Bearing up nicely.

It's probably the hottest day of the year out there. I bet Canal Street is chocka.

It's also production week, which means I can't move away from the Mac until I've finished the new issue of outnorthwest. I've spent most of this morning working on the cover. That's it up there. This issue marks the 10th Great British Bear Bash in Manchester. Hence the bears. The BSI theme mirrors one of the videos the guys have produced for the Bash.

I think I like the cover. I've spent too much time looking at it to be honest. So I'm going to stop now. It would be nice to go out for a beer. But I have an article on gonorrhoea to design...

Tasty Bollox

Manchester, where I live, has a reputation for being a big homo-friendly city. What with Canal Street and all that.

Well Canal Street is a bit rubbish, to be brutally frank. The real reason Manchester is the best gay city in the world is a club called Bollox. Third Friday of every month at Legends. Good music, good crowd, good attitude. Bollox has, single-handedly, made me want to go to a gay club again. I was seriously bored and disillusioned with the gay scene until this.

That video up there? I'm in it! I couldn't be more happy about that. That's me in the white t-shirt in the middle and at the very end.

If you've never been. Go.

A tad over-excited?

The final episode of Battlestar Galactica's third season was a complete triumph. Some fantastic writing, and huge secrets revealed. It certainly makes the wait for the new season in January next year a long and hard one Fnarr.

However, as exciting as it was, it certainly didn't leave me as breathless and exciteable as this chap...



Bless him.

I think he might be a bit gay too.

Playstation 3: First Impressions

It's flippin' heavy!

Once you get past the loveliness of its sleek, shiny black curves, the first thing you notice about Playstation 3 is its weight. Imagine holding a really fat baby.

Initial set up was a doddle, and it was hooked up to my HD telly within five minutes of leaving its box. If you've got a PSP, you'll be familiar with the interface on PS3 - they're calling it the Cross Media Bar, or XMB. It's easy to navigate, but I have to say it doesn't feel as solid as the 360's Blade system.

Getting it online was easy too. Scan for a wireless connection, enter your WEP key and you're done. The first thing to do is download the system update, then on to registration. This took FOREVER! Entering text using a controller is a nightmare, and it must have taken a good 20 minutes to get everything set up.

Once that was all done, the fun really began. Exploring a new console is always exciting... "ooh, I wonder what that does", and PS3 is no exception. One of the best features is Remote Play, which works in conjunction with your PSP. This function allows you to watch video content and listen to music that's stored on your PS3 on your PSP. Using bluetooth, it works surprisingly well. You can even access the PS3's web browser, and buy stuff from the Playstation Store. This is a smart feature, and makes me wonder why Nintendo aren't exploiting the link between the Wii and DS yet.

Getting content on to the PS3, especially video, is tricky if you're a beginner. Best thing to do is download a free application called PS3 Video 9 on to your computer and use that to convert video files. Then just copy into a folder called VIDEO on to a USB memory stick, stick it into the USB slot on your PS3, and Bob's your uncle. I've already chucked 3 episodes of Lost and Battlestar Galactica on to the PS3, and with Remote Play, it means I can watch them in bed at night on my PSP! Marvellous.

Accessing Playstation Store will give you access to loads of free, and paid for, content. You'll find games, demos and videos, as well as in-game content to download. My recommendations? Blast Factor is worth a shot, and is very similar to Geometry Wars on the 360. You can also download a full version of the classic Lemmings for only £3.49, which is a bit of a bargain really.

So, what about the games? I'll do a couple of small reviews of Motorstorm and Resistance:Fall Of Man soon, so keep checking back. In a nutshell though, they're both great titles. Motorstorm looks amazing (better than anything on 360 at the moment), and Resistance? To be honest, nothing special and I've seen better on the 360...

All in all, it's a great machine with a lot going for it. The problem is though, that it's going to take a while (at least a year) before it can really take off. If it even does. The price point is way too high, and although there are a high number of launch games, there are just no must-have titles... yet. The sooner they get Home and LittleBigPlanet launched, the better.

THE GOOD
- Remote Play
- Media Handling
- XMB interface
- Playstation Store
- Online play
- Massive storage space
- Motorstorm!

THE BAD
- The price!
- The lack of killer games
- No rumble in the controller

Overall? If you can, you should ;-)

My iMix

Through the wonder of the internet and iTunes, I've created my very first iMix!

It's a selection of my favourite electronic tunes of the last few weeks, so why not click on the link below and have a listen? And if you like it, you can even buy it! It's only £8.69. Not a penny of which I receive, by the way.

Humph.

The Arrogance of the Geek

I'm old enough to remember schoolboy arguments around Spectrum versus C64 versus BBC Micro, etc. You know the score... "My machine is better than yours... blah blah blah." Twenty-five years later, very little has changed.

Fans of gaming and technology (let's just cut the crap and call them geeks - that's what we are, and I'm proud to be called one) can be an arrogant bunch. They take brand loyalty to the Nth degree, and can be almost fanatical in their hatred of 'rival' products. It's utterly pointless of course, completely small-minded, and serves no useful purpose at all, but I guess it has something to do with the sizeable financial outlay we have to make to fuel our obsessions. Nobody wants to be made to feel ashamed about the £425 they've just spent on the latest gaming console, do they?

For me, it's a constant soure of annoyance. As a Mac owner, I often hear from PC owners about how much more powerful/reliable/upgradeable/nicer a PC is. I really don't care. Really. I don't. I own a PC too. I can see the benefits of Macs AND PC's (by the way, those Mitchell and Webb ads are the epitomy of geek arrogance). My Mac is fantastic for the design work I do, and it pays my bills. And my PC is a workhorse when it comes to the copious amounts of downloading I do. I love them both. Equally.

Similarly, we've now got the arrogant billionaire brawl between Murdoch and Branson. The whole Sky versus Virgin Media thing is an embaressment to their industry and, most importantly, is taking the piss out of both companies customers. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, and both companies are behaving like school children. Actually, taking one look at the childish goading on Digital Spy forums, the customers aren't exactly conducting themselves with much dignity either.

And most recently, with the arrival of Playstation 3, we now have the bitter rivalry between Xbox360 owners, and PS3 owners rearing its ugly head. There's no denying that Sony have ballsed up the launch of PS3 in Europe, but let's not forget the trauma of Xbox360's launch over a year ago. Neither company has cause to boast. Both of these consoles though, will usher in a new era of gaming. They're powerful and capable of serving up hours of quality entertainment Equally, they'll both have their fair share of disasters and mis-steps. I almost fell into the geek-trap of slating Sony before I'd had a chance to weight up what they were offering. And when I learnt what was coming up in the future for PS3, I decided I'd like to have a go. Simple as that really.

And - you might want to take a seat for this - but, for the last few hours, an Xbox360 and a Playstation 3 have been sharing space in my living room, and the planet hasn't imploded.

So if you're a geek like me, why not stop being a sheep and embrace difference? Support choice, and stop throwing tantrums at each other. Let's face it, if you had £425 going spare (who has right? But bear with me), tell me with a straight face you wouldn't be running to Game tomorrow to pick up your new games console.

And if that comes across as arrogant... well, I guess I rest my case.

Would you?

As has now become traditional, here is a sneak preview of the cover of the new issue of outnorthwest. As regular readers may know, I am the editor and designer of this north west based LGB magazine. I finished the cover, quite literally, two minutes ago.

Cover stars this month are Infernal. They did that annoying From Paris To Berlin nonsense last year. They have an album coming out. Hurrah. Also in this issue is one of the best features we've ever run - Would You Take A Straight Pill? Well, would you?

Anyway, thought you'd like to see it. It comes out on Wednesday 28th March.

That is all.

I admit it, I'm a turncoat.

I guess a lot of people (and by people, I mean the geeks like me) who decided they weren't going to buy a Playstation 3 can identify with the latest Penny Arcade strip (click on the strip above to see).

I was dead set against getting one. Far too expensive, backtracking on promises such as PS2 back compatibility; and the pure arrogance of Sony on the whole launch issue. But now, they go and preview two 'killer apps' for the PS3 which - fickle as I am - have turned me completely around.

Today I pre-ordered a Playstation 3. I feel dirty. And because demand is so low, most retailers are guaranteeing availability on launch day - 23rd March.

It's all because of Home and Little Big Planet. If you've caught the trailers online, you might have an idea just why these two applications could save the Playstation 3. Proper interactive entertainment. 'Creative gaming' is what Edge magazine is calling it. It could be a whole new genre of gaming.

Home is the PS3 equivalent of the Nintendo Mii. Only on a larger (much larger) scale, and incorporates a dizzying array of customisation options, and a virtual environment that encourages interaction and sharing. I can't wait to be a part of it.

Little Big Planet kind of defies description. Instead, I'll let this You Tube video go some way towards explaning it. Whatever it is... it looks mighty.



So, call me a traitor. Call me two-faced, but at the end of the day, if any company is going to produce electronic entertainment that looks this... entertaining.... then count me in.

Roll on 23rd March.

Where's the delete key?

