It’s the first day of June 2026. I’m a writer and a happy man. I live in Glasgow with a small pikachu-like creature.
Projects
We’re taking Melt It! The Film of the Iceman on a ten-date summer tour. You should come. What better way to cool down? This will be ace. Also, check out our brand new trailer (above).
New Escapologist Issue 19 is ready to ship, as is a tenth-anniversary edition of Escape Everything! Both will soon be available in stylish bookshops.
Reading
I just turned the final pages of How Not to Die (Too Soon) by Devi Sridhar on whom I have a devastating crush.
I’m about to start reading The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. Mackinnon because I’d love to know what would happen. Chaos, I expect.
Did you know that you can see what I’m reading at any given instant here? If you’re feeling lonely, just have a look at what I’m reading to achieve a palpable sense of connection. It’s what the Internet is good for. Just don’t tap the glass.
Culture
Last night I went to see friend Rowan play Tennent’s Laughter Lounge as I have every right to do.
I’m watching an American shitshow called From. It’s exactly the same as Lost but with uglier actors and I even though I know it won’t pay off in the remaining time it has left on the obscure MGM streaming platform, I simply can’t look away.
I enjoyed The Ex at the Flying Duck last week. They were incredible and the place was full of bouncy skinheads. It was a good final thing to experience at the latest Glasgow venue to shut up shop and thus contribute to the cultural desertification that will come to characterise the Starmer-Farage era of Plague Island history. I came home happy with their new album and a cool tote.
At the GFT this week (support your local arts cinema, folks) I saw poultry-based Buster Keaton homage Hen (2026) and dull boomer around-the-world dalliance The Balloonists (2026). I liked them both!
The eyebrow-raising investigations at The Nerve by Cadwalladr and Company are brilliant. Get informed and then resist.
Physical form
Captured at the Sparkle Horse pub in Partick by Alan Dimmick whose new book is due in July:
