Total Pageviews

Friday 31 July 2020

GUEST POST BY ACCLAIMED WRITER JAN CARSON

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘GUEST POSTπŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

It is a pleasure and a privilege to have the award-winning writer Jan Carson writing a brilliant guest post today.













Jan Carson is a writer and community arts facilitator based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has a novel, Malcolm Orange Disappears and short story collection, Children’s Children, (Liberties Press), two micro-fiction collections, Postcard Stories and Postcard Stories 2 (Emma Press). Her novel The Fire Starters was published by Doubleday in April 2019. It won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland in 2019 and the Kitschies Prize for Speculative Fiction in 2020. It was shortlisted for the Dalkey Book Prize in 2020. The Last Resort, a ten part BBC Radio 4 short story series and accompanying short story collection is forthcoming from Doubleday in early 2021. In 2018 Jan was the inaugural Translink/Irish Rail Roaming Writer in Residence on the Trains of Ireland. She was the Open Book Scotland Writer in Lockdown 2020.

******
Postcard Stories 2



I’ve always worked best under pressure. I like deadlines, projects and commissions. My imagination is expansive. I need boundaries to reel it in. I often set myself writing tasks and projects; a bit like being back in school. I work best with repetitive, daily or weekly writing goals. I like to write in the same place, at the same time, for the same duration every day. I like to drink strong coffee whilst I’m doing this. I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I hit a deep vein of generous words. Sometimes I pick at the same three sentences over and over, like a toddler going at a scabby knee. Most of the time I don’t feel much like writing but I still turn up every day. Even on the most constipated mornings, I rarely regret my writing time. I’ve tried other ways to coax the stories out; nothing but routine seems to work for me. 

I know lots of writers have struggled to write during the Pandemic. They’ve feel blocked and preoccupied and exhausted. I completely understand how difficult it has been, wrestling with anxiety and weariness every time you approach the page. I’ve also found writing an awful lot harder this year. Most days its felt like swimming through custard just to pull together a couple of paragraphs. I’ve written even more nonsense than usual, (and my nonsense quota is pretty high). But I’ve felt compelled to continue trying because I don’t know how to cope with the world, when I haven’t got words. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t think there should be any judgment when it comes to writing practice. Every writer approaches writing in their own peculiar way. It’s completely understandable if you’ve found yourself frozen for the last few months. In my experience, clinging to the routine of everyday writing, as if it’s some kind of life preserver, is also an equally valid response. 

Productivity has always been my coping mechanism. When I get stressed, anxious or confused, I can’t be. I have to do. If I wasn’t writing to curb the worry I’d probably be alphabetising my books or scrubbing the floors or teaching myself Portuguese. The truth is, I find solace in writing. It also gives me a means to vent my frustrations. On the best days it’s a vehicle for making sense. I tend to write huge amounts of material -most of which will never see the light of day- in order to occasionally get to the good stuff. I write an awful lot. I am whatever the opposite of a minimalist is. Recently I’ve also found myself writing as a means of shaping my time. The two to three hours I spend sitting at my laptop are often the only solid points, in days which feels like fluid mush. I feel more real and present sat at my laptop. I feel, at least a little bit, like myself. 

Every writer has a different approach to craft and practice. Sometimes, I wish I could write differently. I’d like to be the sort of writer who takes months over every story. I’d like to be deliberate and careful and slow. And have fully-formed notions of what I’m doing. But after almost twenty years of writing, I can admit that I’m just not wired like that. Routine and excessive productivity are the only things which work for me. When it comes to writing, you do whatever you need to get you through.

Which brings me neatly to Postcard Stories. Back in January 2015, I was stuck in a rut between my first two books. I had no ideas and no motivation. I probably should have taken a break, instead I fell back on old habits and announced I’d be writing a short story each day for a whole year. I’d post these stories, on the back of postcards, to friends who lived all over the world. The first two weeks were hellish. Even for a writer who relishes routine, the need to find inspiration every day felt like an overwhelming ask. By early February I’d fallen into a rhythm. The ideas began presenting themselves. I felt as if I’d toned the muscles of my imagination to such a point I was seeing stories everywhere. I managed an entire year of stories without missing a single day and on the 1st of January 2016, felt a little bereft. The daily practice of writing something small and complete had become a kind of foundation on which other ideas could be built. Let me put this idea another way. The half hour I’d spend writing a postcard story became a kind of warm up for the rest of my writing day. After finishing each postcard I’d approach the novel I was working on more confident and limber than coming at it cold. The small stories were daily reminders that writing was something I could still do.

