George Orwell – part writer, part tramp

It’s pure joy reading English writer George Orwell’s (1903-1950) work. He has a wonderful, simplistic and very economical way with words, which makes all his prose, points, and puns extremely succinct and to the core. Being a journalist, he favoured clear and concise English, and detested when people used big words thinking it would make [...]

“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” – Bill Hicks -

Stand-up comedy is a tricky genre. Unless you arrive at a formula that shrewdly balances social commentary, stupidity, edginess, tits-and-arse humour, topped off with a remarkable stage presence, people will laugh at you for the wrong reasons. Or worse, they won’t laugh at all.
Watching stand-up comedians, many seem to come from the same kind of [...]

James Dean as seen by Dennis Stock

I’m fascinated by James Dean. East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, they’re not fantastic movies, but by adding talent, quirkiness, good looks, and bundles of charisma, Dean’s performance alone has established these films as some of celluloid history’s absolute highlights.
It is through my Dean fascination that I discovered the American photographer Dennis Stock [...]

S(isters) W(ith) V(oices)

Some songs have a certain effect on me. They make me jump up and practice funky dance moves in my living room, while grinning hysterically and singing along really loudly.
I’m So Into You by my favorite 90s girl-group SWV fits into that category. I remember taping this song from the radio and listening to it [...]

Philippe Halsman – the father of jumpology

I’m fairly new to the world of photography, and have only just discovered the works of Latvian photographer Philippe Halsman (1906-1979).
And I’m amazed. I love his eye for composition, and the way he managed to establish a strong, silent, yet very visible dialogue with his objects. According to Halsman, the fascinating results of his many [...]