Christian Kriticos

Los Angeles Review of Books • 17th December 2025

Isengard in Oxford: Tolkien’s satire of a motorized world

Tolkien is often at his funniest when filled with rage, and The Bovadium Fragments is a work brimming with his fury—specifically, ire over mankind’s obsession with motor vehicles.

Den of Geek • 9th November 2025

Malcolm in the Middle: The Best Episodes Ever, Ranked

As Malcolm in the Middle returns for a new miniseries next year, here are the best episodes of the original show to help keep you occupied during the final countdown to the revival.

The Telegraph • 15th October 2025

The incredible disappearance of Licorice McKechnie

At the height of her fame, Licorice McKechnie played everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall to Woodstock. But in 1990, she mysteriously disappeared. No one has heard from her since.

BBC Future • 10th October 2025

The forgotten knowledge trapped on floppy disks

When most people think of archives, they picture old bits of paper. But as the earliest digital generations start to donate their collections, more archivists are having to deal with materials trapped on floppy disks.

The Telegraph • 30th September 2025

A conversation with Donovan

Donovan helped create the sound of the 1960s. But his spirit belongs to a more distant past. “People have said to me, ‘You feel you’re a minstrel from an ancient time.' And yes, I’ve always felt part of that tradition.”

The New York Times • 15th September 2025

Snap, crackle and pop music

Decades ago, singles by everyone from The Monkees to The Jackson 5 were printed on cereal boxes as cutout prizes. Now, a dedicated few are working to save these cardboard treasures from extinction.

Los Angeles Review of Books • 4th September 2025

Louis Sachar's fantasy novel for adults

If Sachar’s children’s novels give us answers, then The Magician of Tiger Castle leaves us with questions. Living today, in what we call an age of reason, can we truly say that magic doesn’t exist?

Quillette • 28th August 2025

The Censorship of John and Yoko

John Lennon was always the most controversial Beatle. Now, 45 years after his death, Lennon is at the centre of new debate, as one of his most politically direct songs is edited out of an album reissue.

Quillette • 24th June 2025

The Forgotten Ford

Before Han Solo and Indiana Jones, there was another Harrison Ford – star of silent cinema. Reconstructing his life through archival materials reveals a poignant reminder on the impermanence of fame.

The i Paper • 11th June 2025

John Mason: My 50 years as a pop lawyer

“I’ve made a career of only representing talent,” Mason explains, emphasising a unique closeness to his celebrity clients. “I don’t go for representing record companies that take advantage of artists.”

The Guardian • 6th May 2025

Has Chris O’Dell had the music industry’s wildest career?

She managed tours for Bob Dylan, delivered drugs for the Rolling Stones, and was at George Harrison’s house when the Beatles split. Now Chris O'Dell tells all in a new documentary.

The Telegraph • 18th April 2025

A conversation with Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz

After 30 years, Counting Crows are still going strong. "As long as we can play, we will," Duritz says. "I mean, who gets to spend a whole life playing rock’n’roll? It’s pretty rare.”

The i Paper • 19th March 2025

Paul Rappaport: my 30 years as a rock promoter

“I want people to understand how nuts it was,” Rappaport says of his motivation for finally writing his memoir. “The business back then was so wild and so wonderful. I didn’t want people to forget it.”

The Telegraph • 26th November 2024

The strange story of William Shatner’s Star Trek comeback

A new short film uses digital face replacement to bring a young Captain Kirk back to life. It's a technology that brings us a bold step closer to making the world of Star Trek a reality.

Los Angeles Review of Books • 16th October 2024

The Poetic Origins of Middle-earth

In juvenile impatience, most fledgling fans are liable to skip the poems in The Lord of Rings. But the mature Tolkien reader understands that they are the heart of his work.

The Telegraph • 25th August 2024

Inverlair Lodge: the secret refuge for rubbish spies

Inverlair Lodge inspired cult TV series The Prisoner and bestselling novel The Cooler. But the real secret agents who were held there were less James Bond and more Johnny English.

BBC Culture • 23rd July 2024

Louis Armstrong: the jazz icon with a controversial legacy

Unreleased songs by Louis Armstrong feature on a new album, capturing the jazz legend at his commercial peak. But they also rekindle old debates on his legacies as an artist and civil rights activist.

Stereogum • 15th April 2024

Back to Black turns the Amy Winehouse story into a Disney movie

The film is unwilling to descend to the depths of depravity needed to honestly explain Winehouse's death. Instead, it gives her a Disney princess ending, implying she died of a broken heart.

The Telegraph • 25th January 2024

The surprising life of rock’s most famous tambourine man

Having spent some 30 years shaking the cymbals for American psychedelic guitar band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Joel Gion is one of the longest-serving tambourine men in rock history.

BBC Culture • 9th January 2024

The Star Trek episode that predicted a 2024 crisis

Star Trek's vision of 2024 may have proven untrue in a literal sense. But it carries an allegorical truth that reflects accurately on the US homelessness crisis of today.