It ‘s tough at the top, and it’s far from easy being the offspring of a punk legend, either. That’s the overarching theme of Celeste Bell and Paul Sing’s critically acclaimed documentary about X Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene. Narrated by Bell herself, who shares a similarly sleepy, childlike drawl with her late mother, thisContinue reading “Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche”
Tag Archives: Books
Live Review: Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens
Tonight, the Queen Margaret Union in Glasgow is going off like a frog in a sock, transformed into a kind of panto/ queer club space. Written and directed by Eurovision star David Ducasse, Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens is a cheeky and irreverent take on traditional panto. Amelia Cavagan is a fine SnowContinue reading “Live Review: Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens”
Freelancer’s Blues
It isn’t easy being a freelance arts writer. While I’m fully aware there are worse jobs to have (I previously worked in a call centre, a hotel and in retail, uggghhh) there are a few issues with this bizarre occupation. Firstly, some publications insist that they will pay you, only to renege at the lastContinue reading “Freelancer’s Blues”
Book Review: Lemn Sissay- My Name Is Why
British Ethiopian poet and performer Lemn Sissay writes prose in the same way that he speaks: succinctly, openly and with no time for bullshit. It’s this no -nonsense approach that he brings to his devastating memoir, My Name Is Why. For the first twelve years of his life, he had lived with a Christian familyContinue reading “Book Review: Lemn Sissay- My Name Is Why”
Book Review: Kazuo Ishiguro- A Pale View of Hills
This debut novel from Kazuo Ishiguro ruminates on the unreliability of memory, love, friendship and generational trauma. Skipping between past and present, Etsuko, the narrator, attempts to reconcile both as she weaves a complex story of life in the UK and her past in post-war Japan. But it seems that history casts a long shadow.Continue reading “Book Review: Kazuo Ishiguro- A Pale View of Hills”
Pills, Grunge and Gen X- Prozac Nation At Nearly Thirty
There were of course notorious books before this, like ‘Go Ask Alice’ by Anonymous, a searing account of abuse and drugs set around the sixties counterculture, and seemingly a true story. There was ‘Valley of the Dolls’ (sex,drugs, hippies -but fictional) Then there was Pamela Des Barres and her groupie memoir, ‘I’m With the Band’.Continue reading “Pills, Grunge and Gen X- Prozac Nation At Nearly Thirty”
Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy
Both the book by Patrick McCabe and film, co-adapted by McCabe with Neil Jordan, are brilliant. Francis Brady could have been a Holden Caulfield, but he was much, much more insidious: a study in everyday psychopathy. Francis Brady, portrayed with equal parts cheek and horror by the wonderful Eamonn Owens is the titular character. SomethingContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy”
The Notorious JT
From the late nineties onwards, the blistering prose of JT Leroy captivated many, many readers all across the world. Like a cross between Kathy Acker and Dennis Cooper,his fiction resonated, weaving high art from low places. In person,too, Leroy bewitched the literary establishment, a taciturn, androgynous and socially awkward figure in shades, wig and hat.Continue reading “The Notorious JT”
Actually, You Can Judge A Book…
…By looking at the cover, sometimes. Artwork on books is increasingly becoming more important, as it can illustrate the contents beautifully. Some are so gorgeous as to be collectible. One such case is with Angela Carter and her dazzling novel, Nights At The Circus. Her main character, Fevvers, is a stunning, buxom trapeze artist showgirlContinue reading “Actually, You Can Judge A Book…”
Why Faster Was Prescient
Written in 1999 by New York author James Gleick, Faster was ridiculously ahead of its time. Gleick, a brilliant science writer with a particular focus on technology and its sociological impact, postulated that the internet and the speed of progress was going to be corrosive, creating a collective burnout. From examining the time people tookContinue reading “Why Faster Was Prescient”
Hit The North 