“If the general climate is bad, all will be affected by it. Men and women of letters are not expected to do more than they can, as they express this bad situation in their literary production. With respect to the question of the appeal of a particular work, the whole thing depends on whether the […]
The strapline on the TV over the bar last night had some exciting news. Through the fumes of pure alcohol rising in wavy lines from the gin-soaked counter I made out the words “US stock market rises for second day in a row.” Wow… two whole days.
One of the banks was kind enough to post a flyer to me advertising their credit card. On one side is written the benefits of using a credit card. Life is too short to read that but the other side has three pictures that say a great deal about the contempt we are to have […]
This waltzing photograph of a song is hard to resist. Listening to it you’re brought in front of a scene pregnant with possibilities, and left to your own devices to make sense of it. The setting is ‘a rooftop in Brooklyn, at one in the morning’. Everything is seen through this frame or filter. Brooklyn […]
Andrzej Czuma, the new minister for justice here, did not just leave angry creditors behind him in the US. He also tangled with the courts in a number of car accidents. Not to be outdone, the chief of one of the opposition parties, the League of Polish Families – remember them? – has also had […]
Sometimes I wish that, when buying a book in a book store, you were automatically given a complimentary title – that is to say, a book that will help you read the one you’ve just bought, as opposed to the ‘like this? you’ll love that’ recommendation. For example, with Paul Auster’s Man in the Dark, […]
Slouched hidden beside a fire-exit, Antony Hegarty looked neither courageous or a star, clutching his notebook and looking nervous as he waited for his driver to arrive. This was back in 2005, backstage at a festival in Italywhere Antony and the Johnsons were due to headline that night. He averted his gaze from all passers […]
Well, perhaps the Times Online misquoted him: ‘Dermot Ahern, the [Irish] Justice Minister, said: “Legislation is in place to bring to justice those who may have played hard and fast with the financial security of this country”.’ There’s nothing wrong with playing hard and fast. What Ahern should have said was “fast and loose” but […]
Amongst the many half-baked explanations for Dublin band Something Happens’ inexplicable lack of global success, back in 1990, with the superb Stuck Together With God’s Glue is one that focusses entirely on lead singer Tom Dunne’s paisley shirt collection. There may be some truth to it (take a look at the video below), but it’s […]