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The Birth of a Classic George Thorogood, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, recalls the creation of his iconic song 'Bad to the Bone'. Before the song's release, Thorogood's band played obscure blues songs, but they wanted to create an original hit. The Inspiration Behind 'Bad to the Bone' Thorogood explains that the song is a male fantasy, where every guy wants to be 'bad'. He drew inspiration from Hollywood movies, tough guys like Bernardo from West Side Story, and Howlin' Wolf, whom his band opened for in 1974. The Songwriting Process Thorogood followed Johnny Cash's advice for songwriters: writing down rhyming words and working around them. He started with 'bone' and incorporated 'bad', which meant 'cool' in his neighborhood. The Song's Early Days The band shopped the song to Muddy Waters, but his manager rejected it, saying Muddy wouldn't record a blues song by a white guy. Thorogood and his band rehearsed the song to make recording efficient and minimize costs. The Rise to Fame 'Bad to the Bone' took off when classic rock radio stations began playing it, placing it alongside songs by Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller, and The Rolling Stones. Young listeners considered it a classic. Terminator 2 and Arnold Schwarzenegger The song gained further popularity when it appeared in Terminator 2. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Thorogood, saying in his Terminator voice: 'Your song. Give it to me. Now.' The Legacy of 'Bad to the Bone' Thorogood reflects on the song's impact, stating it's an over-masculine chuckle and not to be taken seriously. The song brings out the 'lion in the mouse', and its popularity endures to this day. Jeff Simon's Perspective Jeff Simon, the band's drummer, shares his experience of recording 'Bad to the Bone'. He recalls George working on the song and the band's blues influences.

The LeadIran has publicly stated that its diplomatic demands are aimed at achieving peace, while simultaneously criticizing the United States for what it describes as "unreasonable" demands in ongoing negotiations. This exchange of rhetoric underscores the deepening tensions between the two nations as they navigate complex diplomatic relations.Diplomatic Rhetoric EscalatesIranian officials have emphasized that their positions in the negotiations are fundamentally rooted in a desire for peaceful coexistence and regional stability. In contrast, they have accused the United States of making demands that they consider unrealistic and contrary to international norms. This public characterization of the US position as "unreasonable" represents a significant hardening of Iran's diplomatic stance.Regional ImplicationsThe escalating verbal exchange between Iran and the United States has broader implications for regional stability in the Middle East. As these two geopolitical adversaries continue to clash diplomatically, neighboring nations are increasingly concerned about potential spillover effects. The diplomatic tensions come at a critical time when the region is already facing numerous challenges including security concerns and economic uncertainties.International ReactionInternational observers and other global powers are closely monitoring the deteriorating diplomatic relations between Iran and the US. Several countries have expressed concern about the escalating rhetoric, with some urging both sides to maintain open channels of communication. The United Nations has issued statements calling for restraint and a return to constructive dialogue.Future Negotiations in QuestionWith both sides digging in their positions, the future of any potential negotiations between Iran and the United States appears increasingly uncertain. The current impasse suggests that any breakthrough would require significant concessions or a fundamental shift in either nation's negotiating position. Diplomatic experts warn that without a change in approach, the current stalemate could persist for an extended period.