Over the years Postcard Stories have become a kind of crutch for me. There are almost a thousand of them now. I use them to ground my writing practice and to sketch out ideas I might develop in the future. I use them to record those smaller ideas, which might otherwise distract from bigger projects. I use them when travelling to make my writing a kind of camera so I pay close attention to the unfamiliar. I use them, almost like meditation, to make sense of moments I find myself in. So, it’s no surprise that Lockdown found me once again writing a Postcard Story every day and mailing them out to isolated individuals. Yes, I did this to cheer folks up. But I also did it for myself. Because productivity and routine continue to be my coping mechanisms and these stories have become my primary means of tricking my imagination into action. If I’m writing something every day, no matter how little or how slight, it’s harder for my imagination to seize up. It’s easier to tell myself, the easy words will return again. 

Postcard Stories have got me through some very dry writing spells in the last five years. 2020 has been an absolute drought so far. I hope they’re going to start working their magic again soon.


Postcard Stories 2 is published by The Emma Press and available to purchase from the website www.theemmapress.com The collection launches online as part of the Eastside Arts Festival at 7pm on August 6th 2020 (GMT). Book your free ticket to this event at www.eastsidearts.net

******

Thank you very much, Jan. Best wishes for continuing success, greater recognition and many more accolades.

Joe Cushnan

Wednesday 29 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #100 (AND FINAL) - 29 JULY - ROBERT HORTON & ROBERT FULLER

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

AT 100, THE FINAL APROPOS OF NOTHING

Apropos of Nothing #100 – 29 July

Today, I salute two of my old-time TV western heroes.

Robert Horton was born on 29 July, 1924.

Robert Fuller was born on 29 July, 1933.

Horton played scout Flint McCullough in 189 episodes of Wagon Train from 1957 to 1962.  He played the title character in the 1965/66 34-episode series Shenandoah.  In the late 1950s, he played various characters in Matinee Theatre and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  He was guest star in many TV shows, his last appearance in a Murder, She Wrote episode in 1989.

Fuller played ranch hand Jess Harper in Laramie from 1959 to 1963.  He joined Wagon Train as Cooper Smith for 60 episodes, 1963/65.  He was in Return of the Seven (1966).  His third long-running series after Wagon Train and Rawhide was the non-western, medical drama, Emergency! (1972/78) in which he played Dr. Kelly Bracket in 125 episodes.  Along with many old western TV stars, he made a cameo appearance in the Maverick film (1984).  His last screen appearances were in a few episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger (1997/2001). 

Both actors had great ‘cowboy’ voices.  I remember them both fondly. 

Robert Horton died at 91 on 9 March, 2016.

Robert Fuller is 87.


Roberts Horton and Fuller





Tuesday 28 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #99 - 28 JULY 1920 - ANDREW V. MCLAGLEN

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

 

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

 

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

 

Apropos of Nothing #99 – 28 July 1920

 

Film director, Andrew Victor McLaglen, son of actor Victor McLaglen, was born on 28 July, 1920.

 

Film work of various kinds was part of the wider McLaglen family’s occupations, so movies were in the blood.

 

As a result of his father Victor’s association with John Wayne and John Ford, young Andrew assisted wherever needed on big and small films.

 

He directed his first film, Man in the Vault (1956) and Gun the Man Down (1956), both Wayne company (Batjac) productions.

 

He moved into television directing and was in demand for shows like Perry Mason, Rawhide, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Virginian and Gunsmoke.

 

On the big screen, he directed James Stewart in Shenandoah (1965) and The Rare Breed (1966), and  John Wayne in McLintock (1963), Hellfighters (1968), The Undefeated (1969), Chisum (1970) and Cahill U.S. Marshall (1973).

 

He directed Roger Moore (and stellar casts) in The Wild Geese (1978), North Sea Hijack (1980) and The Sea Wolves (1980)

 

Andrew V. McLaglen sure knew his way around action movies.

 

He died at 94 on 30 August, 2014.










