Gothic: An Illustrated History

Roger Luckhurst

Thames & Hudson Ltd 

Once one looks past the outworn clichés and stereotypes of how “gothic” is commonly portrayed, defining the DNA of the genre proves to a tad more intricate than it seems from a distance, especially since its manifestations and incarnations are ubiquitous and manifold.

Author Roger Luckhurst set out to find the core and common denominator of the “gothic” by looking at it from a range of angles and consolidating findings from both the literary as well as the visual. Informed by the notion that “gothic” originally incarnated with distinct features, Luckhurst acknowledges and expertly conveys how it has morphed over time to become a travelling trope as it infiltrated different cultures and was infused by their respective beliefs.

Comprehensive in nature and structured thematically instead chronologically, Gothic: An Illustrated History sheds light on the origins and masters of the genre, to then take a step back to look at who revived it across all media types, how surprisingly varied variants emerged in other cultures and spawned new genres were spawned as well as the commonalities across the board, i.e. the core emotional responses it evokes.

Juxtaposing contemporary and traditional gothic phenomena, Luckhurst artfully reveals how context, time, zeitgeist and space actively contribute to its perception and thereby delivers a well-rounded, holistic and global view of the genre.

As the name suggests, the tome is aptly illustrated with close to four hundred accompanying images, which visually substantiate the thoughtful essays.

Carried by an engaging, educational and easily accessible tone, Gothic: An Illustrated History makes for a compelling read and a worthwhile addition to the reference section of any library.

Tim Minchin
Enmore Theatre
Sydney, Australia
19 January 2021

If you have so far managed to walk this earthround without having encountered Tim Minchin’s unique brand of entertainment and been enthralled by how the Australian renaissance man channels his alchemy, I pity you not unlike Mr T would, as you have missed out.

Tim Minchin in a live environment is quite a few things: There are comedic, stand up-esque bits, delicately intimate piano based compositions, full-on rock show components set in scene via a tight backing band, traditional spoken word passages interweaved with philosophical musings on the need to be, all presented in the most wonderfully engaging manner and in a way that gives idiosyncrasy a new dimension.

The beauty of witnessing Minchin in the third dimension lies in feeling the energy he exudes, how his charm fills the room and how it seems to make everyone in attendance a better version of themselves through sheer osmosis.

Being a classically trained musician and endowed with a borderline academic mastery of both instruments as well as his vocal delivery, Minchin does not get lost in merely showing off his chops but uses his seemingly effortless demeanour to weave in ad hoc observations, at all times ready to go off script to eventually meander his way back to exactly the spot he left off from.

Comprised of a melange of his older, classic and new songs, Tim masterfully spun his yarn from the intentionally silly via profound insightful revelations to have his elaborations culminate at the all-out hilarious, all of which is informed by his witty as Wilde double entendre laden witticisms and the rapid-fire delivery of his linguistically intricate wordplays. The myriad of thought provoking aspects of the evening are a delight to revel in as they come not across as preachy but are infused with a refreshing inherently healthy and omnipresent self-deprecating criticism.

Tim Minchin is a brainy phenomenon that has to be experienced in all its articulate brilliance.

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photo by T

The Formative Years – Einstürzende Neubauten

When I first came across Einstürzende Neubauten in a record store, I blindly bought their recently released Haus der Lüge album as in my mind, the band name in combination with the cover artwork meant that the music must be akin to the political hardcore punk I had recently gotten into.

Needless to say, I was not amused when I listened to their heady atonal, noisy sounds, which were based on the melange of custom-built instruments, predominantly made out of scrap metal and building tools. 

While Haus der Lüge was admittingly much more conventional and less harsh than their previous releases, I was disappointed as I felt that I could have put my allowance money to better use by putting it toward another record by bands like The Exploited or G.B.H.

It was not until years later that via a myriad of detours, I rediscovered and developed a weak spot for Blixa Bargeld, Alexander Hacke & co.’s unique path they had carved out for themselves, along with their significance and influence they have exerted over underground since they first incarnated in 1980.

Ever since I have found their uncompromising and boundary pushing approach immensely inspiring, especially given that their early experimental and improvised live performances caused quite a stir and resulted in difficulties with both venue management and law enforcement because of them e.g. setting the venue on fire and dissembling the stage with jackhammers.

The early 1990s saw Einstürzende Neubauten infiltrating feuilletonism and a deliberate change of style, which saw them incorporate subversively subtle notes with their pop noir ambient soundscapes in lieu of the industrial hullabaloo of their earlier days. 

It was wonderful to have had the chance to experience the Neubauten up and close both as a collective as well as with their individual projects as part of MONA’s more recent Dark Mofo festivals, which proved more than ever what a unique collective they are – a collective that is quintessentially still all about context,  metaphor and the mining for sounds in unexpected places.

Allen Unwin Publishing

A Long Stride: The Story of the World's No.1 Scotch Whisky

When it comes to Scotch, Johnnie Walker must be one of the most known brands on the planet and while it is omnipresent in mainstream establishments, the story of the man who started it all is widely unknown.

