This week, JOE has been mostly reading, watching and listening to the following things...
When JOE isn't working incredibly hard to bring you the latest and weirdest from the world of the internet, we enjoy nothing better than sitting down to study physics and quantum mechanics. After we're done with that, we also like to read regular books, listen to music and watch a movie from the movie box. These are our choices for what to get your eyeballs and earholes on this week.
Jonny Sexton – 'Becoming A Lion'
Sports books, and in particular autobiographies, are two-a-penny in the lead up to Christmas, but if you are looking for a candid and refreshingly honest book from a sportsman in the prime of his career, you could do a lot worse than have a read over Johnny Sexton’s diary from the previous 12 months.
He could scarcely have known he would pick a more dramatic year in his life, from speculation over his future, conflict with the IRFU, a season of ups and downs for Leinster, a successful Lions tour, a move to France. And not to mention him tying the knot with his long-term girlfriend.
What possibly sets this book apart is how open he is, from his team-mates, to the contract details with the IRFU and you are left in little doubt that he is one of the most driven and meticulous players in the game.
Not afraid to upset those around him as he strives for victory, the book is well worth a read.
The Great Gatsby
Well hello there Old Sport...
This glitzy and glamorous adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic American novel is on repeat on the JOE Blu-ray player at the moment. No silly, not because we can't work out how to turn off the 'repeat' function, but because Baz Luhrmann's big screen version oozes sexiness, class and quite a bit more sexiness... just like your beloved JOE.
Boasting an all-star cast that includes the gorgeous Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher, The Great Gatsby stars the always impressive Leonardo DiCaprio as our titular mystery man, partying and gallivanting his way around New York and its environs during the Roaring Twenties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaBVLhcHcc0
In true bombastic Baz style, Fitzgerald's source material gets the full-on Luhrmann love as the director presents the audience with the perfect blend of the vintage and the modern, with even the soundtrack helping to sex up proceedings by boasting such acts as Lana Del Ray, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Check out his track 'No Church In The Wild' and be ready to be transported back to an era when, as our narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) tells us, is a time of looser morals, cheaper liquor and bigger parties.
We want to go to there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7CVDKkff4c
Huey and the Hobgoblins - 'A Good Year For Sandwich Toasters'
If you like your music horny then JOE's got just the band for you.
Louth-based band Huey and the Hobgoblins come complete with their own 5-piece brass section and have just released their crackin' debut album, 'A Good Year For Sandwich Toasters.' They're an ensemble that really know how fill a venue... mainly because there's about 78 of them in the line up. Or 12. Maybe it's 12 in the line up.
The 12-piece (told you) retro-pop band have played at various festivals across the country including Oxygen and Vantastival, and are Electric Picnic regulars, having performed on the unique Salty Dog stage for the last three years running. Their blues/funk style is peppered with an eclectic range of influences and has been excellently described as "Funky Mexican Soul."
Funky Mexican soul? Always a good thing:
If you're around Dublin tonight (Thursday 28th November) then make sure you head along to Sweeney's on Dame Street for a delightful double-bill of Huey and the Hobgoblins and Super Turbo Ninja Club. It's a bank manager-friendly €5 in and doors are open at 9pm.
You can also check out the album online (including
Google Play and
Bandcamp) and for more information on the band you can visit their website by
clicking here. Or, if you're so moved by the music that you feel the need to get in touch with them directly, then you can email them at hueyandthehobgoblins@gmail.com.
Don't be sending them nudey pics though, OK?
To get you in the mood for tonight, check out the absolutely funktastic 'So Afraid To Love You', Track 4 off the shiny, brand new album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii3aUz7xnHU
