I can't be the only one stuck in this loop... Oh god, do I want off the internet. The list of things I need a phone to do is so small that I am seriously considering going back to a 2013 Blackberry. My ability and desire to read, write, and communicate have been improved by... Continue Reading →
“What Are My Words Worth”: the role of academia’s ivory tower in cultural transmission
my talk given at the Creative Industries Festival 2026 “What is left, what is remembered and what is still fit for use in the heritage of classical bourgeois culture?” It is with these words that Eric Hobsbawm opens his 2012 essay ‘Heritage’. Hobsbawm, a historian in his 95th year when this was written, is concerned... Continue Reading →
I don’t care about canon.
Or: Fanfic in opposition to auteurship.
people I ought to have been able to mourn
good people who died young.
I Fell In Love With The Girl At The Pen Show
October 10th to 12th was the London (Autumn) Pen Show. This is like any trade show: you have vendors who like to sell you things, customers who want deals on those things, and a few onlookers trying to build brands, follow next year's marketing trends, make relationships with mutually beneficial businesses… or who just want to hold the bags of somebody they love, looking for a place to sit. I went for the Sunday as a customer.
Love Songs In Middle-Age
I am 31 and fully dead. Lloyd Cole says the first song he ever wrote about being middle-aged was Hey Rusty. Anybody listening to his 1987 album 'Mainstream' can tell he's having a bit of an identity crisis: songs like Sean Penn Blues and My Bag are sharp satires of a world Cole doesn't seem... Continue Reading →
Digital Hoarding
Why do I feel compelled to save pictures?
A House of Bootlegs
Growing up in a house of bootlegs, and developing my own music collection.
Essential Gig Etiquette Tips for Concertgoers
It was my great joy to see Ms Rebecca Black live last week when she brought her Salvation tour to London. I've been so glad to see her reach her potential, and I bought the ticket mainly to support an indie artist, since I'm really much too old to be heading to the club on... Continue Reading →
Amp It Up: Exploring Live Albums
How do you feed your burgeoning love of live music without entirely emptying your wallet? As a veteran show-goer, I'm here to share my most loved performances, as well as a guide to the most famous festivals of the 20th century. What more could you need?
Late Romantic 