Just a quick note to say that (pending arrival of cheques) the latest Indie Amnesty netted the Grecian Earn another £20, the bulk of which came from a frankly astounding eleven earth pounds paid for the first Soup Dragons album, a new Amnesty r[…]

There were lots of angry and concerned punters in the studio debate after last night’s Dirty War. Some complained about the stereotyping of the Muslims in it. Others worried about the suggestion that the fire brigade did not have enough equipme[…]

Not an artist given to great subtlety, Mauro Perucchetti’s new show at Beaux Arts* is a big punchy thrill. For a start, as you walk up Cork Street, three four foot-tall jelly babies look out at you from inside the gallery, bulbous, translucent […]

FT TOP 100 FILMS
24: BODY SNATCHERS (Abel Ferrara Version)
Its a clever commentary on McCarthyism you know.
Oh, its also a critique on the evils of communism.
The problem with The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is that it has been held up as a poster[…]

ARCANE TAX FAX
You pay VAT on Crisps, but not on Pork Scratchings. This is, due to my VAT book, because Scratchings are “by-products” rather than a foodstuff in themselves. They are also k-num.[…]

Marseille(s) is the most exciting city I’ve ever spent time in – to drive into, to walk around in, to gaze across. Why: “Bcz it’s full of pirates like a GIANT BIG OLD PLYMOUTH!” sez Dr Vick (who as u know grew up in the […]

The Limits Of Photography: overheard on the tube. Speaker – teenage sloane on way to Camden to buy a T-Shirt (circumstantial detail provided by same, at high volume).
“I hate people who won’t be photographed, it’s so stupid. T[…]

2004 Man Booker Shortlist and Profiles[…]

After the relative aesthetic success of “ABBA in Hindi” I was delighted when someone on Slsk was sharing something called ABBA Metal. Readers prone to stereotyping will be delighted to discover that this CD comes from Germany, spiritual h[…]

When it has Arbeit Macht Frei written above the entrance and harbours the apparatus for millions of executions. Auschwitz has been open to the public for a good number of years. Do you need to justify a visit? I guess some tourists have a conscience[…]