CHARACTERS
Most of these characters are straight steals from friends or people I have met: to all of whom, my commiserations.
David Droll: Based on a certain nocturnal BBC personality who hasn’t yet given his opinion on this story, and who may not appreciate the enormous complement I intend to pay him through these apparent insults. He gets to appear on Democracy Now! in the end, so how can he complain?
Fatima Coulibaly: She’s a cross between James Bond (I’m not sure which one), and Madame le president of CADTM Mali, with reference also to Aminata Draman Traoré, one of the most impressive people I have ever met; terrifying; she has a spot in the movie Bamako, which I recommend you see. But she was tricked by Bob Geldoff. What can you do?
The Bull: Those who recognise the model for this character will no doubt advise me not to tell those who don’t. Still, remember that this Bull is a hero, although a compromised one. If you do recognise him, tell me so!
Jed Bryce: ‘And I’m joined now by our reporter Jed Boyce, who’s standing next to the hole, out of which the events are emerging. – Jed: what’s the latest?!’ – Chris Morris. That’s the entire model for this character. In appearance I have him as a Dimbleby.
Carlie Fiorina: Very very loosely based on the former CEO of, um, IBM, I think … whose name faintly resembles. I once heard her on the radio at Davos say, of charitable giving by the ultra-rich: “You know, there are people now whose wealth has reached the level really of billions of dollars, and they are now at the stage where they are able to give back … .” I decided such a comment made her fair game. Otherwise I would have used Gates, or somesuch.
Clive the civil servant: I had one particular non-assoholically challenged character in mind, but allow him to stand for many. You know, some of those characters almost make me tremble with sympathy for the massive slash and burn of UK society that is being undertaken by …
Cleggaron: A friend of mine got there first with this name, before it was taken up more widely on the internet.
MUSIC
By now there’s so much stuff in all the episodes that it’s too late to list all the steals. There’s loads.
I took the title for episode two from Kreator. Well do I remember my stunned reaction when I first heard the song “Ripping Corpse Attack.” Sara Schilling’s theme tune is “Blackwaterside,” as played by Bert Jansch (the great man here demonstrating the benefits of heroin addiction for folk music). Episode two also has faint snippets from Classic FM, the Oxford Choral Society (or something) singing that piece which is in Platoon when they burn the village. I forget the name of the tune. Ah, the pathos of having just burned a village! And also my approach to the sountrack in general is owing more and more to Neil Young’s soundtrack to Dead Man.
There’s the theme tune to The Thing in there as well, somewhere. Oh, and lots more stuff … Ali Farka Touré steals, for sure.
