This week’s Band of the Week is none other than Blogcritics' very own Duke De Mondo, or if you know him personally, Aaron McMullan. Aaron is a multitalented young lad from Northern Ireland. Not only does he put out wildly successful 'net records (free), but he is also an award-winning film maker -– if you haven’t yet seen Aaron’s beautiful, touching, hilarious film Cliddyplomp, I suggest you do so immediately –- and has his own, highly-infrequent but dangerously funny podcast with a loyal, cult-like following. I haven’t even mentioned his multitude of James Joyce-esqe ramblings here on Blogcritics.org. The man oozes talent -– it’s very messy but he has a bucket.
Aaron is one of those distinctive personalities, you’re not quite sure if he is a brilliantly clever artist –- in which case you may be standing in the presence of future greatness -– or he is completely and utterly off his nut and just covers it well. As an example, when asked what his influences are he will tell you: Babyshambles, Shane MacGowan (The Pogues), Billy Bragg, his beloved Bright Eyes, and The Bible.
To be so talented, so funny, and seemingly so unaware of it astounds me. So here I stand, in awe of this 24-year old man from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, knowing one day I will tell people I knew Aaron when he was just starting out, and I’ll be hoping he remembers all the fun we had on our gingerbread sled.
Normally I would ask how your band came together but it’s only you isn’t it?
Aaron: Yeah… Yeah… I don’t like the band thing. I don’t like answering to people. I just like the idea that I can do whatever I want. Entirely up to my own discretion. It may sound shite, but at least it’s a reason. But at the same time, it’s worryin’ because you’ve got no one else to, kinda, blame if everything goes horribly awful.
Like I was playing on Saturday at a wee kind-of Festival type thingy. There were a lot of people playin’ and it kinda hits you that you’re on your own. You’re very naked up there, thankfully not naked.
That would be being naked playing naked
Yeah… And that’s the worst kinda naked. Or the best.
So you feel vulnerable on stage?
I did. Well, kinda in between songs I did. But while… this is kinda cliché, but while you’re playing the songs you don’t really notice. You kinda go into that… But in between songs, when you’re getting the reaction. It’s awful playin’ in front of people because the stuff is so personal; it kinda sometimes makes me cringe when I have to hear it played back to me.
It’s pretty embarrassin’ stuff like. There’s kinda things that have happened before and things happenin’ now. And it’s that kinda whole… Sometimes you can kinda lose track of yourself, you can get very self-obsessed. But when you’re playin’ it… I don’t know why… You know I distribute it [his music] as an MP3. When it’s an MP3, you can run away and say “well that’s that,” but when you’re in front of someone, playin’ it at the time, I get really self-conscious.
Article comments
1 - Temple A. Stark
Astounded this got overlooked. I'm not as sickly enamoured with Duke as some because what he's got doesn't always hit me in the right places. (Haven't seen the film yet) But the dude is accidentally on purpose funny as hell. Or is that funny and in hell? Or is that funny and coming out of his shell?
And his heart shows through everything he does.
I'd bankroll your podcasts if I could. ....
Temple
2 - DJRadiohead
Check out this week's BCRadio Podcast to hear The Duke and to hear The Duke talk about some of his songs.
3 - David Spade Jr
To quote the philosopher Popeye, "That's alls I can stands, I can't stands no more." Who do we need to file a petition with to stop this pathetic fawning over an average film? You are ruining what little credibility you and this site have left.
Look, congrats that he completed it, but it's nothing special. It's a film about a break-up. Yawn. Christ, even Tarantino thinks this movie is derivative. Arbitrary jump cuts that serve no purpose. Breaking the fourth wall without any understanding of it. I mean, if this was a live video feed, the Stevie Wonder joke might have made sense, but to ask for it to be cut and then include it in the film is nonsensical. And my favorite and one that trips many people, being unable to come up with an ending. By the way, Monty Python called and said they wanted their idea back. The fans of this film should attend their local community college festival because you'll see plenty of average films just like this one.
Award winning from a school no one has heard of is one step above "My mom liked it." Auteur?! I know that word has an air of pretension and really, what is more pretentious than a commentary track on a student film, but do the man a favor and stop blowing smoke up his ass. People who run film festivals expect more from a project than, "How neat. I know that guy." Spare us the delusions of grandeur.
4 - A.L. Harper
David you are obviously incapable of rational thought or maybe you just haven't been taught to think for yourself so let me hand hold you through it.
"from a school no one has heard of"
The University of Ulster is one of the finest universities in Europe. Just because some 15 year old twat from -- wherever your from -- hasn't heard of it means fuck all.
"Award winning_ from a school"
The award wasn't from the school it was from RTE -- that's the Irish version of the BBC. Very prestigious actually.
