One bitter irony: There has been a lot of loose talk in recent years that British Jewish schools and synagogues are forced to have armed guards. That's actually incredibly rare, although visible security certainly is the norm. But from now on? I guess we'll see....

Well, it took longer than many of us expected, but in the end it happened. Let's try and not turn the horror in Manchester into an opportunity to advance any and every agenda. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Scared for what remains of American democracy right now. And the wave that's coming will reach these shores too.

Last Sunday I spoke at a conference in Birmingham and managed a brief side trip to this place of pilgrimage. Consider this a teaser for something exciting I can't talk about publicly yet....

On a train, listening to music and thought I'd check out the new David Byrne album: I really think that the happiness he found in his middle and later years hasn't been a good thing for his art.

He's going to defend Cradle of Filth's employment contracts.

This was an interesting podcast to be interviewed for: My attempt to explain where Diaspora Jewish communities are currently dealing or not dealing with the Gaza war www.patreon.com/posts/voices...

I'm really honoured that Jeremy Wallach wrote a retrospective piece on my book Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge. He remarks on my general 'pessimism' about how far metal might go in engaging with diversity. I am much more optimistic these days! doi.org/10.1386/mms_...

Ironically, Labour's Corbyn years negate both pro- and anti-IHRA narratives: Its adoption made absolutely no difference to the antisemitism controversy. www.bbc.com/news/article...

It isn't just Trump. The most dangerous people I have met in my life are - regardless of their politics - those who are convinced that the thing they do worse than anybody is in fact the thing I do better than anybody.

I was today years old when I discovered that Peter O'Hanrahanrahan-inspired metal existed: youtu.be/2M0y93DnD3w?...

Today I remembered that the film 'Hannibal Brooks' was a thing.

I've always known about this interview and am grateful to Spencer for adding to the story

Book of the month: M.G. Sanchez ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2025/07/28/b...

'2, 4, 6, 8. Time to transubstantiate' - Tom Lehrer z'l

(Yes I know this is the Telegraph) Rachel Creeger performed Bulgarian orthodox Christian standup at my book launch last March. She absolutely didn't deserve this. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07...

I think I may have been part of an attempt to drag me into manufactured hysteria about crime and immigration: I was sitting on a bench on the overcliff above Bournemouth beach. I noticed a couple of beefy tattooed men wearing GoPros and interviewing someone. Eventually they came over to me. 1/

The thing that definitely isn't happening is all their fault.

I should have added to this, 'hexagonal synth drum pads'

Watching more of Live Aid. Trying to fathom David Bowie's thought process when he said to himself, 'Yes, my band definitely needs a percussionist to do almost nothing extremely enthisastically. And Heroes would definitely sound better if my band had a saxophonist.'

This memorial from Joel McIver really nails the glorious unlikeliness of Ozzy (and Black Sabbath) conquering the music industry. I hope that music will continue to be a space of unlikely victories in future and that we aren't eulogising the death something bigger when we mourn Ozzy.

Extraordinary. Is there any better way to go than shortly after a heartrending final performance at a massive celebration of your legacy? www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

I'd be really interested to read a book on the 'secret' history - and neglected importance - of rock stars that refuse the rock and roll lifestyle. So a kind of group bio of Charlie Watts, John Deacon, Angus Young...and I know there are others. The challenge would be to ensure the book wasn't dull..

I'm not a musical nostalgist, but I'm re-watching Queen at Live Aid and wondering if there are any contemporary rock bands that are simultaneously massive and make no sense at all. Absolutely no one could have predicted that having John Deacon and Freddy Mercury in the same band could possibly work

In 1000 years time, Jenrick and Kruger will be celebrated as proud exemplars of England's fundamentally Islamo-Scientological heritage.

Just thought of the perfect pub quiz question: What is the actual name - not call sign - of Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun?

Once in a blue moon I like to watch the Welsh soap opera Pobol Y Cwm to enjoy the disconcerting way the code-switching with occasional bursts of English. So far I've caught: chimpanzee, banana, cauliflower soup, secret mission, slave labour, prince charming and bunting.

