originally published here It’s been 30 years since Trainspotting and Irvine Welsh is back in Edinburgh. The city has changed – Leith-sur-Mer is the gentrified seaside haven it was threatening to become in the novel’s sequel, Porno – and the world has too, moving from the street-driven society Welsh captured so memorably, to one unfolding on screens. The changes undergoneContinue reading “Irvine Welsh interview”
Category Archives: whynow
It’s not the hope that kills you
Walking 100 odd miles up the West Coast of Scotland. Autumn, 2022. My favourite part of Trainspotting takes place beside Rannoch Moor, in the Scottish West Highlands. It features a tirade from Renton, induced by only a short-lived venture north, and Tommy’s impossibly loaded question: “Doesn’t it make you proud to be Scottish?” “It’s shite being Scottish,” roarsContinue reading “It’s not the hope that kills you”
A wholly sincere argument in favour of a digital dictatorship, largely focusing on Ocado reviews
Uncensored and dogmatic, the masses now shout over experts – such as well-trained journalists like myself – meaning a select few are no longer able to dictate a sensible narrative. The result is we, as a people, are driven to extremism. To stand on the fence in 2023 is to stand in no man’s land.
Bernie Sanders in London
Last week, United States senator Bernie Sanders spoke at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall ahead of his new book, It’s Ok To Be Angry About Capitalism. on whynow It turns out Bernie Sanders is a very funny man. Politics aside for a moment, his timing is impeccable, and his fondness for subtle, self-deprecating humour seemsContinue reading “Bernie Sanders in London”
Fear and Loathing in Dopamine Land
written for, published by, whynow. It was somewhere around South Kensington, sitting on the edge of a ball pit, when the dopamine began to take hold. I remember emptying my pockets and lowering myself in and suddenly I was overwhelmed by joy. Generic house music started coursing through my veins as my every sinew explodedContinue reading “Fear and Loathing in Dopamine Land”
The True Story Behind London’s Worst Restaurant
People go in search of a monstrosity. I did too. Rather, I found an outdated café, an internet smear campaign, and a well-meaning, thoughtful man with a fascinating story to tell. It’s lunchtime on a Wednesday and the Palace Restaurant Café is empty, other than Alan. He’s owned the place for 34 years and stillContinue reading “The True Story Behind London’s Worst Restaurant”
The Moon's Tirade 