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Author Archives: A S H Smyth

Navel-gazing, with Pamela Stephenson

Review of More4’s Pamela Stephenson: The Fame Report. — For theartsdesk

A younger Shakespeare hedges his bets

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and/or temperate…

NB – Sports Direct

Dear SportsDirect.com, Thank you for your stream of PRICE CRASH!! special offer e-mails, coming in approx. twice a day for the past 9 days. What I would really like, though, is the trainers I ordered more than a week ago. Please feel free to let me know when they are on their way. (E-mail will […]

theASHtray, vol.11

An Easter holiday special, in which we take in Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ancient Egypt, the Grand Tour, stuffed birds, Congolese objets d’art, camera-less photography, amateur collectors, wunderkammern/cabinets of curiosity, Bruce Chatwin, Nicky Hirst, madeleine moments, Broomhill Sculpture Park, sculpture in general, Ronald A. Westerhuis, Carol Peace, Jake Rusby, Mike Roles, Dartington Crystal, Swedes, […]

Almost no-one wants to be like Spike

Review of ITV’s Perspectives: (John) Sergeant on Spike. — For theartsdesk

theASHtray, vol.10

Featuring news and views on the espionage du jour, Peter Taylor, Homeland, Spooks, Rubicon, Tinker Tailor…, Ben Macintyre, Americans, Russians, the Chinese, Rwandans, Charlie Dutton Gallery, TASCHEN, FUSE magazine, typographics, computers, Garamond, rubber bands, Marshal McLuhan, Akira The Don, Pink Floyd, ABBA, YouTube, and lollies. — For theartsdesk

The life and times of Sir Jonathan Miller

BBC2’s Arena on one of the last remaining Renaissance men. — For theartsdesk

theASHtray, vol.9

Read, watch and listen: climate-change, Maldivian politics, Jon Shenk, Mohammed Nasheed, Radiohead, Start the Week, Anne McElvoy, Geoff Dyer, Paul Farley, Andrei Tarkovsky, Tristram Shandy, Werner Herzog, Liz Mermin, large hadron colliders, Scott Waugh, Mouse McCoy, Act of Valor, Navy Seals, John McCain, Facebook, blockbusters, Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma, pianos, Clementi, Mozart, Telemann, and […]

Shower

Pale mole on my chest: damp, three dark hairs angle down like an old leaf-rake.

On the 27th draft translation of Basho’s ‘Sound of Water’

Master, due respect: No-one cares about the pond. Or the frog. ……………(Plop.) ……………………(Splash!)