Inspiration from the Aoife Doyle Band

I'm working on a film script at the moment and, as with any creative project, I get my inspiration from everything around me. Was at JJ Smith's last week in Dublin, the Thursday night jazz club upstairs, and was bowled over by this young singer and her band. Changed the title of my script to Farewell, Angelina (Bob Dylan cover) and hope to have that song as the theme song, along with the Aoife Doyle Band singing it! Even envisaged a club scene where they could appear, singing the song, while also moving the plot along ...

RTE Podcast

My interview on RTE's Talking Books is now up in podcast form. Here's the long link: http://www.newstalk.ie/player/podcasts/Talking_Books/Talking_Books/45637/1/chapter_twentyfour_conjuring_fantastical_worlds. And here's an alternate route: go to www.newstalk.ie, click on PODCASTS in the title menu, then search TALKING BOOKS in the filter menu. I'm Chapter Twenty-Four, dated February 17. You'll see a photo of the great JRR Tolkien. Nice to be in such esteemed company. The programme covers my new book and a new book about him.

RTE Talking Books Interview

I'll be interviewed on RTE's Talking Books programme tomorrow morning, February 16 (my daughter's birthday!) at 7:00-8:00 am. Go to Newstalk 106-108 FM on your dial in Ireland or listen on the web at www.newstalk.ie. The interviewer is the fascinating Susan Cahill who has made documentaries on South America. She has also written some fine spiritual pieces. Just do a search for her and you'll find her work. A podcast of the interview will be available later in the week for those of you still snoozing on a Sunday morning.

The Fountain

When I saw the trailer for The Tree of Life I thought I would love it; thought it might be the visual poem of the book I was writing at the time, People of the Great Journey. But no. Though the film was evidently the autobiography of the film-maker placed within the greater question of the meaning of life, I felt it just didn't get there. Left me cold and sometimes bored, definitely not inspired. Now here, an older film, much closer to my vision! And I'm astonished that any of the reviews I read of The Tree of Life didn't refer to The Fountain, a far more exquisite depiction of the same theme: the microscosmic/macrocosmic reality of life. The stunning Zen psychonaut sequences could be used for some of the Breathwork sessions described in my tale. Amazing that I never saw this before nor heard of it and found it entirely by chance (hah!) when I searched for a sci fi film to watch.