Zulu Time!

 

Sawubona! I'll be travelling on tomorrow's Anglo-Zulu War anniversaries so unable to make my usual post so instead here's a few pictures from last year's amazing experience when I was fortunate enough to return to Kwa-Zulu Natal for the 140th commemorative events at the famous battlefields themselves.

As you can imagine, this was a truly memorable event, a great spectacle in great company with the British re-enactors, the Die Hards joined by their South African counterparts from Dundee and a 500 strong Zulu impi, mustered by the King himself who oversaw proceedings.

I'm not sure I've yet fully processed the event, busy as modern life is, but the many photos, notes, conversations and experiences enjoyed during the trip will live with me for a very long time. A real honour to salute the warriors on both sides at the very places where their bravery was witnessed all those years ago. An ongoing inspiration, uhambe kahle, go well.

ZULU: "Because we're ere lad!"

A very special Friday 'date-night' with Mrs M the other night as we saw ZULU on the big screen for the first time in 40-odd years! This is thanks to a special Classic Movie Film showing at the delightful Plaza Super Cinema in nearby Stockport.

As friends and readers of this blog will no doubt be fully aware, ZULU is of course my all-time favourite movie and merits a mention here on a regular basis, for example here and here! So, coming a week after the 137th anniversary of the real events at Rorke's Drift this was something really quite special and I'm pleased to say that the Plaza put on a great show.

The wonderful night exterior of Stockport's Plaza cinema

It's a lovely 1930's art deco cinema which was refurbished a few years ago and one that we have had the pleasure of visiting several times before but I was of course particularly excited about the prospect of seeing ZULU again.
 

In fact The Plaza couldn't be a more fitting venue as dating from the 1930's it's a contemporary of my Stonehaven hometown cinema where I originally saw ZULU at one of it's Saturday matinees probably in the early 1970's when I was only a wee nipper. I saw many movies during that period, Escape From Planet Of The Apes, King Kong, Doctor Zhivago, Waterloo etc but none made the vivid impression on me that ZULU did and that fascination has now lasted my lifetime and fuelled interest in that rich period of history and all things African through books, travel and of course comics!

Stonehaven's former cinema, thanks to the wonders of the internet!

Stonehaven's Big Screen!

I'm pleased to say that neither the movie or The Plaza disappointed, the evening's entertainments started with the wonderful organ playing on the cinema's stage which when completed, disappeared into the 'orchestra pit' below!

The Plaza's famous organ!

...and The Plaza's grand screen!

Then much to our delight and surprise we had a Bugs Bunny cartoon followed by a short Pathe Pictorial documentary feature just like the used to in the old days! Obviously some thought had gone into this as the Pathe feature was none other than a wee African Safari travelogue in 1960's Zululand itself, setting the scene perfectly! 

Then after a short intermission - again just like the old days but I don't recall having a bar in Stonehaven! - the main event began and as soon as Richard Burton's evocative voice over began, followed by those vivid images of the defeated British redcoats at iSandlwana and John Barry's magnificent title score I was transfixed and once again just a wee nipper enthralled by the action that unfolded. Mrs M reliably informs me that I sat there wide-eyed, mouth open and smiling!

Memorable image from Zulu's opening scene!

A youthful Michael Caine and Zulu's co-producer Stanley Baker

I am of course biased and totally enjoyed the experience no matter how many times I've seen the movie and really appreciated seeing it once again on the big screen it deserves. Mrs M too, who had seen it before - (a bit hard to avoid in our house!) - also enjoyed it, drawn in by the rounded and charismatic characters and the tension of the set pieces. Of course thanks to the like's of Ian Knight's many informative books on the period, I now know the shortcuts and liberties that the movie makers took with the real events at Rorke's Drift, however that still doesn't detract from a splendid piece of cinema and judging by the many smiling satisfied faces at the end of this special screening I wasn't the only one who was glad to be 'ere! 

Desktop View!

Mmm what's this I wonder? Well there's a reason for my quietness and not just my memorable African adventure but work is continuing on my re-mastered Zulu comic! The finished book will not only feature the splendid re-coloured and re-lettered, Water Cart Rescue story, thanks to Mr Matt Soffe, but also a brand new bonus story, following the events at Rorke's Drift 1879!

