Doesn’t really feel like June, does it? TLC and I are still pulling out jumpers to wear in the evenings. As I sit writing, looking out at the garden this morning, I’m serenaded by the soft hush of rain on the roof. The grounds are looking especially lush right now, but oh what wouldn’t I give for a sunny afternoon to sip wine amongst the flowers? Oh well, you get what you get. We’ll probably all still be in shorts come November and we’ll have no-one to blame but ourselves.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Pavane by Keith Roberts. A classic alternate history which takes as its pivot point the assassination of Elizabeth I in 1588. From there, the Catholic Church takes hold and technology and progress slows. Set in 1968, the England of Pavane is a place where communication is still run using semaphores, steam tractors are used for goods haulage and every advancement is subject to the whims of the Pope. But a rebellion is coming… Pavane is an extraordinary achievement, packed with detail and thoroughly thought through. Robert’s alternative present feels real, exquisitely portrayed and painstakingly researched. I picked up the paperback for a quid in a National Trust bookshop. It’s the find of the year, quite frankly.
Rob is watching…
The rain dappling the greenery in the garden.
Rob is listening…
To R.E.M. as they accept induction into the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame. It’s so good to see the band back together, even if Mike Mills says it would take a comet to get them playing again…
…a comet which arrived not twenty-four hours later.
Rob is eating…
Yeah, this one is wishful thinking but maybe, someday, I too can enjoy a seventeen-course omakase at Royal Sushi & Izakaya. Hey, I’ve never been to Philadelphia.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Want stickers. Need stickers. Must have stickers. Some of these made me cackle out loud.
A fascinating overview on the changing infrastructure of energy production. Seriously, people need to stop honking on about AI and pay attention to the challenges being faced and stared down by the cleverest folk on the planet. If they pull it off, we as a species might just have a chance on this ol’ blue marble we call home.
Sword and sorcery might seem like a moribund genre, trapped in the rules and boundaries set by Robert E. Howard in his Conan stories. But naturally, any structure can be rethought and imagined freshly, even if it needs complete disassembly and a ground-floor rebuild. This does not negate the old tales. But we can always try something new, right?
I love this Slate celebration of how pop changed in 1982, linking it to Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso. But honestly, the genre he claims to be nameless was simply called jazz-funk in the UK. My brother Jim loved it when he was growing up as a Walthamstow casual. I thought it was all junk. Luckily, I grew up. Jim was right, and I was an idiot. Grab the playlist, and blast it out loud on the chance we do actually get some sun this summer.
Soundtrack To The Summer (of 1982)
Writing process post, you might want to move along. To me, though, the work of line editors is fascinating, especially when it becomes clear how much of an influence they had on famous author’s so-called signature styles.
This, from Joel Morris on how help is often around the corner, tucked out of sight is honestly heart-breaking. Surely we can find a way to offer a hand, to be more visible at the point where we’re most needed.
They Automated Us Because We Hadn’t Met.
John Scalzi wrote The Consuming Fire in two weeks. I couldn’t even finish my 200-word-a-day May. But then I don’t do this for a living. Bill-paying is clearly a powerful motivator.
I live near to the Thames, and the towpath at Caversham is mobbed with swans and geese. They are aggressive about their territory, especially when their chicks arrive. You learn quickly around here that the big birds are not to be messed with.
Jeremiah Tower takes the Hot Wings challenge. It does not go well.
During the long, drawn out quest which led, eventually, to Harvette’s arrival on our front yard, I read a lot of motoring journalism. There was a lot about torque and nought-to-sixty ratios and surprisingly little about how it was to actually use and live with a car. It was an article by Tina Milton in the Sunday Times which gave us the nudge we needed towards Honda—a choice we do not regret in the slightest. Our everyday interactions with motor vehicles is not usually reflected in the pages of car magazines, though. So it was a lovely surprise to come across this rather sweet missive from Sam Philip in, of all places Top Gear magazine who nails the end-user experience.
The European Athletic Championships in Rome happened this week—although you might not have noticed it in all the hoopla around the footie. It’s the last chance for athletes of the track and field disciplines to shine before the Olympics next month. A likely highlight in Paris will be the women’s hurdles when Femke Bol competes. As Geoff Dyer explains, she is a very special athlete with a particular and unusual style.
Last up, I was drawn to Adam Savage’s emotional response to a query about giving away your creative work. It hit me surprisingly hard. You like to think when you send your art out into the world it will garner a response which reflects the effort you put into it. That is rarely the case. Call it The Maker’s Dilemma. The best you can do is to leave it behind and move on, but it’s harder to do than you think.
I’m going to Outro with this perfect example of song, puppetry and drama from those amazing Muppet people. Thought-provoking, heartfelt and funny.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 