Today, for about 10 minutes, I directed Doctor Who. Well, kind of. Well actually, not at all, but it felt good to say it.

In reality, I was at the press launch for a new Doctor Who Exhibition which opens at The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester at the end of March. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as it turns out), I was a little bit late. So, for 10 minutes I had two Cybermen all to myself. Actual REAL Cybermen from off the telly. It feels very peculiar telling a Cyberman where to stand and where to walk. But I enjoyed every minute of it. Not that you can tell from that miserable picture.

What you are looking at in that picture is not a 38 year old man, but a 10 year old little boy.

Look Who's Back! Etc.

Just this second finished the cover for the next issue of outnorthwest. It’s one for the Doctor Who fans. Which we all are, let’s face it.

It marks the return of the programme to TV at the end of March, and the opening of a large Doctor Who exhibition here in Manchester at The Museum of Science & Industry. The media launch is tomorrow, and we’re promised Cybermen! Expect a picture tomorrow :-)

This cover is completely open to change, as always. There’s even the chance we might not even use it, but I thought you’d like to see it anyway. Me? I’d put Doctor Who on the cover every month...

I could be purple.

Yeah. I know. It's been far too long since I put anything on the blog. But I'm back now after a lovely two weeks in Miami (check out the pictures by clicking on the Flickr button on the right there), and I'm raring to go.

So today, an old friend asked me if I'd met Mika yet. I had no idea who he was talking about. Turns out he's only the first truly fabulous pop star of 2007! Grace Kelly sounds like the first single from the love child of Freddie Mercury and Jake Shears. Which, in a sense, it is. And it's pure gold. It's also the most downloaded track on iTunes as we speak.

Check out the video above.

Not only that readers. Not. Only. That. Mika's album Life In Cartoon Motion is a work of total and utter genius and you should really not waste another minute and get yourself to iTunes and download it immediately. Every single track has a huge smile on it's face. You'll love it.

Nice to be back.

On my radio...

Hello. It just occurred to me I haven't wished you a Happy New Year. So... Happy New Year. Anyway, down to business. Kylie Minogue starts her tour in Manchester tonight. It runs for six nights and by law every gay person in Manchester must attend.

Bizarrely enough I was invited on to Terry Christian's programme on BBC Radio Manchester this morning to talk about why Kylie Minogue is such a "gay icon". You can hear what I had to say about it by clicking the play button below. Count how many times I say "exactly" or "sensibilities"



See you at the concert...

This.... is the good shit.

Brian: Can I borrow your video recorder?
Daisy: What you going to do? Stick it to a canvas as a piece depicting a nation of cathode junkies, selling their imaginations for quick-fix media hits from the Blockbuster syringe?
Brian: No, I want to tape Ready Steady Cook.

A casual conversation at work the other day about the TV comedy Spaced has had me digging out the DVD's to watch this fantastic series all over again. Shown on Channel 4 in 1999, Spaced followed the lives of flatmates Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner. Tim is a sci-fi geek with aspirations to be a comic book artist. Daisy is an aspiring journalist/writer, with absolutely no talent whatsoever. The subsidiary characters, such as Tim's best friend, the army-obsessed Mike; or Brian, the struggling artist who lives in the basement; and Marsha the leering landlady, are all just as well rounded and crafted as Tim and Daisy. All these characters are played to perfection.

There has been nothing like it since on British TV, and although the stars of the show (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jessica Stevenson) have gone on to bigger things, we can only hope that one day in the future they'll get together and do another batch of episodes. Or a one-off special at the very least.

At its best, Spaced was complete genius. Every episode was packed with pop culture references, observational humour and fantastic performances. The show celebrated it's geekiness gloriously, and rewards you on repeated viewing as you get more and more of the references. It's not aged at all, and deserves a repeat showing on E4.

If you've never experienced Spaced, now is the perfect time as the series has been re-released as a Collectors Edition DVD packed with extra material. It's an essential buy. Check out the condensed episode above for just a fleeting glimpse into the comedy genius of Spaced.

CD REVIEW: Robopop: The Return

Electronic pop music is not dead. It never has been. It just doesn't tend to get in the charts anymore.

The exception at the moment is Girls Aloud, who (whatever you think of them) have been churning out commercial synth pop - and pretty good it is too - since they started. And of course, my favourites, Pet Shop Boys released a career high album (Fundamental) earlier this year that made very little commercial impact but is as good a collection of PSB material as you're likely to find.

So it IS out there. You just have to look.

Luckily, a new compilation CD, Robopop: The Return, has collected together some of the best electronic pop of the last few months, as well as giving us a chance to hear some upcoming acts. If you have any interest at all in synthpop - or even dance music - you're going to love this collection.

