The past week has seen the announcement of a recall of nearly 4000 Tesla Cybertrucks. Some pedals are getting stuck in acceleration mode, with a risk of crashing1. As a writer about narcissism, this got me thinking: Could the Cybertruck, with its unbreakable windows and its AI mind be a ‘narcissistic truck’? This post is hopefully a playful look at this very special vehicle - just in case it offers us a fresh take on narcissism in humans – both the good and bad. I have zero knowledge of trucks and this is in no way a review of Cybertruck, with its nod to Mad Max and Tank Girl. Neither will ..read more

Warning: This post contains references to abuse, including sexual abuse, and trauma Michael Jackson “towered over the 1980s the way Elvis dominated the 1950s”1. At the age of 11, with ‘I Want You Back’ he was the youngest ever vocalist to top the ‘Hot 100’ chart in the US. In the 1980s, Michael went on to have nine no. 1 singles – more than any other recording artist – and win 13 Grammy Awards. Michael was known not only for his singing talent but also for his incredible dance-routines – getting recognition from the likes of dancing legend Fred Estaire2. In part A I looked at how condemnati ..read more

Warning: This post contains descriptions of abuse and trauma Michael in the cover photo for Thriller (1982) If we were to go back to 1981 – to the recording studio where the Thriller album was being finalised, we would find three men: Michael Jackson, Ron Weisner, Michael’s manager, and Quincy Jones, the celebrated producer of the album. Work on all the tracks including Billy Jean, Thriller, Beat it and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, was complete. The whole album had been mastered a second time after Michael’s initial disappointment (signalled by Michael running from the studio in tears) with ..read more

Chaplin in The Kid, with child actor Jackie Coogan Warning: this post contains references to trauma and abuse It was from 1915 onwards, that Charles Chaplin “became the most famous man in the world”1. He has been described as a “filmmaker, whose artistry transcends the cinema and spans world-historical dimensions”2. Author Bernard Shaw wrote: “Chaplin is more than a genius. He is an institution, the idol of millions of all races and creeds, the champion of the pathetic and oppressed… the little man with the funny moustache is something of a saviour”1. Chaplin made 82 films including ‘The Ki ..read more

Warning: this post contains references to trauma and abuse. Savile presenting Top of the Pops In part A of this post, I looked at the contradictory stories about Savile’s childhood and the development of a complex, charismatic persona. This blog is about narcissism and so I will not be going into detail here about the sexual abuses that have now been uncovered. Dan Davies’s remarkable biography gives a profound overview of this. In the Charles Chaplin post I described how sexual exploitation, whilst not a defining feature of narcissism, can be a symptom of it. Like Chaplin, Savile grew up k ..read more

Part A Warning: this post contains references to trauma and abuse Jimmy Savile with trademark cigar This autumn the BBC have serialised a drama of the life of Jimmy Savile with The Reckoning. Whilst Steve Coogan’s performance has been applauded, the series moves us on very little in either understanding Savile or regaining our confidence in broadcasters like the BBC. The issue of abuses carried out by celebrities is far from being a historic problem. Theory of narcissism offers an understanding of the links between celebrity, abusive behaviour and trauma. What does it say about Savile? This ..read more

I was once in a pub in London chatting to a musical celebrity whose public persona was a dark, somewhat disturbing one. We hadn’t met before. I was an admirer of his music, and at the time I was making records in a similar genre on a smaller scale. Trying clumsily to bond with him, (and being unattached), I pointed to a girl at the bar and said something about finding her attractive. He said, “go and talk to her”. I said, “I think she’s with that guy she’s talking to”. He said “well, then let’s cut his face off”. I suddenly felt deflated. And then also embarrassed. I was not being seen as a ..read more

Warning: this post contains references to trauma and abuse Elvis with his parents Vernon and Gladys On 9th September 1956, the Ed Sullivan talk show hosted the performance of a singer which “ripped the 1950s in half, and America was never [again] the same”1. Composer Leonard Bernstein described Elvis Presley as “the greatest cultural force of the 20th Century”1 and he has been called “the greatest entertainer in the world”1. Elvis recorded over 700 songs and released 57 albums – covering gospel, hillbilly, rhythm and blues and rock n roll. He appeared in 33 feature films, including Love Me ..read more

Warning: this post contains references to trauma and abuse Brando in The Godfather as Don Vito Corleone It’s around noon on a Sunday outside Libertyville, Illinois. We are in a pickup truck. The figure in the driving seat, after a night of anguish and then a call from the police, is heading into town. At the police station, the driver of the pickup is shown through to the cells, where a second figure is sleeping on a bench, wrapped in a blanket. Why do they keep doing this? Underneath the blanket, they are naked, having been found like this in a drunken state sometime during the night. Toge ..read more

Warning: this post contains references to trauma, abuse and neglect It wasn’t difficult to get the number for a hitman in Vegas in 1973. Red West arrived at the hotel suite with a piece of paper with a name and phone number. He had been assigned the task a few days earlier and had delayed – hoping his boss would relax. But no, he was still asking. He still hadn’t cooled down since the incident. In the immediate aftermath, Sonny, another bodyguard, had been handed an M16 assault rifle and told to do the job straight away. “The man has to go. He’s destroyed everything and hurt me so much and ..read more