Evelyn Waugh Revisited
Having just viewed Brideshead Revisited again after 30 some years here is the infamous and deliciously obstreperous John Freeman-Waugh interview. Brideshead RevisitedCatholic ChurchEvelyn WaughHandful of Dustjohn freemanWaugh
Author: manwithoutqualities
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Jazz in Japan
The Japanese people want to thank the United States, New Orleans and Satchmo for giving the world such wonderful music called jazz. A lovely example of the power of this music to spread the joy, the conduit the very special Yoshio Toyama. In Treme (1:5) you may recall a Japanese jazz fan does a good turn…
Vettriano
Hated by the art establishment and other literati snobs, no doubt many of them would see virtue in Andrew Lloyd Vombo. JV’s film noir perspective is a lost idealized world of menace and sleaze with elegance, strong sexy women, sinister men, sexual “deviance”, drinking, smoking, politically “incorrect behavior” . . . some mid-Atlantic world, the LA…
Brain plasticity and the internet – a debate
Neil Levy takes on Susan Greenfield. I started by mentioning Plato’s worry that literacy would weaken memory. As a matter of fact, Plato may not have been entirely wrong: there is evidence that people in preliterate cultures have better memories. It does not follow, however, that the invention of writing had costs as well as…
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?
86-year-old returns to New Orleans, fulfilling wish of a lifetime Her eyes still light up when she talks about New Orleans. When asked the top three reasons she loves New Orleans, she quickly answers with, “the food, the music, but especially the people,” referring to her close friends and the 400,000 friendly locals who make…
Floyd’s American Pie
Food writing at it’s entertaining best. This is the guy (a wonderful character – who else would use the rather naughty The Stranglers’ Peaches as a theme tune) who brought me to Dooky Chase and Paul Prudhomme – I let the latter know of this 20 year journey and he very kindly sent me a lovely inscribed…
NOLA @ Newport
NOLA is very well represented at this year’s event. This from the Providence Journal. Dr. John & The Lower 911 featuring ex-Brit Jon Cleary (there are a few of us who are besotted with NOLA), Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with special guests Catherine Russell and Jonathan Batiste. Catherine RussellDr. JohnJazzjon clearyJonathan BatistenewportNewport Jazz FestivalNOLApreservation hallPreservation Hall Jazz Band
Parsifal: the greatest meditation on death?
I’ve been watching James Levine‘s version of Parsifal. Though quite the production, it doesn’t come near the experience of the starker Simon Rattle production I saw at the Royal Opera House some years back in which I thoroughly appreciated Vera Dobroschke’s lighting design (see photo below). Here is the NYT review, far more receptive than the reviews of…
Yom huledet “Pops”
Today is Louis Armstrong’s birthday, in my view a musical titan to match the likes of Wagner. No artist has given me such pleasure as Pops as well as being a perennial symbol or a paragon of dignity in trying circumstances. Below are two of my favourite photos of Pops. I also highly recommend you…
Hubig’s Pies
It’s been just over a week since Hubig’s Pies burnt to the ground. To get a sense of the importance of this institution here is no less the NYT and the local view from NOLA.com. foodHubigHubig’s New Orleans Style Pieshubig’s piesnew orleansPies and Pastry
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