It was, strangely enough, Greta Gerwig's delightful Little Women, that cinematic ne plus ultra of wholesome domesticity, that tempted me to watch Midsommar, a 'horror' film whose breathless reviewers were united in calling 'disturbing' and 'bizarre'. More accurately it was Florence Pugh that drew me to Midsommar. Her performance as Amy in Little Women was... Continue Reading →
I first heard the name Miranda July about 20 years ago, dropped casually yet reverentially from the lips of Sarah Sharkey-Pearce, one of the smartest, coolest young artists I knew. And so, although it would be a few years before I came across any actual artworks by her, Miranda July's name stayed with me. Brimming... Continue Reading →
Last night Annie and I attended the opening of the Biennale. Its distinguishing conceit is that the work on display represents a selection of recent (2014-17) acquisitions by the National Gallery. So, not a truly contemporary biennale, but for all that a powerful one, featuring some exciting and intriguing artworks. The best work is –... Continue Reading →
As of this writing, a week after the release of the extraordinary Sense8 Christmas special on Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes lists only 5 reviews of the show. Barely enough to trigger the Tomatometer. This is ridiculous and needs explaining. For by rights this mind-expanding, action-packed and shockingly beautiful adrenalin shot of television should be widely celebrated and... Continue Reading →
Oral Culture = OS1 Literate Culture = OS2 Networked Culture = OS3 The rise of Donald Trump can be usefully understood as a product of the disruptive collision of oral, literate and digital cultures, or what I call OS1, OS2 and OS3, aka the Operating Systems (OS) of human civilization. That collision is the defining... Continue Reading →
If I have been away from this blog for a while (I have) it's only because I have been so totally focused on The Media League, my brand new digital business/digital culture venture, which has been exciting but all-consuming. Happily, here's a link to a new article about us featuring an interview with yours truly:... Continue Reading →
Hi. This post lists and links to my first 50 posts on this blog, indexing 50 brief critical essays on contemporary media culture. Topics include The Leveson Inquiry, Occupy Wall Street, Privacy, Music, Food, Economics and more. Try one. 1. Happy Birth Day! my blog is born 2. Gifts and Books, Books and Gifts books as... Continue Reading →
In New Zealand, electronic-bracelet-wearing Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has gone on the offensive again, launching a new dance video produced by Black Eyed Peas' musical director Printz Board that directly attacks John Banks, the NZ cabinet minister whom Dotcom claims asked for – and received – an anonymous and illegal $50,000 campaign donation from him.... Continue Reading →
In 1974, Ontario's public broadcaster (OECA) launched a unique experiment in live broadcasting and media criticism. Media Circus was 90-minutes of live commercial-free analysis of 'what is on TV right now'. Until recently it was believed that no recordings of this groundbreaking TV series existed, but recently a copy of the first episode came into... Continue Reading →
Back in 1991 I was hired to write and perform a poem about television for the opening of Moses Znaimer's 3-hour history of television called TVTV. We shot an amazing sequence in front of MuchMusic with my Poetry Band, which at that time featured trombonist Tom Walsh, drummer Paul Fitterer and bassist Ben Carlsson. Looking... Continue Reading →
YOU ARE YOUR MEDIA 