This Month
What is ‘rizz’ - and do you have it?
The Oxford University Press word of the year for 2023 was first coined on social media - and actor Tom Holland admits he’s got no rizz.
- Melissa Twigg
Shane MacGowan, hard-drinking poet of The Pogues, dies
The singer melded punk with Irish traditional music and wrote huge hits in the 80s and 90s – but was also known for his on-stage meltdowns and drug abuse.
- Conor Humphries
November
- Opinion
- Opinion
Thank Nicholas Moore for ‘NCIS: Sydney’ which you’ve already paid for
An Australian version of the popular US show debuts on Friday. Why has it been funded by the federal government?
- Aaron Patrick
September
Are men obsessed with the Roman Empire? This viral trend suggests so
On TikTok, there’s a phenomenon of females asking males how often they think about the historic period. Try popping the question yourself, go on …
- Rachael Bolton
August
Troye Sivan’s favourite art gallery may surprise you
For the Australian pop star, there’s nothing like a former Berlin nightclub that’s been transformed.
- Matthew Drummond
July
Why chewing gum just isn’t cool any more
For previous generations, the product was a bit edgy, but today’s popular culture has new symbols of teen insubordination.
June
Quiet quitting? Damp drinking? Why we coin new terms for old feelings
The phrases we use to describe modern life are phenomena in themselves – and there’s a reason they all sound the same.
- Maura Judkis
TikTok’s latest viral trend is ... Bach?
Meet the 27-year-old Londoner bringing classical music to Gen Z via her viral social media video feed.
- Alexandra Coghlan
- Opinion
- Celebrities behaving badly
Pity the young for idolising the pretty and dull
Taylor Swift’s fans are unhappy with her new boyfriend’s naughty behaviour. In my day, the famous were exciting.
- Marie Le Conte
May
This classic novel is finding new life as a daily newsletter
The blood sucking Count Dracula is back – 21st century style – with bite-sized chunks of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel emailed to Substack readers in “real time”.
- Ciara Seccombe
‘Inexplicable attachment’: Why Nick Cave will attend the coronation
The eccentric musician is one of 14 Aussies that PM Albanese will take with him to Westminster Abbey. He hopes to experience “the unique weirdness of Britain”.
- Hans van Leeuwen
April
There’s almost always an Emily in the room – here’s why
From 1996 to 2007 in the US, the favourite name for girls was – yes, you guessed it. Today they’re all grown up and many are having their moment in the sun.
- Emilia Petrarca
February
Manufacturers reboot to ride the vinyl revival, but can it last?
Australia has three pressing plants riding the vinyl wave, with surging demand meaning there is plenty of work to go around. But competition may be about to get fierce.
- Gus McCubbing
January
First vinyl, now cassette tapes are making a comeback
Much to the bemusement of Boomers, audio cassettes, which peaked in popularity in 1989, are staging a revival, and it’s young people who are buying them.
- Gus McCubbing
The biggest-selling male pop stars have dismantled their masculinity
The world’s leading music men – Harry Styles, Bad Bunny and Jack Harlow – are all finding success while offering subversive challenges to old-school machismo.
- Lindsay Zoladz
December 2022
‘First nations first’ key pillar of Labor’s new cultural policy
Labor’s new cultural policy set to be announced next month will be built on five pillars, including “first nations first” and “a place for every story”.
- Ronald Mizen
The 10-year mystery behind the ultimate one-hit wonder ‘Gangnam Style’
Economists, government officials and Psy, the artist himself, have tried and failed to work out the secret to the song’s global success.
- Jin Yu Young and Victoria Kim
November 2022
Why did we all have the same childhood games?
Children’s amusements are passed down generationally and geographically – but how, exactly, does this keep happening?
- Julie Beck
October 2022
Why Elvis was an early disruptor, according to a Young Rich Lister
To Aaron Hornlimann, Elvis Presley was someone who was willing to think differently, act differently, and break the mould radically. That’s why he’s a fan.
- Julie-anne Sprague
June 2022
Pink Floyd is seeking $725m for music catalogue including ‘The Wall’
The British rock band has sold 75 million records in the US alone, with two of its best-selling albums defining music in the 1970s.
- Lucas Shaw
