Mark Simpson's Blog, page 7

The Lost ‘Innocence’ of Morecambe & Wise

Last week, on Christmas Day, for old times’ sake – which there seems to be rather a lot of in my middle age – I watched on BBC2 a recently rediscovered early episode of Morecambe & Wise from 1970, which had previously been thought ‘lost‘. British comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, a kind… Read More »The Lost ‘Innocence’ of Morecambe & Wise

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China’s Metrosexual Crackdown

China’s ruling Communist Party has reportedly finally had enough of impossible male prettiness, and is cracking down on the promotion of metrosexuality. ‘Sissy’ boybands, ‘vulgar’ social media influencers, reality TV and ‘abnormal esthetics’ have been denounced by China’s mighty broadcast regulator, The National Radio and Television Administration. They have, according to this report, correctly identified… Read More »China’s Metrosexual Crackdown

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Ronaldo’s Coming Home

Football may not be coming home, after England’s Euros finals defeat earlier this year, but football’s greatest star, and perhaps the world’s most famous face and body, is going to be ‘back where I belong’, in England – according to his recent Insta post (336m followers). The striking Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo is returning, in triumph, from Juventus to the place where he began his international career, Manchester United FC – with a two year contract: a cool 20M Euros for those hot lal...

Fauxstralian Britain

 Mark Simpson on how we’re all Australian now   (One from the vaults – originally appeared in the Guardian Guide, 2001) If you listen carefully to the soundtrack on Puppetry of the Penis, a video of the show which recently toured Britain to sell-out audiences in which two Australian men, one with long frizzy hair,…Continue reading Fauxstralian Britain

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Purple Passions

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Streaking: The Naked Truth

Mark Simpson takes a look at the British ritual of stripping off on the hallowed turf (Independent on Sunday, July 1996) Melissa Johnson’s bra-less gallop across Wimbledon’s Centre Court this week in a skimpy pinny and lovely smile proved to be a moving experience in more ways than one. A deluge of press articles followed […]

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Men Make Terrible Company – Neil LaBute interview

Mark Simpson interviews Neil LaBute about his film ‘In the Company of Men’ – twenty years before ‘toxic masculinity’ went ‘hegemonic’ (Originally appeared in Attitude, 1998) Women are made of sugar and spice. While men are made from slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails. This would appear to be the conclusion of American playwright […]

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Jeans-Genie – The Lecherous Legacy of Those 80s Levi’s Ads

Mark Simpson on how we’re all living in Nick Kamen’s Launderette now Another fondly-remembered part of the 1980s finished its last cycle last week. Nick Kamen, real name Ivor Neville Kamen, the Essex-born much-gasped-over star of the famous 1985 Levi’s 501 male striptease ‘Launderette’ TV ad, checked out. He was just 59. Sadly, this was […]

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Jeans-Genie

Mark Simpson on how we’re all living in Nick’s Launderette now Another fondly-remembered part of the 1980s finished its last cycle last week. Nick Kamen, real name Ivor Neville Kamen, the Essex-born much-gasped-over star of the famous 1985 Levi’s 501 male striptease ‘Launderette’ TV ad, died. He was 59. Sadly, this was more than a […]

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Welcome to the Hotel Scopophilia

Mark Simpson checks out The Voyeur’s Motel I recently watched a documentary on Netflix. Which is what I seem to mostly do, TV-wise, these days – being middle-aged and male. This one wasn’t about Hitler, or unsolved grisly murders, or steam trains, however. It was called Voyeur. So, I think you can probably understand what […]

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