The 12th Annual Review of A Year in the Life of Ben
2017
THE GOOD:
- Bought a Big House.
- So after what seems like an age of saving, me and Clare finally laid out a deposit for a house. We took a bit of a gamble on a place quite far out of the city, a house with shitty internet, no public transport, terrible decoration and shite electric storage heaters. But I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. It's a huge 3 storey beast with tranquil countryside surroundings and a massive top room ripe for proper home cinema potential. Once we get it decorated the way we want it, I don't think I will ever want to move out. It also has this view:
- Small but great trips to Prague (To see the new/old Guns N Roses)
- and Torquay (Kezia and Shane’s wedding)
- Not a lot of cash this year for holidays in between buying the house and beginning the decoration. We took a drive down to Torquay for Kezia and Shane's wedding which was a lot of fun, stopping at Blackpool on the way.
- We also managed a week in Prague to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, mainly to see the new/old iteration of Guns N Roses. I originally predicted this version of Guns N Roses would be a total train-wreck, so happy to be proven wrong as they completely blew us away over a punctual 3 hour set filled with everything you'd want to hear. Biffy Clyro supporting and £2 beers was a nice bonus as well. Shame Alan and Laura Dewar had to accompany us and ruin everything. We will be seeing Guns N Roses again in Berlin next year for our 6th Anniversary because who says we aren't original, Alan and Laura will once again be crashing our anniversary trip. But at least we also get to see Pearl Jam this time.
^2 guys pissing in a fountain in Prague- Gary got married.
- My brother finally got married to his wife Livia in June, at the Hilton in Edinburgh. It was a splendid day and fun was had by all.
- The return of Twin Peak and Blade Runner after a long absence to much excellence.
- Twin Peaks and Blade Runner are two of my favourite things ever, so to have them return to such high standards as what we got this year was a delight. I'd be lying if I said the new series of Twin Peaks wasn't frustrating as hell but its nightmarish images, crazy characters and golden shovels is something I will never forget.
- This is the water and this is the well, drink full and descend.
THE BAD:
Nutcracker not taking off like I would have liked.
So last year I along with a number of other people made a 20 minute short film - Nutcracker. Unfortunately the film has had little success in the way of film festivals, I am putting this down to the tonal shifts in the film (horror and romance rarely go together) and the long running time. Film festivals like their shorts to be... well short. It played at the videotheque at the Edinburgh film festival, which was nice but wish it had more legs. Still waiting to hear back from some festivals but will be making the film public in March/April for all to see.
- Yet another guy crashed into the back of my car.
- In what seems to be an annual occurrence, another car drove into the back of me at some traffic lights. I should count myself lucky that this amounts to nothing more than a shunt but still a pain in the arse having to list this in your insurance every year.
- The Demise of Brand New
- Its no secret that Brand New was my favourite band. After years of moderate silence, 2017 was a rollercoaster year to be a Brand New fan, a rollercoaster that came careening off the tracks in November. In August they dropped their long awaited final album - Science Fiction (they were due to split in 2018) out of nowhere and it is the best album by the best band of the 21st century.
- However in November, singer Jesse Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct via web camera with a minor, she was 15 and he 24. This was a major gut punch for me, coming so soon after releasing their best final album and a week prior to seeing them for what could have been the last time. The tour was cancelled, and I have my doubts about them playing out their final year as a band which I've made my peace with. Science Fiction would've been my number 1 album of the year but I can't in good conscience list it in my top ten below. It's a massive shame to what could have been an impressive legacy.
- Food Poisoning
- Got some pretty nasty food poisoning from Pizza Punks in Glasgow back in March. It wasn't pretty. Don't eat there.
- Studio 24
- Two of my favourite clubs in Edinburgh were Studio 24 and Opium, it was with great sadness that Studio 24 announced their closure this year, much drunken good times were had in that place. It was a part of history as well with Nirvana having played there twice. A ton of new flats were built beside it recently, pressure from the council about noise pollution resulted in the closure.
