One of life’s small treats is to see a philosopher being made to look slightly foolish. When the public pratfall involves a smooth, high-profile French philosopher, the pleasure is particularly acute. Bernard-Henri Lévy is a philosophe engagé who takes himself very seriously. Known in the French media simply as BHL, he can be relied… Continue reading Un philosophe engagé – dans la merde
Read moreBetween you and me, all I can think of right now is scandalous music. This Monday, the duo Something Happened, of which I am 50 per cent, joins forces with the amazing singer Victoria Hart at the King’s Head, Islington to launch TABOO-BE-DO! Hits and Misses from the Politically Incorrect Songbook. The launch is a… Continue reading Her heart belongs to Baghdad Daddy
Read moreAn enterprising sociologist might usefully write a thesis on lavatory paper as a reflection of the way our society has unravelled and unrolled over the past decade. In the early years of celebrity madness, the new queen of tabloid Britain Jade Goody announced to a fascinated world that, when she went to the loo, she… Continue reading The Loo-Roll Chronicles – a new chapter unrolls
Read moreThere is no fool quite like an English fool. In American films, the fool, usually played by Ben Stiller or Steve Martin, is essentially an ordinary person having a bad day. The French fool, from M Hulot onwards, has a disconcerting tug of social satire to him. Only the English fool, surely, is defined not… Continue reading Upper-class twits whose time has gone
Read moreThere are many practical advantages to government by panic, as our politicians have recently discovered. Fear is an excellent way to cut through awkward questions. In a pessimistic, timorous world, emotion beats reason into a cocked hat. Right now, government by panic is propelling a series of appalling planning decisions in the name of energy… Continue reading A land despoiled by pylons
Read moreAlthough I’m relatively new to the blogosphere, I have received an on-line ‘fisking’ a few times. You know what a fisk is, of course. The blogger takes an article or blog with which he disagrees and rebuts (he thinks/hopes) point by point, usually in a slightly irritating clever-dick way. Yesterday, within minutes of posting a… Continue reading Terry and Teddy Edward: the library debate continues
Read moreA glimpse into our political future. At a dinner held by the august book trade body, the Society of Bookmen, the shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey explained to senior publishers, booksellers and the odd author how a Conservative government would behave towards books and those earn their living from them. It was an interesting performance,… Continue reading Jokes, charm and woolliness: beware the Tory way
Read moreA somewhat snotty perspective of the life of the great JD Salinger, by John Sutherland on the Today programme, has been niggling away at me as I have read the more considered obituaries. Sutherland, who once wrote a book on bestsellers, was scathing about Salinger’s decision not to play the publicity game in any form… Continue reading Salinger: a literary hero who refused to play the game
Read moreAs a headline, “Journalist murdered in Mexico” is unlikely to set the pulse racing. Even a subhead reading “Government and police not particularly interested” would have most of us wearily turning to the home page for the latest news from Celebrity Big Brother. Extraordinarily, we are living in an age in which censorship through murder… Continue reading These reporters risking their lives deserve our respect
Read moreBefore long there will probably be a Rufus Wainwright song about his mother, the great – and now late – Kate McGarrigle. Rufus’s sister, Martha, might soon be working on a musical tribute, too. There could be something from Kate’s sister, Anna, with whom she sang down the years. A different perspective, more hard-eyed and… Continue reading A musical dynasty true to its art
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