Just to prove that there’s no sacrifice I won’t make for the BFD, I listened to the new Tool album. Twice. (I always make a point of listening to albums at least twice before I review them, and I’m a glutton for punishment.) Well, as I suspected,
When a comedian opens with jokes about Anthony Bourdain’s suicide, you know the show ain’t going to be no safe space. Dave Chappelle’s Sticks and Stones is about as un-safe a space for modern audiences as could be imagined. For just over an hour, Chappelle pokes sticks
Burn, Hollywood, Burn A regular review by John Black IT’S 2 BLOODY LONG The first ‘IT’ is the highest grossing horror movie ever, far surpassing such classics as Psycho, Alien, Silence of the Lambs and Halloween. This fact is the sand in the arse crack of every true horror
There are a few records I’ve bought solely on the strength of the cover art. For instance, I’d never heard of Jane’s Addiction in 1988, but couldn’t resist the striking cover art for Nothing’s Shocking. It didn’t let me down. Billie Eilish’s debut
Burn, Hollywood, Burn A regular review by John Black Over 1 million people sign up to ‘storm’ Area 51, the U.S military base thought by tin-foil hatters to contain extra-terrestrial beings. Vaccination rates fall across the western world after anti-vaxxers cause ‘vaccination hesitancy’ among parents. Twisted white guys obsessed
Camacho – Nicaraguan Barrel-Aged Camacho has always been a brand of consistency and quality IMO. I have never had one that was bad. Sure some of their line are better than others but all of them are rolled perfectly and smoke great. This Nicaraguan barrel aged is the less common of
Burn, Hollywood, Burn A regular review by John Black In his latest flick Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino discovers Old-Man-At-The-BBQ-Who’s-Had-One-Beer-Too-Many variety Conservatism. The thematic takeaways are what Conservatives have been saying for ages (at BBQs and elsewhere): Hollywood is a playground for moral degenerates, actors are
JOYA Silver Cigar Aficionado magazine 90-points This was the last release in the JOYA range by Joya de Nicaragua; cigars blended and priced for the everyday aficionado. JOYA Silver cigars are a great example of Joya de Nicaragua’s continual quest to provide you with a truly unforgettable smoke. Silver
Port Ellen 1982 Distilled November 1982 Bottled October 2018 35 Years Old Platinum Xtra Old Particular 70cl / 54.4% Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Douglas Laing Bottled to celebrate Douglas Laing’s platinum (70th) anniversary, this is a single-cask Port Ellen 35 Year Old with, as the indie bottler puts
After a few years hiatus the Viaje C-4 has returned this year but it’s a little different than ever before. It’s always been a good cigar but I have to say that the changes for 2019 make me damn excited to smoke this stick! First major change is
Blind Man’s Bluff maduro by Caldwell The blind man has landed! This is the 3rd edition of this blend and all 3 have been outstanding! This stick uses a Pennsylvania maduro wrapper over a Sumatran binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic. Get them while they last as they
Arturo Fuente Especiales – Conquistador’s Budget friendly oversized-cigar from the Fuente’s This is a $36 cigar, 5 1/2″ by 56 and box-pressed; wrapped in that famously Fuente Cameroon wrapper, but it utilises mixed filler from the high-end Fuente’s rolled at the factory. Never had one burn badly,
I’m excited because Sumatra wrappers are one of my all-time favourites and I’ve never had a bad stick from Oscar! New to NZ with a stack of other great sticks by Oscar Valladares this Sumatra covered Leaf looks just like the Leaf Maduro apart from the word Sumatra
If asked I would say that I’m a fan of Oscar Valladares cigars but now that I think about it this might only be the 3rd blend I’ve actually smoked… I love the leaf and have smoked many of them and cosmetically this has many similarities to the
Welcome back to another review! It’s Sunday, the sun is out and I have some lamb in the Weber for a 6hr braising… seems like an ideal time to try out the MASSIVE cigar that is the Big Johnny by Oscar. This cigar looks massive! I’m a big
The Irish whiskey industry was stagnant for a long time since the mid-1980s but it is very far away from that now. Lots of new distilleries are popping up and one of my most favourite is Teeling. Teeling is the Spirit of Dublin, it is the only working distillery in
