Away with the angels?
But as this new exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians shows, he was much more than just a loony witch
Boulez est mort
Boulez est mort. The composer-conductor will be remembered above all as a propagandist, a breed for whom long life is not predicted
Disciple of Duchamp
But the equally cutting-edge show at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery from New Zealander Simon Denny seems hamstrung by its medium
In two minds
Simon Rattle’s conducting was immaculate, Peter Sellars’s directing wasn’t as irritating as feared and what a cast!
Starman
By withdrawing from the public gaze, Bowie ensured that his legacy would be his extraordinary records
Endurance test
Whether you enjoy this film will essentially depend on how strong your stomach is and how much you’re into watching Leonardo DiCaprio grunting for two-and-a-half hours
Gallows humour
Plus: a play at the Arcola that accepts the bizarre notion that every setback suffered by asylum-seekers is an indelible stain on Britain’s moral integrity
Off the page
Plus: while it’s good to see Carlos Acosta looking sexy and charismatic again, Royal Ballet’s Elizabeth needs help from Bridget Jones on their portrayal of a woman in love
Chance encounters
Plus: two great moments on Desert Island Discs and the resurrection of an early masterclass from Tom Stoppard
Compliance order
Derren Brown closed the programme by telling us not to do what other people tell us - except, presumably when it’s him telling us not to do what other people tell us
High life
Tolstoy wrote about all happy ones being alike, but what would he have said about the ugly ones?
Real life
A road resurfacer will trump a middle-class woman every time (unless she is a lesbian adopter)
Wild life
It made me aware of our fragility and need for each other’s protection — and our helplessness
Bridge
Forgive me for the outdated, clichéd expression but …GIRL POWER! The surprise winners of last weekend’s TGRs auction pairs were…
Paul stories
An excellent recent article by Dominic Lawson in Standpoint magazine reminded me of the greatness of Paul Keres. The Estonian…
No. 391
White to play. This is from Fischer-Benko, US Championship, New York 1963. The obvious 1 e5 is successfully parried by 1…
Macaronic
In Competition No. 2930 you were invited to submit up to 16 lines of macaronic verse. A dictionary of poetic…
2243: Obit III
Last year we lost a popular 39 of stage and screen. 18A/16 (four words in total) and 10/18A/15 (five words…
Christmas crossword solution
The grid quotation was from the JOURNEY OF THE MAGI (T S ELIOT). Initial letters of superfluous words spelled out…
Christmas crossword: The winners
The first prize of £100, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of the Chambers Dictionary of Great Quotations (2015)…
Tell the truth about benefit claimants and the left shuts you down
How neurobiologist Dr Adam Perkins became a victim of the new McCarthyism
Q: What is a good school? A: One that other people like
With humanity’s love of collective consensus, reputation can often count for more than reality