The Legacy of a Journalistic IconShireen Abu Akleh was more than just a journalist; she was an icon who anchored the Palestinian cause firmly in the Arab conscience. For many Palestinians, including the author of this piece, her voice was a constant in an ever-shifting landscape. She began reporting on pivotal events in Palestine even before the author was born, documenting the second Intifada and the battle for Jenin in 2002. In 2005, she made history as the first Arab journalist to gain access to Ashqelon prison to interview Palestinian prisoners held there for years.During the 2014 war on Gaza, her presence on screen projected hope and resilience despite the anguish she conveyed about the situation. Shireen was loved and respected by all Palestinians, regardless of their faith or political affiliation, for her courage, moral clarity, and unwavering commitment to making Palestinian voices heard.The Assassination That Changed EverythingOn May 11, 2022, the shocking news of Shireen Abu Akleh's killing arrived. Footage showed her lying on the ground, with journalist Shatha Hanaysha by her side, as someone behind the camera desperately shouted for an ambulance. Israeli fire hampered rescue efforts, leaving Shireen bleeding on the ground as colleagues were unable to pull her to safety.The assassination in broad daylight of one of Palestine's top journalists was not just a shocking crime. It was a harbinger of what was to come. A year and a half later, Israel began a campaign of systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. As of today, at least 260 media workers have been killed, with Israel now recognized as the "biggest killer of journalists."A New Generation of Journalists EmergesDespite the assassinations of Shireen and other journalists—including Anas al-Sharif, Fadi al-Wahidi and Mariam Abu Daqqa—there has been no silencing effect. Instead, their deaths have motivated young people to pick up the camera, the microphone, and the pen to continue their work.The author, who was studying English literature before Shireen's killing, shifted their focus from literary fiction to the real world. They realized that while literature preserves culture, journalism defends present truth. This realization led them to enroll in journalism classes and develop new skills, even as the genocide in Gaza made journalism a deadly profession.Bearing Witness in the Face of AtrocityAs a resident of Gaza City, the author became a firsthand witness to the horrors that rained down on the north. They survived numerous Israeli attacks and were forced to flee with their family multiple times. They began journaling about the experience of genocide, often thinking of what Shireen would have said in the face of such atrocities.Remembering Shireen's words—"I chose journalism to be close to the people. It might not be easy to change reality, but at least I was able to bring that voice to the world."—the author started writing about the situation in northern Gaza, documenting the harrowing details of life and death they had witnessed through several sieges and a famine.The Siege of Silence and Breaking ThroughDue to internet blackouts, the author could not connect to the rest of the world for an extended period. After a temporary truce in January 2025 restored some connectivity, they published their first piece, "Surviving war in north Gaza," documenting the untold details of life and death they had witnessed.While this achievement brought pride and satisfaction, it also brought fear for the author's family, who worried that they too could become targets. Nevertheless, the author continued writing even as Israel was killing journalists weekly and the world failed to stop it.The Torch Continues to BurnToday, despite supposed "ceasefires," the murders of journalists have not ceased. Just last month, Israel killed Mohammed Wishah, who worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher. Yet, there are still so many young Palestinians who insist on writing, documenting, and screaming through their words in the face of horror and injustice.They have picked up the torch from Shireen, and they carry it forward. As the author states, "Palestine will not be silenced." Despite the extreme danger, a new generation of Palestinian journalists continues to bear witness to their reality, ensuring that the world cannot ignore their truth.

The Electrifying Stage Presence of Angine de Poitrine Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine recently made their UK debut, and it was an event to remember. The band, known for their outrageous polka dot outfits and oversized headpieces, brought their unique sound to a sold-out crowd. The stage, drum kit, and even some fans were adorned with polka dots, creating a visually stunning experience. A Musical Mashup Like No Other Angine de Poitrine's music is a weirdly hypnotic blend of math rock, prog rock, punk, and microtonal loops. Their sound is characterized by jerkily repetitive rhythms, twiddly guitar bits, and occasional mechanical “wooo” or “oggy oggy oggy” emissions. The result is a truly extraterrestrial hard rock experience. The Impact of Their Live Performance The band's live show is a testament to their fearsome musicianship and infectious energy. The audience was completely entranced, with many fans participating in matching pyramid shapes with their hands and bouncing up and down in unison. The performance culminated in a frenzied climax, leaving everyone with huge grins on their faces and a tiny pyramid in their heart. What's Next for Angine de Poitrine? Angine de Poitrine's UK debut was a huge success, with several bigger shows already sold out for this autumn. Fans can look forward to more of their unique sound and outrageous style in the coming months. The band's website has a list of upcoming tour dates.

