Mickey Harper

Good article! I recently read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and enjoyed it so will possibly give the Phillip K Dick novel you mentioned a read!

I am a massive Kerouac fan, and like you I’m often frustrated by people focusing on his most famous work: On the Road. To me Kerouac’s main appeal lies in the way he writes, not necessarily what he is writing- in his novels there are some mind blowingly poetic turns of phrase which are what make them so amazing in my opinion. I also think Maggie Cassidy and Big Sur would be good additions to this list. Visions of Cody is also good in places but suffers a little of over-indulgence on the writer’s behalf.

I totally agree with what you are saying. Especially in American sitcoms the original charm of a programme is often lost when they try an appeal to a wider audience. Shows such as Seinfeld which stay true to their beliefs right through to the last episodes are the ones which will ultimately be remembered in years to come I think.

As a keen Sopranos fan I was very sad to hear of Gandolfini’s passing. I’ve seen this film advertised and was interested in watching it but the points you’ve made might be very valid reasons as to why his death may taint the experience.