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In New Scottish Music We Trust
All eyes were on Austin, Texas last week for the 29th South by South West (SXSW) - the largest and most prestigious music industry conference and festival in the world. Each year, Creative Scotland - a...
View ArticleThe Zayn Effect: The Worrying World of Online Fandom
When I was fourteen, a guy called Charlie Simpson left a band called Busted, and the remaining members decided it was best to split. I was devastated; I cried for a whole day, and once the day after...
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Quick Five: Yayoi Kusama
By Jodie Kharas In the first of our 'quick five' interview series, we catch up with seminal Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, about her work, her wardrobe and last night's dinner. 1. What did you have for...
View ArticleBefore I Kick the Bucket
It's everyone's worst nightmare. Doctors tell you you've got months to live. What would you do with the time left? What would be on your Bucket List? Last year a tumour the size of a baked potato began...
View ArticleThanks a Billion!
On Friday 13 March I had the privilege of informing the British public that they had achieved something extraordinary. Thanks to their absolutely unwavering, endlessly creative and downright...
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How to Succeed at a 365 Photography Project
Three years ago, my friend Sjoerd and I decided to start a 365 day photography project together on Tumblr called "365 Dagen". When we started, we only had a handful of followers but at the end of our...
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Rare Exhibition of Contemporary Korean Artist Lee Ufan Opens in London
Rarely do two artists so accomplished at combining the conceptual and the aesthetic exist, let alone exhibit together. Lee Ufan and Anish Kapoor's shows opened this week at Lisson Gallery in West...
View ArticleWhy 'A Room of One's Own' Is as Relevant as Ever
A couple of months ago, I was surprised and delighted when one of the few men in my book club suggested 'A Room of One's Own' as our book for March. I was surprised because I'd assumed that this...
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Life In The Arts Lane - Week 103- The changes wrought by age and time
I have started to notice and be upset by changes I see around me. I wonder whether this is like a new form of puberty, a phase we all go through when we hit a certain age. For all my life, up to now, I...
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22 Reasons Why Usher is The Best Commercial Male R&B artist of Our Time
I've worked with Usher for over two decades at MTV, Channel 4 and more. From making shows like Making the video and Tour Diary's with him, as well as having him turn up at my birthday party in...
View ArticleNeed A Doctor? Why A Comedy Musical Can Fill the Void for Whovians
It has been a decade since Doctor Who regenerated on television and once again became essential viewing for generations of sci-fi fans. It is arguably a bigger deal now than it was in its previous...
View ArticleThe Voice 2015 The Semi Final
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Voice semi-final 2015. The prize for the four successful acts is a place in next weeks grand final. Like the coaches, Team Midas have picked their own acts. Of the...
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Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector at Barbican Centre
Magnificent Obsessions has a fascinating premise - to gain insight into the work of a number of post-war and contemporary artists from around the world through examination of their personal...
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100 Miles From Nowhere (Preview)
Armchair adventurers will get a kick out of this new show on Animal Planet, 100 Miles From Nowhere. As will sadists. Three men, Matt Galland, Danny Bryson and Blake Josephson travel to some of the...
View ArticleHow I Came to Write 'Oppenheimer'
I grew up near a nuclear bunker. After a short drive into the countryside and up onto the moorland, my family would often picnic not too far from the Aspidistra transmitter tower on the Ashdown Forest....
View ArticleDuchamp and His Toilet
In 1917, Marcel Duchamp, a French émigré residing in America, submitted an upside-down toilet for an art show held by the Society of Independent Artists in New York. He signed this piece 'R. Mutt' and...
View ArticleThunderbirds Are Go: The Preview
Thunderbirds are back, but is the new version of Gerry Anderson's classic puppet saga any good? Well, the answer is yes and no. While the two characters in the opening scenes of the new series look...
View ArticleFive Songs To Get Me Through The Week
Easter break is upon us and It couldn't come any sooner! But first, most of us have to get over the working week, as short as it will be, (no work on Good Friday) we'll still be itching for 5pm...
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Stop Selling Our Hearts 4 Meat
After being very quiet on the music front for a few months, I've finally ungagged myself with the first single I've released for a year. Or rather, I was ungagged by an article I read in The Times by...
View ArticleHow to Self-Distribute Your First Film
In 2013, I self-distributed my movie Papadopoulos & Sons into theatres with a print and advertising budget of just £40,000. The film achieved the second highest screen average in its opening...
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