Category: Writing
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Into Wilfred Thesiger’s Empty Quarter
Good old Wilfred Thesiger. The explorer’s five years in the heat of the UAE desert have inspired countless expats to dip their toes in the shallows of the Rub’ Al Khali, and his books and artefacts have become a small tourist industry in their own right. You can head out to the museum in Al…
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The Bob Geldof interview
This was one of the first interviews I did working for Time Out. Jeremy Lawrence, the editor of Time Out Dubai at the time, popped his head up over the computer screen and asked nonchalantly if I fancied interviewing Bob Geldof in, oooh, an hour? Cue 50 minutes of frenzied research on African policy, all of which led…
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The Tom Jones interview
The snake hips have gone, but the charm is all intact. ‘Just call me Tom,’ he laughs down the phone as I fumble with his title. This, after all, is the original Mr Jones: celebrated lothario, knight of the realm, Hollywood Walk of Famer… He’s clocked up more Vegas appearances than Sinatra, talked fitness tips with Elvis…
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Status Quo: The Francis Rossi interview
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi has been giving a lot of people ‘whatever they want’ for a long time now. Onstage, he’s half of the core duo that make up the unstoppable Status Quo, a British hard rock band that formed in 1967 and have famously played few more than three chords ever since. Offstage,…
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The KT Tunstall interview
What do horned Mexican wrestlers, the legendary Don Quixote and stress relief in the form of Osama Bin Laden all have in common? No, you’ll probably never guess. They’re all part of KT Tunstall’s Japanese experience.
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The Yoko Ono interview
It’s 3:30am on a cold March morning, and I’m quietly soiling myself. As always, I’ve not thought this through properly. Being a “homely” rag, Japanzine isn’t used to dealing with big celebrities, and my rash promises to “land Yoko” were received with the kind of humor usually reserved for a senile relative. A few tentative…