Weekend

On the anniversary of David Foster Wallace’s death I expect there will be a glut of people sharing that This is Water video. It is a lovely piece of writing, but an odd one as it seems to have become this whole new creature, half self-help guide, half unintentional self-eulogy. Read the rest of this entry »

9/11 was, among many other things, the ultimate television event. Never before had genuine, world-altering history unfolded on live television. Perhaps the closest forerunner was the Zapruder footage, yet that was not shown on network television until 1975. The shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald was shown on live television but, while shocking, was more a footnote to a historic event than the whole event itself. Read the rest of this entry »
So, as you’ve probably heard, Arcade Fire last night released onto the internet the first song from their new album. You’ve probably not only heard this fact, but have heard the song, and read a bunch of blogs and tweets debating it. And yet I still can’t resist adding my £0.02/$0.02. I like to add to the noise. Read the rest of this entry »

As a kid I never liked Autumn. Why would you like the leaves turning brown, when that was just a prelude to them failing off the trees? Why would you enjoy a time when school started again, but started with new teachers, new classes, new routines, all bringing new worries, insecurities, fears? Why be so happy that the summer was over? Read the rest of this entry »