alarming things were happening in a nearby garden.

We talk about superstitions, Elvis, sponsorship deals, pants, and we do very bad impressions of robots. We also talk about where we are in the process of staging a comedy show in September. And Naomi drinks some wine as Vince gets a phonecall. 
No robots were harmed during the recording of this podcast. Stand-up comic/writer/actor Dan Adams pops into the garden at one point, then goes away again.

Clip from Barbara & Jeffrey by Naomi Carter. Starring John Lomas and Naomi Carter, directed by John Lomas.  Pants


Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 11: Keeping it Real



The Wicker Man:
Vince and Jeremy discuss the 1973 British folk horror classic, which they first saw thirty years ago, and keep returning to, and as Vince proposes a range of Wicker Man merchandising, Jeremy sets in motion a diabolical evil scheme to improve his home-grown rhubarb. Vince wonders if Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen has ever used his celebrity status to officially endorse a punningly named Indian Restaurant; Jeremy explains why Britpop darlings Oasis are just too basic and way too madferitourkidlike to be taken seriously; we speculate as to what The Beatles might have played at Live aid; we ponder the appeal of Steve Winwood; and our Overrated supergroups do battle once again.   Keeping it Real

The Misadventure of the Injudicious Jurist
 
ON SUNDAY, MAY 27th, 2018, 6 PM (PST), on www.kpca.fm, the Petaluma Radio Players present the next installment in their Sherlock Holmes comedy series authored by U.K. playwright, Vince Stadon:

'THE MISADVENTURE OF THE INJUDICIOUS JURIST!'

Sherlock Holmes on trial...for murder? Can he expect a hung jury, or can he expect to be hung by the neck? Tune in to www.kpca.fm Sunday night!
 
 

-J U N E-



Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 12: The Jeremy Wall Phenomenon 
 We discuss interpersonal band dynamics and how to fire your sulky lead guitarist; we take a look at the complete madness of the UK singles chart through the 70’s and 80’s and we suggest that a guaranteed number one hit these days would be The Floral Song Grime Rap by Drake feat. Tobermory; we wonder how many Trump staffers would have been shown the White House door in the span of time Wet Wet Wet held the number one spot with their bland cover versions; and swarms of flying ants dominate early memories from our childhoods in the tarmac-melting heatwave of 1976.

-J U L Y-


Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 13: Inverted Commas
Marillion's Clutching at Straws, Part 1 (July 22nd 2018)
For the first episode of a two-part series, we go track-by-track through Marillion’s 1987 album Clutching at Straws, a record Vince has loved for thirty years, and which Jeremy has lots of affection for, too - possibly because Vince has played it to him so many times over three decades that it’s finally worn him down. 

We discuss and rate every song, talk about the production of and meaning behind the album, and along the way we contextualize the album as a meaningful art form, and how changing technology has advanced music distribution, from vinyl to downloads. Jeremy sneers with contempt as Vince mixes up Cream with Free; Vince wonders if David Crosby has put a hit out on him, and rushes off to Twitter to find Tanita Tikaram; Jeremy thinks Clannad should make a range of curries, and wonders why Les Dennis isn’t on a Marillion album cover; and Vince has to race against the Countdown clock to find a duff song on The Doors by The Doors.   Inverted Commas 



Doctor Who from Afternoon Tea Adventures - Extra Scene: Three Days

After a nightmare experience surving on the streets, Julia Shahid is finally reunited with the Doctor - but is the Doctor in any position to help?   

 -A U G U S T-



Little Epic Theatre's Little Sketches - Speed Dating (two performances, August 8th & 16th)

In support of Becky Brunning, and her work in progress show Action Anti-Hero. Art House Cafe, Bristol.  Hillary from In and Out Dating lays down the rules for a fast and furious round of speed dating - because misery loves company.

 
Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 14: Being Mick Pointer
Marillion’s Clutching at Straws - Part Two

 For the second episode of a two-part series, we go track-by-track through Marillion’s 1987 album Clutching at Straws, and as Vince casts Robert Downey Jnr to play Marillion’s frontman in a hypothetical biopic, Jeremy does Barry White impressions. We struggle to name an album by It Bites, or anything by Then Jericho (remember them?); we give the album a final score; we discuss the hardest things we’ve ever had to do whilst chomping on sugar mice; and we vow to never again accidentally insult the north east of England.

Being Mick Pointer




-S E P T E M B E R-


Stumped even Sherlock! The audience, surrounded by vintage wedding dresses and groom's attire from the 1890s to the1960s, part of the 'I DO' exhibit, thought they had come to see a live-on-stage Sherlock Holmes radio drama produced by the Petaluma Radio Players at the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum. They had no idea that a real wedding was built into the plot...a story that was heard live by Sherlock Holmes fans in more than 30 countries around the world (compliments of Facebook and www.kpca.fm).   