A Long Stride chronicles the story of an empire that started with a small grocery shop in Kilmarnock and sheds light on the trials and tribulations of a man that did things in his own idiosyncratic ways with the comm

n denominator being a commitment to quality and the unwavering will and ability to move forward against all odds.
No matter if you are a whisky aficionado or interested in entrepreneurship, the book reveals fascinating insights into the building of a brand, building  distribution deals and sales campaigns, whose significance and iconicity looms into not only the worlds of libations but Scottish identity at large.

Comprised of ten chapters and accompanied by illustrations and photos along with footnotes, the well-researched approach of author Nicholas Morgan – which should not come as a surprise given that he has had access to the original records of John Walker & Sons - results in a compelling account of a topic that clearly, he has had a lifelong personal interest in.

A must read for anyone remotely into whisky history.

The Art of Science 

Heather Barnett, Nathan Cohen and Adrian Holme

One could make a case that art and science have never not been interwoven, however, specifically with the advent of the twenty-first century, things have taken on a new dimension with new technologies creating the foundation for the making of exciting, new and never realized before artistic endeavours.

In turn, art offers the opportunity to question and reflect on scientific advancements and their implications for humanity at large.
The Art of Science zeroes in on this interesting dynamic by examining the oeuvres of forty artists from different time periods and epochs to where we are now and highlight the commonalities in terms of both art and sciences serving as vehicles to venture and explore our collective raison d’etre.

Not limited to genres , media or specific disciplines, the tome distils its conclusions and insights into the intersections of art and science and the way the convergences have cross pollinated and inspired new developments.

Centred around five broad themes, i.e. location and intention; alchemy and cosmos with a focus on light and spheres; being human putting the focus on the body; ecology and environment; machines and systems looking questioning the ordering of space and media and finally nature and its role.

Needless to say, the terrain is vast in every aspect and there is no claim to The Art of Science being comprehensive, however, the aim is achieved in that remarkable artistic works are exhibited that aid in providing a deeper understanding of our existence and reason for being.

A Runner's High: My Life in Motion

Dean Karnazes

I started running fifteen years ago and hardly a day goes by where I do not go for a jog and feeling better afterwards for many reasons. The act of running has invigorated my love of life and carried me through good and bad times wherever I roamed.

While I have managed to completed a couple of half-marathons, I have never tackled a full marathon, let alone extremer forms of long distance running, which is the metier of Dean Karnazes. 

A Runner’s High sheds light not only on the nature of running ultramarathons, but underlying motivations for a seasoned runner to still expose himself to such taxing physical and mental challenges despite being middle-aged and the toll it takes.

Chronicling his path to his tenth Western State 100 miles event, Karnazes takes us through his preparation, the ebbs and flows of his day-to-day and the details of the implications of his undertakings in an engaging manner with self-deprecating humour.

A highly entertaining and well-pieced together account that conveys his enthusiasm for a life of running, reflections on how he pushes beyond what he himself thinks possible and recaps of his races that with their intricate details make one feel present with him on the course.

Despite being a bit overly self-referential at times, a fun read and a compellingly inspirational book that sheds light on the magic of running with all its highs and lows.

The Formative Years – The Smiths

Of all the grand bands that emerged from Manchester, The Smiths hold a special place on the firmament in my musical cosmos. Fusing 1960s intoxicatingly melancholic rock music with post-punk  sensitivities and a fierce rejection of what was becoming de rigour in terms of synth- and dance pop, the songwriting of Johnny Marr and his disgust for power chords resulting in the avoidance of  rock guitar clichés , backed by Morrissey’s complex lyrical emissions created the alternative musical equivalent to lightning caught in a bottle. 

Throughout the history of rock’n roll, there may be quite a few singer-songwriter duos that have created timeless music and whose compositions have stood the test of time, but the way Marr and Morrissey were in sync remains unrivalled with the resulting layered songs being borderline symphonic in nature, conglomerating each constituent of the band and merging into an idiosyncratic atmosphere.

Marr’s arpeggio laden signature chiming,  Morrissey’s often woeful vocal harmonies and the distinctive duotone style that dominated The Smiths’ cover artworks depicting pop and film cult stars created an eccentric universe, which was masterfully counterpointed by the band dressing in ordinary clothes in a deliberate bid to contrast the exuberance of the mid-1980s exotic fashion extravaganza that was cultivated by contemporary bands like Flock of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran.

While always having harboured a weak spot for bands from Manchester and a point being made for most having created a lane for themselves in their own right, I would be hard pressed to list one post-1982 that was not at least tangentially inspired by the vital and vigorous voice that was created via The Smiths’ oeuvre and the way they artfully elevated what was considered possible to create with a four-piece band.

A truly original band that not only produced landmark albums but actively subverted outworn stereotypes and norms with their own aesthetic simplicity, thereby delivering a blend that pre-empted and created the foundation for the commercial construct that was to become known as the Britpop movement.