Matt Soffe's colours on a panel from Zulu:Water Cart Rescue

I had of course hoped to be further on by now but I'm notoriously slow at this writing and drawing lark but there are a few other things bubbling away too so I'm hoping that soon, very soon, there will be several new things from yours truly appearing on the Accent UK table before too long, including a much cherished project, watch this space!

Me somewhere special 2 weeks ago!

 

Somewhere Special (from the other side)

Someone Special (shaded!)

2014 Moments in Music!

I've been slow with any 2014 'best of lists' so here instead is my 2014 playlist as far as I can recall from my 'go to' pile of CD's. Those who follow such things can check out previous lists for 2013 and 2012 - gosh that sounds so old now doesn't it!

1. DAVID SYLVIAN: Gone To Earth (2006)
2. KARL JENKINS: River Queen (2005)
3. JOHN BARRY: Mary Queen of Scots (1971)

4. JOHN BARRY: Out of Africa (1985)

5. DEAD CAN DANCE: Anastasis (2012)

6. DEAD CAN DANCE: Wake (2003)
7. DOUGIE MACLEAN: Essential Too (2013)

8. LONDON GRAMMAR: If You Wait (2013)

9. KATE BUSH: Ariel (2005)
10. KING CREOSOTE: Scotland With Love (2014)

Mmm, another eclectic mix of soundtracks and old favourites with just a sprinkling of contemporary-ish albums, guess that says a lot about me! Still really enjoying David Sylvian's re-mastered double Gone To Earth album which seems to suite any mood. It originally came out in 1986 and, not being a Japan fan particularly, I missed his solo career only 'discovering' him much later through the excellent Everything & Nothing (2000) retrospective. I'm still short of a couple of early releases while his later work became too experimental for me after Blemish (2003).

I do play soundtracks a lot and find myself listening to classic FM  more and more these days - along with BBC 6 Music of course! River Queen was a Classic FM discovery and is great background music with some stirring moments. The movie it comes from is an odd beast, starring Samantha Morton and Kiefer Sutherland in Victorian New Zealand and the turbulent Anglo-Maori wars. It doesn't quite deliver on its promise but is interesting and both it and its music are worth tracking down.

Through Zulu of course I've always been a John Barry fan with his short Somewhere in Time soundtrack a clear favourite but I finally caught up with his lavish Out of Africa and lessor known (to me) Mary Queen of Scots soundtracks this year, enjoying them both. Out of Africa is a very watchable movie with music to match, although the CD mood is slightly spoiled by a soft-rock number tacked on! I've not seen Mary Queen of Scots for years but the music has it all, bagpipes, recurring themes, stirring motifs even Scott Walker on vocals and has been a delight. It was though very difficult to track down the whole album with a shorter version (without Scott Walker!) more readily available.

Still enjoying my Dead Can Dance brace of albums and last year's London Grammar with this year's big new discovery (to me!) Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote and his From Scotland With Love tv/documentary soundtrack album. I guess this is his most commercial offering but its been the reason for me to finally embrace his music and I've just picked up his acclaimed Diamond Mine (2011) album with Jon Hopkins so not a bad thing - maybe a bit like David Sylvian, I get there eventually!

 

My other favourites were the two artists I saw perform live in 2014, Dougie Maclean and of course a certain Kate Bush! I've been lucky to see Dougie many times, (I think this was the 6th!) and its always a joy to hear and meet him - he normally pops out afterwards to chat and sign CD's etc. He was in demand last year with his famous Caledonia song performed en masse at Glasgow's Commonwealth Games ceremony so this was a special treat.

Much of course has already been said and written about Kate Bush and her totally unexpected return to the stage after some 35 years or so! The performance was very, very special and it was a privilege to witness. Needless to say Kate did not pop out afterwards for a chat but she did seem to enjoy herself and be truly astonished with her rapturous response she received. The show was the excuse I needed to revisit her albums with Ariel, which formed much of her setlist, a favourite.

A Corner of An African Field...

I will post soon about my wonderful tour of Zululand but first, on this special date of 15 May, I wanted to share something totally unexpected that we found in a small lonely cemetery across the Buffalo River, not far from Rorke's Drift;

The small cemetery containing civilian and 1880's British soldier's graves

The large headstone of the grave on the right immediately stood out for me;

 Here's a closer look at the inscription;

'Mathieson' is my surname, (complete with the rarer 'i' spelling) and 'Alexander' is both my late father and my elder brother's name. You can see therefore why this particular 'find' really affected me.

