The Swipe Volume 1 Chapter 35
I used to live on Twitter. It was a place to hang, chat with friends, grab the latest news. It was the main way I’d shout about new drops on Excuses And Half Truths, then The Cut, then The Swipe. I was no power user with millions of followers, but it always felt a little bit like home.
Now, not so much. Xwitter or whatever it’s called now (I notice almost no-one uses the new name The Belligerent Landlord has given it) is increasingly broken. The loss of third-party apps, the inability to autopost from WordPress, all the tweaks and wrinkles which, in the search for profit, have tanked the platform’s usability and friendliness. I barely look at it now. I’m not sure I’ll ever shut down my presence there completely, but I’m a ghostly presence, looming out of the darkness at unexpected moments. If the rumours are true and a pay-gate is coming, I’ll be out.
I’ll always be here, of course. You can also find me on Threads and Insta as @conojito, on the fediverse as @wickings. In an exciting new move from my pals at WordPress, this here blog is now available on federated services as (deep breath) @excusesandhalftruths.com@excusesandhalftruths.com. Hope to see you there.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Creeping Jenny by Jeff Noon. The master of strange urban magical fiction goes folk horror, as his detective avatar John Nyquist searches for his missing father. The book is a slow burn, but the atmosphere sneaks up on you. The idea of a village ruled by the whims of a different saint every day is a good one. Well worth a go if you like weird fiction. Feel the tendril wrap gently around your wrist and draw you in.
Rob is watching…
Theo Jansen is at it again. His latest wind-powered beach-walker, or Strandbeest, is the product of years of experimentation into geometry, applied mechanics and the joy of the random. This year’s Beest is his biggest yet. Ethereal, otherworldly yet strangely gentle. There’s no sense of threat or danger, just a gentle glow of wonder.
Rob is listening…
To mashup masters The Kleptones, who dropped a couple of bangtastic sets at Glastonbury in June. As ever, you’ll know some of these tunes, others will come as a sweet surprise. Get loose, enjoy the ride.
Rob is eating…
Turns out you can make an excellent fish katsu out of those breaded cod fillets from the supermarket freezer. Cook as per packet instructions, slice on the diagonal and serve over rice or (as I did this week) noodles cooked in a sauce made from blocks of mellow Japanese curry and some coconut milk. A little shredded cabbage and spring onion on the side would be welcome. Quick, tasty, on trend.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
Yeah yeah, Angela and Carlos on Strictly, yeah yeah, not a bad Charleston. The original, from 1958’s Damn Yankees, is another level. Incidentally, it’s the only time Bob Fosse and Gwen Vernon danced together on screen. If you’re gonna do it, make it iconic.
ERT.
Wes Anderson’s Netflix adaptations of Ronald Dahl’s stories include a loving reproduction of the old misanthrope’s writing shed. I often hanker over something similar, especially as the weather closes in and the conservatory gets too chilly and dark in the mornings to work (to me, my tiny violin orchestra). Here’s a collection of outbuildings which house more than garden tools and an abundance of twine. Well jel of Bernard Shaw’s place.
The twenty-first century has seen conspiracy theories, the crazier the better, slide into the mainstream. Our ruling party have even started to adopt some of them as policy, an unspoken admission that they can’t fix the fundamental levers of society they broke. We all know someone at work, in our social and family circles who will blather on about 5G, vaccines or fifteen-minute cities given the slightest opportunities. The thing is, as Cory Doctorow makes clear, they’re right to be worried. Just not in the way they think…
I’ve always been a big fan of Birmingham-based writer Danny Smith, whose adventures have taken him to every pier in the UK and into the dark territories of his soul. We’ve collaborated on a couple of projects and I find his work striking, honest, ribald and truthful. His latest book takes him to Mexico, in search of the baddest dude of them all. Very strong recommend on this one. I’ve already pre-ordered.
Comics legend Joe Quesada’s Substack is full of good stuff. A lot of his stories relate back to family and friends, as lessons learned and life experience. This post, which talks about why his daughter didn’t follow him into the Realm Of The Ninth Art, sneaks a key point about creativity into a simple tale.
While we’re on the subject, Martin Brodsky has something to say about Embracing Uncertainty, a subject I banged on about a few weeks ago. He does it with a lot more style and grace than I did, but the core truth remains. Don’t be scared to mess up.
It’s unlikely you’ve heard of Andy Hayler, even as a committed foodie. I certainly hadn’t. Joe Bishop interviews him for The Fence, introducing us to a man of great knowledge, impeccable taste and strong bullshit detection. He may not have the floweriest of prose, but the reader is left in no doubt about where the good places are to be found. Not the UK, apparently…
We are firmly into Spooky Season now, so let’s embrace the darkness. Observable Radio is a perfect example of creepy podcasting. Headphones on, dim the lights. Get ready to feel the chills.
Libraries are important. I became the man I am between the stacks of literary churches in Woodford Green, Walthamstow and even the van which visited the village of Bar Hill near Cambridge once a fortnight. I love a book palace, no matter how humble. The Instagram account for the Milwaukee Public Library is a great example of how to get people interested and involved—funny and warm-hearted.
We’re all in a bubble to a certain extent, our knowledge spreading in a wide but shallow torus. We miss a lot, barriers of language and culture softly nudging us away from the bigger world around us. I found this overview of tech companies which have a reach most Western companies would kill for thoroughly enlightening. A few names may be familiar. But in general, don’t believe that there’s a stranglehold on social and shopping held by a few US-based companies. There’s more to it than that.
Last up, Mariah Kreutter talks about how we talk to each other now—or rather how we don’t. When conversation becomes performative and combative, it stops being communication and turns into stand-up. If you’re waiting for the hole in the chat in which to drop your punchline, you’re not listening to the other person at all.
More dance action for the Outro. Tap, to be precise, from one of the masters, Gregory Hines, and—well, Steve Martin. Who has a couple of surprises in store for his partner and the audience.
See you in seven, true believers.
