The Write Direction

During my brief time in London this week, I stopped off with an old music journalist pal called Malu Halasa. She's a Jordanian-American who worked for Rolling Stone, was subsequently inspired by the 2 Tone era and wrote a book about The Beat that's now rather collectible. She was an early enthusiast of hip hop, getting to know the chief players and somewhere in the files, there a cover story on LL Cool J that was authored by the pair of us.

Some music writers stay on the job, rehashing, faking it, or merely minding the shop. Others break into the business side of things while a great many simply give up on the pretence and the posturing. But Malu is a proper writer now with an individual journey, drawn into lesser known aspects of Arabic culture. She has just launched two books. The first, Secret Life Of Syrian Lingerie is self-explanatory, and is probably more peculiar than you think it may be. Her other publication, Transit Tehran, is an overview of new talent, new subcultures, essays and images. She's not going quietly.