Jamie Davies

Isn’t it amazing how the very best art is little more than some solvents and dyes slapped onto a canvas? Materially, there’s really not much separating a masterpiece like The Starry Night from the lime green atrocity on your in-law’s bedroom wall, or the Mona Lisa from a child’s wonky self-portrait. So, why is it that so-called ‘good’ art ends up in prestigious galleries, renowned the world over, while other works end up filling space in dusty lofts, alongside rarely-used suitcases and stacks of

What’s your favourite way to eat poppy seeds? Filling a rich and hearty Eastern European poppy seed roll? Inside a light and spongy muffin? Perhaps sprinkled over a warm, freshly-baked bagel? There’s no wrong way to enjoy the nutty, crunchy qualities of the poppy seed. Hang on…wait, where are you going? I promise I’ve not worked out some sleazy brand deal with my local bakery (although if you’re reading, Percy Ingles, my DMs are always open). No, no, the truth is I’m here to warn you that poppy

Think of a playing card. You’ve got 52 to choose from, 53 if we count the joker (we shouldn’t). Are you thinking of the ace of spades? Yes? No? Did it at least pop into your head before you thought better of it and decided to go with a less obvious one? What’s up with that? Why is the ace of spades the cool kid of the playing cards, the one that inspires songs and spawns wild superstitions? The answer may come as a surprise, unless you’re Benjamin Franklin, that is. It’s taxes: we have taxes an

So You Want To Be a Clown? Humour is magical. It’s the hot, soapy water that cleanses the mind and warms the soul. And if humour is magical, clowns must be wizards. How else could they have existed in so many places and eras? Whether entertaining audiences with false protruding penises like in Ancient Greece (really) or false protruding noses like today, clown-like figures are almost as inherent to humanity as farmers or doctors. Thankfully the penis element isn’t so inherent; I dread to think