First day working at PRH and first author event? Peter Thiel. I don't remember anything he said but how really really fucking rude ans weird he was and that he had a bodyguard. Genuinely quite scary. But everyone seemingly enthralled by some sort of business genius they all thought he had.

Every recipe at the moment starts off delicious and then they add an unusual bean. This has to stop. NO MORE BEANS unless it's an actual bean originated recipe. I know the world has a lot of issues but adding beans where beans DO NOT GO must end NOW. Thank you.

VERY vivid dream last night that I had been selected to live on an island with John Cale alongside 8 other people to develop our creativity. The first task on arrival was to make our own outfits with the support of some designers. I wanted mine to include a crochet tam o'shanter hat in dark grey.

In 1935, a publisher named Allen Lane walked into a train station and asked a radical question: “Why shouldn’t a great book cost as little as a pack of cigarettes?” That question led to the paperback revolution. Books in kiosks, corner shops, train stations. Books not for elites, but for everyone.

First the flat *could* be flammable. We waited. Confirmed NOT flammable. Then half way thru sale - oops this is a fake certificate some fella signed a ton of them. Flat *could* be flammable. Everything fell through - twice. A whole year later we have the final result. Same rating and NOT flammable.

The columbian baddy in the new Night Manager totally looks like he should be third on the bill at an all-dayer at the shacklewell in 2014.

I say let them have a crack at it.

My new year’s resolution was to give up performing stunts from cowboy movies but I’ve already fallen off the wagon.

David Attenborough [whispering]: “Like a grain of sand in a vast desert, the predator blends seamlessly into its environment, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.”

We went skating today. It's all about how fast you can go in the NL. This means they have developed an entirely new breed of MAMIL. These speed freak dads just love to glide very fast indeed in the slipstream of each other.

Amsterdam Noord (het Sluisje) meets Zuid London

The Labyrinth of Suitcases at the Migration museum Rotterdam. I found it very moving.

Can't believe it's Christmas, and David Walliams is going to be visited by three Ghostwriters to show him the error of his ways.

If you missed this year’s Reith Lectures, I really recommend catching up.This week’s episode on the ‘god’s-eye view’ and what god-like intelligence (AI) really means was fascinating. @rutgerbregman.com www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

On January 14, I'll be interviewing the extraordinary @rutgerbregman.com in London. Tickets will go fast, so get yours while you can. howtoacademy.com/events/rutge...

This is literally the most batshit crazy thing I've ever seen in my life.

Don’t think much of the Amazon Black Friday sales. I ordered The Two Ronnies on DVD but instead I got four Kindles

BBC staff have now been banned from repeating the description of Donald Trump excised from Rutger’s Reith lecture. Makes his warning here all the more chilling. youtu.be/9UlYdocG5Bs

The talk was just brilliant and felt so spot on. It feels shameful to me that this has happened.

They just played fools gold into the chimes of big Ben on Radio 4 ahead of the evening news. Mani has died. How sad. But what an epic and surreal thing to do...

blog: leeslinks voor op zondag (met Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac, Lily Allen, John Cale en oblique strategies), www.stereomedia.nl/2025/11/i-al...

has lindsey buckingham ever performed with will oldham? they could tour as buckingham palace

Wel The Ex

Please join me in congratulating Woman on her appointment

Maybe Taylor Swift got a bit sick of being Taylor Swift and wants to stay home and make sourdough for a bit but had another record in her deal to deliver?

Just spotted in Piccadilly Circus. Linda Green AND Jamiroquai

I'm confused as this is more than twenty years ago that I watched it but there is a Wong Kar Wii film that has a reggae track on repeat. But it seems it's not Chung King Express. And I thought it was a Marcia Griffiths track no? It is repeated and repeated and repeated in the film...

Are you young, highly educated and driven, and want to contribute to our stagnant economy with its aging population and low productivity? Well out you go

#huttenweek in Uitgeest. This is when the timber was delivered. The sound of tiny hammers and tweenpop sadly not captured here. The fact all the kids were wearing yellow really gave off major Doozers from Fraggle Rock vibes which I enjoyed greatly.

I'm Your Naan.

First thoughts on ChatGPT5 - I like the peachy coloured background.

Joris wrote a fun thing.

Joris thinks the guy from The Bear is called Evron Burtbacharach.

Volgorde *ietsje* aangepast zodat de flow nóg beter flowt

Strong recommend. Until 4pm today Trafalgar Square. Jeremy Deller's Hogarthian rave project. One part village fete to 2 parts free rave. Epic. Wonderful. Also this.

Enjoying how this article in the Bookseller Daily email today entitled 'Are Men Being Pushed Out of Publishing' comes just above the one saying that David Nicholls is the pb #1 again www.thebookseller.com/news/are-men...

I think I have a rare (maybe original?) pressing of it but god knows where exactly...

I am obsessed with Charlixcx normal registry office wedding (where my best friend also had hers). I don't know how many times I've had to resist the eye roll in various office jobs for colleagues who literally spent thousands of pounds for an Instagram wedding.

Wowsers. londonist.com/london/art-a...

Very busy party for Granta's latest - Badlands.

Now that I can speak full Dutch I will translate. We were away on holiday and Joris has delivered his memorandum of band camp favourites for June a little later than normal. Enjoy!

Just watching the Pavement film. Saw a sort of bad review of it but I have to say if you don't get it you probably don't get the band. I mean I found it pretty amusing and it was maybe few minutes too long but I loved it. The guy from stranger things was good too.

Opened The Observer on my tablet this morning and my jaw dropped. Woah.

So long and thanks for all the chips! Parmentier, the great promoter of les pommes de terre rests ici.

Cute

The enthusiasm of the teenagers in the photocopy room at Wolfgang Tillmans is pretty endearing. They even got to use a stamper on their final art which also seems to prompt rapturous attention. (well mostly)

69 Love Songs in the Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition at the Pompidou. Yes, it's the REWIG from @dominorecordco.bsky.social very nice!

St Vincent at FNAC Live Paris. She keeps trying to distract the other people in the band by biting them or saying something funny in their ear. FNAC Live is completely free although this does seem to require (these days) sponsorship by arifryers and co-pilot. Comme ci comme ca.

Boing!

Don't remember being particularly into Prodigy even though I definitely had Music for a Jilted Generation. But it just reminds me of lads from where I grew up driving around and listening to it and reciting every lyric and feeling tough although everyone (literally everyone) knew they were softies.