Tom Hodgkinson 'Slow Down, Have Fun, Live Well'

Series One

In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer Tom Hodgkinson. 

His philosophy is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future. 

After lounging around at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he played bass in the thrash band Chopper, he took the natural step of getting a job in Rough Trade records before moving on to becoming an importer of absinthe. 

Later, he and his partner Victoria Hull launched The Idler Academy; which offers courses on subjects such as foraging, singing, grammar, philosophy and astronomy. 

In this episode, we discuss a range of issues alongside anecdotes about the people he's interviewed. You'll therefore hear about Damien Hirst, Iggy Pop, Rowan Williams, Brett Anderson, Paul Mason, Communism, Ethics, the Futurists, Aldous Huxley, Colin MacInnes, the Sleaford Mods, Public Enemy, Bob Dylan, Naomi Klein, and the great Sally Phillips. 

Plus, a retort to the appallingly non-idling Home Secretary Priti Patel, who accused the British of being "the worst idlers in the world". 

By "worst" Tom points out, Patel seems to actually mean "best".

To finish, and as The Idler states so clearly: 'Down with Silicon Valley...Open the Village Hall...Embrace Beauty...We Are Free...Anarchy in the UK!