When ageing Smiths fans like me sing along to ‘This Charming Man’, their second, breakthrough 1983 single – and the song that ruined our lives – we fondly imagine ourselves achieving some kind of crude approximation of his famous vocals, after all these years of study and devotion. Trying to… Read More »This Disarming Man: Morrissey’s Smiths Solo
China’s ruling Communist Party has reportedly finally had enough of impossible male prettiness, and is cracking down on the promotion of metrosexuality. ‘Sissy’ boybands, ‘vulgar’ social media influencers, reality TV and ‘abnormal esthetics’ have been denounced by China’s mighty broadcast regulator, The National Radio and Television Administration. They have, according… Read More »China’s Metrosexual Crackdown
Tonight the BBC screens Steve Coogan and John Reilly’s well-received 2019 film ‘Stan & Ollie’, about the most famous comedy duo’s disastrous, almost-posthumous 1953 tour of Britain – and also their love for one another. Or at least, our investment in the idea of it. Back in the no-homo early… Read More »Funny-Peculiar Men: Laurel & Hardy
Rummaging around in an old hard drive one lockdown, I found this review (for Details ) of the Sex Pistols’ Finsbury Park reunion gig – a quarter of a century ago. Ah! The summer of ’96! When they were so young! And when gigs – and life – still existed….… Read More »Sex in the Park
Some years back I posted a piece called ‘The Prettiest Punk‘, about the most fetching three-minute wonders. Scandalously, Adam Ant appeared nowhere in the list. Perhaps this oversight was an unconscious censorship – because otherwise none of the other candidates would have stood a chance. Or more likely down to… Read More »Prince Charming – Adam Ant’s Pop Apotheosis