POP LIVES:Róise Goan, director of Dublin's Absolut Fringe festival
What are you reading?
I’m alternating William Trevor’s Love and Summer with Maureen Gaffney’s Flourishing. The self-help guruness of Flourishing is hard to digest as a whole, so I’ve been dipping in and out. I’ve just finished Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, which I loved. I’m a bit slow on the uptake with books, and tend to be about a year behind the reviews in terms of what I read. I find a big stack of borrowed books a great solace during the October-November postfestival comedown.
Last film you saw and your verdict?The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man in a back-to-back matinee whammy. Despite their flaws I really enjoyed them. I see a huge amount of live performance, which I love, but it requires a lot of thinking and attention, so when I go to the cinema I love escapism. I'm known among friends as having schlocky taste in movies. Not that either of these two films were poor, but they did satisfy my craving for ham and cheese.
You have a golden ticket to Eason. What magazine is first on your list?I don't read magazines any more, really. Coveting expensive handbags, shoes and clothes, or analysing circles of shame, has taken up far too much of my time in the past, and it's not good for my soul. I'm much more likely to read online publications – I am enjoying the Racket, and my guilty pleasure is the TV recaps from vulture.comand Gawker.
What are your most-clicked bookmarks?At the moment our box-office reports, Facebook, Twitter, The Irish Times, the Guardian, thejournal.ie, broadsheet.ie, Le Cool Dublin.
When you fall into a YouTube hole what's the general subject matter of the videos you're watching?I'm planning a big holiday after the festival this year, so I've been losing hours watching clips of travel programmes, drooling over beaches in far-flung locations.
What track should we listen to right now?Efterklang and Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing The Ghost to get you in the mood for Efterklang and the Major Lift Orchestra at the Absolut Fringe and Cork Opera House.
Which box set or TV series do you have on the go at the moment?While I wait for new Mad Men, Girls, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy (yes, I know, awful, but still) and Community. I recently watched all of Friday Night Lights, which I loved: watching Taylor Kitsch's movie career crash and burn was painful for us Tim Riggins fans. I'm looking forward to watching Breaking Bad from the start, too, when I find the time.
Last gig or concert you went to and your verdict?Sean Millar and Neil Watkins in Bewley's last week. Brilliant gig. My favourite moments were the debut of their new song about the Drop Everything festival, and the resurrection of Ace of Base's All That She Wants.
Which app do you use the most?Wunderlist.
And finally, if you see one theatre production this month, make it . . .On the island, PaperDolls' Eccentric Ladies this weekend in Meeting House Square. Off the island, I'm very excited to see Christoph Marthaler's Mein Faire Dame at Edinburgh International Festival.
Read Una Mulally's Pop Life blog at irishtimes.com/blogs/poplife
