How many millions of words, what seas of verbiage, what torrents of tosh have been expended on the problem of public service broadcasting? And to what end? Into the debate steps Stephen Fry, and in a speech of forty minutes absolutely nails the problem. He was invited to make a contribution to the current inquiry… Continue reading Make this man the DG!
This is a fabulous little film. And most of us will recognise most of these techniques… Thanks to Mister Roy for the tip.
Over at the Muddy Island, Juliet found a fascinating video showing 500 years of women in Western Art. I flippantly suggested that there should be a cat version, and, this being the internet, there is one of course- thanks for finding it Juliet – brilliant. Oh, and please sponsor Juliet on her race for life… Continue reading Morphing Cats
Well, possibly. I certainly would like to compare it to some of my favourites.
Sean O’Brien is one of my favourite poets. His work has always shown its rootedness in tradition, even when questioning that tradition – see Cousin Coat, for instance. Here, in an excellent article, he makes a case for the restoration of the canon in education, before something very precious is lost. He’s right.
Harriet’s comment on my last post prompted me to go back to my Ella collection. She really is the consummate jazz singer, and I agree with Harriet that her Rodgers and Hart interpretations are sublime, though my all time favourite Ella album is The Cole Porter Songbook. There was an interesting programme on Ella in… Continue reading Ella
Nearly letting February go by without a post – good job it’s a leap year and I can just sneak under the wire.Now that my profile doesn’t show a seal picture, the tagline, “the faint aroma of performing seals” is a bit redundant, I suppose. But I’ll leave it, as a reminder of one of… Continue reading The seal
When not engaged in things Burgessian in Malaysia, we had the chance to wander around Kuala Lumpur. I think the term “City of Contrasts” might have been minted for it. The high tech, ultra-modern cityscape, symbolised by the Petronas Towers, lives cheek-by-jowl with the remnants of the colonial past, and reminders of the cultural diversity… Continue reading Monkeys, Tigers and Temples
…is probably a good title for an article I shall write about my experience addressing the old boys of Malay College on the subject of their old teacher John Anthony Burgess Wilson. I hadn’t anticipated the scale of the event, though I had a suspicion when we arrived early and saw the banners.Here’s one: Sharon… Continue reading Mr Wilson’s Old Boys
I’ve been east before, of course. Why, only last year, I holidayed in Aldeburgh. But this is a bit different. I’m in Malaysia as the guest of uberblogger and Kuala Lumpur literary scene maven, Sharon Bakar. My mission is to give a couple of talks about Anthony Burgess, first to the old boys of Malay… Continue reading East