"I'm not confused. I'm just well mixed." – Robert Frost
It's been far too long since I updated this or wrote something, so tonight I made myself keep to a 1000 word limit (even then I exceeded it slightly) and write something I could share. I'm not sure if this is very good or now, but still, it's good to practice. It features my favourite (late, … Continue reading FICTION: Hela’s Court
Why is reheated 80s homophobia becoming one of British liberalism's defining traits? This won't be a proper post. I don't really have time. I'm quite tired and angry. But I am going to sketch the shape of something that's been bothering me for a while. For some reason, British liberals -- especially in the media … Continue reading The liberal homophobe?
I didn't manage to finish this in time for the Monday posting slot. My bad. I wanted to write something roughly 1000 words long but this ended up expanding quite a lot and since I currently feel like a rat's ass, I couldn't finish it. I also think it needs a lot of work. Right … Continue reading FICTION: Mary’s Bones
Given the Netflix algorithm decided it was going to push the 2007 BBC cop drama on me -- and I also want to check out for certain research purposes -- I watched Life on Mars recently, along with making my way through some of its spin-off/sequel show Ashes to Ashes. The first thing I … Continue reading Life on Mars and Lost Modernism
Initially, I was thinking of writing something with a title along the lines of, ‘Keir Starmer has failed his first test as leader.’ Because, let’s face it, he has: within a month at the top, Starmer has given the Conservatives more than enough room to paint their pandemic response as a success, despite the UK … Continue reading The Haunted Haircut
I had the pleasure of giving Will's book a cursory glance during the writing process -- something that turned out a little embarrassing, since I had no feedback to give him other than 'wow, this is so good!' Everything considered, then, this definitely a book I can recommend. For those unfamiliar, the Black Archive is … Continue reading BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Black Archive #42: The Rings of Akhaten, by Will Shaw
This is a little bit of a departure for me: I'm not a very musical person in the first instance, and I'm not plugged into the world of pop music at all. That's why it took me almost a year to finally listen to Billie Eilish's 2019 album When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We … Continue reading Billie Eilish and the Spirit of a Generation
Current social distancing guidelines state that everyone needs to stay two meters apart for the foreseeable future. That means that, when I say this, no one will be able to get close enough to hit me: The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars movie. Partially, I'm saying this not because I actually think it. … Continue reading The Last Jedi is the Best Star Wars Movie
Conservative philosopher Roger Scruton died last week. I'm not interested in particularly praising or trashing his philosophy, though that won't stop me: his ideology is not one I share, his view of the world is one I reject, and his views on race, gender, and sexuality were totally awful. His philosophy was rather dull and … Continue reading Roger Scruton (1944 – 2020)
(This is the first film review for my blog: not my usual wheelhouse but for Chris Morris, I will do anything.) The Day Shall Come is a good title. It’s a statement that invites a question: which day? Cheekily, followers of Chris Morris’s work might answer ‘The Day Today’, and seen through the lens of … Continue reading FILM REVIEW: The Day Shall Come (2019, dir. Chris Morris)
Time Can Be Rewritten 