New Yorker lunacy

I’m very interested in the American Presidential election and was pretty shocked by the now infamous New Yorker magazine cover (left) depicting Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as terrorists / Muslims / flag-burning anti-christs etc. The logic of the magazine seems to be that they are satirising the attempts by the Right to depict Senator Obama as something he’s not but I can’t help but wonder why they thought that reinforcing those misperceptions was a way of combatting them. Both campaigns have been critical of the New Yorker, and rightly so, although you have to suspect that the McCain camp are secretly thrilled by it all. But even if you do accept that it’s satirical, it doesn’t seem particularly clever to me.

Oh, and if you’re reading this in America, why not click here?

The Lighthouse Cinema

When I was a student at Trinity College, Dublin, in the early ’90s I ofted skipped out for an afternoon to the Lighthouse cinema on Abbey Street, which at the time was the only cinema in Dublin which specialised in arthouse/independent/foreign films. Sadly the Lighthouse closed about a decade ago but it has recently reopened in new premises in Smithfield Plaza, Dublin, and I visited yesterday afternoon to see the new film by director Tom Kalin, SAVAGE GRACE.

I’m a total cinema buff and go the movies far more often than is healthy for me and I know most of the Dublin screens quite well and know where to see and where not to see movies. (There’s one cinema, for example, which has beautiful screens but the sound from the movies playing around it seeps into the auditorium which is really annoying.) But I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever been in a cinema anywhere in the world more extraordinary than the new Lighthouse. Resembling an art gallery or late night jazz venue more than a traditional cinema it’s an absolutely stunning venue with bright open spaces to mill around before the movie, and multi-coloured seats in the theatres themselves. The sound and screens themselves are excellent.

It’s great to have this 4 screen cinema back in Dublin but congrats to all involved for this most innovative design in Dublin cinema. If you’re in Dublin, you should visit it. Their website is here.

Hourglass Readings

To the Irish Writers Centre last night for the 5th in the series of ‘Hourglass Readings’, a terrific idea by Irish novelist Dermot Bolger where he interviews a fellow writer while an hourglass sitting on the table between them counts the minutes ticking away.

Last night it was Claire Kilroy’s turn to be interviewed before a packed room and we were treated to a chapter from her third novel, which is due to be published next May.

Two weeks from now, one of Ireland’s best writers, Glenn Patterson, will be interviewed in the same series. Glenn, Claire and I were in a hotel fire together in Delhi earlier this year - more about that after Glenn’s reading, I think! Tickets can be booked here.