From the backline of London’s punk scene to the pit lane of Formula 1, Jay Hirano’s story burns with rhythm, rebellion, and reinvention. A Japanese musician turned photographer, he’s proof that creativity doesn’t fade — it just finds a new instrument.
Jay Hirano was born in the frozen north of Hokkaido in 1983, but he’s spent his life chasing heat — music, movement, and the bright burn of creativity. He left Japan in 2002, fresh...
FEATURED STORY: THE GRASS ARENA FILES
The life, the fall, and the fightback of John Healy — the boxer turned street drinker who found salvation through chess and the written word. A two-part feature exploring grit, genius, and redemption on the streets of London.
The Grass Arena - John Healy and the Art of Fighting Back
THE GRASS ARENA FILES: JOHN HEALY AND THE ART...
For my son, Tommy Junior — who started his bricklaying journey, Level 1, 2025
By Tommy Kennedy IV
The site smelt of wet mortar, diesel, and cold tea.
Frost on the scaffolding. Pallets stacked, spirit level catching the first bit of morning light.
That’s the world you’re stepping into, son.
You’ll learn early — it’s not just brick and muck. It’s balance, rhythm, patience. It’s knowing how the wall feels before you’ve even laid it.
Old Mick...
Bricklayer in Bangkok
I wake before the sun, trowel in hand, cement sticky under my nails. Seventeen, nearly eighteen, already spent more hours sweating over walls than most lads spend on phones. Brick dust in my hair, gloves cracked from the gym, fists raw from punching bags. Days I build, nights I fight. Bricklaying and boxing—they’re the same: timing, strength, precision, patience, pain.
Dad comes in, wiping his hands on a rag. “Son, you’ve earned this,...
The 120 Days of Sodom — The Book That Shouldn’t Exist
Content warning: This piece discusses themes of violence and depravity found in historical literature.
I read The 120 Days of Sodom a few years back, and it still rattles around my head like bad news. It’s the filthiest, maddest, most perverted book I’ve ever come across. You don’t read it for pleasure. You read it because you can’t look...
El Peculiar — Chapter Two: Seven Stars, Earl’s Court
Content Warning: This chapter contains strong language, drug use, and adult themes. Reader discretion advised.
Sadie worked behind the bar, packed with men who watched her every move. The counter, polished to a shine, reflected the naughty look splashed across her face. Her man was in tonight, and she buzzed with anticipation.
‘I see your boyfriend’s in,’ said the manager, Nigel, his face twisted with...
EL PECULIAR: CRAZY LONDON
Read the Chapter, Face the Music.
Warning: I'm giving you this chapter for free, but you need to know what you’re getting into. This is a story carved from the dirty pavement of London's underworld, soaked in noir shadows and splashed with dark humour. You'll find blood, bad decisions, and the kind of language you hear down the market, not in a tearoom. This version includes explicit, non-consensual violence and sexual content used to establish character and...
November 2005. The Inn on the Green was buzzing that night — freezing outside, weed drifting off the balcony, and that unmistakable feeling that something special was unfolding.
It wasn’t just another gig. It was a fundraiser for Prisoners Abroad, and the line-u
We had the pleasure of the one and only Howard Marks — Mr Nice — a man whose charm could fill any room....
CHASING THE CHOP
by Tommy Kennedy IV
Friday, the 13th of December. My mum's fortieth. Etched into my skull forever.
The night everything changed.
Tragedy struck when she was decapitated in a car crash.
The culprit? A twenty-nine-year-old Hooray Henry, high on cocaine, speeding his father's Aston Martin down a Cornish lane. His teenage girlfriend sat beside him, pickled in piss, egging him on. He’d just snorted a line — the chop — off the...
A Reading List for the Grafters and Dreamers
By Tommy Kennedy IV — www.tommykennedyiv.com
Twenty books that’ll toughen your mind, feed your heart, and remind you that strength isn’t just in your hands — it’s in the words that stay with you. These stories aren’t school stuff. They’re life lessons dressed in paper and ink.
You’ve just finished a long shift. Cement dust on your boots, knuckles sore from the bag. You drop into a chair, the world humming round...
