Links and Things I liked in April

Published on: May 6, 2016

#posts #link round up

Here, in no particular order, are some things I enjoyed over the last month:

First, some music. I had the immense pleasure of seeing Los Campesinos! at Live in Leeds. At Glastonbury 2007 , I saw them twice in the same day and hadn't really kept up since then. This time round the band were superb. This was a highlight of their set and the video is quite something as well.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4-M_m1I1uKU

Other's writers methods are always fascinating so this article on Hilary Mantel's writing day is really interesting. It is almost completely the opposite of mine. This is a great quote about blindly stumbling forth on a creative pursuit:

A book grows according to a subtle and deep-laid plan. At the end, I see what the plan was.

Staying with writers, this is an well written look at the sorts of insecurties that can plague people. Specifically, the fear that you've produced your best work, which is not quite like writer's block but close to it.

This is a good interview with Mary Beard that captures her appeal, namely directness and intellegence. It also highlights the importance of hard work:

Whenever she says hard work, whether it’s 12 hours in a library, or five days in Pompeii, she means that in a good way. Like an athlete describing a day in the gym, she sees it as a means to an end in principle – good things can’t be achieved without hard work – but can’t imagine not wanting to do it, either. She is in a permanent state of urgent mental inquiry. It sounds exhausting, but she never looks exhausted.

I've always been fascinated with the idea of staying in a Tokyo capsule hotel, even whilst the part of my brain that yearns for privacy screams in horror. Perhaps because it's such an unusual hotel idea, or maybe it's the minimalism that appeals to me. Either way, this is a detailed account about a stay in one and is well worth a read.

Alright, this final one is a cheat because it was only released on May 3rd. But it's a new song from Radiohead! One of my favourite bands ever! Plus, it's actually pretty good.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yI2oS2hoL0k

If you have anything I might be interested in, you can submit links to me over on my tumblr. Or contact me in the link above.

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