That was genius.

Our attention is precious, so I agree we should be careful about where we direct it. Concert programming/syllabi are good ways to make space.

For contemporary artists I'm more sympathetic to that argument because of our prevailing economy of attention (and how attention drives commerce and vice versa).

I'm not convinced by the "zero-sum" argument, at least w/r/t historical figures. That's not to say that certain artists don't acquire an outsize or unwarranted cultural cachet, but it's the role of criticism to challenge this (e.g., why Meyerbeer deserves more prominence than Wagner).

In fairness to Lisa Halliday, it's unlikely she wrote the subheading to her review, which is ill-served by the Telegraph's invidious framing. I admire certain aspects of Updike's work and literary practice, and I'd heard he was a gracious correspondent. Glad to hear that was your experience too.

It was an eyeful in person, I can tell you.

I saw Puppetry of the Penis at the Fringe once when they did an impromptu outdoor show after a fire alarm meant the Underbelly had to be evacuated.

It shouldn't need to be said, but if you are trying to fold a penis, you are either doing it very wrong or you're auditioning for the "puppetry of the penis" show. (The two aren't mutually exclusive.)

Others may disagree with my use of "had to."

Very true. A boon for the tired parent in need of a quick supper. A bonus for me is that my youngest, if I let him pick, would, 95 times out of 100, choose scrambled eggs.

We're at pretty much the same rate, and my two are much younger (but really, really like eggs).

We bought a carton just today and we're already at 50%.

The Glorious Dread

Mamdalkey Archive

Incredible levels of drip.

Also had my first hearing of six-seven in the wild.