Category Archives: A.A. Gill

The Curious Hidden World Of Felines

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“Billy, my cross-eyed Siamese cat had an unusual habit. Before he would settle in to enjoy a nice meal of whatever ridiculously expensive gourmet cat food I provided, he would clamber up to the top of a dresser in my bedroom. Once perched on top, he would skillfully reach down with a paw and open the top draw. Then, he would peek inside and carefully snatch hold of a pair of my underpants. Once secured on his claws, he would transfer the garment to his mouth. From there, he would almost bounce down from his perch and head for his food dish with Marks & Spencer’s* finest dangling from his clenched teeth. When he arrived at said dish, he would carefully arrange my undies around the edge and finally proceed to eat, with what I hope was a satisfied glint in his sadly misaligned eyes. This is a story I couldn’t wait to share with Thomas McNamee.” Says Norman B. It makes perfect sense, after all, McNamee is the author of The Inner Life of Cats – The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions. With a naturalist’s eye combined with humor and a warm heart, Thomas brings the always wild, yet domesticated cat into delightful and insightful focus. Thomas McNamee joins Norman B for the next edition of Life Elsewhere to talk about his definitive book on the hidden world of felines and hopefully explain the curious antics of Billy, the cross-eyed Siamese cat.

*Marks & Spencer explained

We are very pleased to announce that Life Elsewhere will now be aired on Cornucopia Radio run by an enterprising and enthusiastic bunch over in the UK.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on I R N
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud

Fearless!

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Photo by Richard Saker / Rex Features
Photo from W Magazine

Who would you describe as Fearless? It’s a lofty accolade, coincidently used by the two guests in the next edition of Life Elsewhere. Frequent contributor, Dr. Binoy Kampmark says, A. A. Gill was Fearless. Mr. Gill was a noted cultural critic. For many years he wrote restaurant reviews for the London Sunday Times. He also wrote TV reviews, travel essays. He wrote and appeared in documentaries and television programs. He brandished his critical prose without apology. Gill also wrote a number of well-received books, including The Golden Door. This was one of the books Dr. Kampmark selected for his list in last week’s Life Elsewhere Holiday Gift Special. Kampmark had selected The Golden Door, because of Gill’s pertinent take on America. As the show was being produced, we were unaware that news was breaking that A. A. Gill had succumbed to his struggle with cancer. Binoy promptly wrote, The passing of a sharp tongue: the glorious hatchet of AA Gill, a thoughtful appreciation of A. A. Gill. Dr. Binoy Kampmark will join us to talk about the Fearless writer.

Leslie Bennetts, longtime Vanity Fair writer and former New York Times reporter has delivered an unflinching, warts-and-all biography of Joan Rivers, who she unequivocally calls Fearless! Bennetts‘ new book, Last Girl Before Freeway: The Life, Loves, Losses, and Liberation of Joan Rivers tells the story of Joan Alexandra Molinsky who by the time she died at the age of 81 in 2014, was known as the iconic legend, Joan Rivers. Her story was a roller-coaster ride of triumphant highs and devastating lows: the suicide of her husband, her feud with Johnny Carson, her estrangement from her daughter, her many plastic surgeries, her ferocious ambition and her massive insecurities.  But Rivers‘ career was also hugely significant in American cultural history, breaking down barriers for her gender and pushing the boundaries of truth-telling for women in public life. Leslie Bennetts joins Norman B for an extended, in-depth conversation about her new book and the Fearless Joan Rivers.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on Internet Radio Network.
You can hear all the volumes of Life Elsewhere Music over at Mixcloud