It collects the familiar - Goldfrapp, Lorraine and Tiga - with the less familiar. Ping Pong Bitches anyone? But the over-riding impression is of a music genre which is only improving with age and deserves a wider audience.

Highlights include Tokyo Girls by Matinee Club. Matinee Club used to be called The Modern. They flirted the charts last year with two fantastic tracks, Jane Falls Down, and Industry, but fell foul of the chart regulations and were quickly disqualified from the Top 40. It's a shame, as their output is highly commercial, and could easily fill the dancefloor of every gay club the length and breadth of the country. I also love State of Play by Formatic - a track that was recently heard in the Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush. It's a poppers-rush of a track with an aggressive beat. SuperJupiter's Got To Get Some also stands out as a track that could easily reach the high end of the Top 40 if it were given a wider audience.

There really isn't a duff track on this compilation, and as an added bonus the CD release also contains a second disc of remixes. You can download the album now from iTunes, but at the moment they unfortunately are not offering the remix CD.

If you want dance music with a bit of melody and edge, or if you're looking to find something to fill the gap between PSB or Depeche Mode albums, you could do a lot worse than download or buy this CD.

Essential!

Christmas in Risa.

This morning in Risa, I woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow covering the buildings, the trees and ground. Christmas has officially begun.

I just had to share that with you.

If you own Animal Crossing: Wild World on the Nintendo DS, this post will make perfect sense, and I'm sure you'll share my over-enthusiasm. And while you're at it, feel free to add me to your Friends Roster.

Code: 1976-4743-1726
Name: Monkey
Town: Risa

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

My days and nights are no longer my own.

Prepare yourself. This is going to be gushing. The best game I ever played, and the only game that has ever made me cry was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. From December 1998 until May 1999, I played it - engrossed - every spare minute I could. I even had friends who would come round just to watch me play it because they too were so engrossed by the storytelling and pure magic that Zelda portrayed.

Ever since then I've been searching for the game that could match it. Majora's Mask got half way there before its complicated time mechanics confused me and I walked away disappointed. I seemed to be the only person who thought that Wind Waker's cel-shaded graphics were beautiful, but alas I walked away from that title too, annoyed and frustrated with the endless sea-bound missions.

Almost ten years later, Twilight Princess on the Nintendo Wii has satiated my thirst for that pure, thrilling, magical gaming experience I had in 1997. And I say that with confidence having only played it for six short hours. Ironically, I'm finding myself playing in small chunks in order to extend the life of the game; even though I know it's the biggest (by far) Zelda title yet and will probably keep me going until at least June next year.

So what is it about this game that makes it so special? I couldn't hope to answer that succinctly. Zelda is all about the detail. It's about the characters and the world they live in, and investing in them. It's about tragedy, heroism, good versus evil and about experiencing a living, breathing life in this beautiful land that has been created for us to play in. The first few hours of Twilight Princess will see you find your place in society. You'll find yourself engaging with local residents, helping them out. You've got a job as a ranch-hand that can't be neglected. Herding goats, fishing and talking to cute little fairy-folk in a forest village may all seem pretty mundane. But look deeper, and you'll see that Nintendo are ever-so subtley integrating you into your new life. After the first 3 hours, you know in your heart you're going to miss this simple life, and these simple people when you are battling evil on a grand scale further down the line. But more than that you're going to WANT to fight to save them. Genius.

Twilight Princess looks and sounds beautiful. You only have to check the video at the top there to see that. It's cinematic. It's more cinematic than a great many movies out there this Christmas. This is Lord Of The Rings - all three movies - rolled into one awe-inspiring game. The revolutionary Wii control methods work fantastically well. Take fishing, for example. Use your Wiimote like you would a fishing rod. Cast your line out and pull the Wiimote back when you've got a bite. Total immersion. On the occasions when the game throws you a seemingly impossible puzzle, all you have to do is stop, find a lake and go fishing. There's no shortage of things to do here. Oh, and that's just one of many innovative uses for the Wiimote during this game.

As launch titles go, the Nintendo Wii couldn't wish for a better start. This game is hands-down reason enough to splash out £180 on a Wii. As a 38 year old gay man, it's very hard to find stimulating, genuinely escapist games out there. Twilight Princess is that game and I can't recommend it highly enough. Let's hope we don't have to wait as long for the next in the series.

Nintendo, once again have made me proud to be a gamer. I can't wait to see where this game has yet to take me...

Things to come.

I've got a cold. A horrible, throaty, chesty, PAINFUL cold; and I need a hug.

