” Life is essentially meaningless, progress an illusion and the totality of our experience nothing but a piece of incomprehensible gobbledegook”. Ionesco was never ever hired for children’s parties.
Tag Archives: Writing
Has Sally Wainwright Lost The Plot?
Ay up, our kid. Sally Wainwright is back on t’ BBC with her latest issues-based drama, Riot Women. On paper, it couldn’t be more appropriate for me- it’s about a group of menopausal women (tick) struggling with being largely ignored by society (tick) who decide to form a punk band (yup). But, oh boy, didContinue reading “Has Sally Wainwright Lost The Plot?”
Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche
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”
The purity of the page
I’m such an overthinker, it’s ridiculous. I worry that my words aren’t ever enough. I worry that my neurosis will somehow spill out. I worry that my pain, past trauma and anxiety will smudge the purity of the page. I worry that it’s all part of the worry, that sharing is egotistical, that I’m notContinue reading “The purity of the page”
The Arts Are Not A Luxury
I grew up in a small working- class rural town in Perthshire, Scotland. Nothing much happened there; we didn’t have much money and TV was our only dose of culture. In my house, books were shoved into cupboards, hidden away like skeletons, and theatre, with the exception of am- dram panto, wasn’t “for the likesContinue reading “The Arts Are Not A Luxury”
The Callous Arts Critic
Even his name is evocative of a furball being spat out. They don’t call him a hack for nothing. This arts critic, killer of dreams and mangler of the English language, stalks his prey undercover of darkness. Nobody is safe. I’m not naming names: here is not the space to settle scores. But I’ve metContinue reading “The Callous Arts Critic”
Hit The North 