Monday 27 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #98 - 27 JULY 1933 - NICK REYNOLDS (THE KINGSTON TRIO)

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #98 – 27 July 1933

Founding member of The Kingston Trio folk group, Nick Reynolds, was born on 27 July, 1933.

The other two original members were Dave Guard and Bob Shane.

The group were very successful and distinctive, often wearing striped shirts when performing.  Their first album was released in 1958 and the single from it, Tom Dooley became a smash hit, selling over three million copies.

After some incredible years of success, there was a falling out and Guard left the trio. He was replaced by John Stewart who, later as a solo artist, would write Daydream Believer, a massive hit for The Monkees.

The Kingston Trio, whatever the line-up, were clean-cut, wholesome, multi-talented and cheekily funny.

Dave Guard died at 56 on 22 March, 1991.
Bob Shane died at 85 on 26 January, 2020.
Nick Reynolds died at 75 on 1 October, 2008.
John Stewart died at 68 on 19 January, 2008.

Versions of the group perform to this day.








Sunday 26 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #97 - 26 JULY 1909 - VIVIAN VANCE (I LOVE LUCY)

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #97 – 26 July 1909

Stage and screen actress and singer Vivian Vance was born on 26 July, 1909.

As a kid growing up in Belfast, it was the thrill of thrills when we got our first television set, sometime in 1960/61.  We loved most of the programmes, but especially the American shows.  One amongst many favourites was I Love Lucy which starred Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo, Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo and Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz, landlady of a New York city apartment, where much of the show was set. 

I Love Lucy ran from 1951 to 1957, 181 episodes, so we would have seen reruns.  It was energetic comedy, very, very funny, and a huge success.

Vivian Vance was nominated four times for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for I Love Lucy, and she won in 1954.

She worked on several Lucy spin-off shows, as well as guest-starring in different TV episodes and several films, including The Great Race (1965).

Vivian Vance died at 70 on 17 August, 1979.

Fun fact: She was godmother to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian.


Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance


Saturday 25 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #96 - 25 JULY 1978 - LOUISE BROWN (IVF)

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #96 – 25 July 1978

Louise Joy Brown was born on 25 July, 1978.  She weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces at birth.  She was the first human being to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Today she is 42.

Happy birthday!


Friday 24 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #95 - 24 JULY 1899 - CHIEF DAN GEORGE

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #95 – 23 July 1899

Actor, musician and poet, Chief Dan George, was born on 24 July, 1899 in North Vancouver.

His written works include My Heart Soars (1974) and My Spirit Soars (1982).

His small screen work includes appearances in The Littlest Hobo (1964), The High Chaparral (1969), Bonanza (1971) and Kung Fu (1973).

He is best known for his role as Old Lodge Skins in Little Big Man (1970) alongside Dustin Hoffman.  He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

His other acclaimed role was that of Lone Watie in Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josie Wales (1976).

Chief Dan George died at 82 on 23 September, 1981. 


My Heart Soars
The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dewdrop of the flower,
speaks to me.
The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon
the trail of the sun,
And the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars.



Thursday 23 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #94 - 23 JULY 1901 - HANK 'ROCKIN' CHAIR' WORDEN

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #94 – 23 July 1901

Former rodeo performer and actor Hank Worden was born on 23 July, 1901.  He was a qualified engineer and tried to enlist as a US army pilot, but failed the test.  So, as an expert horseman, he turned to the rodeo circuit.  On the circuit he befriended Tex Ritter and, (as these are brief posts), they drifted into acting.

Ritter became a big western movie star and singer and he gave Worden the opportunity to appear in some of his films.  One thing led to another and Worden joined director John Ford’s stock company.

Amongst others, he appeared, sometimes uncredited, in John Wayne westerns including Stagecoach, Fort Apache, Red River, The Alamo, McLintock!, True Grit and, of course, The Searchers in which he played his most memorable role, Mose Harper, a simple man who longed for a rocking chair by the fire.

He guest-starred in many television shows, mainly westerns.  His last screen role was in the 1990/91 cult show Twin Peaks where he played a waiter.

For western nuts like me, it is always a delight when Worden pops up in a film or TV show.  His lean physique and bald head made him one of the most distinctive supporting actors.

Hank Worden died at 91 on 6 December, 1992.


Hank Worden and Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers

Wednesday 22 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #93 - 22 JULY 1938 - TERENCE STAMP

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #93 – 22 July 1938

Actor Terence Stamp was born on 22 July, 1938.

