My fave is cooler than yr fave

Some authors are so good that I'll literally drop whatever I'm doing to rush off to a bookshop so I can get their latest novel. However, it isn't always that easy, if only because not all bookshops stock the authors I stalk. One example is Arthur Nersesian. I love his fiction ardently. His writing style…

Living in the time of Angelica

Your first gig is a rite of passage you never forget. For me, it was Babes In Toyland at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. Except it wasn't, because this itineration was actually Kat Bjelland without her Nemesisters. But this was as close as I could get to one of my new favourite bands. Yes, I…

Adventures At The Edinburgh International Book Festival

On occasion, I'm called upon by forces high above to appear at festivals. I make money from live events (though you'll never see me because I tour schools) and have done ever since Conjuring The Infinite was released. One of my favourite festivals is The Edinburgh International Book Festival. God, it makes me feel important.…

Looking Back At Batman #1

Batman and Robin swung into action (literally) in Detective Comics. Soon enough, they were starring in their own comic. It was 1940. A different, distant time. Yet the basics of The Bat were already firmly fixed in the canon. Batman #1 didn’t disappoint. Not only did it mark the return of the nefarious Dr. Hugo…

Songs To Lose Your Wig Over #2: Overload by Sugababes

Pop music after the Spice Girls was definitely not for me. I was well into Juliana Hatfield, Beck, Juliana Hatfield, Lolita Storm, The Pumpkins and - yes - Juliana Hatfield by that point. I hated S Club 7. The ‘S’ clearly stood for ‘shite’ and I resented how happy they seemed. In hindsight, the smiles…

The Ryu Murakami Fan Club

Ryu Murakami is not Haruki Murakami. Not even close. Their books are filed together in bookshops, but that’s about as close as they’ll ever be in any way whatsoever. Ryu Murakami’s bleak tales of destructive youth in dystopian Japan are unlike any other books I’ve ever read. I’ve read a lot of books. His writing…

Hall Of Fame: Sexplosion by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

There's alternative and then there's alternative. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult make music for whenever you feel like venturing out into the night-time neon streets of the rain slicked city of sin, places with go-go dancers, and secret Satanists. Trashy? Most definitely. Fun? Always. Satirical and smart, My Life With The Thrill Kill…