The message of Green Economics is one which, in these harsh times, is particularly welcome, looking beyond mere money and profit and putting more emphasis on social, environmental, and political impacts of policy upon many of the problems that face the world. Here, Cherwell talks to one of its Founders about the institute’s ideas and projects.

Isn’t music amazing? The things it can do to people, the way it influences and shapes pretty much everything we see and experience throughout our lives? Think about it, imagine it, spot it the next time you’re out. See the girl everyone’s watching as she clicks her heels across a dance-floor; hear the roar as ‘Mr Brightside’ first chimes through the room; feel yourself lose it pulling shameless shapes to raise a smile from the angel across the room. You might call it a kind of magic. One man knows what you mean.

I’m outside Euston station to meet Kieron Gillen, author of graphic novel and under-underground cult sensation Phonogram, currently half-way through it’s second sell-out series. The premise is a world identical to our own (to Bristol, if you’re being technical) where this musical magic is pushed to just the other side of literal, to be manipulated by people with enough musical sensitivity. It’s used for plenty of ends, whether it’s getting you onto the guest-list at exclusive cubs, helping you pull at the end of the night, or staging a nation-wide comeback of the guitar-driven Britpop that made Oasis and Blur household names.

Still not quite getting it? You will. As we sit down at a nearby pub, we get a nice illustration of one of the most accessible concepts in Phonogram; curse songs. Think of an old loved one. Does a specific song leap to mind? Some film score maybe, or a track that for some reason you just can’t do anything but associate with them? How does it feel to listen to it again? Painful, right? That’s a curse song.

As we sit down, a song (which will mercifully go unnamed) comes on that’s one of Gillens. The relevance is that the latest issue of Phonogram explored this same concept. ‘Curse songs’ in the Phonogram universe literally invoke these memories, forcing you to relive them with crushing vivacity. It’s the same reason I can never watch Amelie again, or listen to Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’. You’re probably thinking of a song yourself right now too.

I put to Kieron the idea that the appeal of Phonogram is that, as much as it’s a fantasy, it’s a very real one, something very easy to identify with. ‘It’s the idea that these things which are very, very normal, are actually magic, and it’s the kind of fantasy it is to me. It’s a kind of manifesto, and it’s also my way of re-imagining reality. Its like Parkour. I love Parkour because you see these guys living in big tower blocks in Paris, and saying ‘This is designed as a prison, but this is actually a playground. Or graffiti artists like Banksy.’

Manifesto is a fair summary. One of the joys of Phonogram is the back-matter included with each issue. The current series, The Singles Club, draws its name from the structure of the narrative. Each of the 7 issues, the ‘singles’, comes with a main plot line, a glossary of the not-too-exclusive musical references, a short essay, and two ‘b-sides’; two to three page comics illustrated by a guest artist. Each single stands alone as a statement about some insight in some way familiar to anyone who’s ever listened to the same song 50 times in a row because it was that good.

It’s the inclusion of these features which helps outsiders understand part of the reason Gillen has gone for comics as a medium over any other. With each single, the opportunity is there to do something unique and deliberate. ‘Comics are very much about the structure of the thing. Something like Phonogram has me thinking hard about panel layout, about specific angles, about how things should be done on a page. It’s like poetry; things like Meter, Stanzas.’

The amount of thought that goes into every detail is staggering. ‘With every script I do for an artist that’s not Jamie [Mckelvie, Phonogram head artist and Gillen’s collaborator], I write heavy scripts. I like heavy scripts because I want to make sure there’s a solution, but I’m happy to say ‘You’ve got a much better visual eye than I do, and if there’s something you think could be done better, please do’. Heavy script means that for an issue of Phonogram, which might contain up to 1000 words of dialogue, the script that goes to an artist will be 10,000 words. ‘Most comic scripts are 4000.

‘And then, some people are like ‘Alan Moore [creator of Watchmen] writes scripts that are 22,000 words long, I know! I’ll write scripts that are 22,000 words!’ without really seeing the point. If you read an Alan Moore script you see he’s doing that for a reason.’

Gillen gives you the impression that what he’s trying to do couldn’t succeed in any other medium, for several reasons. For example, the issue of getting away with it in a financial sense. Running away with his self-described ‘wanky’ tendencies, he describes this writing for a particular group of hardcore music lovers as ‘memic engineering’.

‘It’s easier to do that kind of memic engineering in a comic because the risk is so low. Me and Jamie are playing the same game as other comic writer and artist teams because it comes down to the same playing field. Whatever one man can draw versus whatever one man can draw. However, an indie film maker isn’t playing on the same field as someone with a multi-million budget.’ A Phonogram movie, as he puts it, ‘wouldn’t be Phonogram’, because the idea just wouldn’t have enough mainstream buoyancy.