📚 Need some beach reading recommendations? Our critics have got you covered. Including recs from @davidmbarnett.bsky.social, ‪@musicclerk.bsky.social‬, @keithkahnharris.bsky.social, ‪@alexlarman.bsky.social 1/2 www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/7048...

I think it's now possible to make a poli-sci course that equips one for modern political analysis better than most classic theory and has a syllabus sourced entirely from random internet posts. Text 1. Wilhoit's Law, born as part of a 2018 blog comment crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/l...

I'm dipping into the edited Live Aid repeat on BBC and, as someone with a longstanding interest in this event, I've created a badly put together a bingo sheet as a service to other viewers.

Watching Live Aid highlights on BBC and was about to post about how cool Sade was...Until I saw her bassist's high bass holding position. It's almost round his fucking neck! Shame on him. Shame on Sade enabling him. Shame on Bob Geldof. Shame on us all.

Just read and loved The Babel Message, by @keithkahnharris.bsky.social which was both profound and very silly about how words and minds and societies work. Joyful and curious and humble and kind. Strong recommend.

I'm grateful to @thequietus.com for the opportunity to publish this article on last Saturday's Back to the Beginning concert. This was an event where bodies - fragile, defiant, ailing and aging bodies - and their limits took centre stage. thequietus.com/opinion-and-...

Re The Salt Path: As my wise grandmother always said, people with terminal conditions rarely appear in 2 further sequels.

I need someone to make some new episodes of The Bureau. Three 1 minute episodes since 1994 isn't a lot to rely on if, like me, you watch them every time skies are grey.

If #BackToTheBeginning was Live Aid, Rival Sons would be Nick Kershaw.

Really pleased to have had this essay published in the journal K. It explores some of the themes in my latest book but most of it is new material. Link to the French translation in the comments in the post below. k-larevue.com/en/serve-any...

Social media transforms us into issuers of press releases on behalf of ourselves, writes @keithkahnharris.bsky.social. Is this an effective way of facing up to moral atrocities? www.prospectmagazine...

Are Sleep Token really ‘metal’? And given how innovation works in culture today, does it even matter if they are? artreview.com/are-sleep-to...

I was really pleased to be asked to write something on Sleep Token for @artreview.bsky.social I tried to grapple with the 'Are they metal?' question in a fresh and productive way. artreview.com/are-sleep-to...

Mass 'Death to...' chants are chilling and unnerving regardless of target. I was struck though that, on this occasion, that the target of the IDF is more specific than in much pro-Pal activism and could reflect at least some kind of awareness of dangers of targeting Israel/Jews as a whole. 1.

Social media transforms us into issuers of press releases on behalf of ourselves, writes @keithkahnharris.bsky.social. Is this an effective way of facing up to moral atrocities? www.prospectmagazine...

Very pleased to have the opportunity to write for @prospectmagazine.co.uk on the incessant pressure to 'speak out' (on Gaza and other things). I suggest that "Posting Pastor Niemöller’s 'First they came for…' on Facebook doesn’t make you Pastor Niemöller" www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/war/70...

"Posting Pastor Niemöller’s 'First they came for…' on Facebook doesn’t make you Pastor Niemöller" @keithkahnharris.bsky.social for @prospectmagazine.co.uk on the pressure to say something about atrocities www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/war/70...

‘Speaking out’ against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza is imperative. But restraint and strategy can also be virtues, writes @keithkahnharris.bsky.social. www.prospectmagazine...

What's Netanyahu's plan to keep Trump's attention on Iran over weeks, months and years? Is he banking on Iran targeting US in attention-grabbing ways? Or was Netanyahu's plan to wing it from here on in?

www.thepensivequill.com/2025/06/ever... My thoughts on @keithkahnharris.bsky.social 'Everyday Jews'. As ever thanks to @anthonymcintyre.bsky.social for the platform. #BookReview #FridayThoughts #JewishVoices

I expect that, if I was in a hospital that was shelled - wherever that hospital was located - I really wouldn't care that much about the intentions of the one firing the shells. There is no difference between the experience of the 'collateral' victim and the targeted victim.

I suspect that one of the few areas where Trump has some self-knowledge his lack of temperament for long, full-scale wars. For him, the military exists for brief spectaculars that make him look good, not grinding out victory over months and years.

Roses are read, violets are blue....