The Idler

Gold: Idle Investment Tip Pays Off

Back in January, I appeared on the BBC’s Daily Politics show and advised viewers to boycott the banks and buy gold coins. It was the same advice that we have been giving in the Idler for over a year, thanks to Dominic Frisby’s essay on the magic of gold in Idler 42: Smash the System.

Well, in the last six months the gold price has rocketed by nearly 20%. Sovereigns that cost £172 in December 2009 are now changing hands for over £200 (have a look on Ebay). This compares to the 0.025% interest that my bank would have paid over the same period. And pundits predict that the gold price will carry on going up as currencies around the world continue to be devalued and the stock market continues to get the jitters on a regular basis. (more…)

Country Diary 95

I’M AFRAID that I have many animal deaths and disappearances to report. The first is Twister the ferret. About six weeks ago, we separated him from Whisper, the female, because we didn’t want them to have babies. He was vasectomized, and we put him in a different cage to recover from the operation and because it takes a few weeks to take effect. Two days later, I found an empty cage and a dead rat in the yard. Twister was on the loose. (more…)

Idle Parenting Hits America

The US edition of The Idle Parent was published today by Tarcher/Penguin with a rather lovely new cover. Stateside idlers, or aspiring idlers, can buy the book from Amazon or, better, go down to your local bookstore and have a chat with the staff.

Back to the Land now in

We have now received our copies of Idler 43: Back to the Land. The printers, the fine folk at MPG Biddles, have done a fantastic job and the book looks very nice indeed. We are sending out subscribers’ copies today and tomorrow, and then we’ll send out individual orders.

From Idler 43

Just to remind you, the book features a long interview with David Hockney, covering the Renaissance, Facebook, smoking, bespoke tailoring and much else besides. Hockney has also done two sketches for us: a self-portrait and a diagram which explains the change in artistic perspective that came about in the Renaissance, and its relationship to a new theological worldview. Also in this issue we have essays on hedgehogs, the 13th century, the medieval guilds, land reform and the garden as a political statement. Contributors include Harry Mount, Paul Kingsnorth, Jay Griffiths, Penny Rimbaud, Jay Griffiths, Stanley Donwood and Clifford Harper. Click here to buy your copy. Alternatively, buy it from your local independent bookshop and have a chat into the bargain.

Another sample spread, with illustration by Alice Smith

Anarchy in the UK

Turmoil, chaos, mess… come, one and all, to the Rough Trade shop off Brick Lane in London Town, tonight, Friday 7 May, for a night of merry anarchy. We’ll have two hours of music to launch the new issue of the Idler, Back to the Land. Starting at 6pm sharp, we have Tim Burgess of The Charlatans on the wheels of steel. Your editor will lead a singalong of the great hobo fantasy song, Big Rock Candy Mountains. Then we have gentlemen slackers Ian Bone and Ray Roughler Jones on stage, followed by the delightful Louis Eliot. Also appearing will be Zodiac Youth, and then Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, with a special guest appearance from Mr Adam Ant. To wind up, Asbokid will play. Doors will close at 8pm, after which it’s time for curry and beer. Here’s hoping for a weak and unstable government!