"the Stevie Wonder joke might have made sense, but to ask for it to be cut and then include it in the film is nonsensical."
That was the joke. (I can feel the word twat aching to fall off my tongue here.)
"being unable to come up with an ending"
Where do you get that?! It has an ending! Just not a final poignant line.
Tell you what David, when you make your film, let us all know and we'll go and give it a good look.
5 - DJRadiohead
It is not that I mind someone having a different opinion. I think it says a lot about the opinions and the person expressing them that they would choose to ape a low-rent, snarky celebrity persona to express them.
It's OK if you didn't like the film but the criticisms are offbase and as A.L. Harper pointed out, uninformed and wrong.
6 - A.L. Harper
Thank you DJRadiohead. But you're right as usual if he doesn't like the film then so be it.
7 - Duke De Mondo
David Spade Jnr, i was altogether very reluctant to say anything in these here comments, since this is Andrea's article and not mine, and also, it just seemed a touch odd to do so. but nonetheless, i feel it only fair i should answer you, and hopefully you'll realise i feel much the same as yourself with regards many of the points you raised.
Although it is odd that you should mention it here when the point of this article is music, and the film was mentioned only in passing. But regardless;
"Look, congrats that he completed it, but it's nothing special. It's a film about a break-up."
Well it is, but the plot meant less to me than the dialogue an the characters, both of which i thought were reasonably decent. I agree wholeheartedly, there's NOTHING about the break-up plot that's in any way original or unique. that's the hang-up with the autobiographical type stuff. chances are you're tellin the same story a million and ninety-nine others already told, and better, too.
"I mean, if this was a live video feed, the Stevie Wonder joke might have made sense, but to ask for it to be cut and then include it in the film is nonsensical."
well it kinda played into the theme of the character being the storyteller, and how that affords him the luxury of being able to cut out nonsense from his life that he doesn't like, or to add and adapt stuff to better support his view of himself. this is also the reason for the ending. and to be fair, the notion is built up throughout, like with the stevie wonder moment (which IS a shockingly unfunny line, but funny, i think, that the character recognises it as such). if it'd been a conscious lift from Monty Python i'd have said so. it's not like i've been any way coy about what i've stolen from.
"Award winning from a school no one has heard of is one step above "My mom liked it." Auteur?! I know that word has an air of pretension and really, what is more pretentious than a commentary track on a student film, but do the man a favor and stop blowing smoke up his ass."
The award wasn't from the school, it was from a broadcasting company. I would've said my mom liked it, but i don't think she did.
RE: Auteur - since it refers to a theory concerning the director being sole author of the work in question, and of the work in question reflecting his or her worldview and no-one elses, i think it might not be that unfair, given that i'm self-obsessed enough for to have everything i do reflect a particular point of view, and a point of view that mostly revolves around my own arsehole. regardless of ones talents or the worth of their work, the term means what it means. and of COURSE the commentary business is pretentious, which was kinda the joke runnin' through said track, which was less a commentary than the sorta thing i do on my podcast, and wasn't intended for any reason other than mild amusement, and for the folks who liked the podcast and such. i address the matter in there, actually, i believe the line is "for jesus sakes, a commentary, how self obsessed can a man get? quite a bit more, actually, there's deleted scenes too."
to be fair, now, you've taken this matter a lot more seriously than anyone else.
"People who run film festivals expect more from a project than, "How neat. I know that guy." Spare us the delusions of grandeur."
well of course they do. and it is also a student film, which you've mentioned a lot, and it's been put on Blogcritics with that SCREECHING IN BLOCK CAPITALS from everything i wrote by way of introduction. folks who liked it said they did and what they thought of it. folks who didn't, in turn, said what they thought. Like you yourself there. And i'm grateful as all hell for any such comments, although i feel fairly wretched having this discussion going on in Andrea's post. it just so happened that i posted the flick the same week Andrea was doing this, and so i appeared in this or that corner of the site more than usual. which i felt somewhat odd about, to be honest, but i'm grateful as all hell for the support the film recieved here.
i think i'm talking myself in circles, but the point is, however self-obsessed and egotistical and pretentious you may think the flick / commentary / all that business is, know that i agree wholeheartedly, and i dunno that anyone has flung more jokes about the like about than i have. i'm aware of it very much, and i figured the film was aware of it too.
it was mentioned here because i was being interviewed on account of the music carry-ons, and for no other reason.
incidentally, if you thought the FILM was shoddy....
8 - Temple Stark
.. wait'll you see the sequel ...
/joke :-)
Loving the music (I have to be in the right mood though). Still haven't seen the film, but I have it YouTube bookmarked.
9 - Aaron Fleming
That's a big guitar! Kudos and heralds well deserved here, and the film is great, perhaps David Spade Jr is a pseudonym for Michael Bay. Ho ho.