Contents

NOTES FROM THE COUCH Idler’s Diary 6 Arthur Smith The comedy legend talks pants 12 How I Live Hugo Deadman, priest 16 Philosophy Mark Vernon goes with the flow 20 Idler Heroes Alex Johnson digs Maya Angelou’s hotel habit 24

FEATURES Interview: Jarvis Cocker The Pulp star walks Tom Hodgkinson through his closet of curiosities 28 Where There’s Muck… Marie-Louise Plum goes mudlarking on the Thames 38

Lady of the Lake Kate Rew’s guide to the joys of wild swimming

Poetry with Tara Bergin

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STYLE Fashion: Get in the Swim Whether surfing, swimming or sunbathing, Alice Smith has got you stylishly covered 54 Idle Home Georgina Williams discovers how to make a holiday home out of a St John Ambulance station 60 The Good Stuff Annabel Sampson and Charlotte Brook find rewilded farm foods and stylish garden furniture 68 Slow Tech Lee Osborne compares Polaroid with Instax 70

READER OFFERS… Page 11 Buy a subscription: get a free book Page 19 Online course: The Idler Guide to Investing Page 155 Check out the Idler Academy’s online courses