Escape is…

Escape figures as a crucial tactic of resistance against neoliberal governance and contemporary forms of oppression. Escape is a multiplicitous gathering of concepts, practices, sensibilities, acts, and affects; these variations on escape have been named exodus, desertion, nonexistence, illegibility, and idealism. Importantly, escape not only expresses a desire to exit current regimes of control but also to cultivate forms of living otherwise, or living autonomously. Escape, I would argue, is about radical hospitality: it is a collective attempt—aesthetic, conceptual, political—to eradicate forms of control, exploitation, and domination, which just might make the world more hospitable to all.

From an interesting escape-themed editorial and video selection from Rhizome.

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Dave Thompson

One of our big interviews for Issue Seven (the other being with Joshua Glenn) is with travelling comedian Dave Thompson.

Dave is a stand-up comedian, novellist and clown. He’s been on TV a lot, often with Ben Elton and Harry Hill projects, and he was also one of the famous Teletubbies.

I first interviewed Dave as research for my book about comedy, You Are Nothing. I enjoyed talking to him so much that I decided to invite him for another chat, this time for New Escapologist.

As a comic, he lives a very mobile life, performing all over the world, so he’s a great person to talk to for our On the Lam-themed issue. Pre-order the issue here. It’s due for release any moment now.

Glenn’s Glossaries

One of our Issue Seven interviewees is the witty and studious Mr. Joshua Glenn, who — among other things — is the driving force behind The Idler’s Glossary and The Wage Slave’s Glossary.

As if that weren’t splendid enough, the interview is accompanied by the original concept art for The Idler’s Glossary cover by Seth (i.e. a never-seen-before rough sketch version of the above).

For a sample of Joshua’s well-researched and illuminating definitions, roll your limpid peepers in a HiLo direction.

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The Cheese Mule and Other Stories

The newest member of New Escapologist‘s house staff, Tom Mellors, is posting a mini-series of original travel writing to his blog about his time in Los Angeles. It’s called The Road to Skid Row and it’s a rather gripping tale of three months spent on the lam.

Tom also writes in our upcoming Seventh Issue about his experience of hitch-hiking.

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Creating Freedom

This documentary looks good. The central premise seems to be that we’re not born free. We’re born into systems of ideas, ethics, and norms. We’re not skeptical enough about those systems. Even if we become skeptical over time, we’ve still absorbed many cultural norms by the time we’re old enough to question them.

It reminds me of Richard Dawkins’ somewhat shocking but almost certainly correct idea that raising children religiously is tantamount to child abuse.

It also touches on something we’ll be discussing in the upcoming Seventh Issue (Pre-Order here!) of New Escapologist: the idea that ‘normal’ is a very elastic concept, geographically and historically. Appropriate perspective comes all too late, if ever.

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