Paddy Hoey

How Many Comedians Does It Take to Change a Country? What it’s like to watch Louis C.K. do stand-up in Saudi Arabia

"Sometimes you have to ask yourself: How did I get here—sitting in Saudi Arabia, listening to Louis C.K. do jokes about Barely Legal magazine?"

I went to Riyadh to see the transformation of a country with the world's biggest cultural chequebook. Gift link:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The book isn’t out until January in Ireland and March in the States, but if you’d like a copy eventually here is the pre-order discount code. I’ll share it again and have some launches planned in Bellaghy, Belfast and Dublin for late Feb/ early March. Do come along, I’d be glad to see you.

Portugal’s far-right Chega falls well short of expectations in local elections Party hoped to take 30 municipalities but secured three after share of vote halved from parliamentary elections

Double kudos to @jonhenley.bsky.social and the @theguardian.com for:

a) taking the trouble to report on a set of continental European elections where the far-right didn't sweep all before it!

b) calling the far-right the far-right, not 🤮 'the hard-right'!

Episode 1686 - Barack Obama

The last ever WTF podcast with guest Barack Obama is incredible. God bless Marc Maron. open.spotify.com/episode/15dt...

Seven years ago today, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured, murdered and then dismembered. And any so-called comedian who can't stand up tonight in Riyadh and do ten minutes on that kind of hijinx and horseplay just isn't worth the Saudi blood money he's being paid.

“Overlapping.”

You're a gentleman!

New book is out soon. @shugmcgowan.bsky.social is to blame. It is an absolute cracker. Love every single word in it.

Bloody media obsessed with diversity @privateeyenews.bsky.social

Celtic Park tannoy pushing out board propaganda with Oasis' "Acquiesce" - "Because we need each other" #subliminal

If only someone had written a book discussing this organisation. "Shinners, Dissos and Dissenters: Irish republican media activism since the Good Friday Agreement" share.google/db76ZlwVwhkr...

Very difficult to imagine Rodgers is signing a new contract, or indicating he will, on the evidence of that.

It's the poor Braga players I feel sorry for, not being able to tweet for the next 20 years about how great Celtic Park atmosphere is

Hit the bar twice for a start

They made more than enough chances today to put them away

Lack of a top flight striker really biting at Celtic. Goalless four times this year. Won two in six.

@secondcaptains.bsky.social and James Richardson is literally the epicentre of my cultural venn diagram. Top work all round

The best thing I have read on Charlie Kirk

Qobuz mate. Delighted with it too

Spotify would give you the boke

Today's @liverpoolecho.co.uk front page

Robert Redford was ‘a principled force for good’, says All the President’s Men reporter Bob Woodward Veteran journalist played by Redford in 1976 film version of the Watergate exposé that brought down the Nixon presidency pays tribute to a ‘fiery’ friend • Robert Redford: the incandescently handsome star who changed Hollywood forever Bob Woodward, the journalist played by Robert Redford in the 1976 corruption exposé All the President’s Men, has paid tribute to the actor who died on Tuesday, saying he was “a noble and principled force for good”. In a statement posted on social media, Woodward said that Redford and he had been friends for 50 years and that he “admired him – for his friendship, his fiery independence, and the way he used any platform he had to help make the world better, fairer, brighter for others”. Continue reading...

Robert Redford was ‘a principled force for good’, says All the President’s Men reporter Bob Woodward

Fascinating story

Goodnight, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest #RobertRedford

Goodnight, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest #RobertRedford

Goodnight, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest #RobertRedford

Goodnight, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest #RobertRedford

Goodnight, sweet prince;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest

#RobertRedford

DVD lad. I have three copies of the book and two DVDs!

Now watching. Unforgettable.

Just an enormously important cultural figure in every single way. Sexy, wore clothes better than any other actor, incredible screen presence, brilliant director and producer, politically progressive. A mensch.

NOTHING will prepare you for this 45-second story arc. From "I'm just doing this because I love the flag, it's totally grassroots, and I'm not part of anything political"... to who actually gave him the flags the night before.

Anyone who believes it is an innocent movement needs to see this.

Stellar! Heavenly! Someone enjoyed Holst at the Proms. Brilliant episode!