Monthly Archives: February 2014

The art of listening

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

Street art in Baden Baden, part of the multi-city Unframed project created by the mysterious figure known only as JR:  “He exhibits freely in the streets of the world, catching the attention of people who are not typical museum visitors.”  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Notebook

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

The assistant director is trying to set up the last of the medical exams for the insurance company (leading cast members are always insured). And I’m making believe I’m listening to everybody, a phony warm smile on my face,  just … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Sonny

Posted on February 25, 2014 by

It’s exactly 50 years since the then Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight title. But spare a thought for Sonny Liston, the man he beat. Like Joe Frazier and George Foreman, Liston was ideal casting as the brutal, inarticulate villain. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

New age

Posted on February 25, 2014 by

My Independent review of Sexplosion, Robert Hofler’s account of how the artists and impresarios of the Sixties and Seventies reinvented the cultural landscape: It all seems a long, long time ago. To anyone under the age of, say, 45, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Displaced

Posted on February 24, 2014 by

A Syrian refugee waits after crossing the border into northern Iraq.  From Journey Without End, Lynsey Addario’s series of photographs for National Geographic. [Via  Time Lightbox]

Posted in Uncategorized

What are words for?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by

An encounter with a budding tech impresario prompts elegiac thoughts on the decline and fall of New York’s old publishing empires.  Michael Wolff’s GQ column actually appeared last summer, but I only discovered it this week via his Twitter feed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Literature

Dylan revisited

Posted on February 18, 2014 by

Sarah Jarosz, rising star from the Lone Star State. Her version of Ring Them Bells was easily one of the highlights of this month’s Transatlantic Sessions roadshow at the Festival Hall. Here’s my Times write-up. [£]. I also reviewed her new … Continue reading →

Posted in Music

Disconnected

Posted on February 16, 2014 by

Nick Kristof on academia’s unfortunate knack of turning its back on the world: When I was a kid, the Kennedy administration had its “brain trust” of Harvard faculty members, and university professors were often vital public intellectuals who served off … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, US politics

Up above

Posted on February 14, 2014 by

Migrants in Djibouti attempt to capture an inexpensive mobile phone signal from neighbouring Somalia.  John Stanmeyer’s winning entry in the World Press Photo of the Year awards. (Djibouti is a common stop-off point for people seeking a new life in … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography

Notebook

Posted on February 14, 2014 by

Gushing, she said to me: “What does it feel like to be famous?” I suppose I’ve been asked the question twenty times and I never could think how to answer, but today, too late, it suddenly occurred to me. “It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Notebook