Monthly archives: May 2008


It's the heat and the steam of the city

I can’t see you, mama
But I can hardly wait
oh To touch and to feel you, mama
Oh, I just can’t keep away
In the heat and the steam of the city
Ooh, it’s got me running and I just can’t brake
So say you’ll help me, mama
‘Cause it’s getting so hard, ooh

Now I can’t keep you, mama
But I know you’re always there
You listen, you teach me, mama
And I know inside you care
So get down, down here beside me
Ooh, you ain’t going nowhere
No, I won’t hurt you, mama
But it’s getting so hard, ooh

Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, awh
Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, awh

Can’t you see me here, mama,
Mama, mama, mama, please?
Can’t you feel my heart?
Can’t you feel my heart?
Can’t you feel my heart, ooh?
Now listen to me, mama
Mama, mama
You’re taking away my last chance
Don’t take it away !
Can’t you feel my heart?

ha ha ha,ha ha ha awh

It’s hot, too hot for me, mama
But I can hardly wait
My eyes, they’re burning, mama
And I can feel my body shake
Don’t stop! Don’t stop me, mama
Ooh, make the pain, make it go away, hey
No, I won’t hurt you, mama
But it’s getting so hard, ooh

Now I can’t see you, mama
But I know you’re always there
You taunt, you tease me, mama
But I never, never, never can keep away
It’s the heat and the steam of the city
Ooh, got me running and I just can’t brake
So stay, don’t leave me, mama
‘Cause it’s getting so hard, ooh

Don’t go, no no don’t go
No no no, don’t go…
ha ha ha
dont go
ha ha ha awh
no dont let me go
dont go

Genesis – Mama


Venn- days 2 & 3 of shooting


Cliche Friends style pose, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

We successfully shot the bedroom and party scenes for Venn episodes 1-3 over the weekend. Bedroom, with Graham and Annamarie, on Saturday, party on Sunday.

Firstly, big thanks to Dan, Jenny and Imogen for letting us invade their home two days in a row, mess up the Feng Shui of their living room and make them drink on a Sunday afternoon. A second mention for Dan and Jenny for being my microphone monkeys (every Spinneyhead production has at least one monkey). They could have great careers ahead of them holding poles. Damian, as so often before, was transport monkey.

Dave stepped in at the last minute to play Mark, host of the party and Sarah’s ex. Meg and Harry bravely snogged through eight or nine takes whilst Damian talked to the curtains. It’ll all make sense in the final edit.

Now I’m going to spend the afternoon getting footage off the camera and seeing if I can convert it to a format my computer’s happy with. (Otherwise I’ll have to edit using Damian’s Mac, which would be such a chore.)

More photos, including far too many of the cliched sofa shot, in the Venn gallery.

Support the production of Venn. Get your own I [Kong] NY or Certified Independent Idiot apparel, as modelled by Graham.

I [kong] NY

Certified Independent Idiot


Venn- days 2 & 3 of shooting


Cliche Friends style pose, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

We successfully shot the bedroom and party scenes for Venn episodes 1-3 over the weekend. Bedroom, with Graham and Annamarie, on Saturday, party on Sunday.

Firstly, big thanks to Dan, Jenny and Imogen for letting us invade their home two days in a row, mess up the Feng Shui of their living room and make them drink on a Sunday afternoon. A second mention for Dan and Jenny for being my microphone monkeys (every Spinneyhead production has at least one monkey). They could have great careers ahead of them holding poles. Damian, as so often before, was transport monkey.

Dave stepped in at the last minute to play Mark, host of the party and Sarah’s ex. Meg and Harry bravely snogged through eight or nine takes whilst Damian talked to the curtains. It’ll all make sense in the final edit.

Now I’m going to spend the afternoon getting footage off the camera and seeing if I can convert it to a format my computer’s happy with. (Otherwise I’ll have to edit using Damian’s Mac, which would be such a chore.)

More photos, including far too many of the cliched sofa shot, in the Venn gallery.

Support the production of Venn. Get your own I [Kong] NY or Certified Independent Idiot apparel, as modelled by Graham.

I [kong] NY

Certified Independent Idiot


Vulcan Works


pod130203, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

Another one for the Discontinuous Infill map. Yesterday I went past the place where this used to be. It’s been replaced by posh flats.


