The Idler #109
148 x 210 mm, 160 pages
London, UK
Bimonthly
Editor: Tom Hodgkinson
Art director: Alice Smith
‘Slow down. Have fun. Live well.’
A bimonthly magazine helping readers ‘to lead more fulfilled lives’ through idleness. The irony is that making a magazine does not involve even a hint of idleness, but the message remains: slow down and enjoy life!
This latest issue for May/June 2026, is devoted to a celebration of the old ways, an exploration of all things analog, and takes a stand against ‘big tech’. As Tom Hodgkinson writes in his editorial: ‘To read a book or listen to a vinyl record is a political act.’
Inside, Hodgkinson delves into ways readers can evade the digital economy, advising against Ubers and streaming services; Lee Osbourne dedicates his tech column to the retro computers affording users a break from tech surveillance; and Cathi Unsworth gives her two cents on the life and times of Blondie bassist Gary Lachman in a review of his recent autobiography. Plus, poetry from Nigel Planer and a variety of other analog-centric features throughout.