I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

Southbank.

An early look at next week’s cover: "Remote Control,” by Barry Blitt. nyer.cm/6ApBXER

One American who’s always guaranteed a good reception in London. Aaron Copland at the Barbican this evening.

2019. The last time this happened.

You know you’re living in strange times when Last Night of the Proms feels like the least jingoistic thing happening in Britain at the moment.

Tate Modern.

Jane Austen x The Early 1970s.

Goodbye spider.

About fifteen years ago, we got Terence Stamp in to do a voice-over for a TV commercial. He was just as charming as you’d have hoped. “I started off working in advertising” he said. “The first ad I ever wrote was for a knitting machine: ‘Knit faster with Knitmaster.’ “

When in France.

Tate Modern. Again.

It’s Billy Wilder’s birthday The day after his death, Le Monde’s front page obituary had the headline: ‘Billy Wilder dies. Nobody's perfect.’

Punk rock kid buskers (‘The Whops’, tiktok) near the Edgware Rd. They run into Paul Simonon, play Death or Glory for him. He asks if they know The Guns of Brixton. They do -

I have always loved this clip of Sly and the Family Stone's medley on Ed Sullivan. Simply because Ed's strait laced audience cannot resist the enthusiasm of Sly and the band. What made Sly Stone good,was not only his enthusiasm, but his energy and always thinking what was best for the greater good.

Light doing its thing in Tate Modern again.

One of the great things about working close to #TateModern is you can be there when they open the doors, run up the stairs and get the Seagram murals all to yourself for five minutes.

Tate Modern.

Claudia Cardinale Le Guépard, Luchino Visconti, 1963

Tate Modern.

A303.

"Clem and Debbie visiting 1976 from the future, 14th Street NYC" by @chrisstein.bsky.social 🙏🏻 #NYC70s #Blondie #ClemBurke

One of her best yet. An absolute delight.

Regent Street.

Bankside.

Pendomer.

Tate Modern.

Bankside.

The Regency.

Bankside.

Andre Deutsch rules OK.

Shan’t

RIP David Johansen Brilliant live performer & this is just a magnificent cover. youtu.be/WVrIRwI-f9A?...

Very sad news about David Johansen: I loved the Dolls OGWT appearance - androgynous, chaotic, ludicrous and hard rocking. I interviewed Johansen in 2022 and he sharp and funny. Farewell - you really made a contribution

A love letter to libraries, on Ireland Reads Day. juliangirdham.substack.com/p/a-love-let...

Resist the urge to always know the latest. Your attention is yours to give when you feel like it. Knowing everything that happened in the last five minutes does not make you wise or well-informed, it makes you exhausted.

Drag your feet for long enough at the National Gallery and eventually you get Vincent all to yourself.

#NowReading Last one of the year.

One of my favourite things today... www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Carter used the power of his post presidency to nearly eradicate guinea worm. There were 3.5 million cases when the Carter Center’s work began in 1986. He said in 2015 that he wanted to see “guinea worm completely eradicated before I die.” There’ve been 7 cases this year. www.npr.org/sections/goa...

I've jotted down thoughts on everything I read this year. Lots of Janet Malcolm, Graham Greene and Wodehouse, along with a few classics, and books about Abe Lincoln, Bob Dylan, the far-right and football. advicetothelovelorn.blogspot.com/2024/12/Book...

My favourite movies of the year: 25 discoveries, six old favourites, six calamities, six re-evaluations, five obsessions. Feat. Margaret Sullavan, John Hughes, Denzel, Basic Instinct, a noir about Satan, a British late-silent... oh all sorts, really. advicetothelovelorn.blogspot.com/2024/12/Film...