culture
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Almost a death knell for the human speciesThe great intellectual explains why Brexit is unimportant, why Trump’s climate change denial is catastrophic – and why revolution is easier than you think
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It's bigger than Breaking Bad. It's a rompIt’s got a minister with superpowers, a hard-boozing vampire – and it’s the most kickass show of the year. Preacher’s star Dominic Cooper and creators Seth Rogen and Sam Catlin explain -
The podcasts you should check out this weekendFrom the 11-year-old collecting books with black girl characters to the writer seeking spiritual enlightenment on a 21-day fast, here are four must-listens
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Too much film today is synonymous with Donald TrumpSpeaking after a critical savaging for his new film as director, Penn attacks current entertainment trends and describes how foreign aid workers – such as those in The Last Face – are driven by excitement as well as ethics
news
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Jeff Koons, Creed cheese and Grayson Perry's phallusCory Arcangel swaps canvas for clickbait, Ai Weiwei gives his verdict on the EU and the weird world of Victorian medical models – all in your weekly art dispatch
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Whitney Houston’s hologram appearance on The Voice axedThe late singer’s part of a planned duet with Christina Aguilera ‘not ready to air’, says estate after online leak
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Benedict Cumberbatch and Paloma Faith among 250 stars backing EUActors, artists, musicians and writers, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Paloma Faith, praise EU funding and collaboration
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BBC's Bargain Hunt repeat outbids Peaky Blinders in TV ratingsDaytime favourite attracts bigger audience than acclaimed drama, highlighting debate about need for ‘distinctive’ BBC lineup
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Vinyl sales bigger than YouTube for British artistsSales of vinyl records grow for eighth year in row, but labels attack ‘meagre’ payouts from advert-funded streaming websites
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John Berry, founding Beastie Boys member, dies aged 52Guitarist was part of the original punk band the hip-hop outfit sprang from, and coined the group’s name before leaving after the release of their first EP
Shakespeare Solos
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The forgeries of jealousyAyesha Dharker plays Titania, the queen of the fairies, in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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'Now, gods, stand up for bastards'Riz Ahmed speaks Edmund’s soliloquy from King Lear, in which Edmund reflects upon being an illegitimate son and plots against his half-brother, Edgar
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If wives do fallEileen Atkins speaks Emilia’s lines from Othello, act IV scene 3. Emilia, Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid, counsels Desdemona on marital fidelity
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Are you meditating on virginity?In a speech taken from the first scene of All’s Well That Ends Well, Sacha Dhawan’s Parolles stresses the importance of losing one’s virginity
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You call me misbelieverPaterson Joseph speaks Shylock’s lines from The Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender reminds Antonio of the times he has insulted him
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All the world’s a stageJaques’s speech about the seven ages of man from As You Like It is performed by Zawe Ashton
reviews
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Jane Eyre – Brontë ballet is anything but plainCathy Marston displays a novelist’s touch in layering characters in her wonderfully choreographed show for Northern Ballet
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New tomes from Don DeLillo, Alexander Masters and Decca AitkenheadWhat the critics thought of Zero K by Don DeLillo, A Life Discarded by Alexander Masters and All at Sea by Decca Aitkenhead
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Going Forward – this is serious comedy. Just don't expect to laughJo Brand’s Nurse Kim has gone private, which doesn’t actually make life any easier. Plus: Angela Rippon undertakes a very personal investigation into The Truth About Dementia
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Blue/Orange – Joe Penhall peels tricky issues of mental heath and raceWith tremendous performances from Daniel Kaluuya, David Haig and Luke Norris, Penhall’s drama packs even more of a punch 16 years after its debut
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CBSO/Morlot – rich, deeply textured and all-encompassingOrchestral beauties swirl and build in an ever-changing score as the UK sees its premiere of John Luther Adams’ glorious Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean
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The best recent thrillersDying Breed by Peter Hanington; Conspiracy by SJ Parris; All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage; Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt; Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
people
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Post your questions for the Dexys frontman nowThe Dexys frontman will answer your questions in a live webchat from 12 noon BST on Tuesday 24 May – post them in the comments below
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Meet Cory Arcangel, the artist swapping canvas for clickbaitCory Arcangel's new show puts Instagram in the gallery, converts art into clickbait and sells pool sliders to surfers who never leave their sofa
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My Kid Creole musical was a hard nut to crackThree decades after I met Kid Creole and the Coconuts while profiling them for NME, their musical Cherchez la Femme has finally reached the New York stage
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Canadian rapper Tommy GenesisIn the beginning, there was rap. Tommy Genesis, from Canada, takes it to a new level with her brittle, daring and cold ATL trap
talking points
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The Ghostbusters trashing is just another internet tantrum against changeOrganised troll-reviewing of the remake’s trailer is inevitable, but it won’t stop the thrilling transformation in pop culture that is finally taking place
critics' picks
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Your at-a-glance guide to the next seven days in culture across the UKFeaturing Martin Creed, Fetty Wap and Whit Stillman
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Including Radiohead, Laura Mvula and Fetty WapRadiohead | Liss | Laura Mvula | Fetty Wap | Jagwar Ma
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Including Martin Creed, Ori Gersht and Pablo BronsteinFound | Martin Creed | Ori Gersht | Maria Merian | Pablo Bronstein
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Including Wrecking Ball, Boy and People, Places and ThingsWrecking Ball | Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me | Boy | People, Places And Things | Matilda The Musical
pictures & video
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A burlesque photo essayEclectic acts push the boundaries of the art of the strip in London. Photographer Linda Nylind meets some of the performers
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Watch Humphrey Bogart in a clip from classic film noir In a Lonely PlaceHumphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame burn up the screen in Nicholas Ray’s 1950 film noir, adapted from the novel by Dorothy B Hughes
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Street artists bring political murals to BaltimoreBaltimore’s Sandtown neighborhood saw a boom in activist-themed murals following the death of Freddie Gray
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Seven iconic style momentsOn the cusp of her 70th birthday, we look back on some of the showgirl’s most iconic looks
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Tahrir Square from above as Mubarak finally quits‘This is Tahrir Square on the 18th day of the protests. I kept asking myself: will my images capture how historic this is?’
