Statues and limitations
Books and ArtsHow we can reckon with the past without destroying it
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
July 18, 2020
Perry Mason jars
Books and ArtsA brutal backstory for HBO’s decadent detective
July 10, 2020
If only Kanye’s run were serious
The legendary rapper could run a successful campaign if he commits
July 8, 2020
Halle Berry and the death of acting
The LGBT hit squad kills another role
July 7, 2020
Uncle Tom shows another side of the African American story
Black America is hardly a monolith
Kanye West and the uncancelables
It’s hard not to admire people who get rich and say whatever they want
June 29, 2020
Moral dictatorships and double standards
Does liberalism make you immune to cancel culture?
Revolution then: The Patriot stands alone
Books and ArtsGibson achieves peace of mind by dismembering a redcoat with a hatchet
June 21, 2020
Louis C.K. pulls it off
Books and ArtsFunny is money
June 20, 2020
Tori rebel
Books and ArtsResistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Courage and Change by Tori Amos reviewed
June 17, 2020
The Oscars and the triumph of Social Justice Realism
Hollywood’s audiences don’t care about diversity in movies as much as people in Hollywood do
June 16, 2020
Cotton, slaves and arrogance: the message of Gone with the Wind
The film makes us love something that didn’t really exist
June 15, 2020
I hate the Nineties
Books and ArtsThe Nineties began in hope but ended in disaster
June 14, 2020
Why has Nickelodeon outed SpongeBob Squarepants?
The cartoon sponge has been cruelly yanked out of the closet
June 11, 2020
Don’t defund PAW Patrol
Three-year-olds will not be happy when Chase the police dog is forcibly removed from their lives
June 10, 2020
Count my blessings
Books and ArtsMeeting the inimitable Basie
We need black conservatism
We are living through an update of radical chic. Elite white liberals are apologizing for and even applauding the worst riots in a generation, if not two. They are now joined by people who used to pretend at least that they were Republicans — former President George W. Bush and former nominee Mitt Romney have … Read more
June 7, 2020
Christo’s art of self-promotion
The late artist and his wife spent years assiduously burnishing his image
June 1, 2020
The shape of things
Books and ArtsOn shape-note singing and my friend Stephen
May 26, 2020
The Real White House Housewives
A first look at The Right View, the Trump campaign’s new talk show
What makes Joe Rogan so successful?
No single factor explains it
May 21, 2020
The Clarence Thomas documentary is a must-see
If you are already an admirer of Justice Thomas, you are going to enjoy spending time with him
May 15, 2020
The similarity between Charles Dickens and Armando Iannucci
Books and ArtsThe director’s new work, The Personal History of David Copperfield, is certainly brave
May 13, 2020
Salvant grace
Books and ArtsCécile McLorin Salvant’s shock of the new
April 29, 2020
What can we learn about coronavirus from classic cinema?
Books and ArtsMy Sam Peckinpah lockdown bender
April 16, 2020
Joe Exotic is an ordinary American
Books and ArtsHe is perhaps a little too fond of drugs and weaponry, but he has also overcome great personal misfortune
April 12, 2020
The bloody decade: think America’s divided now? Try the 1970s
Books and ArtsIn 1974 alone, there were 2,044 bombings in America, with 24 people killed
April 11, 2020
Joe Exotic might be the best gay role model I’ve seen on television
His existence throws a wrench in the narrative that the other America is a hateful land where Christians hunt homos for sport
April 6, 2020
Why we love to hate celebrities
‘One World: Together at Home’ is a weirdly complacent name