His screen acting career started in 1962.  In that year, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award in his first major film, Billy Budd, and he won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year, for the same film.

Handsome as hell, he was seen as one of the beautiful people of the 1960s.

He appeared in many successful movies including The Collector (1965), Modesty Blaise (1966), Far From the Madding Crowd (1967), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980) and Wall Street (1987).

Not long after the release of The Limey (1999), I wrote a fan letter to him and he sent this signed photograph, a still from that very film.
















Signed photo from my autograph collection.

Happy 82nd birthday, Terence Stamp.


Tuesday 21 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #92 - 21 JULY 1979 - JAY SILVERHEELS

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #92 – 21 July 1979

Born Harold Jay Smith, actor and athlete Jay Silverheels was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame on 21 July, 1979, at 6538 Hollywood Boulevard.

He was born on the Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario on 26 May, 1912, grandson of a Mohawk chief.

He was an acclaimed lacrosse player, recognised by the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  It is said his nickname as a player was Silverheels, and he adopted that name when his screen acting career began to take off.  At first, he was an extra and stunt man in low-budget films.

In the 1940s, he got parts in some major films alongside Tyrone Power, Humphrey Bogart, Glenn Ford, James Stewart and Jeff Chandler.

His big break came in the television series The Lone Ranger (1949-57) starring as the sidekick Tonto to the masked lead character played mostly by Clayton Moore, supposedly the last ranger to survive after a massacre.  The Lone Ranger chose to be a mystery man by donning a mask over his eyes.  (Yes, I know, but as kids we bought it!)

The Lone Ranger rode a horse called Silver and Tonto’s was called Scout. The show lasted well over 200 episodes.  It was pure good guys versus bad guys stuff.  The theme tune (William Tell Overture) just added to the magic.

After The Lone Ranger, Jay Silverheels guest-starred in a lot of television shows, many in Native American parts.

He died at 67 on 5 March, 1980.










Monday 20 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #91 - 20 JULY, 1948 - MUSE WATSON

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #91 – 20 July 1948

Today I salute American stage and screen actor Muse Watson who was born on 20 July, 1948.

On stage, he appeared in Hamlet, Man of La Mancha and A Streetcar Named Desire.

On the big screen his credits include Sommersby (1993), Assassins (1995), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).


He has guest-starred in many television shows, and I want to highlight two of my all-time favourites.  He put his stamp on Prison Break, appearing in nineteen episodes as Charles Westmoreland.


In NCIS, he played former agent Mike Franks in twenty-three episodes.

Both of these performances linger long in the memory because Muse Watson has that kind of grizzled (compliment) look that draws you to watch him every time.  He commands every scene he is in.

Such is his popularity that fans from all over the world were and still are perplexed that the Franks character was killed off.  He was a strong contributor to NCIS’s success story and there was much, much more potential for the character to enhance storylines.

Happy birthday, Muse Watson, and long may you entertain us.

Sunday 19 July 2020

APROPOS OF NOTHING #90 - 19 JULY 2014 - JAMES GARNER

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #90 – 19 July 2014

James Garner died at 86 on 19 July, 2014.

As far back as I remember, if anyone asked me who my favourite actors were, I’d say, without hesitation, John Wayne and James Garner, followed by some others from a long list of brilliant performers.

I was born at exactly the right time for the golden age of TV westerns – Cheyenne, Bronco, Laramie, Bonanza, Wagon Train, etc – and my all-time favourite was Maverick.  The James Garner/Jack Kelly combo was perfect, with Garner especially handsome and cool.  The show lost a great deal of charm when he left.

James Garner had huge successes in cinema and television.  He starred in The Great Escape, Cash McCall, The Thrill of it all, The Wheeler Dealers, Move Over Darling, The Americanisation of Emily, 36 Hours, Grand Prix and Hour of the Gun, to name several.

His wonderful westerns, Support Your Local Sheriff/Gunfighter, are a joy.

From 1974 to 1980, and in TV movies in the 1990s, he was Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files, a gem of a show that I have watched dozens and dozens of times.

James Garner was a great all-rounder.  He could produce serious deep drama and pitch-perfect comedy.

Anyway, gaze in wonder at his monumental screen CV.


Thank you, sir.