 

Rather touchingly the headstone also bore the message " This stone is erected by a few of his friends".

At the moment I'm not aware of a direct family link with this particular Alexander Mathieson but the "Jock" confirms that he was of course Scottish. His age was 53 when he died in 1903, so sometime between 1850 and then he'd likely emigrated to South Africa and ended up in this remote spot.

Had he witnessed the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 or had he made his journey after that and the later Boer War conflicts? At this stage I don't know and it won't be easy finding out but, seeing 'Jock's' grave all the way out here close to Rorke's Drift with the infamous iSlandwana hill in the background was really quite moving. To think that I may have a family connection so close to the sites that I have been fascinated with for much of my life is really quite something.

Jock's headstone looks towards iSlandwana hill

I of course wanted to show my respect and together with a local flower, placed a small cross on Jock's grave which Kate from our group had kindly and selflessly given me.

Today is the 15th May, the anniversary of his death so, whether we're related or not Jock, I'll be thinking of you, rest in peace.

Out in Africa!

Wish Me Luck!

ZULU DRIFT ......

Ian Knight's facebook post on the 135th anniversary of the little known Anglo-Zulu War Battle of Ntombe Drift reminded me that I'd  a couple of videos of our trip there in 2010.

These feature the Holts 2010 tour group at the scene of the battle with a plucky Jonathan G doing his 'Mr D'arcy' routine.....

Firstly the gloomy river itself....

 Then Jonathan's careful crossing.......

 

  

And his safe return........

 

ZULU Moments !

50 years ago since the release of the movie and 135 years since the battle its based on, its great for a fan such as I to see all the attention that 'Zulu' is getting at the moment!

There was a great two page spread by Sheldon Hall in the weekend's Independent On Sunday newspaper, based on his more detailed 12 page tribute in specialist movie magazine, Cinema Retro which in turn distills some of the extensive research and information published in Sheldon's earlier book on the movie, (which features a cameo of my comic!), Zulu:With Some Guts Behind It! , which itself promises an expanded edition, that and renowned Zulu expert and historian Ian Knight's blog report and another at the BFI, concerts and re-showings of the movie, a huge auction of authentic Zulu War artifacts, you could be forgiven for thinking the whole world has gone Zulu crazy?

  

I'm not complaining as I too am one of the many profoundly affected by a childhood screening of the 1964 Stanley Baker, Michael Caine starring movie...ZULU and my life was (literally) never the same! This might sound fanciful but this movie fascinated me from the moment I first saw it and has stayed with me ever since, to the point that I even write these words below a Zulu movie poster and shield hanging on my wall!

I think it must have been one of its re-runs in 1975 or 1976 that I first saw it and then had to patiently wait till it made its first of its perennial television showings. It's hard now to pinpoint exactly why this movie amongst the dozens of others that I would see at the regular Saturday morning matinee made the impression it did, while the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Escape from Planet Of The Apes etc didn't? [ I exclude the original King Kong from this list as I saw it an even younger age (on a school Christmas trip!) and it gave me the proverbial Heebie Jeebies!]

With Zulu though, I think it was the sheer drama and tension of these red tunic, white helmeted British soldiers facing up to this brave fearsome native warriors outnumbering, surrounding and attacking them again and again. There was no hiding place from the Zulu's it was simply fight or die and that along with the dialogue, sharp cinematography and of course that theme tune which resonated with me through the years.

In those far off pre-Internet days, there was after a movie came and went no real way of a small town 11 year old finding out more so I had to be content with slim pickings which for me was one of those delightful history themed Blick Instant Transfer Picture Books where you could recreate some pretty violent action scenes!

Sadly not my childhood original but an ebay find!

Through this book though I learnt a little more about the Zulu people, their shaping into an army and nation by King Shaka, their conflicts firstly with the Boers and then the British which ultimately led to war and the Zulu's defeat in 1879.

From these humble starts came a chance book shop find years later to re-engage me with the true story of Zulu which led to a fairly extensive library on the subject (I've at least 50 books and too scared to do a proper count!). Combining this research with one of my other life long interests of comics, led me to create my own comic book on an incident at Rorke's Drift, but not featured in the movie, The Water Cart Rescue, when after the first day's intense fighting a small group of volunteer soldiers leapt over the 'safe' barricades into Zulu occupied territory to retrieve an abandoned water cart to quench the defenders desperate thirst.