The Discovery Jem Calder's writing career had a fairytale start. Sally Rooney emailed him, impressed with a short story he'd submitted to the literary magazine she was editing soon after Conversations with Friends came out. It was the first story he'd ever completed. Calder was already 'a huge fan' of Rooney's, so the whole thing was surreal, he tells me. 'I can't really imagine what could top that, to be honest.' The Writing Career That story ultimately ended up in Reward System, Calder's 2022 collection of six interconnected tales following a cast of sad young things living in an unnamed city. It was hailed as a book of the year; a review in this paper placed Calder among 'the most talented young writers of fiction at work today'. Now, his debut novel, I Want You to Be Happy, picks up some of the themes of the first book: the trials of modern love, millennial ennui, consumer culture, technology, political and ecological doom. The Novel's Themes The novel explores the challenges of modern relationships, with characters struggling with commitment, addiction, and the search for meaning in a dismal macroeconomic climate. Calder's characters are addicted to instant gratification – buying stuff, social media, vaping, porn – anything to ward off the world's horrors. The Author's Perspective Calder grew up in Cambridge, studied English at Leeds, and has since worked a variety of jobs alongside writing, including those of his protagonists – Joey is a barista, and Chuck is a copywriter. He says he 'truly can't relate' to authors who complain of writer's block – having to work a day job 'gives me such motivation to get back to it and force myself to deal with something difficult in my writing'. The Future Calder could be grouped with a cohort of young novelists to whom the 'voice of a generation' label can easily be applied, alongside the likes of Rooney, Oisín McKenna, Madeleine Gray – writers concerned with how a dismal macroeconomic climate impacts young lives. How does Calder feel about that badge? It 'isn't something I consciously pursue at all', he says. 'It's unavoidable not to critique capitalism in some way if you're trying to address the absurdities of how we live now, but I also don't care about putting my political views in my fiction. The goal is always to just write realistically about how life feels.'

Tom Gauld has taken a bold step by recasting Chaucer’s iconic storytelling as a contemporary unboxing video, a format that dominates social‑media feeds. The cartoon, featured in The Guardian’s “Tom Gauld’s cultural cartoons” series, juxtaposes medieval narrative with the language and visual cues of modern influencer content, inviting readers to reconsider how classic works can be repackaged for a digital audience. Gauld’s Cartoon Brings Chaucer Into the Age of Unboxing Videos The illustration depicts a hand‑held camera framing a medieval manuscript as if it were a new product being unwrapped. Chaucer’s characters appear as if they are being “opened” and examined, complete with exaggerated reactions typical of today’s unboxing influencers. Gauld’s minimalist line work and dry humor preserve the spirit of the original tales while highlighting the absurdity of treating literature as consumer merchandise. Audience Reception and Social Media Buzz Immediate comments on The Guardian’s platform praised the clever mash‑up, noting its relevance to both literary scholars and meme‑savvy readers. Twitter threads shared the image within minutes, generating over a dozen retweets from accounts focused on literature, illustration, and internet culture. While no formal metrics were released, the rapid spread suggests strong engagement across niche literary and visual‑arts communities. Why the Medieval Meets Modern Influencer Culture Matters Gauld’s work underscores a growing trend: classic texts are being reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary media formats. By framing Chaucer as an “unboxing” subject, the cartoon highlights how the consumption of culture has shifted from passive reading to active, visual, and shareable experiences. This reflects broader changes in how audiences discover and discuss literature, often via short‑form video platforms. Future Directions for Literary Satire in the Digital Era As creators like Gauld experiment with hybrid formats, we can expect more cross‑generational collaborations that blend historic content with viral aesthetics. Potential outcomes include: Increased interest in medieval literature among younger demographics. New opportunities for publishers to market classic works through meme‑friendly visuals. Expansion of “cultural cartoons” as a niche genre that bridges academic insight and internet humor. Gauld’s cartoon may be a single illustration, but it signals a larger shift toward re‑imagining the literary canon for the digital age.

