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Back on Track: John Mayer's All About the Music (At Last)

John Mayer, Hammersmith Apollo, from the back of the room (again) [the pastel effect isn't a Photoshop filter, it's all my own incompetence].

A week on from a performance so quirky as to seem almost self-defeating, John Mayer returned to a London stage and played the kind of understatedly triumphant show which only someone of his considerable class, constitution and conviction is capable. I've seen him play five times in London now - at the Forum in 2006, the Albert Hall (on my birthday) in 2007, Brixton Academy in '08, last week and last night - and this was far and away the best of the lot. ... more »

posted: 19/01/2010 | comments »

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Why "Hyperlocal" Might Not Be the Future for Journalism

One of the RAF's new Chinook Mk3s on a training flight above the snow at Odiham, January 13, 2010 [Confused as to why this photo has no relevance to the story below? Click HERE.]

I'm hearing excellent reports of the New Ways to Make Journalism Pay conference organised by the NUJ's London Freelance Branch (of which, in the interests of disclosure, I should point out I'm a member; and a member of the Branch committee - though I had nothing to do with the conference so am not claiming any credit for its success). Hopefully this might help prove that the NUJ isn't the head-in-sand dinosaur some commentators assume it to be; it's very much an organisation that is driven by its members, and those members, right now, want to know what they can do, pro-actively, to help secure their livelihoods. One thing that concerns me, though, is the way the term "hyperlocal" seems to be being unquestioningly transplanted from the theoretical to the practical. I'm worried about this because I'm not sure it's a concept that has as much relevance in the UK as it seems to have in the US, and therefore may not be a useful tool for British journalists to use when trying to map out a new way forward in a changing world. So here's a few thoughts I'd like to throw out, in the hope that readers can help me see the light. ... more »

posted: 18/01/2010 | comments »

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Haiti: One Musician's Response

Click on the above to donate.

It's easy to be cynical about celebrities and their charity work, but there's no doubting Wyclef Jean's commitment to Haiti. ... more »

posted: 15/01/2010 | comments »

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John Mayer: Foot and Mouth Outbreak at the Hard Rock Cafe

John Mayer, from the back of the room, Hard Rock Cafe, London, January 11, 2009

I wasn't reviewing John Mayer's Q-sponsored gig at the Hard Rock Cafe in London last night. But if I had been, I'd have written something along these lines. ... more »

posted: 12/01/2010 | comments »

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Spirits in the Sky, and on the Ground: My Two Days at Whiteman

A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber takes off, flying south, at Whiteman AFB, MO, October 30, 2009. Photo: SrA Kenny Holston

At the end of last October, I became the first non-American journalist in years to visit Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. I was there to write this piece, published today in the Mail on Sunday's Live Magazine section, about Whiteman's fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bomber aircraft, and the RAF exchange pilots who've been flying it. Over the course of the two days I spent at Whiteman I saw, heard and experienced much, much more than I was able to cram into those six Live pages, or into the further page which will run in February's edition of Defense Technology International; in particular, there are thousands of words of fascinating interviews I've not been able to use yet. So if you're a commissioning editor and could use any of it, I'm very much open to offers. In the mean time, I thought I'd publish a few extracts here. ... more »

posted: 08/01/2010 | comments »

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Three Questions

Stealth mural, Tonopah Fire Department, Tonopah, NV, September 2007

I'll keep this brief, and to the point.... more »

posted: 18/10/2009 | comments »

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Honest Blogging: A Public Declaration

Governors Island, New York, August 2009

I was kind of amused to see that there's some American government agency planning to regulate misleading blogs. You've got to admire their ambition, even while laughing long and hard at how pointless and Sisyphean a task they've set themselves. Maybe their initiative will have the effect of increasing voluntary transparency - which would be welcome. So in such a spirit, here's what you need to know about what you read here.... more »

posted: 11/10/2009 | comments »