dansdenstuff

[dansdenstuff]

Stillness.

I take moments of stillness for granted. I fill my life with noise and dates and phonecalls and places to be and things to do that that has become the scale of living. Recently, I’ve found such fullness in the calm of a starry night, the breath of a sunrise, the silence of my lover sleeping. These moments remind me that there is air in my lungs that must be replenished, a yearning in my soul…

[dansdenstuff]

SYML's You knew it was me

I've been returning to old memories, because I always find comfort in history. One of those is SYML's You knew it was me, which remains as beautiful as ever.

It’s been almost a year since this album was shared with the world, and I find myself immersing in it ever still. The issue with abstract art is that, unless the artist has left behind some guidance for interpretation, there is never just one perspective of viewing the work – the same goes for wordless music. As subjective as the colours on a canvas can be for the viewer, so too are the melodies…

[dansdenstuff]

Overturning Roe v Wade

Without falling any further down the rabbit hole than this writer already has, the issue here is not about the morality of abortion; the issue is why it is happening in the first place

On Friday, June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v Wade, a case which held that unduly restrictive state regulations of a woman’s reproductive health was unconstitutional. In 1973, the Court stated in a 7-2 ruling that Texas statutes, which criminalized abortions, infringed on a woman’s right to privacy, an implicit liberty that was protected in the Fourteenth Amendment…

[dansdenstuff]

Review: Blue Hours

I miss banjos, man. I miss that folky, slap-ya-knee earthy grit that takes you to the heart of Godknowswhere; it’s the sound of my people gathered around a fire, reminiscing over ancient folklore. Much to my despair, it seems as though the once-were folk legends of our generation are pruning off their indie roots and moving to greener pastures. Mumford & Sons, The Tallest Man on Earth, Of…

[dansdenstuff]

Depp v Heard and the future of the MeToo Movement

Has Amber Heard frustrated the social credibility of other women who come forward with sexual assault allegations? Possibly. Does that mean the work and progress of the MeToo movement should also be discredited? Absolutely not.

When allegations of sexual assault were released against Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein in 2017, a floodgate was opened that spurred the trending of the MeToo movement. Although #metoo went viral in the same year, the organisation had already been around for more than a decade. This collection of advocates was established in 2006 by Tarana Burke who wanted to disrupt the systems that protect…

[dansdenstuff]

FEVER DREAMING

A personal essay on the responsibility of our happiness, and embracing the waves of the seasons - all to the whimsical tunes of every indie's favourite band

You are driving. The road is winding, along the coast below you, waves dance with the rocks and seaweed sunlight tinkers on the water’s surface. You have rolled down your windows and wound up your favourite song. Wind and music collide around you. This is the freest you’ve felt in a long time. Boundless possibilities lie ahead. You lose control. The car swerves suddenly and now,you are falling.…

[dansdenstuff]

The Tale of the Traveling Troubadour

In this tale of friendship, adventure and community, I speak with Paul Thompson about his musical journey and the unique ways in which he shares his music with the world.

Paul Thompson was at a roundabout in Aylsham 30 years ago, hitchhiking back to Sheringham when a car pulled over and offered him a ride. “I’m headed in that direction,” said Tim Jefferson, a stranger to Paul at the time. However, the drive back to their hometown made quick change of that. It just so happened that both Paul and Tim were musicians in their own right; Paul, a spritely 18-year-old…

[dansdenstuff]

BTS and the Image of the Boyband

Although BTS is veneered with boyband stereotypes, they are also not. The band’s soft masculinity, conceptual music videos and political lyrics are deconstructing previous moulds of what a typical boyband should represent.

