reading and writing | Wait until next year

July 24, 2014

The Baffler and The Nostalgia Gap

Nostalgia is a form of propaganda, an exercise in laughter and forgetting, in which the right visual iconography and perceived authenticity can create a longing for an existence which is no longer possible and was in fact never possible.

The Baffler have opened up their archives, so you can now access articles from their 25 issues from 1988 to the present day. The piece quoted above, The Nostalgia Gap, was published in 1993, yet still reads as something valid and true today. It is well worth your time, as are the complete archives that I’m slowly working my way through now. Oddly, reading the old issues creates a similar misplaced longing as outlined in the quote above, which makes my head hurt a little.

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July 18, 2014

Gotta get a move on tryin´to find a man I know – A near-review of Vulgar Things by Lee Rourke

Graffiti on Canvey Island -

Vulgar Things by Lee Rourke is a book about a man who goes to Canvey Island, then Southend, to sort out the affairs of his uncle who has recently died. That’s as much plot as you need. I don’t want to give away the plot. Plus, while it is a good plot, and the story matters, Vulgar Things is about a whole lot more. At least how I read it, anyway. Read the rest of this entry »

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Video | May 17, 2014

Saturday Night Movie: The South Bank Show – J.G. Ballard

I’ve finally got around to reading some J.G. Ballard – I’m starting with Vermillion Sands but any recommendations on what to read next or guidance on books to avoid would be very welcome. This documentary was a decent primer, plus I have something of a man crush on presenter Melvyn Bragg, not least for his masterful work on the In Our Time radio programme.

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May 13, 2014

You Like Potato – Matters of taste from Woody Allen to Céline Dion

In Woody Allen’s Manhattan the protagonist Issac Davis talks into a tape recorder, listing what he believes makes life worth living. It is a key scene and a clever device. The list gives us an insight into Davis’ personality, his motivations, his desires:

“Why is life worth living? It’s a very good question. There are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. Like what…okay…For me, I would say… what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing…and Willie Mays…and the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony…and Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues…Swedish movies, naturally… Sentimental Education by Flaubert…Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra…those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne…the crabs at Sam Wo’s…Tracy’s face…” Read the rest of this entry »

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Video | March 1, 2014

Saturday Night Movie: Don DeLillo Documentary

This documentary was broadcast over 20 years ago, yet a lot of it still feels relevant and true. Don DeLillo worked on the documentary alongside the BBC, touching on the themes of a lot of his novels and explores the interplay between the media, public violence and conspiracy. It is fascinating stuff and more imaginative in presentation than your usual author profile. I just wish they had commissioned a whole series.

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Category: reading and writing

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