The Lead: A Tale of Repression and Hidden DesiresThere's a common greeting in the Outer Hebrides: the lineage-establishing "Who do you belong to?" By the time this question is posed to 22-year-old gay Harris islander John-Calum Macleod, or Cal, in Douglas Stuart's new novel, there is a sense that Cal is his father John's beyond the ordinary claims of blood – the latter's sway containing undercurrents of domineering ownership.The Novel's Core Themes: Repression and Self-Denial in a Conservative CommunityThe book opens with the two conducting a strange ritual over the phone, performed regularly ever since Cal moved to Edinburgh to study textiles: John, a precentor, reads to Cal in Gaelic from the New Testament and has him sing back "with the full power of his belief". The verse John recites – which prefigures the novel's themes of repression and self-denial – urges the faithful to guide the errant and to stay vigilant against temptation. After receiving Cal's assent, John orders him to return home, ostensibly because Cal's maternal grandmother, Ella, is sick. Though John lives with Ella in her croft house, she is his ex-wife's mother and thus not his responsibility.Set within a tight-knit Free Presbyterian community of farmers, weavers and fishers in what appears to be the 1990s, John of John tells the story of Cal's uneasy homecoming. It's a reprise of the parable of the prodigal son and an ardent exploration of the half-lives of queer men condemned to love, pine and suffer in silence. Intimate yet epic in scale, it contains equal parts pastoral drama, tale of familial fracture, love story and inquiry into various forms of loneliness: the loneliness that can reside between fathers and sons, between lovers, between man and God, and between a small place and the big world.Character Analysis: Complex Relationships and Hidden TruthsJohn disapproves of Cal's appearance, his sartorial choices and his long, "flame-coloured" hair, disturbed "by the confused signal they were sending, the strange tension between the masculine and the feminine". Cal's disinclination to be "saved" creates a rift between them that later erupts in violence. Meanwhile, childhood friend and hookup partner Doll gives Cal the brush-off, cross that he's been away for so long. Wearied by his ultraconservative environment, where connection feels out of reach, Cal takes a fancy to his dad's sole friend, confirmed bachelor Innes MacInnes. Cal is struck by Innes's "gentleness, his benevolence – which Cal had never appreciated before, which, if he were honest, he would have said he found boring, unsexy in younger men".This, however, can never be the merry May-December romance Cal wishes it to be. Innes and John are lovers, we learn fairly early on, and it is this pair's tortured relationship since their teenage years – kept secret from everyone, including Cal – that forms the novel's centre of gravity. Masters of discretion, John and Innes are, to townsfolk, neighbouring sheep farmers. The first time we see them alone together, at Innes's, they go through the motions of a long-established routine, allowing themselves to draw close only after John has made sure each room is empty and they are really alone. Later, as John prepares to leave, Innes loudly seeks his assistance over an unspecified "two-man job", "all in case someone should find out and ask what exactly John Macleod was doing upstairs in the MacInnes house at such an ungodly hour".Literary Context: Stuart's Evolution as a StorytellerThe novel tries their bond in ways small and big. Aside from the difficulty of Cal, there is the matter of John's other liaison with a married man, and the tenancy of Ella's house soon to be transferred to Cal's mother. Innes floats the idea of John moving in with him but intuits "how, even under the threat of homelessness, a life together with him seemed no consolation at all". John is a man tormented by the idea of his own depravity: "He loved God. He loved Innes. He loved God and God hated how he loved Innes." At one point he entertains the possibility of Innes, Cal and himself being a family, but even in fantasy, the thought of Cal being gay, like him, remains unimaginable: "They would live like this every day, be useful, peaceful, happy on their land, looking forward to the day Cal married a local girl and filled their croft with grandchildren."The novel is outstandingly canny and wrenching on self-contempt, on the toilsome art of deceit, and on the contradictions we all contain, as well as the friction that can exist between the personal and the collective. As secular values gain ground, there is the suggestion that John and Innes living together could deal a death blow to their local congregation, leaving us wondering whether John and Cal will – or can – come out to one another. Amid all this, Stuart finds the space to touch on crofter subservience to absentee landowners, the scorn and prejudice of mainlanders, and the place of the Western Isles within the English imagination.Critical Reception: A Complex but Ultimately Rewarding ReadJohn of John is certainly enthralling, but the ambient Weltschmerz and the characters' frequent self-pity can be draining. Stuart's first two novels, the Booker-winning Shuggie Bain and its follow-up, Young Mungo, were feats of heartfelt, operatic storytelling, composed as though in defiant response to our age of irony and subtlety. Despite their occasionally miserabilist tenor, the emotions felt guileless and real, whether Shuggie's love for his doomed, alcoholic mother, Agnes; Jodie's for her brother Mungo; Mungo's for his birdkeeping neighbour James or his own doomed, alcoholic mother, Maureen. The impoverished Glaswegian milieus where they were set – marked by Thatcherite ruination, homophobia, sexual predation and sectarian strife – made for sobering reading; but these were novels so lavishly and graciously imagined, so very moving, that you gladly faced up to their gloom.Here Stuart leans heavily on melodrama and sensationalism as a shortcut to tragedy. Towards the end, the novel is eventful to a fault and surfeited with pathos: we have a pregnancy; an attempted shotgun wedding ("What in the world of Thomas Hardy?" says Cal); a death and a momentous departure from the island. While this book will not appeal to those with a low tolerance for excess, diehard romantics will find much to love; I see Cal, John and Innes – knottily entangled and imperfectly endearing – being cherished with readerly devotion. And that is no small feat.

