David JohnsonTHE BRIGHT RED GOTHICThe ‘bright red gothic’ is an aesthetic that resonates in the abyss between winning and losing, heaven and hell.May 10May 10
David JohnsonLATE COLIN WILSON’S FINAL SOLUTION TO THE OUTSIDERLate Colin Wilson ditches the whole weltschmerz part of THE OUTSIDER. Now outsider angst is simply the frustration of the natural elite who…Jan 19Jan 19
David JohnsonIN A CRUEL WORLDBataille’s economy is famous for its cruelty and yet it is rather not cruel enough, a function of his generalised universalism:Jan 5Jan 5
David JohnsonTHE HEAVEN AND HELL CABARETThe decadent Parisians that frequented the Heaven and Hell cabarets of the 1890s were only superficially ‘ambiguous’.Dec 25, 2023Dec 25, 2023
David JohnsonFORGET NAPOLEONJust as a 10 hour film of Beatles rehearsals was unthinkable in the 60s, so a sprawling biopic of Napoleon was unthinkable in the 70s…Dec 6, 2023Dec 6, 2023
David JohnsonTHE IRON GAMEWinning and losing are absolute poles either side of the perfect abyss.Nov 30, 2023Nov 30, 2023
David JohnsonSWEET TOOTH METAPHYSICSHaute cuisine forever shills the bitter-sweet as a kind of sophisticated ambiguous pleasure. And people actually like the bitter-sweet…Nov 17, 2023Nov 17, 2023
David JohnsonHUMAN MANNEQUINS IN 60s POPWhat is it with all those human mannequins in 60s pop shows?Oct 8, 2023Oct 8, 2023
David JohnsonFOUCAULT AND THE BATAILLEAN PLAGUE ORGYIn honour of Bataille, Foucault has the plague liberating the bound energies of care, via its annihilation of all hope. But this liberation…Aug 27, 2023Aug 27, 2023
David JohnsonTHE ROMAN SATURNALIAIf Bataille is right, and the slave with nothing to lose is freer in the solar moment of ruinous intoxication than the lord with everything…Aug 6, 2023Aug 6, 2023