Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (896)

Content

Looking to London: Stories of War, Escape and Asylum

Cynthia Cockburn

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

This book looks at five communities of refugees living in London, who have travelled from the...

Austerity Britain, 1945-1951

David Kynaston

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

For the first time, the Sunday Times bestseller Austerity Britain is available in one complete...

Black Baseball in New York City: An Illustrated History, 1885-1959

Larry Lester

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

For the first time, witness and read about New York's most prominent black teams, from post Civil...

Gruff Rhys recommended Elektronik Turkler by Erkin Koray in Music (curated)

"I was playing a festival in Istanbul and asked Andy Votel and Dom Thomas if I should look out for any records while I was there. I got a bunch of records from shops, taking them to the counter where I was asked 'do I want them with the picture sleeve or without?' So I asked 'what's the difference?' and it was half price without the sleeve! So I took them without the sleeves, which they removed and tried to chuck away into the bin, but I convinced them to keep the sleeves for themselves. Anyway, I got a bunch of records and many of them were incredible - I used to play and dance to them a lot. They're really upbeat and vibrant with a brutal electric sass fizzing through them, with rhythms that were new to me and this whole new world opened up. I got hold of this Koray album, which is really playful and has had a direct influence on me musically and maybe took me out of Anglo-American song writing [habits]. Although it engages with Anglo-American rock, it's a unique album. It's a parallel pop universe that we're not exposed to. We're more exposed to the music of the economic settlements of the post-second World War!"

Source

Kudos

Mary Ellen Mark recommended Bicycle Thieves (1948) in Movies (curated)

"This 1948 film is a classic Italian neorealist film that takes place in post–World War II Italy. It is a beautifully told and photographed story about a close relationship between a father, Antonio, and his young son, Bruno, who idolizes his father. As the story opens, Antonio is desperately searching for work and finally gets a job posting signs. In order to do this job, he must have a bicycle. His wife, Maria, pawns her wedding sheets to buy him a bicycle, but it is stolen on the first day of his new job. The rest of the film, father and son pursue the thieves to get the bicycle back. They fail. In the end, Antonio is forced to steal a bicycle so he will not lose his job. Bruno witnesses this and Antonio is humiliated in front of his son. For me, the film was about the ultimate and heartbreaking betrayal of trust between a father and his son. I’ve always photographed families and family relationships. This wonderful film encouraged me to look beyond the surface and find the real relationships that exist between family members. The epic quality of the film was a great inspiration for me."

Source

Kudos