Is it Fair to Be Cynical About Nostalgia?

Back in November 2022, a very well-written and thought-provoking piece appeared in The Guardian. Entitled “‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today”, it was penned by one Dan Hancox and became the latest offering from the newspaper’s The Long Read series of articles, which it describes as “in-depth reporting, essays […]

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Annus Mirabilis, or the Year the Music Died?

My introduction to “pop” music came, peculiarly, in the person of Michael Jackson. We were at primary school, I was ten years old. For reasons which I cannot recall, one particular day was declared to be a “free” day – no lessons, no classwork, no booky stuff. Instead we were invited to bring in our 45s, to be played to the class on the old record player brought into school by the teacher.

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