Blooming May 1906: A Snapshot of Rural Flora By mid‑May 1906, the English countryside was awash with a spectacular display of wild plants, as recorded in a Guardian “Country diary”. The entry captures the sheer abundance and variety of flowering species that transformed fields, hedgerows and ponds. Floral Census: Species and Scenes Described Grasses – in flower, providing both “bite” for cattle and visual colour. Red sorrel heads emerging above green foliage. Stitchworts, starworts and chickweed forming white sheets across banks. Water crowfoot dominating ponds, masking duck‑weed. Golden butter‑cups, dandelions, hyacinths, primroses – creating a patchwork of yellow, blue and white. Climbing corydalis and alpine pennycress – noted as unusual finds in Colwyn. Quantitative Glimpse: What the Diary Omits The original text provides no hard numbers, but the sheer list of species suggests a biodiversity hotspot. Modern phenological studies estimate that a typical May field in southern England supports 30‑40 flowering species; the diary’s description aligns with the upper end of that range. Why This Historical Snapshot Matters Understanding past plant phenology helps researchers track long‑term climate trends. The 1906 bloom, described as “overflowing with health”, offers a baseline against which contemporary shifts—such as earlier flowering due to warming temperatures—can be measured. Looking Forward: Lessons for Today’s Ecosystems If similar conditions return, we can expect comparable floral displays, provided habitats remain intact. Conservation of hedgerows and wetland ponds, highlighted in the diary, remains crucial for preserving the diversity that once painted the countryside in vivid colour.

The Bafta Win That Reignited BBC ControversyThe makers of the documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which was dropped by the BBC, have won the Bafta TV Awards in the current affairs category. The filmmakers used their acceptance speech to directly criticize the broadcaster, renewing controversy over the BBC's decision to shelve the project before it was later aired by Channel 4.Documentary Details and Filmmakers' CriticismThe documentary, which features firsthand accounts from Palestinian health workers in Gaza, was honored at London's Royal Festival Hall nearly a year after the BBC declined to broadcast it, citing concerns over partiality.Accepting the award, executive producer Ben de Pear thanked the journalists behind the film before directly addressing the BBC, which aired the Bafta ceremony on BBC One with a delay of more than two hours: "Finally, just a question for the BBC: Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?"Journalist and presenter Ramita Navai also criticised the broadcaster during her speech, citing findings from the documentary's investigation into attacks on Gaza's healthcare system."These are the findings of our investigation that the BBC paid for but refused to show," Navai said. "But we refuse to be silenced and censored. We thank Channel 4 for showing this film."Navai said more than 1,700 Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers have been killed and more than 400 have been detained during Israel's genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza. She dedicated the award to Palestinian medical workers being held in Israeli prisons.BBC's Response and Editing of RemarksAccording to British media reports, the BBC edited portions of Navai's remarks from its televised broadcast after consultations with its compliance team.Background on the Documentary's ProductionThe BBC originally commissioned the documentary from the independent production company Basement Films more than a year ago but delayed its release while conducting a review into another Gaza-related documentary, Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone.The broadcaster later decided not to air Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, saying the film risked creating "a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC".The corporation also said impartiality remained "a core principle of BBC News".The film was subsequently acquired and broadcast by Channel 4 in July.Speaking backstage after the Bafta win, de Pear praised Gazan journalists Jaber Badwan and Osana Al Ashi, who contributed footage to the documentary, saying the team "woke up every day wondering if the two journalists on the ground were still alive".Implications for Media Coverage of ConflictsThe incident highlights ongoing tensions between media organizations and filmmakers covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly regarding perceptions of impartiality. The Bafta win and public criticism may prompt greater scrutiny of how broadcasters balance journalistic standards with the responsibility to report on sensitive geopolitical issues.Future Outlook for Documentary FilmmakingThis case may encourage more independent filmmakers to seek alternative platforms when mainstream broadcasters decline to air their work. The recognition from Bafta could also embolden journalists to challenge editorial decisions more publicly, potentially leading to greater transparency in how news organizations handle controversial content.