Friday 31 July 2009

Self and others

I’ve made a few small changes to the way this blog looks and is arranged.

One I’ve added a new photo of myself. I’ve already asked some of you this question but no-one has got it right yet: who took the photo? There’s a prize for a correct answer — and it’s not a signed copy of the picture. Clue one: he’s not unknown (actually, that’s two clues, isn’t it). Clue two: there’s another clue lower down in this post.

Two I’ve added a link to rocksbackpages (rocking writing under free-ish associations below). It’s an archive of all kinds of pop music writing. There’s loads of my stuff there. I think you might have to pay for some of it but it is also available free via some local libraries. There is a link on the rocksbackpages home page to something called Freekly. The idea here is that you sign up — for free — and the site interrogates your iTunes, then sends you links to pop music stories, old and new, that you might be interested in. If you then buy stuff on click-through, I get money. That is the idea anyway. I find it quite fun: it’s even recommended my own writing to me. So it clearly has taste.

Three I’ve added a link to Professional Photography magazine (legendary photography, under free-ish associations below). I’ve been writing a series for them, on . . . legendary photographers. I’ve done a dozen or so far, including Guy Bourdin, William Eggleston, Herb Ritts and Deborah Turbeville. As soon as I’ve done posting this, I’m off to finish one on Araki.

Next up Shhhh

2 comments:

Lo Jardinier said...

I like the title to this one - Laing still a respected - albeit tarnished - hero chez moi.
Re picture: S'funny - I can recognise you straight away from the tone of voice in your writing, but not from the new photo. Are you sure it's you?

Unknown said...

yes, i'm sure it's me

it was taken for a story for professional photographer magazine

ronnie laing lived just up the road from me — i know the people who live in his old house — my friend kirk had to be ban him from his pub because . . . laing whacked a patient in the pub with a bottle . . . tarnished doesn't come into it . . . i think the psychoanalytic profession has still failed to come to terms with the number of guru-gnus (and abusers) it produces — what's seen as outliers is, i'd suggest, more systemic than that (though not, of course, inevitable or even widespread)