20 people I admire (XX): FKA twigs

Who? FKA twigs (FKA meaning ‘formerly known as’ because apparently there’s some other twigs out there) is a British musician, performer and dancer known for her ‘dark’ r&b-style and eccentric electronic music performances.

Why? Around 2015, twigs emerged with a style that seemed like a continuation of refreshing themes in electronic music started by artists like Burial and the Hyperdub label, yet suffused it with production, rhythm, theme and voice elements all her own. 

What resonates with me? She toys with themes in a clever way that rarely gets overwrought, blending visuals and topics with an exciting, almost tangible hum that is always there in the background. Her music feels both deeply personal as well as accessible. Her skill at performing just tops it all off.

Best bit? My personal favourite of hers is probably ‘Papi Pacify’, a track that manages to arouse, slow down, call up some of the mind’s darkest recesses, and is a technical piece of perfect progression. It captures the feeling of being lost in an altered mental state with total confidence and frailty intact. 

Next up: None, or well, perhaps some summary, aye?

20 people I admire (XIX): Laurie Penny

Who? Laurie Penny is a pretty prolific writer of opinion pieces, longreads and non-fiction. She’s been published on the Guardian, New Statesman and other highly-regarded progressive venues.

Why? Penny has a unique knack for capturing the jittery zeitgeist of contemporary progressive politics. She is both thoughtful as well as unapologetic for what she believes in, but interweaves it with a snuff of self-deprecation and compassion that makes her stand out as someone who is at once deeply humanist and also deeply human. 

What resonates with me? Her wit, derived from equal parts ironic distance and genuine engagement, makes her feel like some distant friend who knows what it’s like to suffer the sometimes banal struggles of trying to put ideals to practice. That, and her deeper insights into the collective psyche of the Anglosphere, and by extension, the West.

Best bit? ‘Maybe you should just be single’ (shameless plug: here's my response) 

Next up: FKA twigs, British musician, performer and dancer

20 people I admire (XVIII): Neil deGrasse Tyson

Who? Neil deGrasse Tyson has sort of become a living saint for science, much in the way of the late Carl Sagan. He can speak about science in an accessible, affable manner and is capable of inspiring young boys and girls like few other scientists can.

Why? Tyson always seems like a friendly uncle or great-uncle who wants to share his passion for his work in ways that make people want to listen to him. 

What resonates with me? Apart from being a notable black intellectual in America, Tyson is also a voice of reason, subtlety and wonder. His academic credentials haven’t taken away his almost child-like sense of marvel at how strange and big the universe is, and he can carry over this spirit to his audience.

Best bit? Obviously, there’s the ‘Whoa, we got a bad-ass over here’ meme, but other than that, I would venture that there is no single best bit. His entire career as a spokesperson for science is one big goodie. 

Next up: Laurie Penny, British journalist and writer

20 people I admire (XVII): Jan Decleir

Who? Jan Decleir is a national treasure of Belgium. Despite having never had major roles in big Hollywood productions, movie buffs consider his talent and range to be on par with the world’s greatest.

Why? Decleir is an extremely versatile actor. He can handle kid-friendly, avuncular roles such as Saint-Nicholas (many people still consider him to be the ultimate Saint-Nicholas), but he can also be dramatic and engaging in playing businessmen, crime lords, manipulative politicians and priests. 

What resonates with me? Even if he was once approached by Stanley Kubrick for a role (in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, his last movie), to me Decleir remains an avatar of Belgium, and Flanders in particular, in all its emotional complexity. He can be funny, walled-off, wry, fiercely good-hearted and gruff at the same time. I suspect many fellow Flemings can recognise themselves in this.

Best bit? Arguably, his most-internationally noted performance was in ‘De zaak Alzheimer’ (‘The Memory of a Killer’ to English-speaking audiences), where he played an assassin plagued by Alzheimer’s disease and a sudden uptick in his conscience. 

Next up: Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astronomer and physicist

20 people I admire (XVI): Molly Crabapple

Who? Molly Crabapple travels around the world, with a penchant for the Middle-East, making illustrations and graphic art that manage to capture the Zeitgeist of the moment.

Why? I have a huge amount of respect for Crabapple and how she inserts herself into the reality ‘on the ground’, even in difficult societies like Turkey or Lebanon, where both being an artist and a woman is a statement in and of itself. 

What resonates with me? Crabapple’s humanity and humanism always shine through. She is unafraid to speak up for the most downtrodden and oppressed, and does so with a graphical eloquence that I could only hope to match with my own weapons (words).

Best bit? There is so much to choose from, but honestly, if you like supporting an artist with a big heart and a huge amount of talent, buy her book. 

Next up: Jan Decleir, Belgian actor

20 people I admire (XV): Mike Dierickx

Who? Mike Dierickx, also known as Mike Push or M.I.K.E. or a myriad of other pseudonyms, is a supremely talented electronic music producer from Belgium who has finally been getting his due in national media.

Why? Even during the period when lazy anthemic trance was big, Mike kept pushing the envelope and released track after track that demonstrated both his technical craftsmanship as well as his fine-tuned ear for what might work on a dance floor. 

What resonates with me? Even though Dierickx claims his initial influences mostly came from new wave music, there’s little of that bleakness in his productions. Even middling efforts from him always sound full and sumptuous, with a full understanding of what makes people want to dance in a club.

Best bit? Obviously his only chart hit ‘Universal Nation’ has become embraced by a generation by now, but I would personally choose his club mix of ‘Tranzy State of Mind’. TSoM is beautiful to listen to, filled with so many delicate touches and samples, building up so exquisitely and so hypnotizing in the total bliss it gives its listeners.

Next up: Molly Crabapple, an American illustrator

20 people I admire (XIV): The Onion

Who? An American news satire site.

Why? The Onion manages to nail so many issues with such a fine feeling for tragedy, cynicism and ultimately, the heart in the right place.

What resonates with me? Well, it was probably the Onion that inspired me to take up writing news satire for some time as well (go look here), but like how comedy in this bleak age of rising fascism, Trump, growing inequality and environmental disasters has become a more reliable source of information than the regular media and its blowhard pundits, the Onion still manages to rise to the challenge and be both funny and incisive.

Best bit? After Obama got elected in 2008, the Onion headlined ‘Black Man Gets Worst Job in the World’. Another very good one, often reposted after a shooting in America, was ‘There Is No Way to Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Happens.’

Next up: Mike Dierickx, Belgian trance producer.