Cool Art #3: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

On the night of December 8th 1980 at 10.40pm Mark Chapman waited outside the Dakota building on 72nd street New York. Moments later John Lennon was shot dead. In the hours that followed two policemen approached Chapman. He was sat on the sidewalk with a book in his hand. That book was The Catcher in the Rye and written inside were the words: ‘This is my statement.’ Chapman is not alone in his obsession. John Hinckley Jr who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan...

The Men who Made the...Screwdriver

I know what you’re thinking: 'My life was incomplete before I saw this article.' Well, look at it this way. At least you didn’t have to do the research and besides you might be surprised to learn that the origin of the screwdriver starts with one ubiquitous question even Plato couldn’t answer. What came first, the screwdriver or the screw? In the days of the great Greek philosopher screws took on the rather eccentric form of thread wrapped around a cylinder. These so-called screw-threads paved...

Stag Do: A Cornish Guide to waving goodbye

Earth

Grab your flat cap and wellies and hop into the driver’s seat for the most exhilarating car ride since you turned seventeen. On Calevan Farm, near Falmouth, clipping a wing mirror will be the least of your worries as you crash through woodland and splash over fords. If the turn of the steering wheel isn’t enough for...

Adventures of a…Internet Dater

June 1

I’ve always seen internet dating as a last ditch attempt at happiness; admittance that when it comes to women you are a big fat failure. But after months of feeling lonely, begging for someone, anyone, to take an interest in what I did with my life, what makes me tick, what clothes I wear and, if I’m honest...

Never mind the bollocks! Actually on second thoughts: Why the modern man waxes

I would like to start with a story. There once was a man who on defeating his most staunch rival at the time, one King Darius, discarded all of the king’s personal effects. Amongst these personal items were the king’s perfumes, make-up box and grooming ointments. Ironically, some years later, during a visit to Asia, the man became fascinated by male grooming and sent plant cuttings back to his native land charging one of his friends with the duty of growing and sustaining a botanical garden...

Cool Art #2: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

After being commissioned by Detective Comics, Watchmen was originally published between 1986 and 1987 as a twelve part series. Set in 1985 the plot centres on a group of ex-heroes as they try and untangle the mysterious death of one of their ex-colleagues. The novel takes place in a slightly alternative America; Richard Nixon has done away with the 22nd amendment and is serving his fifth term in office and superheroes are seen as outlaws and either work for the government...

The Men who Made the...Wakeboard

If there was to ever be a sport which propelled men up to the pedestal of the Gods, it had to be one that, albeit fleeting in the grand scheme of things, created a plain of equality between the undying divine and the momentary mortals. A sport that would require extraordinary skill and unearthly agility. A sport, which once mastered would in return offer a glimpse of the sublime; a celestial experience. Some, with their tongue firmly lodged in their cheek, might suggest the power of healing...

Eco-Tourism: A Green Guide to globe trotting

What is eco-tourism?

Eco-tourism is all about being aware of the impact you have on the places you visit and turning that awareness into action. This doesn’t mean you have to save a species or plant a whole forest, action can be anything from staying in an eco-friendly hotel to following signposts. At the time, all these little things...

Adventures of a…House Husband

6.30 a.m.

I imagine this is what the unfortunate souls on the Titanic felt like when they heard the ringing of the watch tower bell. Despair, fear and condemnation. Waking to the sound of a toddler crying also evokes these feelings…times one thousand. Getting up at this un-godly hour is a stain on my character. I was a student...

Evolution of an art form back to its roots: Performance Poetry

In the days when Ladies lifted their skirts to roam the streets of London and landlords showered their floorboards with sawdust, entertainment was the art-form of the minimalist. If you weren’t throwing coins at dogfights or standing in the stalls wiping thespians’ spit from your brow you were listening to tales in the tavern or reading one by firelight. Long before cinema screens and fruit machines stories fuelled the evening, stories which splashed and crashed their way through the...

Cool Art #1: Method Acting

There are many devices actors use to cross-over into the world of make believe. Some obey a strict set of rules; others allow the role to dictate the process. There are even those who slip into their characters like a warm pair of slippers at the end of a long day. But however they get there, it’s an experience precious few others will share and the world they inhabit is often an alien one to the audience. Great actors can make it look as though they have arrived there with a click...

The Men who Made the...Razor

As you pull your razor across your soon-to-be-hairless cheek it might be of some consolation to know that 32,000 years ago your ancestors were doing the same thing. No, not stood in a tiled bathroom with a towel around their waste jigging up and down to Robbie Williams whilst their girlfriend looks the other way, I’m talking about shaving. As early as 30,000 B.C, in the form of cave drawings, there is evidence that flint, sharpened and oval in shape, was used to shave. Being easily worn...