Drivin’ through Constant Spring

See me in me heels and ting
Dem check sey we hip and ting
True them no know and ting
We have them going and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

See me pon the road I hear you call out to me
True you see mi inna pants and ting
See mi in a ‘alter back
Sey mi gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

See mi in mi Benz and ting
Drivin’ through Constant Spring
Them check sey me come from cosmo spring
But a true dem no know and ting
Dem no know sey we top ranking
Uptown Top Ranking

Shoulda see me and the ranking dread
Check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Watch how we chuck it and ting
Inna we khaki suit and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Love inna you heart dis a bawl out fe me
When you see me inna pants and ting
See me inna ‘alter back
Sey me gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

See mi pon the road and hear you call out to me
True you see me in me pants and ting
See me inna ‘alter back
Sey me gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

You shoulda see me and the ranking dread,
Check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Althea and Donna- Uptown Top Ranking


Drivin' through Constant Spring

See me in me heels and ting
Dem check sey we hip and ting
True them no know and ting
We have them going and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

See me pon the road I hear you call out to me
True you see mi inna pants and ting
See mi in a ‘alter back
Sey mi gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

See mi in mi Benz and ting
Drivin’ through Constant Spring
Them check sey me come from cosmo spring
But a true dem no know and ting
Dem no know sey we top ranking
Uptown Top Ranking

Shoulda see me and the ranking dread
Check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Watch how we chuck it and ting
Inna we khaki suit and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Love inna you heart dis a bawl out fe me
When you see me inna pants and ting
See me inna ‘alter back
Sey me gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

See mi pon the road and hear you call out to me
True you see me in me pants and ting
See me inna ‘alter back
Sey me gi’ you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

You shoulda see me and the ranking dread,
Check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Althea and Donna- Uptown Top Ranking


Bloody football


Bloody football, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

The city centre is full of foreigners I can’t understand.

And that’s just the Rangers fans.

(Thank you, I’ll be here all week.)


Maus Wein


Maus Wein, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

A prop for the first few episodes of Venn. In the universe of Venn Ike, AKA The Mouse, is a huge media star and even has his own wine.
The label was designed by Meg from my brief (“It’s a cheap white and it’s got the Mouse on it.”) I printed it on sticky label and put it on a bottle of cheap white wine. There will be two bottles of this, one full one empty, for continuity purposes.


Department of Free Ideas- Give me Liberty City Extreme

Musing on my comment from the last post I went off on a tangent, thinking about the traffic in Liberty City. I came to the logical conclusion that, were the cross town traffic to increase, they might want to introduce bikes to the mix. The presence of BMXs and at least one mountain bike in San Andreas was fun. From these musings grew an idea for a game I’d love to see.

We’ve only tried one skateboarding game on the 360, and we weren’t that impressed. Given the scope for expanding the environment that this generation of consoles gives, simply rehashing locations from an earlier game in the series didn’t do a lot for us. Skate may address some of this, but casa Spinneyhead hasn’t experienced it yet.

What I want to see is a city with the detail level of Liberty City with players given the freedom to grind, jump, tag and climb it. As well as the obvious stunt competitions there’d be other challenges. BMX bikes would be supplemented with single speed courier steeds- allowing players to earn cash rushing across town with packages or take part in Alley Cat races– mountain bikes for rides in Middle park and cruisers for trolling around looking cool. There’d be longboard skateboards and street luges for the speed freaks, and a couple of really good hills to set time and speed records on. You’d be able to tag and graffiti buildings, with notoriety points accrued based on a combination of artwork complexity and building profile. The rooftops, alleys and street furniture could be used for free running. Wannabe spider men could climb the Empire State building and Base jumpers could sneak their ‘chutes past security and leap off the top of it. The online version could see graffiti swapping and virtual geocaching.

That’s just ten minute’s worth of ideas, No doubt I’ll start coming up with more as soon as I post. This is a free idea, because I really want to play this game, but if anyone wants to pay me to brainstorm scenarios I’m always available.


New Liberty City

This Flickr photoset compares the design of Grand Theft Auto IV to the real New York City. I’m off to Star Junction next time I play

What isn’t realistically modelled, I realised last night, is traffic density because any realistic amount of vehicles (for any modern city) would totally destroy any chance for GTA’s fast and chaotic car chases.


From Thamina


From Thamina, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

A new food store just opened on Burton Road. It’s an ideal place to continue the household’s fascination with food we don’t fully understand.


No Smoking on the corridor


pod010203, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

Another one for the Discontinuous Infill map.

The Platial interface has changed, giving you a larger map to look at.