INKY SQUIGGLES

I can remember the exact period in my life I played this game; like Sam, the protagonist, I had just moved to an unfamiliar British city on my own and was starting a new job. Through this game, I could imagine my uncertain independent venture was slightly more exciting than it actually was, and it brought me solace at a challenging time due in large part to its stunning soundtrack and deeply immersive atmosphere. Indeed, Jane Jensen's (see my review of her 20th Anniversary Edition of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers here ) Anglophile tendencies are at peak potency here, resulting in a moody, gorgeous (albeit admittedly quaint and idealised) depiction of Oxford, England. Additionally, the mythos surrounding arcane members-only magic circles and the history of England lend to the intrigue of the game. However, this is a flawed game. The puzzle mechanics (especially those involving magic tricks) felt disappointingly simplistic, and the production values in terms of the ...

I've just excised a venomous influence from my life. And, as a dedicated yet chronically suffering writer with "little or no money in my purse", I would like to take this opportunity to post a sobering caution to all those who live by the pen. I've been writing on topics that inspire me for a long time. I've rarely had the pleasure of being paid to do so; it's simply such a vital part of my being that it would be unthinkable not to. When it comes to writing for money, however, I've had to resign myself to the reality that my options are limited; I have successfully pursued careers in both journalism and copywriting, and have personally found both to be soul-sappingly dissatisfying. Reporting the facts and representing a client's brand left little room for my own voice and creativity. When I found an advert on TotalJobs for a fully paid content producer position for a successful entertainment website, therefore, I was intrigued. WhatCulture were...

Do you ever wish that life had a soundtrack playing in the background? The soundtracks to Gladiator and Batman have gotten me through many late-night study sessions. Just today I woke up to  Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1  (guaranteed to instill the instant belief that today will be beautiful and grand), cleaned the kitchen with the excitement of  Vivaldi's Spring , and then proceeded to make scones with melancholy and foreboding thanks to part of  Dvorak's New World Symphony . Music just makes everyday moments so much more epic. I used to live waiting for epic moments. How could I possibly enjoy the day's hum-drum assignments when there would be a party at the weekend, or a wedding next month, or a vacation abroad soon? As a young teenager, the film  Inn of the Sixth Happiness  caught my imagination, and somehow I got round to believing that life would be incomplete unless I did something as similarly glorious and noteworthy as leading orphan ch...

This is an archival post from April 2010 migrated from my previous personal blog. On a grainy April morning my partner and I trudged into the city centre to catch a 6am Megabus from Newcastle to London. In total, the return trip lasted around 14 hours. The reason? Why, for the summer of lovin', of course. The exuberant Broadway revival of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical  is currently showing in London's West End (at the Gielgud Theatre), and the hippie spirit was, at least on that day and for all those involved, vigorously, hip-thrustingly alive.