Saturday Night/Sunday Warning S2E11: The Self Prize for Smug Arseholes
Another instalment of weekly recommendations and miscellaneous items.
This is the weekly round-up of things I liked in the past seven days + extra content for paid subscribers.
6 Things I Actually Enjoyed This Week
1. ARTICLE
“You Couldn’t Possibly Have Made It Up”
Imogen West-Knights interviews Adrian Chiles for Salon.
An excellent interview with god’s perfect columnist:
Your columns have this cult appeal. People really love them. Has that surprised you?
Well, it does surprise me, but I’m always thinking people are half taking the piss, just because it can be so pooterish. They’re sort of about nothing. When people on Twitter say I’m “the greatest writer in the English language,” obviously it’s either a complete piss take or lightly ironic.
But look, I used to do a lot of television, big programs. And if somebody stopped me in the street and said, “I saw you on the telly last night,” well, that’s nice, but it’s a big team effort, and 10 million people are going to watch a football match, whoever’s presenting it.
But if somebody stops me in the street and says, “I like your Guardian column,” I just want to kiss them, because you start off with a blank page, if you can get anything down, but anyone actually reads to the end of, and then tells you they like it, I just think, “Thank you. Thank you so much.” I say, “You don’t know how much that means.”
2. ALBUM
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star — Black Star
Apple Music | Spotify | Vinyl
The debut album from one of hip-hop’s greatest Super Duos turns 25 in August. It doesn’t seem plausible; it’s a timeless album with the kind of production and lyricism that unfolds more with every listen. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star is like a familiar city that still surprises you; look down at the pavement and see cracks and tags you never noticed before, turn your eyes to the sky and realise there are unseen statues on the rooftops.
3. ARCHIVE DIGGING
Capitalist Society and the War
C.L.R. James in The New International, Vol. VI No. 6, July 1940
Reading C.L.R. James’ incredible history of the Haitian Revolution, The Black Jacobins, sent me looking for more of his writing. The Marxists Internet Archive has a large collection of the pieces he contributed to magazines and journals both pre- and post-Second World War. This particular essay felt resonant:
War is one great destroyer of illusions. Churchill tells the British people that they were so glutted with victory in 1918 that they failed to use it: imperialist Germany should have been destroyed once and for all in 1918. Thus even in the mouth of a great democrat the survival of democracy in Britain demands the destruction of the greatest nation in Europe. Reynaud’s representative in Britain, General de Gaules, with a third of France in German hands and the French army in full retreat, advises his countrymen that the “same methods” which gave Germany victory can give them to France: this patriotic Frenchman believes that if Fascist boots are to tramp down the Champs Elysees, at least they should enclose French feet.
The eternal unity of France and Britain in defence of liberty has burst asunder, revealing two groups of greedy and frightened self-seekers, each one blaming the disaster on the other, trying to throw the responsibility on the United States, finally exchanging bullets. Hitler the conqueror sits in the very chair of Foch, and does to France what Churchill now regrets was not done to Germany in 1918. He makes one exception-France will retain enough armed forces to protect her colonies. On this point, “protective custody” for the colonies, Fascism and democracy are agreed.
What an opening line: “War is one great destroyer of illusions.”
4. NEWSLETTER
If Michael Jordan Played In Today's NBA, He'd... Enjoy the Benefits of Modernity by
Freddie deBoer is a fascinating, frustrating, and often fucking irritating writer, but I really like this essay on basketball and how people confuse themselves on the question of greatness, which turns one in August:
Some while back, JJ Redick took a pointless shot at Bob Cousy, arguing that he was playing against scrubs and that he’d never make it in high-level basketball today. But Redick has no idea how good Cousy would be in today’s NBA because Cousy wasn’t playing under anything like modern conditions. In the NBA of the 1950s, Cousy was probably wearing leather shoes and jerseys made out of asbestos when he played. He was probably smoking three packs a day and the team doctor was probably using leeches to ward off consumption. The ball was probably made out of bull scrotum. The “shot clock” was probably some guy named Earl who counted out 24 Mississippis. In the offseason Cousy probably had to haul sheetrock to make ends meet. For breakfast, Cousy probably had scrambled pterodactyl eggs and raptor bacon.
5. PODCAST
189. ‘How James Joyce Invented Cinema’
The Blindboy Podcast by Blindboy
The way Blindboy constructs and unfolds the arguments in his ‘hot takes’ (that’s his way of describing them, not me putting them down) is mesmerising. He’s one of the best storytellers alive and his talent on the page, behind a podcasting mic, and as a musician is endlessly enviable. You can start with any episode of his podcast; this is the latest.
Bonus: Here’s a good clip of Blindboy talking about mental health on The Tommy Tiernan Show…
6. ARTICLE
Runs And Panics: Lessons From The Past
Jamie Catherwood for Investor Amnesia
With the recent rash of bank runs and collapses, this history of runs and panics might come in handy:
Railway-related crashes in the 19th century, such as the Railway Mania of the 1840s in Britain and the Panic of 1857 in the United States, were marked by over-investment, speculation, and the collapse of numerous railway companies. These events led to widespread financial distress and economic downturns, highlighting the vulnerability of the financial sector to shocks emanating from a single dominant industry.
Today, the technology sector has emerged as the new driver of economic growth, innovation, and speculation. This sector’s meteoric rise has paralleled the railway boom of the 19th century, with both industries experiencing rapid expansion, high valuations, and large-scale investment. As with the railways, the technology sector’s dominance has exposed the financial system to the risk of contagion, should this industry start to falter or temporarily stutter.
The recent banking crisis, partially triggered by heavy exposures to technology startups, bears striking similarities to the 19th-century banking panics. In both cases, overinvestment and speculation in a dominant industry led to the collapse of key financial institutions, sparking widespread panic and a scramble to preserve liquidity. Moreover, the regulatory response to the crises, including government interventions and central bank support, highlights the systemic importance of these institutions and the potential for contagion to spread through the financial system.
Updates, Corrections & Clarifications
None this week besides typo corrections.
Beyond the paywall: bonus content including the micro-essay, the newsletters I nearly wrote last week and the bonus recommendation.
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