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New trailer exhumes extra Slimer and Chris HemsworthThe first trailer for the controversial all-female reboot, starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, was the most disliked in the history of YouTube
lists & playlists
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10 songs you didn't know were inspired by literatureArt imitates art in this selection of literature-inspired songs
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Sara Pascoe’s top ten rules for festival-goersHeading to Glastonbury this summer? Avoid the headliner, for starters. Here’s a survival guide for fans of music in a field
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you may have missed
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Sara Pascoe is the voice of our generationFrom Garbage to Funny Girls, the comedian reveals the things she finds the funniest
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Five best moments – from Scotland to NarniaAs he reprises his role as Professor X in X-Men: Apocalypse, we look back at the Scottish actor’s most memorable films
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I didn’t even get to use no bed – I was lucky to have a carpetJust over three years ago the New Jersey rapper was dealing drugs and practically homeless. In 2015, his track Trap Queen was the year’s biggest sleeper hit. So how is this ‘hip-hop Evel Knievel’ coping with the fame?
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Our phones were tapped by spooks when we were growing upThe Underworld star tells us about starring in Whit Stillman’s Jane Austen adaptation, Love and Friendship
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Why The Americans is the best spy show on TVThe tale of a white-picket couple who serve the KGB may seem like fantasy – but from the poisoned umbrellas to the honeytraps, it’s rooted in cold war fact
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My play about dementia choirs with music by the ManicsPatrick Jones’s latest play, Before I Leave, examines how choral singing can transform the lives of people with dementia
what we're reading
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In this exclusive article for LISTEN, Evelyn Morris recounts a difficult story of sexual trauma and how it impacted her love for Shellac, before posing a series of incisive question to the band’s frontman, Steve Albini. Albini answers Evelyn’s questions in detail here, saying: “this is the first time I’ve ...Steve Albini: 'I try to be an ally in feminism'
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Sometime in the 1970s, at the home of the feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey, I found myself in the company of another critic, who had just returned to London from the Berlin Film Festival. Over dinner he took pleasure in regaling us with stories of the male to female transsexual . . .Trans narratives: who do you think you are?
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The first time I was ever on an airplane was in 1955 and flights had names. This one was “The Golden Gate,” American Airlines. Serving Transcontinental Travelers between San Francisco and New York. A week before, twenty-one years old, I had been moping around Berkeley in my sneakers and green raincoat and now I was a Transcontinental Traveler, Lunching Aloft on Beltsville Roast Turkey with Dressing and Giblet Sauce.California Notes by Joan Didion
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I love Twitter, but I can't spend any more time there until something is done about its harassment problem.Twitter has become a park filled with bats and perverts
the big picture
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Fazal Sheikh's Erasure TrilogyFazal Sheikh has won the 2016 Kraszna-Krausz book award for his epic three-part photobook exploring the ongoing anguish of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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Art meets audience: how to create unique, immersive experiencesBig or small, interactive art is about making allowances for time, responding to space – and always looking after the audience
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Arts research and development tips – 'double your dev time'From jargon busting to getting started, London Sinfonietta, the National Holocaust Centre and more share their tips for good R&D
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Creating positive action to support unrecognised female artistsTate Modern will show more women’s art and Freelands Foundation’s £100,000 award for female artists marks progress, but there is more work to be done
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Museums take to Instagram to showcase their collections – in picturesThe @52museums Instagram project sees a different international museum take over the account for each week of 2016
Cannes 2016 Peter Bradshaw's festival verdict and award predictions