| Editor | Tom Hodgkinson |
|---|---|
| Categories | Arts/Culture |
| Frequency | Bi-Annual |
| First issue | 1993 |
| Company | Idler |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | British English |
| Website | idler.co.uk |
The Idler is a bi-yearly British magazine devoted to promoting its ethos of 'idle living' and all that entails. It was founded in 1993 by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretor-Pinney with the intention of exploring alternative ways of working and living.
Contents |
Overview
Following in the footsteps of Samuel Johnson's collection of essays and Jerome K. Jerome's popular periodical, the concept behind The Idler is intended as a riposte to the idea of the 'work ethic'. As the magazine's founder and editor Tom Hodgkinson writes:
| “ | [a] characteristic of the idler's work is that it looks suspiciously like play. This, again, makes the non-idler feel uncomfortable. Victims of the Protestant work ethic would like all work to be unpleasant. They feel that work is a curse, that we must suffer on this earth to earn our place in the next. The idler, on the other hand, sees no reason not to use his brain to organise a life for himself where his play is his work, and so attempt to create his own little paradise in the here and now.[1] | ” |
The magazine argues that laziness has been unjustly criticised by modern society and that it deserves to have its good conscience returned to it and defended as an essential component of a happy life. The intention therefore is to produce a publication that is entertaining, thought-provoking and full of great ideas for living.
Recent history
More recently, The Idler has become known for its stance on social issues. Crap Jobs is a humorous series of books (and Idler column) looking at human exploitation. The Crap Towns books have a mission to find Britain's worst places to live. Crap Towns, caught the public imagination but drew fire from both local councils and local media in those areas concerned. The newest addition to the Crap series is Crap Holidays: an exploration of Samuel Johnson's maxim that the wise idler will allow events and goods to come to him rather than expend energy and money travelling to disenchanting locations.
Contributors
Contributors and interviewees featured in The Idler include:
- Dan Kieran, Deputy Editor - author
- Jonathan Ross - TV presenter
- Louis Theroux - TV presenter
- Damien Hirst - artist
- Tony Barrell - Journalist who also writes for The Sunday Times (UK)
- Joanna Blythman - food activist
- Raoul Vaneigem - Situationist theorist
- Chris Donald - Viz comic founder
- Jay Griffiths - author
- Penny Rimbaud - former Crass drummer and spokesperson
- Pete Doherty - former member of The Libertines; currently fronts Babyshambles
- Bill Oddie - comedian and wildlife expert
- Nicholas Blincoe - British novelist
- Robert Wringham - humourist
- Alex James - of Blur
- Patrick Moore - astronomer
- Mark Manning - formerly of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction
- Bill Drummond - of The KLF
- Ben Moor - writer and actor
- Tony White - writer and Idler literary editor
References
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
