I don’t know why it took me so long to get into Charlie Brooker. I’ve long read his Guardian column Screen Burn, loads of my friends are big fans and I’ve been on constant look-out for another journalist to “hero worship” (as Tom so churlishly puts it).
Well now, unlike Maggie, I have turned. Times columnist India Knight no longer resides in my handy firefox bookmark bar, she has been replaced. By Brooker.
See, India used to be pretty amusing. She wrote a brilliant book – My Life on a Plate – 8 years ago, and since then I’ve read her column, first in Ma and Pa’s Sunday Times and latterly online, but she seems to be getting quite unpleasant in her old age. It has been a gradual decline but now her articles are unnaccepting and cynical. They’re about schools, or the demise of the family, or her scorn about Hilary Clinton crying. And worst of all they aren’t funny.
It’s not just because I got a free mug with it today, but I really bloody love the Guardian. It doesn’t deride, it’s not vitriolic and it’s the polar opposite of The Mail, which is my main requirement in a paper.
So India is out, and Brooker’s self-depricating, bad-tempered satire is in. I can’t see myself ever losing faith in Caitlin Moran, but I live in hope that she will defect to the good ol’ Guardian.
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UPDATE 13/02
Comments below made me realise I should probably mention Nathan Barley, Brooker’s hilarious TV series about the rise of the idiots starring Julian Barratt of Mighty Boosh fame also featuring Noel Fielding and that guy out of the IT Crowd whose name no-one can pronounce. Also BBC4’s Screen Wipe which Brooker presented. Both are available on youtube in their entirities.
Nathan Barley really deserves a post of its own. Cos it’s bloody brilliant.
5 responses so far ↓
Jem Easom // February 13, 2008 at 10:39 am |
We are talking about the same “formerly of FHM writing fame” Charlie Brooker right?
Lynn Roberts // February 13, 2008 at 10:47 am |
I wasn’t aware of it, and a quick google and wikipedia check makes no mention.. but who knows.
Mark Higgins // February 13, 2008 at 1:54 pm |
I don’t think he wrote for FHM, but he did write for a few video games magazines.
You should definitely get Screen Burn, which is his book of articles from when Big Brother started. Very interesting to track how TV has changed since then in his writing. Oh, and he has a fixation with sticking pine cones up people’s arses. What’s not to love?
m r a k // February 13, 2008 at 6:10 pm |
I got into Brooker via his satirical TV Times parody, and the spin off series “Nathan Barley”:
http://www.tvgohome.com/011099.html
Kateamelia // February 15, 2008 at 10:56 am |
I love Barley. This is one of my favourite bits:
(re: Dan Ashcroft’s article: Rise of the Idiots)
Idiot: that’s easily the best thing I’ve read.
Dan Ashcroft: What was the second best thing you’ve read?
Idiot: Books and shit.
DA: What books?
Idiot: Heidi.