The comic led directly to meeting a certain Dave West and forming, (initially with Barry Renshaw) the indie comic publisher, Accent UK and of course our varied and continued attendance at comic shows far and wide which in those early days included special Zulu themed exhibitions at the likes of the National Army Museum in London and the Regimental Museum in Brecon, happy days.

Never before revealed Issue 2 cover ruff - gulp!

And the Final Version!







My research and studies into the Anglo-Zulu War disappointingly revealed that the movie had taken certain liberties with the real Battle of Rorke's Drift and the more I read about the causes and more importantly the aftermath of the war, it was a pretty brutal affair and did not end well for the Zulus, from which they never recovered and arguably led to many of the modern difficulties facing them today.

It was with these thoughts that I was fortunate to take a dedicated tour of the Zulu War battlefields myself in 2010 with the afore-mentioned historian, author and all round good egg, Ian Knight and a small band of similarly interested companions, most of whom had also had their interest in this period fuelled by the movie. It was the most absorbing and rewarding trip I've ever been on with some genuine moments of adventure, danger, fun and thoughtful introspection.

Hlobane mountain, scene of a violent battle in 1879 and (shortly after
 this photo) a sudden violent thunderstorm in 2010!

During the trip we had several glimpses and reminders of the harsh realities of modern day Africa and spent a little time with some real Zulu's who were on the whole pretty bewildered by our interest in the 1879 war, but pleased nonetheless that we had visited. It was also World Cup year with South Africa due to host the famous football tournament that summer and there was genuine excitement that it would bring a boost to tourism and improve the average person's lot, I hope they, like their national team weren't too disappointed with the way things worked out?



Some friendly Zulus at Shakaland!

2010 Zulu tour group at Ulundi, site of the final battle in 1879

I could (and should) write much more about the trip some day and post some of the many photos and videos I took but space is tight here but I will just mention that the trip, while off the beaten tourist track into deepest KwaZulu-Natal didn't quite cover all the historical sites connected with Shaka and the Anglo-Zulu War, so I'm very, very fortunate to be currently planning to re-join the redoubtable Mr Knight and a few other intrepid adventurers later this spring to return to Zululand in search of some of these hidden and largely forgotten places when I hope to deepen my understanding and respect of the Zulu nation and who would have thought that all this would come from a small boy watching that movie all those years ago.....



Comparison of my comic's Rorke's Drift Zulu Memorial with
the real thing! 



The modern Zulu Warrior's memorial at Rorke's Drift with the
wreath I was honoured to place



The British Soldier's memorial at Rorke's Drift

  

Looking to the Future!

Happy New Year (Godt Nytår Danmark!), we made it to the future, well 2014 at least!

It's always quite exciting at New Year I think, making plans, looking back and (hopefully) feeling positive about things or at least taking positive steps to change what you weren't happy with in the previous year. Hopefully this positive attitude will last beyond the winter chills that January always seems to bring.

I'm fortunate that I'm really pleased with the way that 2013 went both personally and creatively with Accent UK venturing far and wide on our comic travels with sales, on the whole, better than before. Only real regret was (again) not completing a comic project of my own, despite having several 'in-progress', so that is something that I have to fix this year - honest!

I've made a decent start, deciding to settle on only one of my projects which is already researched and plotted so just need to draw it which is both the fun and hard part; hard to start but fun when you get into it, so we'll see. Once I'm a little more into it, I'll post more information, with the above image, one of my first of 2014, possibly being a clue but possibly not!

Accent UK have of course a few more definite plans for release this year which will be posted on our blog but I understand that our most recent title, Missing: Have You Seen The Invisible Man? has completed its distribution by those fine folks at Diamond and is in store now at your favourite local comic shop worldwide, look out for it, and see the full list of new releases for this week here!

❏ SEP130828 MISSING HAVE YOU SEEN THE INIVISIBLE MAN ONE SHOT ................................ $5.00

We've also put together our preferred 2014 schedule which is again shaping up to be a busy one with at least 11 shows, matching 2013's total, but with several new events and venues to keep things fresh. More on this once confirmations are in place and I may still squeeze in a few blog mentions of the moments of adventure time from last year, have fun this year whatever you do :)