#125 Beton brut
Brutalism. Occultism. Lyricism.
Issue #125 Beton brut
31th July 2024
Hello, gang.
I’m just back from Cambridge where I helped run an improv workshop for LEADERS OF THE FUTURE.
Ah, the places improv takes you.
We were teaching at Churchill College, which was built in the 1960s and is therefore a strong example of brutalist architecture. All strong lines and biscuit-coloured concrete.
Did you know that the term brutalism comes from the French term beton brut meaning raw concrete? I did. I read it in a book last week.
Books are great, aren’t they?
Rule of three
[Book] Ninth House
I love a bit of world-building, me. This novel is set in a reality where Yale university societies are actually powerful enclaves of ancient magic. There’s a macabre thrill in (stop reading now if you’re squeamish) an author plagued by writer’s block getting his blood replaced with ink or medical students prognosticating the future using the entrails of anaesthetised hospital patients. Grim but grand fun.
(this is also the book that told me about brutalist architecture)
[Opposites] Jon Bovi
This SNL sketch was cut at dress but I love it. It’s about a Bon Jovi opposite band. What is an opposite band? You’ll have to watch to find out.
🎶 TAKE MY FOOT, WE WILL NOT MAKE IT, I DO NOT SWEAR! 🎶
[TV] Ren Faire
Let me be clear, I hate the central character of this documentary. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. Having said all that, it’s an absolutely engrossing watch, beautifully filmed and totally unique. Like Succession for LARPers.
Longform thoughts
I struggle to think of an activity that is more helpful to an ensemble than this - spend time together, share your lives, dare to a dream a little. Improv rewards moments spent not improvising but simply existing in each others’ orbits.
Here are my tips on starting Your first improv team.
Radio contact
Bow ties are cool.