Category Archives: Art, books, theatre, cinema

A magnificent three: Star Wars, Jane Eyre, Hunger Games

Posted on December 23, 2015 by John S

In the the last few days I’ve been to two awesome films and a wonderful piece of theatre. A great cultural finish to 2015 – assuming there won’t be too much of that in the next few days! First up, … Continue reading →

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Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John S

The Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei’s exhibition opened at the Royal Academy on 19 September. I got to see a friends preview the day before, after work. It’s a must-see if you are in London. A fascinating insight into the artist’s … Continue reading →

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The Jam: About the Young idea, at Somerset House

Posted on August 18, 2015 by John S

There’s a great exhibition of memorabilia, photos and music about The Jam at Somerset House, on the Strand in central London, at the moment. I went there on Sunday. It was full of geezers in polo shirts, Fred Perrys to … Continue reading →

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The Royal Academy summer exhibition

Posted on August 1, 2015 by John S

The Royal Academy has been holding a summer exhibition for 247 years. And this was the first one that I’ve been to! I’m not sure why why I’ve never been before – just never got around to it, I guess. … Continue reading →

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“Man and Superman” at the Lyttleton, National Theatre

Posted on April 27, 2015 by John S

Yesterday Kath and I went to see George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, “Man and Superman”, at the Lyttleton Theatre at the National. A Saturday matinee performance, which started at 1.30 and finished at 5pm. Three and a half hours, which … Continue reading →

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Peter Ackroyd’s History of England

Posted on March 29, 2015 by John S

I’ve recently finished reading the first two volumes of Peter Ackroyd’s history of England. Ackroyd, if you don’t know him, is an acclaimed novelist as well as a respected historian and biographer. His best known novel is probably “Hawksmoor”; his … Continue reading →

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Sportsthoughts (126) – Two Angry Men

Posted on February 17, 2015 by John S

Christmas is a time when I stock up on books for the coming year. A couple I asked for this year were sports autobiographies which had hit the headlines in the months running up to the festive season. Irish footballer … Continue reading →

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“I Was There” – my musical journey

Posted on January 18, 2015 by John S

  A big thing happened for me today. I finished the first draft of my music book, working title “I Was There – A Musical Journey”. The title reflects how I’ve always been there in spirit if not reality and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, books, theatre, cinema, Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Random stuff | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Art Binge

Posted on January 17, 2015 by John S

Phew! it’s been a busy first week back at work, with a very excellent Nils Lofgren concert thrown in last night. More of that in due course. But I started the new year nice and chilled with a week off. … Continue reading →

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Rush, rush, rush!

Posted on January 5, 2015 by John S

I’m taking a week’s leave, taking it easy in London, soaking up a bit of art around the place. Today I went back to Tate Britain for another look at the Late Turner exhibition (of which more in another blog … Continue reading →

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