Flash Fiction Friday: The Happy Ending
Dani slipped through Brixton’s back streets.
Tattered canvas bag in hand.
Pale skin, red hair, fire simmering beneath the surface.
Her snakeskin mini skirt barely hid bruised legs. Lime-green laces crisscrossed scuffed white trainers.
Headphones pumped The Stranglers’ Golden Brown. She didn’t want the world. She wanted her fix.
Fuck it—where the hell was that bastard?
The streets smelled of rot. Decomposed cabbage from a...
Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde birthday, Oscar Wilde quotes, Oscar Wilde quotes on life, Oscar Wilde quotes on friendship, Irish writer, London literature, creative writing inspiration, philosophy of life, classic authors, writers and poets, Tommy Kennedy IV.
Celebrating Oscar Wilde – 16 October
Today we raise a glass to one of the sharpest minds ever to hold a pen – Oscar Wilde. Born in Dublin in 1854,...
The Bricklayer’s Odyssey
By Tommy Kennedy IV
Chapter One: Departure
London was bleeding cold that morning. Sky the colour of dirty tin, air sharp enough to split skin. I’d been up since five, couldn’t sleep. The wind howled down Ladbroke Grove like it had a grudge, and I stood there watching it rip through the estate, hands jammed in my jacket, thinking —
“If I don’t go now, I never will.”
Eighteen years old, half a man, half a mess. My boots caked in mortar,...
Ricky Hatton: The People’s Champion Goes Home
by Tommy Kennedy IV
They buried Ricky Hatton yesterday and Manchester stood still. The rain came down steady, the kind that soaks you to the bone and still feels holy. From Hattersley to the Etihad, blue flags hung from windows, people lined the streets, and you could taste the pride in the air.
He was ours.
Ricky wasn’t just a boxer. He was Manchester in gloves, tough and humble, full of heart and humour. The...
Flash Fiction Friday
There’s My Hand, There’s My Heart
by Tommy Kennedy IV
Walking lazily along the beach at Porthmeor in St Ives, soft sand kissed my feet.
The salty breeze tangled my hair and woke up the old mischief inside me.
Tonight, I’d outsmart my latest young gigolo. Fingers crossed.
He was rum, dim, and perfect for my plans.
With a fresh wax and hair done to kill, I looked irresistible.
The boy had no idea what kind of woman he’d picked up.
Then he arrived — roaring up on a bright blue...
Billy Idle: Echoes of the Dancefloor
Billy Idle is a veteran UK DJ, producer, and promoter whose career spans decades, tracing the heartbeat of underground electronic music. From Manchester’s club scene to London’s independent circuits and international gigs, Idle is known for sets that blend deep house, disco classics, and global grooves, delivered with energy, warmth, and an unrelenting love for the dancefloor.
Early Career: Manchester and London
Idle cut...
Sex, Drugs & HIV – The Punk Charity Album That Changed the Game
Big thanks to Mat Sargent for the video clip featuring Steve Dior – proper rock ‘n’ roll gold.
Back in 1995, punk bassist Mat Sargent (of Sham 69, Chelsea, and Splodgenessabounds) launched one of the boldest charity albums ever made — Sex, Drugs & HIV. What began as a raw, personal response to the stigma around HIV and AIDS exploded into a massive 21-year musical project uniting more...
By Tommy Kennedy IV
October 8, 2025 | Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaica prison system, General Penitentiary Jamaica, Tower Street Prison, Peter Tosh murder, Vybz Kartel prison story, Jamaican prison riots, life in Jamaican jail, Dennis Lobban Leppo, Shower Posse Jim Brown, overcrowding in Jamaican prisons, prison reform Jamaica
They say walls have ears, but in the heart of the Jamaica prison...
Better Days Are Coming – Roots Still Run Deep (ZodoA Records, 2000)
Back in 2000, we pulled together some of Jamaica’s rawest voices and unleashed Better Days Are Coming – Roots Still Run Deep through my label, ZodoA Records — a roots reggae compilation that poured straight from the soul.
No glossy production tricks. No pop stars play-acting at consciousness. Just grit, struggle, and unfiltered truth locked into rhythm, vibrating through your chest like a...