I was in a newsroom when I discovered BTS. I was shadowing a journalist – a serious journalist – who asked me a question – a serious question: “Are you an ARMY?” “…what?” I whispered back. Given my location, I was suddenly conscious that the following information might not be privy to everyone. “A BTS fan?” Confusion remained very stuck to my face – which, I suppose, answered her. “Honey,” she…

[dansdenstuff]

Silver Tinsel Nostalgia

Is it weird that my mind’s Christmas collection is not all naked memories? The one on repeat is actually in film. It’s a decade-old memory of me watching a video taken on a hot Christmas morning. I’m not even the one doing the recording, though I do feature. On a secluded farm somewhere along the Eastern Cape coast in Africa’s deep South, eight of us are huddled in a lounge draped in silver…

[dansdenstuff]

The Little Red Barn Show: a romantic's review

The Little Red Barn Show: a romantic’s review

I have a nasty habit of measuring the success of my life according to the enormity of the events that happen in it; the bigger, the better. So, during a year where literally nothing happens, I have been… humbled. I’ve caught myself at the most arbitrary moments feeling overwhelmed, like I’m failing. At what? No one knows. Life? For goodness sake, I’m only 23.

So some mindset adjustments…

[dansdenstuff]

Free Speech and Cardi B

Free Speech and Cardi B

For the sake of all that is good and pure in this world, can we please go back to discussing pineapple on pizza? I miss the comfort of arguing the logic for something as simple as sweet fruit on a savoury pie, knowing that only my taste buds will be questioned by those who clearly had a deprived childhood – and not my entire character. 

Unfortunately, this debate is not a true reflection of…

[dansdenstuff]

Pavement Pianos: the aesthetics of wealth

Cape Town vs London: what is it about the aesthetics of these two trojan cities that invokes a desire to succeed? We break down the aesthetics of wealth the only way the Den knows how.

I recently asked a student of mine, an Israeli gentleman, what wealth in his city looked like to him. He responded with a question: ‘A wealthy man is a man with freedom… is a man really wealthy if he works too hard to spend his money?’ Point taken.

‘But,’ I replied, ‘I feel like that sort of freedom isn’t always a choice. Don’t other factors influence how we have to spend our money, and how we

[dansdenstuff]

Out of the 52 weeks of the year, the first week of August is my favourite.

This piece is written in honour of the creatives of my world. May you always be brave to share who you are, and helplessly in love with what inspires you.

The first time I listened to Billie Eilish was at two a.m. on a Thursday morning in 2016. Month: unknown. Additional unknowns are the reasons I felt compelled to note that ‘at 2 a.m. Ocean Eyessounds like the fear of falling in love!’ ‘LOL…

[dansdenstuff]

The Opening Sentence The first time I listened to Billie Eilish was at two a.m. on a Thursday morning in 2016.

[dansdenstuff]

Black Lives Matter and (Re)Writing Whiteness

Black Lives Matter and (Re)Writing Whiteness

A chunky part of me refuses to believe that letter-writing is falling to the wayside, disregarded as another token of nostalgia like cassette tapes, pagers and the scream of a connecting modem. There is and always will be something inherently poetic in the identity of someone’s handwriting for something as simple as ‘See you later’ – no matter how messy or delicate. In an era when technology is…

[dansdenstuff]

Redefining Community and Rocketman

I'd like to think that when this B-grade movie is over, maybe we'll come out of it wearing feather scarves and outrageous glasses with Elton John singing the end credits,

I strut into Sainsbury’s during the corona pandemic like I’m Elton John in the opening scene of Rocketman. The difference – obviously – is that I am not cloaked in an outlandish pair of bedazzled devil wings, with an eccentric orange body suit to match. Instead, I am sporting my sweat-soaked yoga pants, a t-shirt that looks as though it was last washed a decade ago and a red, blotchy face that is…

[dansdenstuff]

Valentines Day: a reminder where love has died.

Valentines Day: a reminder where love has died. Let's consider the future of our next generation of women and the environment we want for them to thrive in.

The headline ‘Dan Champ is a tragic romantic’ is not about to break news any time soon. Since conception, specific genes continue to strengthen triggers for my brain to forever fall madly in love with love, so that as often as I try to rebuke a couple partaking in some PDA, my heart is coded to secretly sigh a gushy ‘awwww’. This means that on a day like Valentine’s Day, I am seeing red – and…