S2 Ep19: Pop Screen: England is Mine (with Mick Snowden)

05/20/21 • 46 min

Today we know Morrissey as a character on The Simpsons, but are you aware he also taught Villanelle how to do local government admin? This is just one of the revelations in Mark Gill's 2017 film England is Mine, a film about Morrissey's early life starring Jack Lowden as the indie icon-in-the-making. Released just as Morrissey exhausted the patience of his remaining fanbase by threatening to sue Der Spiegel for accurately reporting his terrible opinions, it vanished quickly - but did it deserve better?
This week, Mick Snowden of Behold! podcast joins Graham to mull that question over. They also discuss their shared love of The Smiths, including the evergreen hobby of picking out the references to old films and girl-group hits the band's lyrics and record sleeves are studded with, and share theories about why Morrissey's official Facebook page is so very, very strange.
"I've never had a job/ Because I'm too shy", and if you want to help me maintain this unsupportable lifestyle you can donate to The Geek Show's Patreon, where you'll find exclusive bonus episodes of Pop Screen, our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, the best damn Doctor Who reviews on the internet and more. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to hear about what we've got coming up next.
#popscreen #moviereview #englandismine #morrissey #thesmiths #jacklowden #markgill #jodiecomer #jessicabrownfindlay #johnnymarr #biopic #lindersterling

Previous Episode

S2 Ep18: Pop Screen: Jubilee (with Mark Cunliffe)

It's the film that's so punk, it annoyed even the punks - Derek Jarman's Jubilee, with its motley cast including Toyah Wilcox, Rocky Horror legend Richard O'Brien, a pre-fame Adam Ant and at least one former tightrope walker, is our subject of discussion this week. Join We Are Cult's Mark Cunliffe and regular host Graham Williamson as they discuss Jarman's influence as a film-maker, a gay rights advocate and even a gardener, as well as the film's fascinated yet critical overview of Britain's first wave of punk.
There's also room to consider the divergent careers of the film's stars, from the hugely influential original punk scene kid Pamela "Jordan" Rooke to Ian Charleson and Karl Howman: incestuous brothers in Jubilee, but the actors went on to have very different later careers. We also talk about punk's questionable, semi-ironic use of fascist and serial killer iconography, as well as the vexed question of why the British scene burned out so quickly - albeit leaving some tremendous music.
Obviously money is a deeply un-punk statist control system created by the Man to keep us down, but we still need it. If you donate to our Patreon you can get a monthly Pop Screen bonus episode, as well as access to our other film podcast Directors Lottery and Graham's classic Doctor Who reviews. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with everything we've got coming in the future!
#popscreen #moviereviews #derekjarman #jubilee #timetravel #punk #1970s #pamelarooke #adamant #toyahwilcox #iancharleson #johndee

Next Episode

S2 Ep20: Pop Screen: 200 Motels (with Aidan F)

The prospect of a Frank Zappa episode of Pop Screen is likely to get you either cheering or groaning, which is of course why we're doing it. This week, confirmed Zappa obsessive Aidan Fatkin joins regular host and Zappa dunce Graham to talk him through the jazz-rock-classical-comedy titan's career - his epic discography, exhaustive production techniques, ribald wit and many, many, seriously many battles with the forces of censorship.
We're also here, of course, to talk about his 1971 film 200 Motels, a plotless mix of skits, musical performances, animation that might be too weird for cult status. Full of sex, lies and videotape - hey, that's a catchy title! - it can be hard work but, like Zappa himself, it's a true one-off. We discuss the career of co-director Tony Palmer and his influence on rock-doc history, as well as Keith Moon playing a sexy nun, a bizarre misunderstanding over the word "pad" and Danny Baker for some reason.
If you want to keep this podcast Absolutely Free from advertising, why not donate to our Patreon? Backers will get a monthly bonus episode of Pop Screen, as well as our other movie podcast Directors' Lottery and Graham's twice-weekly Doctor Who reviews. Follow us at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more news.
#popscreen #moviereview #200motels #frankzappa #ringostarr #keithmoon #tonypalmer #mothersofinvention