^Stage invasion on the final night of Studio 24.- The Loss of Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington
- Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington's bands (Soundgarden, Audioslave & Linkin Park) meant a huge amount to me growing up and shaped my musical landscape. It was a real punch gut to learn of their passing this year, both from suicide.
THE WEIRD:
- Witnessed a fight between 2 colliding cyclists on the Union canal embankment that started on the path… and then the embankment… and then the canal. Had to pull them both out of the canal.
GOALS FOR 2018:
- The biggie - every year in my annual review I state that my goal is to pay off a bit of a debt, bit by bit. 2018 will be the year that; all going well I will become…. Debt free!! (not including mortgage and student loan, they don’t count)
- Less social media intake. It’s beginning to get to me.
- Got something quite ambitious bubbling away that I hope will become a reality in summer 2018, keeping it under wraps until then.
- LISTS!
THE DEFINITIVE FAVOURITE 10 FILMS OF 2017:
*List has been revised from the list posted on my Facebook at the end of November 2017. This is due to having a further viewing of some of these films. (La La Land is gone due to it being nowhere as good on 2nd viewing)
10: Baby Driver
09: Call Me By Your Name
08: Dunkirk
07: IT
06: The Disaster Artist
05: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
04: Get Out
03: T2 Trainspotting
02: The Handmaiden
01: Blade Runner 2049
FAVOURITE FICTIONAL TV SHOWS OF 2017
10: American Gods
09: Rick and Morty
08: Legion
07: Mindhunter
06: The Good Place
05: The Handmaiden's Tale
04: Better Call Saul
03: Game of Thrones
02: The Leftovers
02: The Leftovers
01: Twin Peaks
MY FAVOURITE 10 ALBUMS OF 2017:
10: At the Drive-In - In.ter a.li.a
09: Julien Baker – Turn Out the Lights
08: Mastodon – Emperor of the Sun
07: Silverstein – Dead Reflection
06: Daisyhead – In Case You Missed It
05: Glassjaw – Material Control
04: Sorority Noise – You’re Not as _______ You Think
03: Manchester Orchestra – Black Mile to the Surface
02: The Menzingers – After the Party
01: Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms
Concerts attended in 2017 ranked:
20 - Daisyhead - Nice N Sleazys Glasgow, 26th November
19 - Breaking Benjamin - ABC Glasgow 28th August
18 - Royal Blood - The Hydro, Glasgow 24th November
17 - Julien Baker -CCA Glasgow, 8th November
16 - Bury Tomorrow - Mash House Edinburgh, 29th October
15 - Arcane Roots - Mash House Edinburgh, 18th October
14 - Four Year Strong - The Garage Glasgow, 8th June
13 - Weezer - Academy Glasgow, 24th October
12 - Dropkick Murphys - Alhambra, Dunfermline, 27th June
11 - Creeper - ABC Glasgow, 3rd December
10 - Manchester Orchestra - The Garage Glasgow, 22nd October
09 - The Wonder Years - QMU, Glasgow, 4th February
08 - Silverstein - G2 Glasgow, 12th December
07 - Blink 182 - The Hydro Glasgow, 11th July
06 - Touche Amore - Stereo Glasgow, 20th February
05 - The Menzingers - Oran Mor Glasgow, 22nd April
04 - The Lafontaines - Sneaky Petes Edinburgh, 31st October
03 - Deftones - SECC Glasgow, 7th May
02 - Creeper - The Garage Glasgow, 26th March
01 - Guns N Roses- Letiste Lenany airfield Prague, 4th July
Favourite Song of the Year:
Creeper - I Choose to Live
Have a good one everyone. See you this time next year... if we survive the nuclear holocaust!
Ben xxxx
PS: Saw Chen like 3 times this year. Would've been 4 if I'd been invited to that Korean barbecue.
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