“ Dig the threads, Daddy-o!” (The makings of a Rockabilly Rebel) by C. Dominic Inman-Hall Well it's one for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready, Now go cat, go, But don't you step on my blue suede shoes. As the mid-fifties gave rise to a new sound that changed the course of modern popular culture as we know it, teens found that they had the ability to live the lifestyle so many were singing about, and, with that lifestyle came a whole new way of walking, talking and, perhaps most importantly of all, dressing. It's easy to imagine the original rockin' teens of the 1950s dressing very much the same way as their modern “Rockabilly” counterparts, however, that isn't quite the case; the fifties were still a very difficult time to be a teenager and thus we find that the decade's sartorial rebellion wasn't quite as full on as we may like to imagine. Certainly, some of the most iconic pieces of that time are still in the mainstream today, however, Rockabilly style has taken on a less historically accurate, yet much more intense guise. In this article, I’ll lay down five key pieces in...

The Men That Made a Generation: Oscar Wilde by C. Dominic Inman-Hall Oscar Wilde once stated that “an idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all,” it's possible that no truer words have ever been spoken, indeed, Wilde seems to have lived his life by this ethos; seeming, almost, to plan his actions by which may seem most scandalous or absurd to the, frankly, suppressed and stuffy sensibilities of the times in which he lived. In fact, by the standards in place during his lifetime, Wilde was foppish, effeminate and sensitive. In a time when men were men; strong, calm and confident, Wilde ploughed his own furrow and create a body of literary works almost unrivalled in wit, originality and style. Indeed, Wilde truly revolutionised both literature, and popular culture as we know it. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on the 16 th of October, 1854. He was born into a family of intellectuals so it seems only natural that Wilde would excel in all matters scholarly or inherently academic. In his early life, Wilde was schooled at home and was taught to speak both French and German and...

The Men That Made a Generation: H. G. Wells by C. Dominic Inman-Hall Recognised as the godfather of modern science fiction, Herbert George Wells, surprisingly, led a much safer and more conservative life than the tales of wonder her penned during his career. What he did have though, was a uniquely imaginative mind which he put to use in a variety of different ways throughout his lifetime. The young H. G. Wells seems to have been a gifted thinker, however, his impatience with his surroundings often caused him to uproot and change midway through a career path or course of study. It is through this constant change, that Wells seems to have discovered a passion for the sciences, most notably, biology. Indeed, while working as a teacher at Midhurst Grammar School, Wells won a scholarship to the School of Science. It was here that Wells' passion for biology was not only appreciated, but actively encouraged by his tutor, none other than noted advocate of Darwin's evolutionary theory, T. H. Huxley. Due to his new-found passion, Wells decided to make a first foray into the literary world. He did this by creating (and running) the Science Schools Journal. In spite...

The Men That Made a Generation: Django Reinhardt by C. Dominic Inman-Hall Touted as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, gypsy jazz virtuoso Jean 'Django' Reinhardt is a musical legend remembered and revered today for his unwavering skill, talent and passion for music. Born to gypsy parents on January the 23 th 1910 in Liberchies, Belium, Django was used to moving from place to place with relative ease. The life of a travelling manouche (the French word for gypsy) was often carried out in abject poverty with little to no comfort to be found; at the age of eight, Django's tribe settled on the outskirts of old Paris; it was likely that this is where he first began to discover his love of music. Interestingly enough, for a young gypsy boy at this time, the world in which he found himself was a direct contradiction with the world he was seeing in Paris at the time. The manouches were, by nature, a deeply traditional (and sceptical) group of people; they were wary of modern sciences and their beliefs were positively medieval. It was this duality of worlds during these formative years which may well have led to...