It didn't stop me going to London this weekend to finally see Wicked, though. It was a fantastic birthday surprise from Barry. What an amazing show it was. I was a proper gay. I got very emotional at all the sad songs, "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" at the pretty sets and dresses, and went back to the hotel on a cloud. I love it when things move you. And I'll never watch The Wizard of Oz in quite the same light.

All of this conspires though to the crux of this post - my apologies for a lack of Vegetable Soup Podcast 6. Fret not! It's all scripted and ready to go, and once I get rid of this bloody cold I'll get down to recording it. With any luck, it should be available by the weekend. It's a good one too - full of Wii goodness and exciting geeky news. The usual. There's also a possibility of joining The Magic Geek network at some point too, which I'm very excited about. I'll let you know more when I do.

As you were.

Wii will rock you!

They're selling on Ebay for £ridiculous amounts, high street stores sold out in under an hour, and many won't see one until well into the New Year... but I have one sitting proudly beside my telly.

Nintendo Wii is in the Robertson household and is everything it's been cracked up to be. And probably more. Forgive the air of gloating, but these moments really do have to be savoured. Nintendo, more than any other games console manufacturer, know how magical an experience gaming can be. Not for them the bangs, crashes and body counts associated with Sony and Microsoft's consoles (and don't get me wrong, I love my Xbox360); instead we have a machine that, the minute you turn the thing on, just CRAVES your undying attention.

The new controller - the Wiimote - works surprisingly well. Within minutes you'll be poking and prodding the air creating your first Mii, or playing Tennis with the pre-bundled Wii Sports. Everything works perfectly, and just as it should. Everything is just so clean, and white and it makes beautiful little noises. Even the Wiimote - which can give you the willies the first time it happens.

But nothing - nothing - can prepare you for the journey you'll take when you slip The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess into your drive. Anyone with even a passing interest in gaming will know of the Zelda franchise. Each title pushes the boundaries of how a game can feel more than the last. This game delivers hour after hour of pitch perfect gaming. It deserves a post all of its own. Which is what it shall get.

In the meantime, if you're having the same Nintendo sugar rush that I'm having and you want to share, here is my Wii Code - enter it into your Wii, and we can start sharing the love...

8048 3319 8177 0588

JUNK CULTURE

Listening: Wicked - SOUNDTRACK
Downloading: The Magic Geek - PODCAST
Watching: Torchwood - BBC THREE
Playing: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - NINTENDO WII
Reading: You're Him Aren't You? - PAUL DARROW

For Hazell

HIV and AIDS has been with us now for 25 years.

Today is World AIDS Day and across the world it is being marked by friends, lovers and families. So many beautiful people have been taken from us by this cruel, relentless virus; and today we remember them more than ever.

I lost Dougie Cowen (aka Hazell) - a man I have so much to thank for - in 1995. I met Hazell by accident on a bulletin board, long before Gaydar or Eurowoof. The second I met him outside the Odeon in Edinburgh I knew my life was going to change. Loud, camp and dressed head to toe in a form fitting three piece suit, Hazell brought me kicking and screaming out of my closeted life. Within three months I'd moved to Edinburgh to share a flat with him. That was in 1992 - the year I discovered just how fantastic my sexuality could be. It was all thanks to him. He was a rogue though. He flirted with danger in so many areas of his life, but he always protected me from it. When Hazell told me he was HIV positive, I wanted to find out as much as I could about it. I became a volunteer at Milestone House, an Aids Hospice in Edinburgh. It set me on the career path I am on now. I wanted to help all these gay men who were being killed by this horrible disease. In 1997 I became a volunteer for Gay Men's Health and realised (finally) what I wanted to do with my life. In 1999 I moved to Manchester to work full time for Healthy Gay Manchester - now The Lesbian & Gay Foundation. It was the best thing I ever did in my life. I have never looked back.

Today I have never been happier in my professional and private life. It's all thanks to Hazell. If I hadn't met him that day in 1992, I might still be a quiet, closeted gay man living in a small town. Today I am a confident, proud gay man living in one of the best (and gay friendly) city's in the country.

Hazell - thank you. I still miss you.

Christmas Angel

This very well could be our best issue ever.

While I'm working to get this issue designed and ready, updates here might be a bit thin on the ground. Back to normal in a week or two...

JUNK CULTURE

Listening: What Do I Have To Do? - KYLIE (of course)
Downloading: The Magic Geek - PODCAST
Watching: The Tomorrow People - DVD
Playing: Strip Uno (*cough*)- XBOX 360
Reading: The Stars My Destination - ALFRED BESTER