The plot line: Holmes gets word that the evil Professor Moriarty is planning on bombing the wedding of Doctor Watson. He is seethingly jealous that Watson is marrying his ex-girlfriend, Josie. When Watson and Josie hear about the plot, they skip town. But Holmes still has to catch Moriarty in the act. That's when (around Act 8) Holmes, intent on catching the evil Professor, turns to the audience and asks, "Is there anyone here willing to get married?" And it's then that Kendra Murray and Ralph Scott (introduced early in the play as 'The American couple touring the British Museum in 1895,' and now adorned in modern-day wedding attire) pop out of two offices upstairs at the museum and state: "Mr. Holmes...we'll do it!"   

The cast didn't know about the ending until the Dress Rehearsal the night before. For weeks, Producers Murray and Scott kept stalling them with: "The playwright (Vince Stadon in the U.K.) still hasn't worked out the ending." Up until the cast-only disclosure at the Dress Rehearsal, the producers had been handing out alternative (fake) endings to keep the Troupe in the dark. The show, and subsequent Reception, went off without a hitch. Expect a story in 'Modern Bride' any day now.

The museum's exhibit curator, Solange Russek, noted: "Today, you've made history." What better place than a museum? And what better place than Petaluma?

-O C T O B E R-


Hammer Horror - The Movie Fans Have Their Say #1: Volume 1 Paperback – 3 Oct 2018
A few of my silly jottings on my favourite Hammer Horror films are published in this book. 






Hammer Horror - The Golden Age of British Horror Movies


Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 15: Dear Bongo

We try to determine if --as Chas and Dave would have us believe--the meat aisles of Sainsbury’s in 1981 were stacked with rabbit; We celebrate Bob Holness’s best fictitious saxophone solos; Vince remembers lots of werewolves, but very little else; We pitch a new Sunday night middle class drama series which will showcase the sexy middle class roll-eyes of middle class actor Martin ‘Middle Class’ Shaw; Jeremy breaks some glass; And we get a buzz from discussing entomology-based band names.

The artists/bands rated and/or discussed are Soft Cell, Hazel O’Connor, Adam and the Ants, The Police, and Bucks Fizz; with mentions of Chas and Dave, Joe Dolce, Midge Ure and Ultravox, Fred Wedlock, Kylie, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, and Michael Jackson.
Episode 16: Dear Bongo 


The Petaluma Radio Players Present: The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, Boxed Set 
 

Who knew the world’s most famous detective … was funny?


The Petaluma Radio Players present The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, a series of radio plays written by Vince Stadon. The Petaluma Radio Players prove beyond a reasonable doubt that murder is hysterical when you’re killing it with high-end comedy. It’s quite elementary, yet oh so nutty!

 
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes boxed set




 

-N O V E M B E R-


 Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 16: Ill-Thought Out Analogies


Vince demands that everybody should stop making things as there’s too much stuff already; Jeremy insists that Gerry Rafferty didn’t die in Baker Street, and laments the lack of any doctors or good feelings in Dr Feelgood; we challenge Oasis to come on the show, and wonder if Bruce Springsteen has ever been to the Asda superstore in Bedminster; Jeremy takes issue with Stuart Maconie; and we try to pen rhymes for our wives in the style of Squeeze.


The artists/bands rated and/or discussed are Gerry Rafferty, The Clash, Squeeze, and The Pet Shop Boys, with mentions of Stealer’s Wheel, Oasis, Bruce Springsteen, U2.

Ill Thought Out Analogies


-D E C E M B E R-


Who Killed Elvis? by Naomi Carter & Vince Stadon

Little Epic Theatre Presents:

WHO KILLED ELVIS?
An Uhuh-Dunnit? by Naomi Carter & Vince Stadon

Thurs 6th December 2018
7:30pm
Show runs to 2 hrs, with intermission

In aid of Cancer Research UK


Vince & Jeremy's Overrated Podcast Episode 17: Guffawing Buffoons 

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! We fit up Noddy Holder and Slade for a series of daring thefts from the homes of rival 70s Glam Rock bands; Jeremy gets unnecessary furious with children’s TV character Mr Benn; Vince struggles with Kris Kristofferson and a Bristolian accent as Jeremy acts out a scenario where Bob Dylan asks directions to racist landmarks; We reminisce about our days as teenage stars of a new cutting-edge BBC drama; we wonder if dogs can hear Ed Sheeran; and Jeremy makes a right royal speech.

Guffawing Buffoons



Little Epic's Little Podcast Episode 2: Big Advice - Tea


Agony Aunt Advice from Dr Naomi Carter and Dr Vince Stadon, who are not real doctors and are instead just busybodies.  This episode: a listener writes in to ask us advice on the etiquette of serving to guests special beverages, and we give conflicting advice because we don't know what we're talking about.

If you would like us to help solve your problems, drop us an email at stadonclan@hotmail.com, with the headline: For God's Sake Help Me!

Tea




Broadcast at 10am, Dec 20th, on KWMR FM


The Petaluma Radio Players present:

'THE MISADVENTURE OF THE MALEVOLENT MATHEMATICIAN'

It's a world where 2 plus 2 equals four times the fun. And where the sum of all mischief almost always totals MURDER.


In this latest installment in 'The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes' series by U.K. playwright, Vince Stadon, the world's greatest detective will multiply the facts, divide his enemies, and carry the one...in a bodybag over his shoulder.

Directed by Pippa Morris
Edited by Kathy Rooke Murphy