David Lister

A founder member of The Independent David Lister joined the paper in 1986 as Assistant Home Editor. He became the paper's arts correspondent in 1988 and is now Arts Editor and writes a column each Saturday. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

David Lister: Part of London's heritage has been lost

Alarm bells first rang when I picked up a leaflet saying Transport for London was "changing the direction of the Circle line". Rubbish as I always have been at geometry, even I felt that you couldn't change the direction of a circle.

Recently by David Lister

David Lister: Too many popstars, not enough singers

Saturday, 12 December 2009

Cultural events are taking place all over the country this weekend, and there is a plethora of arts programmes on BBC4 and Sky Arts. Yet there is no doubting that the finals of ITV's The X Factor over two nights will be the most watched and most talked-about arts event of the weekend.

David Lister: Peter, Jackie, and questions never asked

Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Bennett said he was sure Cook was having an affair with Jackie Kennedy

David Lister: Why Strictly's upset a professional dancer

Saturday, 5 December 2009

Strictly Come Dancing is in bad odour. The BBC's celebrity dance show has drawn the ire of a famed figure in the arts. No not a critic, not even an up-market novelist getting a bit of extra publicity by engaging with popular culture. Much more interestingly, Strictly Come Dancing has upset a dancer.

David Lister: Craft does not make art – it takes originality

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

As a debate, "what is art" prefigures most art. France's celebrated prehistoric cave paintings probably had assorted cavemen raising their clubs as they declared: "I may not know much about art but I know what I like." And within the last couple of weeks, there has been an earnest debate in the pages of The Independent on the nature of art. This was sparked by Sir Richard Eyre's polemic on the subject, in which he said, among many other things, that art "makes us look at the world differently".

David Lister: Beware Conservatives bearing cash

Saturday, 28 November 2009

There was an interesting moment at the end of Andrew Marr's TV show last Sunday morning when the Conservative leader David Cameron was sat next to two feisty actresses, Samantha Bond and Romola Garai. Party leaders always pretend to enjoy such shoulder-rubbing with glamorous, but probably they dread the thought, because the inevitable question is always asked. And indeed it was: "What's going to happen about funding of the arts?"

David Lister: How can they not love Lily?

Saturday, 21 November 2009

It is the season of lists. Best of the Year/ Decade. Worst of the Year/ Decade. Most Beautiful of the Year/Decade. I'd like to introduce a "Mildly Enjoyable Night Out But Nothing To Write Home About of The Year/Decade", because that is also a large part of the cultural experience. But for the moment we'll have to make do with the best-of category.

David Lister: Great writers don't need a helping hand

Saturday, 14 November 2009

There's an unusual story about the new Alan Bennett play, The Habit of Art, which opens at the National Theatre next Tuesday. I gather that the National's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, found the manuscript just pushed through his front door at home. Bennett had worked on it alone without telling anyone and, shy man that he is, just delivered it unannounced and unexpected – and departed without ringing the bell.

David Lister: The pulsating battle to rule the arts

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Who should be the next chairman of the London Regional Arts Council? There's a question that invites the reader to turn the page. But this seemingly arcane question has become intriguing, controversial even.

David Lister: You need a PhD for a night at the opera

Saturday, 31 October 2009

They're expensive and often of little use, yet they are the one part of the cultural experience that rarely provokes comment. Why can't the programmes on sale at concerts, theatres and operas be better?

David Lister: The perils of being friends with the boss

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

The editor on my first newspaper had a habit of standing behind you as you were writing. Eventually, unnerved by his presence, you would stop writing. "What are you doing?" he would ask, amazed. "I'm thinking," the hapless reporter would answer. "Don't think! Write!" he would bark, emphasising the point with a jab of his finger between the shoulder blades.

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