The other is the array of tricks he can accomplish with comics as a form that convey so effectively his ‘music is magic’ motif. Even details like the number of panels to a page. ‘I quite like the shape of an 8 panel page; it’s like how the human eye sees the world. As opposed to the 9 panel, which is strangely claustrophobic’. There are something’s on a script that have to be done just so; something he’s noticed on other scripts is how writers highlight details that might seem arbitrary that have to be included. ‘You might see, ‘There’s a red door in the background’; ‘red door’ is marked out.’ While he allows the artist freedom, he’ll stick to his guns where necessary.

With the very sensory-focussed visual influence that comics have on the reader, Gillen writes to control the pace of the narrative. He makes the comparison between song and narrative structure. ‘Issue 7 [of The Singles Club] will be about me translating [the two]; it’ll have that long intro, and then it kicks in, and it pounds. Then you’ve got a couple of choruses, and the bridge, the bridge absolutely melts, and it kicks back it. And that’s the structure of the issue.’

I ask about the method he goes through when sitting down to write something so personal like Phonogram. ‘Drunk!’, he replies instantly. Because of what he describes as the ‘emotional warmness’ of the books, he finds that there are various tricks he can use to settle into the mood for a particular character. One recent experiment has involved ‘method drinking’. ‘I’m often thinking, ‘I want to write something now’, will sit down, open a bottle of wine and have a play with it. But edit sober!…I’ve thought, ‘I know, I’ll drink what the character would be drinking in the club, so I can be closer to the character.’

‘The first one I wrote with drinking was issue 5. So I went and got the cheapest own-brand Vodka, I think it said ‘such-and-such makes the happy vodka’ on the label. [For another] I drank alcopops…Didn’t realize they were caffeinated!’-this exclamation is accompanied with furious fist pumps by means of illustration. Hearing rumours that a particularly respected visiting philosopher was spotted drinking vodka while giving a groundbreaking seminar, this is definitely a method that might deserve some exploration…

Phonogram is definitely worth reading. As someone not a naturally massive fan of comic books, I was pleasantly surprised when I was pushed onto it. Gillen as a writer has a gift for making very complicated, very difficult to explain ideas from an abstract medium like music, understandable to anyone.

He’s described Phonogram in the past as a particular kind of music criticism; this seems more than fair. It’s a manifesto of music being something more than just listened to, but experienced. Phonogram, basically, goes a long way towards paying music the respect it deserves.
Nip to Amazon and pick up a copy of Rue Britannia-you won’t regret it.

The most expensive case of wine ever sold cost over £3000 per bottle. That’s paying the same amount for a year’s tuition at Oxford as for 750ml of grape juice. Old grape juice. Though the world of wine is evidently crazy, it is also massively compelling. Given how much most of us enjoy drinking wine, if you learn a little more about it you can choose bottles that are unusual, exciting and damn good to drink.

Getting hold of wine you can be passionate about is easier when you understand and can communicate what you like about different wines. This is where technical tasting is useful. ‘Tasting’ is simply assessing how the wine looks, smells and tastes. Anyone who tries to kid you that this is tricky clearly can’t remember a three step list so shouldn’t be taken seriously. First, look at your wine, notice its colour, any tints or shades and if it is the same colour throughout. Now swirl the wine to let the air open its aromas and stick your nose in. The smells that present themselves range from luscious tropical fruits of Australian Chardonnay to the complex barnyard characteristics of Burgundy’s Pinot Noirs. As you can tell, being unconventional is acceptable, and more fun, so spend some time sniffing and see what stands out to you.

You have now been holding your glass of wine for a couple of minutes without drinking. Congratulations on your self-discipline. We can now move on to the most exciting part of wine, drinking it. You have six things to look out for as you taste.

The first four are the structural elements of wine: sweetness, acidity (the backbone of most whites), tannin (the backbone of most reds) and alcohol. You can objectively assess how much of these are present in each wine and how well they integrate and balance together. Gauging the level of each and your response to the combination will demonstrate the styles of wine you like. Sweetness and acidity are easy to notice and you will recognise the warming sensation alcohol provides at the back of the palate. Tannin is obvious but harder to understand. It is the astringency of red wine you also get from drinking cold tea. (Swill red wine around your mouth for a while and feel your teeth sticking to your gums to get the idea.)

Finally, consider the flavours of the wine. Like smelling, flavours are perceived differently by everyone, so get involved and start trying to articulate what’s going on in your glass. To start off it may be helpful to look past specific tastes to general flavour profiles in wines like herbaceous or fruity, spicy or mineral, earthy or floral. Read recommendations and bottle labels and try and pick out what they find.

One particular flavour is very important: Oak. Oak is used in the treatment of wine to give it weight in the mouth and different, more complex flavours. The amount of oak used is as good or bad as the winemaker is skilful. However, if you are getting toasty, woody, butterscotch or vanilla notes in a wine it is probably coming from the oak rather than the grapes.

