The inevitable self-destruction of your heroes
Man Feelings 17 Jan 2025
There was a period a decade or so ago where I’d listen to Ryan Adams’ Gold double album on a weekly basis. It’s the perfect blend of Americana, singer-songwriter and rock’n’roll and when I discovered his music I greedily digested it all, constantly returning to... keep reading
Grandmothers are super-heroes
Man Feelings 10 Jan 2025
It’s June 2017 and I’m on a work trip to Belfast – it’s my first time in Northern Ireland and I’m feeling a little lost. The city was beautiful but bruised, and the impromptu history tour we got from a sharp-eyed colleague gave me an... keep reading
I am one hundred per cent Faithful
Man Feelings 03 Jan 2025
The Traitors is on TV again. If you’re a fan of the show and/or already understand the premise, then feel free to skip the next paragraph while I sum it up for everyone else: A few dozen random people go and live in a remote... keep reading
So this is Christmas
Man Feelings 27 Dec 2024
I’m typing this week’s email from a pub table, on my phone, with a roaring log fire while my partner relaxes opposite with a book. Our kids are miles away being entertained by their grandparents, and the only thing I have to worry about today... keep reading
On being made redundant
Man Feelings 20 Dec 2024
A few weeks ago at work, I got called into a short-notice meeting with my boss’s boss. When someone from HR joined the call, I knew something was afoot. Within minutes I was being told that I was “at risk of redundancy”. It’s a funny... keep reading
Eternal London haunts us still
Man Feelings 14 Dec 2024
I’ve been pottering around cyberspace this week as I moved some old websites from one server to another. Midway through my list was a blog I started in 2010 after moving to the capital, which I called “Lessons Learned in London”. It was mainly concerned... keep reading
AI isn't going to take your job – just your joy
Man Feelings 07 Dec 2024
I apologise for the lateness of this week’s issue, normally scheduled for Friday mornings. I wracked my brain to think of a good excuse but wasn’t able to come up with anything convincing, so I asked an AI bot to write some instead: “Sorry it’s... keep reading
The masks we wear
Man Feelings 29 Nov 2024
My new album is out this week – a collection of songs I spent the past year or so writing and recording, then editing and tweaking until I hated each song and never wanted to hear them again. But ignore me, and go listen to... keep reading
In the ancient times before mobile phones
Man Feelings 22 Nov 2024
It’s 2005 and a week before my nineteenth birthday. Mobile phones at the time were still primitive, but if you were creative and had enough time on your hands, you could edit your own ringtone on some Nokia devices, which I successfully used to program... keep reading
Vanity metrics
Man Feelings 15 Nov 2024
Everyone’s a little vain, really. If you’re on social media—and who isn’t—then you’re lying if you claim that you’ve never gleefully checked the Like count on a particularly good post you were proud of. We’ve all been trained, like the proverbial rat in a cage,... keep reading
I will not write about the US presidential election.
Man Feelings 08 Nov 2024
I sat down to write this week’s newsletter with the intention to discuss Trump’s victory. It’s the biggest news story all year and will materially affect the lives of most people reading this for years to come. But you don’t want to hear about this... keep reading
Taking the family on holiday and melting down
Man Feelings 02 Nov 2024
Sorry for the delayed arrival of this week’s Man Feelings. I’ve just got back from a week in Portugal with the family (it’s half term) and I was in no fit state to write an email when we got home on Friday afternoon. The theme... keep reading
Turning the tables on the teacher
Man Feelings 25 Oct 2024
Parenting a school-age kid is a weird experience of confusion, bureaucracy and misinformation. You’re left at the mercy of multiple, non-interoperable IT “platforms” to do things as basic as pay for your kid’s milk, and unable to persuade the child in question to give you... keep reading
Bricks and mortar
Man Feelings 18 Oct 2024
I’ve lived in ten different houses since leaving my family home back in 2005. This averages out at a move almost once a year for the first decade, as I rotated through student houseshares in Leeds and then the London rental shitshow with my partner.... keep reading
Being an influencer is risky business.
Man Feelings 11 Oct 2024
Yesterday evening, just before we started to round the kids up for bed, my five year old son Ted uncharacteristically curled up on the sofa in silence. He sat there hugging his knees while we tidied away the remains of dinner, and it soon became... keep reading