Stories

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Rob Boffard looks at trainers and what London’s ubiquitous footwear can tell us about its people. Stealing glances into the clashing worlds of youth culture, serious collectors and office workers, the story of trainers and the people who wear them is shown to be as diverse as the story of London itself (Boat Magazine, May 2012). This story is not available online, but the link will take you to the magazine's website. It's an amazing mag, with pieces from Jon Ronson, Nick Hornby, Lee Rourke and, erm, me. Well worth buying

My latest posts

Recent stories

Self-publish and be damned? Yeah, right

Self-publishing - if you believe the rash of op-ed pieces in newspapers ranging from The Guardian to The London Evening Standard - is going to be the downfall of the decent novel. I want to find every one of the people who believe this, toilet-paper their houses and take a dump on their lawns (Thought Leader, 21 March 2012)

Getting schooled on the iPad (Column)

I’m a grown man – just – and I still don’t even know what Excel is actually for, beyond raising the average number of confused looks in any office in which it is deployed. But an iPad? We are talking about one of the simplest, most intuitive pieces of technology to be invented in the past 20 years. (The South African, 11 March 2012)

Them's fighting words

We go inside the world of the rap battle leagues and meet the fast-spitting, shit-talking comedic emcees who come armed with words and ready for war. It’s about to get real ugly. (Huck Magazine, February 2012)

Safe as houses. Or not.

How inept do you have to be as a police service before you can no longer track down an elected politician? (The South African, 16 February 2012)

Fire & Steel

Detroit has been torn apart by the recession. Here’s how an extraordinary group of female MCs are pulling together in a city where the engine has died. (Huck Magazine, January 2012 - this link will take you to the digital edition of the magazine)

Label Engine: the software that's rewriting the rules for record labels

The story of the program that could change everything - and the superstar DJ who built it (Wired, 6 February 2012)

Mob deep: The New York mafioso who took the rap

John Gotti associate Louis Ferrante came up with an unusual defence strategy when the law caught up with him – learning to rap. (The Guardian, 9 December 2011)

Rob Boffard is a print and broadcast journalist. For more about him, click here.

Site last updated on Monday 30th April 2012