Unfeathered dinosaurs, drab pyramids and sepia-hued soldiers – why do we prefer the comforting falsehoods of a monochromatic past? Over time, even the most vivid traces of our collective past can become faded. They get bleached by the sun, blotted by water damage, eroded by high winds. That is, if they were colourful to start […]
The Vivid Colours of the Past Read More »
This is how it begins, although it ends very quickly: I’m with my wife, standing in a shared greenspace in a coastal region. We’re very close to our house (which is not our real house) and we live on what looks like a newbuild estate. There are multiple people around us, returning from the beach
Dream diary: Civil Defence Alert and Nuclear Shockwave Read More »
Weird things happen when the music industry and the movie industry collide. Sometimes through contractual obligation, simple oversight, or sheer negligence, a movie is paired with a song that just isn’t appropriate. This is about a brief six-year trend of weird end-credits songs – songs that just don’t read the room. Thematically, the list could be
Comically smoochy end-credits movie ballads (1989-1995) Read More »
I’m part of a large group and we’re filing into a dining hall for a meal. The place has been decorated in modest psuedo-Nordic style. It feels like a tasteful restaurant in a museum or art gallery. The dining hall is just about able to contain three extremely long wooden banquet tables. There are benches
Dream Diary: Secret Elvis Costello gig and Jesus biography Read More »
I’ve only ever suffered a punch to the face – a proper bare-knuckle blow, powered by malice – on one occasion. A one-off event like that is always likely to stick in the mind. But it was also memorable for its sheer strangeness. Thankfully there’s no trauma surrounding the incident. I guess technically what happened
‘Mr Brave,’ or On Being Punched In The Face Read More »
I’m attending one of the first events held by a newly created university swimming super league. I’m there with my family. We’re all wearing these plump oversize white sports hoodies. The overhead ones, with the big front pockets, like those worn by American college sports fans. There’s an odd feeling to the experience: the sense
Dream diary: Fancy dress at the aquatic super league Read More »
A wine bar in Soho. On the wall, there’s a black and white portrait photograph of a well-dressed, elderly lady. She’s smoking a cigarette. One can imagine she’s probably wearing her best frock. Maybe she’s attending a grandchild’s wedding, in the East End. I stare at the picture for a moment, then I make my
London Lucky Dip: fireworks and a window cleaner’s eyes Read More »
Early childhood generates some of our most powerful memories. We remember the first instances of joy, disgust, fright and love. In a matter of years we find ourselves subject to greater emotional depths, and our memories correspondingly become more complex. I’d argue that as soon as we’re old enough to form a truly vivid memory,
Childhood memories, ranked by embarrassment Read More »
Two figures are locked in a battle of wills. One – a bearded, winged man – lifts a coffin away from the other: a hunched sepulchral figure, rearing up and grasping in response like a carrion feeder robbed of its prize. The sculpture is named for its two figures, ‘Time and Death’. It’s closer to
Can Fame and Reputation really transcend Death? Read More »
I’ve been on a quest to expand my vocabulary for much of my adult life. The past couple of years have seen an unprecedented surge in word-nerd activity. As I outlined in part one and part two of this exhaustive linguistic tour, I now stand atop a mountain of phrases, foreign and domestic. And I’m
Captious Confessions Of A Word Hunter Read More »
