"when the “F*ck you, I won’t do what you tell me” comes in. I used to love jumping around in the mosh pit. I still do. My parents used to freak out about me going to festivals, but it’s a (mostly) friendly and supportive environment. The majority of people are there because they love music, and they want to love the music with other people who love music. You feel a real intense connection with the band and the music when you’re jumping around and your heart is pumping, wondering if you might fall over."

"I think this is a work of genius. It manages to be utterly hilarious, completely tender and touching, and biting and satirical at the same time. It actually taught me a lot about America. As I saw it shortly after I moved here, I realized that if these type of situations and characters were being parodied then they must actually exist. When the DVD came out, I bought it and I’m still reeling from the number “This Bulging River”. I think the only people I’ve ever geeked out about in an embarrassing way are the people responsible for this film."

"Much has been written about authoritarianism and its multiple manifestations, but little has been said about the ways in which people, even the most educated, seemingly open-minded people, internalise authoritarianism in their daily life. What happens to politics and politicians under a corrupt system is obvious. But what happens to a society and a culture under authoritarianism is a question less understood. The Polish poet, essayist and thinker Milosz wrote extensively about home, homeland, exile, memory, history…. As a writer who comes from a turbulent land of collective amnesia, I have always read him with a sense of affinity."