Two Big Egos in a Small Car – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Graham and Charles reflect on another superb Edinburgh Festival visit.

Charles talks about his favourite films at Edinburgh, whereas Graham opts to share some of his “celebrity encounters", including a memorable encounter with Argentinian-Italian director, Gaspar Noé.

Graham was at Leeds Festival this weekend and saw Lana Del Ray but preferred Sun King (from York) and almost anyone else to her. He explains why.

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At the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Charles and Graham take the opportunity to interview documentary filmmaker, author, curator and former EIFF director, Mark Cousins and talk to him, in particular, about his latest book, Dear Orson Welles and Other Essays, a series of ‘conversations’ with the artists, poets, directors, and filmmakers who have most influenced and inspired him, from Orson Welles to Tilda Swinton.

Mark Cousins is a documentary filmmaker, author and curator. His films have dealt with subjects such as neo-Nazism, childhood imagination and the cinema of Iran. His feature The First Movie won the Prix Italia. His most recent film, The Story of Film: An Odyssey took six years to make. As an author, he has published several books, including Imagining Reality, The Faber Book of Documentary (as co-editor), the acclaimed book The Story of Film, published in Europe, the United States and Asia, the collection of essays on cinema: Watching Real People Elsewhere. Mark also famously took the Edinburgh International Film Festival to Sarajevo during that city's siege. He was co-artistic director of Cinema China, and of the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams, part of his ongoing collaboration with Tilda Swinton. They recently devised a cinema in Beijing and did A Pilgrimage, in which they pulled a cinema across Scotland. He is honorary doctor of letters at the University of Edinburgh. In the past, Cousins directed and presented the BBC's Scene by Scene, which ran for five years, screening career interviews with, among others, Martin Scorsese, Jane Russell, Paul Schrader, Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Roman Polanski, Jeanne Moreau and Rod Steiger. 

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Graham reports on seeing Pink Floyd, well Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in York and Foo Fighters in Manchester in two days. Who won?

Charles considers what makes a good new musical stand out, after seeing Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch at Grand Opera House, York?

Graham reflects on Viggo Mortensen's new film as director - a Western, -The Dead Don't Hurt.

Graham also catches up with some old punks who never die. He watched Leeds mini legends, Cowton who were back from the dead at Brudenell Social Club.

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Graham reports on the return of Vinyl Sessions and the, perhaps, surprising, hidden depths of The Eagles, as the band's Hotel California is played in full in front of a packed and appreciative crowd in Harrogate.

Charles has a fun and fascinating evening at a PechaKucha event in York and then asks: how do you evoke a whale inside a theatre in Simple8's new adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby Dick at York Theatre Royal?

Graham is enthused by a clutch of mazing new albums by bands that Charm Magazine raved about years ago and who never made it big but just kept on going to the present day. Graham looks at one fine example this week with York band, Percy.

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Charles taunts Graham with a review on Charles Hutch Press of Yes, live in York. Will Graham ever see Yes live?

Graham discusses the book, Demarco’s Edinburgh (Richard Demarco and Roddy Martine, 2023) about the history of  Edinburgh International Festival chronicling the struggles and success of legendary Scots maverick arts impresario, Richard Demarco.

Graham announces that he likes Billie Eilish’s latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft!

Charles went to see the sublime Dexys at Scarborough and discusses the joy in experiencing Kevin Rowland live, with a focus again on last year's Feminine Divine album and even a cover of the Bee Gees’ To Love Someone. Much more like A Soul Passion Revue of old, he thinks.

Graham previews the return of his Vinyl  Sessions classic albums event in Harrogate this week with The Eagles' Hotel California. 

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Charles and Graham welcome special guest, musician, Chantel McGregor. Bradford born, Chantel is a rock musician and female guitar prodigy, who enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history, to achieve a 100% pass mark at BTEC, with 18 distinctions. Chantel followed this with a First Class Honours degree in Popular Music and a coveted prize, the college’s musician of the year award. Her critically acclaimed 2011 debut album, Like No Other was followed by second album, Lose Control, in 2015 on her independent boutique label Tis Rock Music. Subsequently she has released the Shed Sessions albums, volume 1 and 2. After many years of touring and festival appearances, Chantel has made a gradual transition from conventional Blues to a harder, bigger and bolder rock sound with progressive influences. She is currently on a national tour which includes a date at Ripley Town Hall on 20 July.

Graham reflects on the strange nature of 1970s albums with elaborate 'fold out' sleeves, as typified by Isaac Hayes' 1971 double album Black Moses.

Charles raises the issue of Rich Sunak’s latest policy ahead of the General Election on 4 July - the decision to introduce a new National Service scheme and wonders if the arts can benefit from those who want to volunteer in the community rather than the military.

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Graham looks back on Return to the River's Edge; the cult 1986 teen film directed by Tim Hunter that foretold Twin Peaks and the Grunge movement.

Charles reports on a new documentary about Michael Powell & Emetic Pressburger.  Made in England : The Films of Powell and Pressburger - the under appreciated luminaries of British cinema - is directed by David Hinton and narrated by American director Martin Scorsese.

Charles reviews Paloma Faith’s recent gig at York Barbican in an attempt to to convince Graham he should have been there.

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Graham reports on his meeting with David Remfry, Britain's coolest artist, aged 81. Graham met him at his new exhibition, We Think the World of You - People and Dogs Drawn at The Mercer Gallery, Harrogate's only public gallery, once again proving itself indispensable with a high quality exhibition of national interest.

Charles is fresh from seeing the Monet exhibition at York Art Gallery, a new exhibition and as part of the National Gallery bicentenary. York Art Gallery’s Monet in York celebrates the National Gallery’s National Treasures Exhibition with an exclusive commission entitled Una Sinfonia by acclaimed contemporary artist, Michaela Yearwood-Dan.

As if two high quality exhibitions was not enough, Charles reviews sculptor, Tony Cragg's exhibition at Castle Howard.

Graham remembers the American musician and producer Keith LeBlanc, drummer and member of Tackhead who has passed away.

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Graham has a confession to make - he's worrying about Taylor Swift. Is it time to take one of the world's newest billionaires seriously?

Charles is drawn to Graham's more positive view of the Sam Taylor-Johnson Amy Winehouse biopic.

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Graham pays tribute to guitarist Graeme Naysmith, co-founder of the Leeds band, The Pale Saints and remembers when they played one of his own Charm nights in Harrogate.

Time moves on - Looking back at two of the western world's greatest political philosophers of the last half century - Noam Chomsky and Jean Baudrillard and whether two of their bestselling books stand up now.

Is Civil War the best film yet from  Alex Garland or is it too political?

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