Mark Simpson on Jon Savage’s ‘Teenage: The Creation of Youth 1875-1945‘ Of all the terrifying new weapons developed in the Second World War and unleashed upon an unsuspecting Planet, the teenager was by far the most powerful. The supersonic shockwave of Fat Man and Little Boy was as nothing compared… Read More »Time to Retire the Teen?
Forbes magazine has discovered make-up for men. Sales of items like concealer and skin tinter for men have increased in the US by a forehead-wrinkling 42% since 2001. It even seems possible that not all of those sales were to Forbes Lister (No.94) Donald Trump. This latest example of the… Read More »I Heart Metrosexuals
Mark Simpson visits a Russian sauna or ‘banya’ in Tallinn, Estonia and gets an eye-wateringly good seeing to. (Out magazine, Feb 2007) “You like to get beat again?” asks the gruff, naked former Red Army soldier. “I do very gently this time.” Sweating profusely, I turn my back to him and he begins… Read More »Whip Me With An Xmas tree – An Invigorating Visit to the Banya
by Mark Simpson (Guardian Unlimited, April 8, 2007) It’s over. ‘Britain’ and ‘Britishness’ are politically moribund terms. The proof? Scottish-flavoured New Labour’s recent laughable attempts to resurrect “Britishness” as an “inclusive” post-Imperial identity. Not so much because they flopped as the fact that Britannia was now such an empty vessel… Read More »The Union is Over Already – But ‘Britain’ is Still Keeping England Down
By Mark Simpson (Arena Homme Plus, Spring 2007) The American Dream has turned into a nightmare. Count the shudders and the sweats in reel time: Bush. Iraq. Guantanamo Bay. Global Warming. Iran. Tom Cruise. Pop a Nytol or three with a glass of warm milk and put on The Wizard… Read More »The Frattish American Wet Dream Conquering the World