David JohnsonENGLISH PSYCHEDELIA AND THE CASTLEThere is really only English psychedelia. English psychedelia is the most likely to access the castle-as-drug, unconscious or otherwise.Sep 11Sep 11
David JohnsonTHE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CASTLE: the Deleuzian Rhizome as Slave AestheticThe castle has long been considered something archaic, that which has been surpassed. Firstly, it is considered that which simply no longer…Aug 13Aug 13
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