ShortcutsMalcolm McLarenWith its bronze death mask, Warner Bros style initials and proximity to Karl Marx's grave, his headstone in Highgate cemetery goes some way to capturing his contradictions"Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success," runs the headstone inscription on the grave of Malcolm McLaren. Atop the headstone a large shield perches with the letters "MM", which looks not unlike the Warner Bros logo but is actually a sly reference to the crest outside the mansion he inhabited in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, that dark and desperate film he made with Julien Temple celebrating the glorious disaster of the Sex Pistols and their quixotic attempt to destroy the record business – or at least bleed it of all its money. Read More...
NigeriaWith hundreds of tribes and languages, slang English known as 'Naija' is becoming the glue of Africa's most populous nation
In Nigeria's megacity of Lagos, where the country's 500 languages come together in a chaotic medley, the rapid-fire rhythm of pidgin is the symphony of the streets. Africa's largest country is a sometimes fractious mix of 160 million inhabitants divided into 250 ethnicities. But street hustlers and Harvard-educated politicians alike greet each other with: " Read More...
Overlooked classics of American literatureFiction This article is more than 12 years oldOverlooked classics of American literature: World's End by TC BoyleThis article is more than 12 years oldTom CoxZooming between historical periods with high-octane prose, this book is something like a Kerouac novel you can enjoy as an adultIf ever you were to put forward the argument that, just as owners look like their pets, writers look like the content of their books, you could choose a far less supportive case study than T Coraghessan Boyle – or TC Boyle, as he's latterly known. Read More...