September 22, 2004

Self-promoting bullshit?

Posted by Chris

The Observer, the Guardian’s Sunday-stablemate — and so the liberal paper of record for that day of the week — carried an account by one Sebastian Horsley of his 1000+ encounters with prostitutes . This now features as one of today’s items on A&L Daily. Now Horsley’s tale may be true, but any reader savvy enough to feed his name into Google will find that the very same Observer carried a feature on the same guy and his struggle with heroin and another on how, as a performance artist, he crucified himself . Seeing the various stories together certainly affects the epistemic situation of the reader, shall we say.

Posted on September 22, 2004 09:10 AM UTC
Comments

Your A&L Daily link is knackered [fixed now, thanks CB].

The Philippines crucifixion story seems to be genuine, or at least well-documented by respectable news sources (even outside the Observer); can’t comment on his junkie and whoring habits, although they’re hardly mutually exclusive.

Posted by john b · September 22, 2004 10:42 AM

what a jerk. and I must say that while the early stages of herion additction are compatible with getting your rocks off (even if it might take a few hours), the latter stages decidedly are not. I incline to skepticism.

Posted by belle waring · September 22, 2004 11:28 AM

Anyone ever listen to a Radio 4 programme, sometimes repeated on BBC7, called The Sunday Format? The one skit, Homeless/Unemployed/etc For a Day?

Posted by Extinct Tory · September 22, 2004 03:52 PM

Maybe Sebastian Horsley is the new Karen Eliot?

Posted by Karen Eliot · September 22, 2004 04:38 PM

Is anyone ready yet to concede that A & L Daily has become a joke?

Posted by fyreflye · September 22, 2004 07:56 PM

I suspect it’s a joke, like the Barefoot Doctor.

Posted by William · September 22, 2004 11:00 PM

A&L used to be very useful, but it has staggered glumly towards every reactionary fathead it can find who is actually in print.

I miss it.

Posted by David Tiley · September 23, 2004 09:47 AM

the whores, the drugs and the crucifixion…all true, believe me…he used to be a mate. What is however far more extraordinary is how so many people are still shocked by any of this. Am I the only one to have lived through the past four decades outside of a monastic order or as a guest of Her Majesty (sic)…

Posted by Steve13 · September 28, 2004 01:37 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.