February
Lee Child retired, but Jack Reacher kept calling
On the eve of a third season for the streaming drama based on his sleuth hero, the author talks his coffee addiction and why he left America the day Trump won.
January
From YMCA to Born In The USA: Rock’s most misunderstood songs
As Bruce Springsteen says, songs are like “auditory Rorschach tests; we hear what we want to hear”.
October 2024
Democrats are leaning on celebrity star power. Will it matter?
As the 2024 campaign whirls into its final week, Democrats are noticeably leaning on their star power advantage, calling on a diverse range of celebrities.
September 2024
Who decides on the fair price of an Oasis ticket?
Outrage over computer-driven ticket prices to see a legendary band has left music fans and the British government in a muddle.
Music fans caught in industry’s surge-pricing war
Surge pricing – where ticket prices peak with demand – has been the scourge of the Oasis reunion tour. Can anything be done to stop the rot?
Nearly $700 to see Oasis! Outrage in UK over ‘dynamic’ ticket pricing
Fans had expected to pay around half that, and global giant Ticketmaster was the only one of three platforms to have engaged in the practice.
April 2024
Wayne Swan plays the (wo)man, drops the ball
Behold the ferocity with which the Labor Party’s National President attacked the two women who critiqued the government’s new industrial policy.
September 2023
How Oliver Anthony became a sudden superstar
The country singer has gone from living in a campervan to being a contender to perform at the Super Bowl within a month.
June 2023
The genius and recklessness of Ben Stokes’ ‘Bazball’
There is one school of thought that England, by trying so hard to live up to the free-swinging image they have cultivated over 12 months, are finding their judgment clouded.
May 2023
Free tickets to woo politicians in battle for $2.5b Brisbane arena
Here’s how businesses deepened political connections amid a battle for a proposed stadium that is home to the Brisbane 2032 swimming program.
November 2022
Why Bono’s second career is the reason to keep reading his book
From the deal he did with George W. Bush to what he learned when Mikhail Gorbachev came over for dinner, the U2 frontman’s memoir is a rambling, fascinating read.
February 2022
IPO hopeful Songtradr rides music’s ‘golden age’
The music marketplace sits in the middle of an explosion of activity in the sector.
Sting sells his songwriting catalogue for estimated $438m
Major music conglomerates and Wall Street investors have poured billions of dollars into music deals, driven by the growth of streaming, low-interest rates and old-fashioned competition.
January 2022
‘Bat Out of Hell?’ Everyone hated it - at first...
The inside story of the mega-hit album that made Meat Loaf a superstar.
Why musicians are selling their song catalogues
The rights to the works of Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie has joined that of other top-selling artists and is now in the hands of corporations.
October 2021
Wall Street’s newest billionaire CEO has his best year ever
Rich Handler, the Jefferies Financial Group boss with an offbeat online persona, is now flaunting 10 figures, thanks to the investment bank’s soaring shares.
July 2021
Culture may lead New York out of the pandemic
Can Bruce Springsteen, Broadway shows and world-class museums defy the pandemic downturn and get the city back on its feet? No one knows, but there is hope.
February 2021
Why the Fink spells bad news for Crown
The appointment of Ray Finkelstein to run Victoria’s royal commission into Crown spells bad news for the casino giant, legal eagles engaged for the inquiry say.
Springsteen, Robinhood star in pandemic-year Super Bowl ads
Ads directed at 100 million viewers presented vastly different ideas of what type of marketing messages would work in the middle of a long pandemic.
January 2021
Phil Spector, famed music producer imprisoned for murder, dies at 81
Spector single-handedly created the image of the record producer as auteur, a creative force equal to or even greater than his artists, with an instantly identifiable aural brand.