So you are aware, this is the point at which you can get carried away in a wine-fuelled fervour. For me this involves ruminating on the joys of German Riesling with a crisp citrus structure, supporting overtone of minerals (and petrol) and an irresistible touch of sweetness on the finish. I love to quench my thirst with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with its huge acidity and green, grassy flavours ideally complemented by sweeter fruits like raspberry, passion fruit or blackcurrant. I lose myself in red Burgundy (made with Pinot Noir) for though it is a light red wine with little tannin and some oak this is allied with red fruit flavours and earthy aspects ranging from the powerful echo of a farmyard to the musk of mushrooms in a shaded wood, all perfectly evoking the French countryside. I indulge unashamedly in the powerful dark fruits and seductive spice of Australian Shiraz (a.k.a. Syrah, grown in the Rhone) with its clench of powerful tannin and huge body. I also crave the excitement of trying new, unusual wines that take your palate in unexpected directions.

Now we have cleared up the unending attractions of good wine, we’d better talk money. The price of wine varies hugely and does tend to correlate with quality. The average spend on wine in the UK is about £4.10 a bottle, however, after you remove duty, VAT and retailing costs, a maximum of 50p is spent on making the wine. So, though there are some good wines sub-£5, if you are willing to spend a couple of pounds more the jump in quality is pronounced. Also, know that at low prices wine is of two distinct styles. Some is great value stuff made by low cost producers who make simpler versions of other wines but still express some characteristics of the grapes used and where they were grown. On the other hand there is an increasing trend of wine being mass produced to appeal to a broad market. This wine tends to lack interest, flavours and structure. If these bottles get you going, fine, but I find it hard to get passionate about wine that has been produced with as much thought, artistry and care as Coca Cola.

Now you have a little knowledge, start approaching wine confidently. There is so much to enjoy, and a large number of oenophiles more than happy to despatch advice. So, think about what styles of wine you enjoy and start purchasing. For inspiration, try my recommendations to carry you through summer:
Clear your palate and quench your thirst with a bottle of Quadro Sei Gavi 2007 (M&S, £4.99) from Piedmont, Italy. The Cortese grape makes whites with high acidity, like the more common Sauvignon Blanc. However, it has lovely clean citrus fruits on the palate and floral notes prevent the wine seeming too brittle in the mouth.

If you enjoy whites that aren’t too dry and have clear fruit flavours go straight for La Difference’s French Viognier-Muscat 2007 (Tesco, £4.92). The Viognier grape gives a vivid drive of apricots (and currently is a very cool white grape) and Muscat adds a perfumed grapey edge. This creates a sumptuous balance between off-dry, un-cloying fruit flavours and a light-mid weight body. Drink when the heat is still lingering and the sun is on its way down before dinner is ready.

Chardonnay. Change your perspective on a grape you may think you already know (and save some money) by heading for Chile’s Errazuriz 2007 Chardonnay at Sainsbury’s whilst it’s on offer (£4.99 from £7.99, or Oddbins, £6.99). This is fairly traditional Chardonnay (think peaches, melons and some oak) with good complexity and a refined structural balance. A rounder white wine, it will work well with lighter foods.

Though at least one of your friends will claim to detest red wine, show them this very light example to change their mind. Sainsbury’s own Beaujolais (£3.99) is a great example of what Beaujolais excels at: well priced, light bodied red wine with almost no tannin and bright red summer fruit flavours. This wine is great when the sun is out and accompanies serious salads really well. If you want to totally break with wine snobbery, and I unreservedly encourage you to, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes before drinking to perk up the flavours.

Chianti is a perfect red to enjoy with food, especially Italian food, because it has mid-weight tannin and relatively high acidity without a large, overpowering body. Piccini tend to get their Chianti right at the moment, so try either the Piccini 2007 Chianti (Sainsbury’s, £5.99) or take advantage of the special offer on the Picinni 2005 Chianti Riserva, a noticeably better wine (Sainsbury’s, £6.99 from £9.99). Both show typical cherry fruit, moderate oak and savoury finish and are worth getting stuck in to.

Waitrose have an excellent wine selection (and there are also rumours of 25% off offers looming) so invest in the sublime Zalze Shiraz, Mouvedre, Viognier 2007 blend from South Africa (£5.99). These classic grapes of the Rhone create a rich wine of blackberry and raspberry fruit and gentle dark spice. The Viognier (a white grape) adds an attractive lift to the large body and heavy tannins of its companions. This impressive wine will suit meals of robust red meat excellently.

These wines all express a character that indicates the grapes they are made with and place they are made in. These differences make for interesting, diverse and exciting wines. This is the wine I am passionate about. Start tasting, ask questions and figure out what wines you enjoy and revel in drinking them. You’ve nothing to lose except your inhibitions and you may discover a passion too.

Marta and Antonia discuss the findings of Cherwell’s sex survey, with some sad news for scientists, look at the research Oxford University have just published on ducks’ water preferences and tell you why you should vote in the local elections.