RIP Mark Lanegan — The Indestructible Dark AngelGlastonbury, 2002. The scent of floral marijuana smoke contends with stale beer and rancid sweat, as my friend Ben and I squeeze ourselves…Feb 24, 2022Feb 24, 2022
Buddy just loves lifeThree years ago today, Buddy Yorke McFaull — a cherubic-faced terror, forever on the hunt for adventure, perennially in motion, thundering…Aug 13, 2021Aug 13, 2021
Happy 60th Mum: An imagined conversationI make my way onto the drive. The soft crunch of gravel — speckled whites, elephant greys — alerts her to my presence. She sees me from…Apr 22, 2021Apr 22, 2021
Ode to John McYesterday, as lockdown restrictions began to ease on the Isle of Man, my Dad and I spent a nondescript, mostly uneventful day together. We…Apr 18, 2021Apr 18, 2021
Writing about Writing: Being McMalkovich.He shuffles awkwardly. The echoing hall is silent but for the gulp of throat, the twitching, nervous rustles and tremulous chair-leg…Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021
Gogglebox: Lockdown’s real heroThere’s a moment in the latest episode of Channel 4’s ‘Gogglebox’ that for me, sums up its enduring appeal. Clone-faced siblings Pete and…Apr 6, 2021Apr 6, 2021
Swimming away from empathy: The Laxey Bay debacleThe ‘a few bad apples’ metaphor has, over time, been used to defend the actions of supposedly rogue police officers. Those under the arm…Mar 25, 2021Mar 25, 2021
Andreas Airfield: The Aftermath of a Transformers OrgyIn Emily Bronte’s seminal literary work — Wuthering Heights — the author not only explores the vagaries of the ever-complex human spirit…Mar 22, 2021Mar 22, 2021
