The Great Biopic Brain Drain
Callie Petch | Little White Lies | 7th February 2025 | U
There are too many bland music biopics, thanks to Hollywood's "toxic addiction to recognisable IP". Whether it is Timothée Chalamet's turn as Bob Dylan or Sam Mendes' planned quartet of films about The Beatles (one member per film), most are made to be safe and dull. Rejoice, then, in Better Man, in which singer Robbie Williams is played throughout by a CGI ape for no stated reason (1,400 words)
When Are Tariffs Good?
Noah Smith | Noahpinion | 6th February 2025 | U
Tariffs can be a useful part of a national security strategy, protecting existing civilian industries that can then be quickly flipped into military production mode in a time of war. Highly targeted tariffs can also foster "national champions" and create world-leading companies in their niche. This also applies to nurturing new entrants to a market. Broad tariffs do nothing for these goals (2,500 words)
A Date With The Cultural Revolution
Qiong Liu | ChinaFile | 5th February 2025 | U
Whether fiction, memoir or reportage, this is interesting throughout. Two professors, one originally from rural northern China, attend a Trump rally and find startling parallels to the Cultural Revolution. "Yet, as capitalist opportunists, they couldn’t ignore the chaos, since chaos always creates opportunities. By the time they reached their car, they had already revised their investment strategy" (3,600 words)
Where Actually Is Central London?
Hannah Williams, Miles Ellingham & Andrew Kersley | Londoner | 18th January 2025 | U
Three Londoners debate the location of their city's centre. One argues that it is where Angus Steakhouses, that "cowled lieutenant of Central London soullessness", cluster most densely. Or perhaps it's a feeling, not a place — the bit Londoners despise most. Or is it around the London Stone on Cannon Street? "It doesn’t really matter where Central is, only that we push back against it" (2,500 words)
from The Browser eight years ago:
Susan Rogers: From Prince To PhD
Larry Crane | Tape Op | 1st February 2017 | U
Always interesting, if sometimes highly technical, conversation with Prince’s long-time recording engineer, Susan Rogers, beginning with Purple Rain. She also teaches psychology. “People have asked me about him being a perfectionist. He was not a perfectionist. There was nothing perfect about it. He was a virtuoso. He was that fluent on so many instruments. There was no perfection involved” (9,500 words)
Puzzle: Nomido is the Browser's daily word game. Play today's before it's gone!
Podcast: Luther | Past Present Future. David Runciman talks to historian Alec Ryrie about what Martin Luther expected to happen when he published his ninety-five theses, and how he survived the upheaval and violence that followed (57m 07s)
Video: Iceland's Magical World Of Elves | YouTube | BBC Ideas | 4m 28s
Introduction to Iceland's huldufólk or "hidden ones", which have been part of the country's folklore for thousands of years. They are mostly invisible, dress in old-fashioned clothing and live inside rocks. Only ten per cent of Icelanders surveyed say they definitely don't think these "elves" are real.
Afterthought:
"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavour"
―Truman Capote