Despite the weather and the change of the season, there are still jobs to be done in the garden. C spent a bright sunny day outside yesterday, engaged in the pleasingly mindful task we all know as pottering about. Sweeping, tidying, planting tulips for the spring, putting straw and fleece on the beds to keep the soil and its humming ecosystem beneath warm and snug. There’s still colour out there—the bare scarlet branches of the acers, the clean green and white of the chard, still providing for the table even now. Frothy fronds of fennel are poking up too, a sharp, tangy green. You learn quickly about the circle of life in a garden. No matter how bleak the forecast, change is always round the corner. Whatever the season, the earth abides.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
A rediscovery from an excellent comics shop in Glastonbury. The Bojeffries Saga, by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse, is like The Addams family crossed with Coronation Street. First serialised in the pages of Warrior, a periodical which also gave us V For Vendetta, it’s as sharp and satirical as ever. The final chapter, written and drawn a decade or so after the original run, leans heavily into the metafictional—if I’m honest, a little too heavily for my liking. Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating curio from a time when British comics creators had the world on a stick.
Rob is watching…
Netflix’s Directors Festival is pulling out the big guns with some really great new movies. We still have the likes of Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly and the latest in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films to come. I’d recommend Edward Berger’s Ballad Of A Small Player, a dizzying, hallucinogenic tale of a failing gambler lost in the casinos of Macau. Dazzling stuff with a stunning central performance from Colin Farrell. A masterclass in unreliable character work.
Rob is listening…
To the song both Billy Joel and Bob Dylan described as perfect. Who am I to disagree? I love this 2008 version. Look at Glen’s shirt! Cosmic cowboy in full finery.
Rob is eating…
Simple curries, braises and stews. Jacket potatoes with garlicky butter and cheese alongside fat herby sausages. Comfort food as the weather closes in. I’m already musing on Christmas dinner. I may swerve the turkey this year in favour of a really good chicken. We all know it’s all about the roasties and gravy anyway.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Disco Bambino. An Insta channel on the wild Italian disco scene of the 70s and early 80s. It’s as glitterbomb-bonkers as you’d expect. But I couldn’t resist showing you this outlier from the collection—a performance from French synth groovers Space. Daft Punk much?
Sure, you can write in a dedicated building at the bottom of the garden, or a special room with an ornate desk and the perfect light to conjure up the angels. Or you can be like Bud Smith and hack together your own solution which works in any place at any time. This one’s for the writers who only need a laptop or notebook and a bit of quiet time.
The White Stripes were recently inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Jack White was of course there in full huckster-priest effect. The other member of the group, Drummer Meg, did not attend. Which is very her, and part of the continuing power of the quiet strength she always brought to the table. She is one of my heroines, and an icon of the introvert community. Not showing up is a superpower.
Speaking without saying a word
Exhibit A in the argument that we share the planet with other sentient species. I honestly feel a bit ill when I see octopus on a menu nowadays.
A lovely piece of coding engaged in support of a very human story. This is brilliant. Have a click around, and enjoy the tale of the trail.
I’ve seen this quite fundamental lesson in physics and it has completely changed the way I drive. Bear in mind, apart from the obvious safety aspects you’re improving fuel economy, lessening wear and tear on moving parts and, most importantly, easing back on the stress levels of modern driving. Do yourself a favour. Stop heavy-footing.
An exploration of modern gothic. The theory ties into tropes like The Backrooms, a 2019 creepypasta on the terrifying aspects of cold urban spaces. It also includes the aesthetics of Severance and other corporate horrors. This is a long read, spread over four long chapters. But worth it if the terror of modern life interests you.
How no-one has written a series of books on the adventures of these lil guys boggles me. Perhaps I should do it if youse mugs can’t hassle up the enthusiasm.
How to support a truly deserving cause and piss off Niggle Farrago at the same time. It’s a win-win, amirite?
This is simply wonderful, although I still have no idea what a presentation on shibari was doing in the midst of a business conference. No idea what shibari is? Well, click on through, my friend! You’re in for a journey.
One Last Thing from Jenny Holzer.
I fell into a Humble Pie hole this week. Steve Marriot’s voice, that Faces-style louchness and attitude, the whole ramshackle delight of the cavalcade, as a bunch of talented fuckups crash and burn for your listening pleasure. Here they are in 1973 on The Midnight Special. Don’t believe a word they say, these boys need help.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 
Wichita Linesman. I’m not crying, you’re… oh who am I kidding.
No, you’re right, I’m crying.
Well don’t hog the tissues