Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Boomtown Fair Festival 2012: Lak Mitchell Q+A
In part one of our Boomtown Fair preview series the boss of the UK’s most hell for leather festival talks to James Duke-Evans ahead of this year’s event.
-
Russian Tourists Invade Cyprus
SUNNY Cyprus was once a safe-haven for the English, a place where we felt at home because it was, after all, once ours. Ever since Lord Kitchener came here as a young engineer, the island has been subjected to merciless Anglicization which reached its peak in the mid-80s with the onset of mass tourism.
-
Damien Hirst: The Smell of Decay
I declined the small hagiography offered at the door because I did not want to throw up over the sort of drivel which Hirst is famous, like: “You get cab drivers and stuff who come up to me and they go (sic) “What you do is not art, mate. I’m sure there were people around when they were doing it in the caves, going ‘I like your cave, but I hate that crap you’ve got on the walls.'”
-
Five of the Best Cafe/Bars in Athens
This post was originally published on Border Skipping. I love cafes. Who doesn’t? After all, when you’re exploring a new city finding a good cafe can be like finding a home from home; a place to relax and recharge while soaking in significantly more of the local culture than is possible from the edge of your […]
-
Titian 2012 – a Contemporary Response to The Renaissance Master
There’s not a lot more you could ask for from a high-end cultural experience than witnessing the work of leading artists, choreographers, ballet-dancers and composers- all rolled into one. This Summer, in the lead up to the Olympics, the Royal Opera House will have just that. Between the 14th and the 20th of July this […]
-
Barbados: Don’t Bother, Frankly
The architecture is pseudo post colonial; the tree crickets are drowned by the roar of leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and lawn-mowers and the air-con ensures that warm tropical nights are a thing of the past.
-
Dub Your Weekend Down
This great selection of unreleased dubs has surfaced on Mixcloud from Soothsayers, a jazzy reggae band hailing from South London with their brand of vintage roots reggae spiced with their jazz, funk and afrobeat influences to keep things fresh. Perfect timing as Spring’s here, and you can never have too much dub at an eager […]
-
Critics Divided on Robert Pattison’s Bel Ami Performance
While most of the big-hitter reviews of Bel Ami, the British film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s ripe tale of an impoverished ex-soldier’s social ascent through seduction in belle epoque Paris, were brutal – they were also divided. Some spoke highly of Robert Pattinson’s performance, while others took no prisoners. Ultimately, of course, it will […]
-
Hollywood Elite Snub Franchise Blockbusters
With no clearer example than this year’s 84th Academy Awards to demonstrate the old guards’ resistance to reflecting the choices of all viewers, millions watched as the Oscars gave a cosmetic nod to – but ultimately ignored – the enormous success of the so-called young adult (YA) franchises. In the same year that the Oscars lost […]
-
Funkafrika – a Beginner’s Introduction to African Fusion
Here’s a taster course in African funk. Not that I’m a teacher in African funk. I just like African funk, especially with dope remixes thrown in for good measure. Ethiopian musician and arranger Mulatu Astatke is best known as the father of Ethio-jazz, a genre fusing Astatke’s vibraphone, piano backing and Mediterranean-inspired conga drums. Ghanaian musician Emmanuel Tettey […]
Got any book recommendations?