The New York Times is time-travelling, Going Down the Road, revisiting states and landmarks covered by the American Guide Series of books, produced between 1935 and 1943 by the Federal Writers Project. Thousands of writers – including Studs Terkel, Saul Bellow and Nelson Algren – were sent out to pen what turned into a collective [...]

In an age when newspapers are folding or turning into multimedia “content” providers, there can’t be much of a future as a paperboy.  Unless, of course you’re Eli “Paperboy” Reed, who with his band the True Loves played support to James Hunter at the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden last night.
What a voice! Reed’s a [...]

At an editorial meeting this afternoon, one of my colleagues, for a reason I can’t remember, had us reeling off names of the greatest lyricists in rock. Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman all got mentions. But what of the younger ones? What of Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, whose writing was championed recently [...]

The New York Times asked several writers this week to reflect on the consequences of “really expensive” (ie, by British standards, still cheap) fuel. Michael Paterniti waved goodbye and, in his view, good riddance to the great American road trip. Of course he’s already had his fun. He’s the author of the wonderfully titled Driving [...]

Returning today from a memorial service for my old colleague Peter Wilsher, I read in the order of service this tribute to him from Peter Pringle, who was one of his correspondents:
“For me, Peter was one of the last great foreign editors of Fleet Street, always fascinated by stories not being told by others, and [...]