Maybe there are racist bridges. The claim sounds as bizarre now as it did the first time I heard it some years ago. But it's what came to mind when asked to take part in a panel discussion about technology at HowTheLightGetsIn, the philosophy and music festival in Hay-on-Wye. Continue reading...
Having been asked to participate in a panel discussion at HowTheLightGetsIn 2013 entitled "Of Wonder and Terror" I have been reflecting on the use of the term 'sublime' in relation to my own work, and the roles of art and science in creating what might be termed 'a sublime experience'. Continue reading...
Cannes film festival is in full swing and with the obvious focus on new film releases, the second favourite topic of conversation is inevitably fashion. In the most beautiful backdrop that really does feel like it has been taken directly out of an Audrey Hepburn film. Continue reading...
Heading off to play a series of gigs is a little like coming out of hibernation - it's a different way of life. The van is the mothership and the gigs are like the bits in Star Trek when they beam down to a new planet for a bit - without us losing the bloke who you've never seen before. There's the fun of looking up some record shops and old friends who've moved to the places we're visiting - I used to spend time with Anton Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre when I was living in LA, he's lived in Berlin for a few years and has offered to be out tour guide while we're there. Continue reading...
If ever there was a piece of ballet which was going to get kids and novice theatre-goers hooked on dance, then Scottish Ballet's Highland Fling is it. Well - when else have you been to a ballet where, within five minutes, one of the perky male stars has actually... Continue reading...
It was a full house last night as an audience of everything from grey-topped opera lovers to opportunistic drinkers crammed into the tiny theatre at the back of Islington's King's Head for director Adam Spreadbury-Maher's camped-up ride through Verdi's Un... Continue reading...
C'mon bankers. Re-invent banking. This is a big opportunity. Then you'll find your customers will come up with a more, ahem, grown up and positive sobriquet. Continue reading...
During its seven-year run (1997-2003) Buffy the Vampire Slayer won three Emmys and was listed tenth on Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time, second on Empire's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and third on TV Guide's Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time. Continue reading...
It's really quite sad if you think about it; not so long ago, Baz Luhrmann was the darling of Hollywood, a breath of fresh air in an increasingly formulaic industry. Audiences aren't so easily distracted these days by shiny colours and slick cinematography. More and more, they crave inner beauty over outer beauty. And perhaps it is that Baz Luhrmann hasn't quite realised this yet. Continue reading...
Last weekend marked the finale of the annual extravaganza of Europop and European spirit called Eurovision. In it, countries put their best musical foot forward to beat the rest of Europe for Eurovision glory. The winner has to host the next year's event. A bit of a financially poisoned chalice of sorts. Continue reading...
I understand online visibility is very important, and I don't see anything wrong with getting someone on your team to post in your stead if its just a notification of a gig or record release, but in my opinion the line is crossed when you have someone posting things like 'loving blah blah blah on stage right now' or even worse, actually replying to fans acting as if its them. Continue reading...
So, it's started again. For the next three months the viewing public will be treated to and will lap up a 'fly on the wall' vision of what makes an entrepreneur - except we won't and it isn't. But many people, who aren't in the know, will think it's meant to be this way. Continue reading...
I was naturally nervous when I decided to travel 600 km south by train from Cairo to the town of Nagaa Hammadi by the banks of the river Nile. I wanted to see if Egypt's revolution of 2011 had changed life for people far away from the capital. My guide for the journey was a young student activist from Cairo who had grown up there. Continue reading...
The collective worship of millions - even billions - across the planet is bound to send you a tiny bit peculiar. Maybe that's what prompted John Lennon to say that the Beatles were 'more popular than Jesus'. Could it be? Is Justin Bieber bigger than God? Continue reading...
When I look back at my time on Shameless over the last three years, I honestly feel a warmth. The shows spirit, the characters, the writing, the crazy story lines, the constant pushing of boundaries. I am filled with a sense of pride, that I was part of such a groundbreaking iconic show. Like they say..." All good things, come to an end. Continue reading...
Some people may dread that women will come on and talk about periods. I don't. I dread that the next 20 something white middle class male will come on and do some inadvisable and ill-conceived material on rape or pedophilia or something being LITERALLY the funniest thing that ever happened, when it LITERALLY is not. Continue reading...
Time travel was invented for festivals like How The Light Gets In (HTLGI). It's a maddeningly exciting place. Maddening because there's so much to see, hear, and taste, more than even the greediest of festival-goers could swallow, more than it seems possible to fit into one festival. Continue reading...
If people don't go to these venues then they will be unsustainable in the long run. If smaller venues go then it will make it almost impossible for budding musicians to get their first gig. What will happen then? Will we be left with a situation where acts have to audition for talent shows to get their break? It's a depressing thought. Continue reading...
Recent statistics suggest that 82% of people think it's acceptable to watch pirated TV shows, and the growing piracy rates back this up: the season premiere of Game of Thrones was watched illegally over one million times, compared to just over four million legitimate views, with foreign interest in the series being a large cause. Continue reading...
The truth is, the modern world we live in does not appreciate poetry. Not like it ought to, not like you and I do. We get it. We eagerly await that new journal or book of poems, smuggle it like contraband into our grey morning commute. Continue reading...
