An anthology of Mike Marqusee's selected articles discussing Bob Dylan, the game of cricket, American Civil rights, Jewish identity, William Blake’s art, nationalism, Big Pharma, Labour Party politics, the films of John Ford, Flamenco music, the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, the BDS campaign, Muhammad Ali and Italian Renaissance painting amongst many other topics explored with Marqusee's acute, erude and kaleidoscopic writings.
Oct 30, 2003
Review of Chimes of Freedom and Christopher Ricks’ Dylan’s Visions of Sin By Mark Ford, Times Literary Supplement, 30 October, 2003 “The only thing I can compare him with is blotting paper”, the Irish singer Liam Clancy once remarked of the scruffy, mumbling, chain-smoking nineteen-year-old folkie who arrived on the Greenwich Village coffee-house scene in… Read more
Oct 25, 2003
The Guardian, 25 October, 2003 A new wave of political protest has unleashed a new wave of protest music. On Bomb the World, rap artist turned lyrical funkster Michael Franti sings: “We can chase down all our enemies/bring them to their knees/we can bomb the world to pieces/but we can’t bomb the world to peace.”… Read more
Oct 17, 2003
Review of Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore The Independent, 17 October 2003 Can the left communicate to a wide popular audience? Can it free itself of the prison of jargon? Can it reach out to the unconverted? New Labour and its co-thinkers in the Democratic party decided that the only answer to these… Read more
Sep 3, 2003
Review of Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist by Alton Chase The Independent, 3 September 2003 For sixteen years, Ted Kaczynski led the FBI a merry dance, stuffing his intricately crafted parcel bombs with tantalising, impenetrable clues. By 1995, his campaign had struck sixteen targets – grad students, computer store managers,… Read more
Jun 21, 2003
Notes for a speech by Mike Marqusee at ‘Days of Hope’ Seminar organised by Signs of the Times 21 June 2003 I have been asked to respond to two questions. 1. Organisationally the left outside of Labour is dominated by the Leninist groups, particularly the SWP, does their practice act as a bloc on a… Read more
May 5, 2003
The Guardian, 5 May 2003 Tam Dalyell has an honourable record as a parliamentary maverick and forensic critic of military adventures, but his comment on the alleged Jewish influence on US and British war policy should be seen for what it is – an anti-semitic outburst. Although Dalyell does not appear to have used the… Read more
Feb 1, 2003
1 February, 2003 On last September’s 400,000 strong anti-war demonstration in London, I was asked by an excited 15 year old: “How can Blair go ahead with the war now? With so many people against him?” Gently, I broke the news. It would take more than one demonstration to stop this war. But I also… Read more
Nov 16, 2002
Mike Marqusee on Donald McRae’s evocation of the hurdles faced by Joe Louis and Jesse Owens The Guardian, 16 November, 2002 Review of In Black and White: The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens by Donald McRae, Scribner. In 1936, under the irritated gaze of Hitler and the Nazi high command, the sprinter and long jumper… Read more
Sep 25, 2002
The Journalist, October 2002 POPULAR SUPPORT for wars in foreign lands is not a natural phenomenon. It has to be carefully constructed, sometimes over decades, sometimes in a matter of weeks, but always with the assistance of the media. And when powerful forces committed to making war get to work, journalists come under pressure. From… Read more
Aug 2, 2002
When Dylan played Newport in 1965 he shocked the crowd. Will he do so again when he returns tomorrow? The Guardian, 2 August 2002 On Saturday night Bob Dylan returns to the scene of the crime. For the first time since 1965 – when he appalled traditionalists by playing electrified rock’n’roll – he will be… Read more
