Opposition in exile: in conversation with Ivan Zhdanov
I fiddle nervously with my computer. I’m waiting for Ivan Zhdanov, a leading figure of the modern Russian opposition, to join a Zoom call. I sit in my university bedroom, Zhdanov against the backdrop of his children’s playroom; talking about how Alexi Navalny’s murder has shaped the Russian op
Guest edit: The Tao of Trash
One of the most successful TV shows I ever produced was pure, throwaway trash of the highest order – and all the better for it. It was the first series of The Graham Norton Show, and it’s still going today, over 25 years later. The reason? Back in that first season in 1998, no […]
At what cost do we perform the ‘Cool Girl’ aesthetic?
Images: Me, in my best moments of performance. “The mob wife… is a little more grown up. It’s right there in the name: She’s a wife! She’s not a girl; she’s a woman” claims Harper’s Bazaar. Amazing news for anyone stuck living like it’s the 1950s. Because, as we all know, th
In conversation with: Oxford Action 4 Palestine Encampment
I walk into the Oxford Action (OA4P) for Palestine encampment at Pitt Rivers Museum; the path is littered with boards to keep the boggy ground at bay; a Palestinian flag greets me along the way with two massive whiteboards; one for the schedule of the day, and one for the list of chores to [&
BEST BEFORE: Mock-the-Week of an election
Last week’s announcement of a general election, given by Rishi Sunak in the pouring rain, will likely have put a damper on some people’s evenings (yes that is a water pun, yes I think I’m funny, yes there will be more). A week in, we’ve already had enough memorable moments to fill a scrapboo
Top G Diffusion Filter
Andrew Tate. Dostoyevsky. Subterranean Homesick Blues. Couperin. Turbo-folk. Durex. Henry Fielding. Capital (by Kenneth Goldsmith not Karl Marx). Žižek. Ode to Joy. Dichtung. und Wahrheit. Zoom virtual backgrounds. Deloitte. Jean Luc Godard. Uwe Boll. Snapchat. 25mm Cooke S4 Lens. Gold diff
Icon of the Week: The jargon of ‘Summer Eights’
You’re a novice to rowing. No, not a Novice, just… a novice. Someone who has no clue, someone who hangs around Summer Eights for the Pimms and the occasional barbequed delicacy. The incessant rowing conversation from hall lunches has carved a space in your mind – Torpids; Tech suits
Tradition at a cost: Three Oxford Colleges and their choir schools
When the University of Oxford released its 2020 Admissions Statistics Report, it should not have made particularly positive reading for Magdalen College. Of all undergraduate colleges, Magdalen had admitted the lowest proportion of state-educated pupils in the preceding three years. The Colle
From Bin to Body: The Role of Rework in Alternative Subculture
Our consumer climate creates a body-to-bin culture, making people believe that an endless stream of new clothing is needed to stay on trend. DIY subculture communities subvert this mainstream model by recycling apparent rubbish into unique items for long-term wear. This bin-to-body fashion cannot be