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A community of remembrance
Few people get far through life without carrying a death or two. It’s helpful to share the load, and one way to do so is through music written to express the composer’s grief. There are many beautiful, devastating pieces of music, in all traditions and styles, that can help us to understand our own bereavement… Read more
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Gleeful, delicious precision
Food can be fast, and food can be good. Some food is both. Only particular types of food lend themselves to fast preparation and service, however. We’re used to seeing burgers, pizza, fish and chips, tacos, dosas, noodles and a whole global extravaganza of street foods in our towns and cities, but one that is… Read more
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A life preserved
From the Latin verb teneō, ‘to hold’, we get the word ‘tenement’, which originally meant a land holding. How and when it came exclusively to refer to purpose-built apartment blocks is less clear (or I’m too lazy to research it), but patterns of ownership and tenancy still reflect the feudal origins of the term for… Read more
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Improbably radical
The Mackintosh Tearooms, previously ‘Mackintosh at the Willow’, and originally ‘The Willow Tearooms’ is a Glasgow landmark designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1903, and restored to his original specifications around 2014. We dropped in for tea and a scone, rather than a proper visit or a tour, but even a short visit was enough… Read more
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Full stretch on every beat
Derek Sherinian k; Tony MacAlpine g; Tom Kennedy eb; Virgil Donati d. Planet X, a short-lived band of progressive metal extremists led by keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati, released four albums from 2000 to 2007, Universe being the first. Lacking vocals, and uncompromising in its choice of musical materials, it was not a… Read more
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Ringing true
Serendipity can bring you some wonderful writing, if you let it. This book was returned at the library where I work, and I took note of a cover blurb from Ursula K. Le Guin, saying ‘read it now’. Any endorsement from Le Guin will get my attention, but an injunction like that is to be… Read more
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