On the musical road in Ireland
From the archives, a radio interview about 10 days spent in Ireland following the musical ghost of Van Morrison.
REMEMBERING THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE NEW YORK JEWISH INTELLECTUALS
An interview for The JC with the author of a new book on a vanished intellectual era.
15 of the most influential New Zealanders you’ve never heard of
Katharine Birbalsingh, David Rozado, Christopher White. Ring any bells? Possibly not. These are people from New Zealand, David writes, whose intellectual and creative work tends to be better known abroad these days than in their country of birth or long-term residence.
New Zealand’s new cringeworthy slogan
Reporting for The Spectator on New Zealand’s baffling new tourism strategy.
TROUBLE IN PARADISE?
Reporting for The Spectator on the diplomatic storm clouds gathering around the tranquil Cook Islands.
You’re gonna make us lonesome when you go
To mark the imminent arrival of the excellent new Bob Dylan biopic, a Spectator piece from the archives on David’s one fleeting encounter with the great American songwriter.
FOOD TRENDS IN 2025
Aphrodisiac cooking and other culinary trends in the year ahead, as prophesied by David in the NZ Listener.
REMEMBERING LEONARD COHEN
Eight years on from the old master’s death, David chats with RNZ’s Emile Donovan about the jagged legacy of Leonard Cohen. (Photo taken on location in Montreal by Maria Viana)
Holy roller
David’s tribute for Quillette for Chris Bailey, the Irish-Australian who some say invented punk rock, and who died on Easter Sunday 2022.
WHY IS THIS NEW ZEALAND AIRPORT CLAMPING DOWN ON HUGS?
Hugh Grant wouldn’t be the only one aghast at Dunedin airport’s new ban on lingering hugs at the terminal, David reports in The Spectator.
BORN TO BOSS
Writing for Quillette, David charts the rise and fall of the great rock critics through the prism of the music of Bruce Springsteen. The essay also includes a nifty playlist of his favourite less-than-obvious studio tracks by Springsteen, live versions of his best hits and cover versions by other artists
ME AND MR LEVIN
Twenty years after his passing and writing for British readers of the Jewish Chronicle, David recalls a hapless interview he did with the English writer Bernard Levin.
AT ONE WITH THE CANTERBURY ELEMENTS
One here from the archives: Road tripping in New Zealand’s South Island for The New York Times.
What New Zealand’s U-turn on smoking ban could mean for Rishi Sunak
Even though Jacinda Ardern’s flagship policy was scrapped, it seems Sunak is determined to get his legacy – but at what cost? An analysis in the Daily Telegraph.