Heroes are born to die — No more heroes anymore So said The Stranglers. But I guess, every culture needs a hero of some sort. Heroes that reflect what we see as our common values. Heroes that make us feel good about ourselves, both individually and collectively. Heroes that allow us to live through their narrative…

From the French Revolution to an ill-fated couple from an English village. I guess like many of us, I am often intrigued by some of the origins of common words, phrases and nursery rhymes. This past week I learned about some of the theories suggested as the historical roots for…

The trials and tribulations of replacing a phone - go ask Alice — Last week, after much stalling and deliberation, I finally gave in to the forces of modern consumerism and bought a new iPhone. I have forgotten the age of my old one. It was certainly over six years old. Two years ago, it fell from the mantelpiece and suffered a huge…

So said Bob Dylan about some people — In Talkin Bout New York, Bob Dylan states some people will rob you with a fountain pen. If anything, it seems even more relevant now as it was then. But it’s always been there. It’s as old as business itself. People will either rob you directly, using old fashioned violence…

For the greater good — There was no sunrise. The morning fog shrouded the promise of early light and a creeping cold made Daniel hug his cloak tighter round him. But he enjoyed the solitude, nevertheless. He heard the waves crashing against the rocks, less than a furrow-long away, and felt the foamy surf between…

We need stories to believe and live by — Stories are not just pleasing narratives that we consume, share and tell each other. Although entertaining, there function goes beyond this. Stories are a requirement to living. Certain stories we tell ourselves over and over again, are part of the collective beliefs and systems of power, providing the glue to…

Of a father and son — The fact that Cedric Wainwright was my father never prevented me from not liking him, nor knowing him as a son should. Seeing his name in bold block letters on the door of his paid-for-by-the sale-of-everything-he-owned room increased my sense of separation. And I wondered if one day my son…

And the beautiful relationship between the UK and US — I have noticed in the course of my lifetime how both the UK and the US has held up a mirror to each other from across the Atlantic. Although, admittedly, as well as by what binds us together. our two countries are also defined by our cultural and sociological differences…

But carried on regardless — Rock history is littered with the names of ‘frontmen’ who once bestrode the stage, dazzling their bandmates with their brilliance, yet were tragically felled by fate or were lured away by their creative ambition. Here are ten of them and the bands who carried on without them, when, perhaps, all…