Showing 1 - 10 of 17
A deep dive into music history
Life, John Clewley, Published on 07/01/2025
» In 1965, Joe Boyd was stage manager at the Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan plugged in and went electric, shocking the conservative folk world. And having navigated that seismic shock, he went on to produce Pink Floyd, Nick Drake and Fairport Convention in the 1960s and 1970s.
Echoes of Persia
Life, John Clewley, Published on 22/10/2024
» The santur is an ancient stringed instrument, a dulcimer, with 72 strings that can be dated to 500 BC. Assyrian and Babylonian stone carvings show the instrument back in 669 BC. The instrument spread widely in the Middle East and later further afield where it morphed into the hammered dulcimer, the qanun, cimbalom, Indian santoor and even the Thai classical instrument, the kim.
A mouse trapped in a violent maze
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 20/08/2021
» If you enjoy thriller movies and are looking for something along the lines of a classic cat and mouse scenario, then be sure to check out the Netflix original Beckett. The film stars Tenet (2020) actor John David Washington and is the debut directorial film by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, who was an assistant director of Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Suspiria (2018). Beckett is a compelling paranoia/survival/conspiracy thriller about a tourist who's deep-down on his luck.
A slice of social history
Life, Chris Baker, Published on 06/08/2021
» Members of the household kept sneaking off with this book but were betrayed by their giggles and sighs of nostalgia. It is great fun. Its creation was clearly a labour of love and joy. But it is also the work of a serious and skilled historian.
Revolution toolkit – a model for pro-democracy protesters to follow?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/03/2021
» Anti-government protesters have adopted a wide range of tactics from flash mobs to banners in order to defy the powers that be. Last weekend, demonstrators gathered outside the Criminal Court surrounded by barbed wire on Ratchadaphisek Road to call for reforming the monarchy, the ouster of the military from politics, and a shift towards a welfare state. They first dumped garbage and then performed the symbolic act of setting it ablaze.
Point of no return
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/03/2021
» The world has about six years and 10 months left before its carbon budget -- the amount of carbon dioxide that can be released into the atmosphere at the current rate -- will be completely depleted. Unless human beings join hands to limit global warming under the 1.5C safe threshold, they will face worsening famines, disasters, and displacement. The climate clock by two artists, Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, in Manhattan's Union Square, is a stark reminder of how destructive and fragile we are.
Finding Mr Right
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 31/07/2020
» Just like most people, you'll likely have seven different relationships on average during your adult life before you find the person you end up staying with or the one that is your soulmate. This is the narration from the opening scene of Love Life, a new original romantic comedy/drama series starring Anna Kendrick, which is now streaming on HBO GO. Surprisingly, the show is fun with beautiful shots of New York City. While the series has been marketed as a rom-com, the comedy element is not over the top. Thankfully, there's a down to earth approach to the drama as well.
Blurring the boundaries
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2020
» The summer festival season has been cancelled as have many major sporting events. Under the current Covid-19 measures, some events like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is usually held at the end of August each year, have gone online. Sound systems and steel bands will still perform live but revellers will only be able to enjoy them online.
Healing harmonies
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 22/04/2020
» Music can serve so much more than just entertainment to listeners. Music alone can affect emotions, it can be used as a medium to heal, encourage, allow people to share a message or bring awareness, where others can possibly connect with. The Covid-19 outbreak has inspired many local artists to create songs that aim to promote awareness of the virus, support and have empathy for the country's medical workers, and ease tensions through a historically stressful time.
Religion and warfare
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 06/09/2019
» What all religions, sects, cults have in common is that each believes it is the true one, the others not only unworthy but spawns of the devil, deserving to be liquidated.