‘A Trump campaign with Bernie Sanders principles.’ Ye’s presidential platform ‘If the poor people all unite, then it’s much harder to control us.’ Andrew Tate, who grew up in extremely impoverished circumstances ‘Capitalists posin’ as compassionate be offendin’ me.’ Kendrick Lamar, ‘Savior’ ‘I’ve got to formulate a plot / Or end up in jail or … Continue reading The critique of capital, then and now: Why the ‘right’ is the new left, and Ye is the new Roosevelt
Tag: Theory
From technique to artistry: The theory of music in ‘Whiplash’
Tropes of ‘music theory’ are as oft trotted out as are their counterparts in the department of ‘practice makes perfect’. But in the philosophy of Mozart’s time, Immanuel Kant already bridged these polar opposites of musical weather reports: the faculty of judgement, specifically concerned with aesthetic concepts of beauty and the sublime, bridged between abstract … Continue reading From technique to artistry: The theory of music in ‘Whiplash’
What is distinctive about international politics? The question raised by the Bennett Institute’s report on public opinion on China, Russia, and America
A World Divided: Russia, China and the West. So goes the title of the Bennet Institute’s latest report on international politics, after a notable report on the decline of public trust in democracy in domestic political institutions (Global Satisfaction with Democracy, 2020). I would like to compare and contrast these reports and their shared implications … Continue reading What is distinctive about international politics? The question raised by the Bennett Institute’s report on public opinion on China, Russia, and America
Greatest Of No Time: Why Drake and Jacob Collier are not good musicians yet
Sometimes ranked among the greatest music artists of this century, and regarded by some as among the greatest musicians of all time, Kanye West has recently made forays into politics and music. I have recently commented on the political side of Kanye’s linguistic improvisation, but I would now like to turn to the musical side. … Continue reading Greatest Of No Time: Why Drake and Jacob Collier are not good musicians yet
Edmund Wilson 