Andy Mathieson is the guy who made(under Paul Belford’s excellent design) my Whois site and my portfolio site.

He’s just redone his own site and it’s spreading like wildfire. It’s had over three million hits in a week and continues to blaze its way through Twitter.

Check it out then you can see the excellent work he’s done for lots of other clients and maybe make use of him yourself.

Just a reminder: that is the star of The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Heat etc.

He can’t be that poor.

Is he that poor?

Al, if you’d said how tight things were we’d have had a whip round. We owe you. We have loved you.

Sea of Love, Donnie Brasco, even Scent of a sodding Woman.

HOOOOOO-AHHH!!! That’s what you said to win your Oscar.

I’D LOVE SOME CASH!!! That’s what you said a few months ago.

Sniff…

Oh, hang on, he’s already sunk a long way lower than that:

I’ve just seen Stories We Tell, a sort of documentary that delves into the confusing past of actress/director Sarah Polley (if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it).

The part that struck me was close to the end when her father said that he didn’t mind that his wife had an affair because it produced Sarah and made their marriage happier.

That’s an interesting attitude, but it shows that life can be a ghastly, should-destroying nightmare or a beautiful affirmation of the possibility of goodness. It just depends on how you look at it. If your wife has an affair and you find out that your daughter isn’t actually ‘yours’, you can take the path most people would and stew about it for the rest of your days, secretly planning violent revenge on all involved. Or you can see the great benefits to everyone including yourself and delight in the rest of your days.

The same thing happens in the underrated Martin Scorsese film The Age Of Innocence. Similarly, a wife finds out that for much of their time together her husband has secretly been in love with someone else (it was Michelle Pfeiffer circa 1993. Understandable). Her attitude is not a pissed off sense of betrayal, but a feeling of great happiness: her husband chose her over this woman he wanted so much. What greater sacrificial act of love could there be?

In the non-relationship world I recall Andy MacLeod calling middle of the road advertising incredibly brave. His point was that by making safe, anonymous ads a marketing manager was at a much higher risk of simply throwing his company’s money down the lav. Although I think he was being deliberately provocative, he was also right, and that new angle of looking at something we’d all dismissed was cleverly repositioned in a way that made it much easier to argue against.

So maybe you’re angry right now. Maybe you don’t have to be. Maybe you can’t alter your circumstances, but perhaps there’s another way of looking at your situation that leaves you giddy with delight instead of oppressed with hatred.

?

Dumb comments about Onion articles.

Shitty photoshopping in movie posters.

Racist literacy test.

Best debut albums of all time (thanks, A).

Real life GTA:

Early short films of great directors (thanks, L).

A compilation of the ‘best’ Vines (to me this proves my theory that all Vines are shit, but see what you think. Thanks, J):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKjkaGrYpHE&feature=player_embedded

Men wearing their girlfriends’ clothes (thanks, W).

Funny, sweary Tom Baker recording outtake (thanks, T):

Hello darling reader,

My friend is creating a brilliant project that’s going to be both big and interesting. I’m going to be getting involved at various stages, so I really believe in it.

But right now he needs a hand.

Are you either a web developer who wants to do some great work on a great project?

Old or young, whether you want to make a name for yourself or just add another brilliant piece to an already amazing portfolio…

If you’re reading this and thinking ‘Yes, but do I really want to get into this thing?’ I urge you to at least drop Brydon an email at brydongerus@gmail.com

Find out about it, then say yes or no.

Damn, I’m really fighting the urge to end this with ‘simples’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dxy4n0UT82o

Maybe leave out the little curious grunts of the inventor?

But that’s a minuscule point up against the charming, beautifully executed loveliness of another brilliant Honda ad.

… this interview with Rick Rubin.

It’s inspirational to see how he doesn’t get impeded by the question marks of a creative process:

I never decide if an idea is good or bad until I try it. So much of what gets in the way of things being good is thinking that we know. And the more that we can remove any baggage we’re carrying with us, and just be in the moment, use our ears, and pay attention to what’s happening, and just listen to the inner voice that directs us, the better. But it’s not the voice in your head. It’s a different voice. It’s not intellect. It’s not a brain function. It’s a body function, like running from a tiger.

But being open to using your instincts instead of going, “Oh, that’s not going to work.” Or listening to the part of your brain that goes, “Oh, that’s out of tune.” Or the part of your brain that says, “That’s too loud.” You have to shut off all of those voices and look for these special moments—these moments that you accept you have no control over. So much of my job is to not think—to be open to what’s there, and then use my intuition to see where it takes me.

All that and the man discovered Chuck D, produced Walk This Way, rediscovered Johnny Cash, produced 21, spotted Under The Bridge in a notebook, produced 99 Problems…

The list goes on and because of that, the man is a genius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52MzBNqcnLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpcO3WdrgsQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w7swFGyQwGU