Today [Wednesday 21 June2023] at Virtual College Expo23, CDN is delighted to welcome Darren McGarvey as the twelve inductee of the College Hall of Fame.
The College Hall of Fame highlights and recognises the outstanding contribution that college graduates and staff make to society and the economy; and demonstrates the variety of pathways to success from college.
Darren McGarvey is an author, social commenter, broadcaster and musician.
Darren studied HND Practical Journalism at Glasgow Clyde College, graduating in 2015. By the time Darren had started at the College, he was already drawing acclaim as Scottish rapper, Loki. With releases including ‘Friendly World’ and ‘Summer Knows A Darker Shade of Grey’, Loki became one of Scottish Hip Hop’s most influential artists; contributing to the popularisation of the Scottish accent in rap music. He followed these up with ‘Government Issue Music Protest’ and ‘Trigger Warning’; two interconnected conceptual albums exploring themes of identity, class and nationalism.
Darren is perhaps best known for his activism and social commentary, and as the Orwell Prize winning author of ‘Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain’s Underclass’, a brutally honest insight into his experience growing up in Pollok. Poverty Safari gained positive reviews and media coverage for its unique blend of memoir, journalism and polemic on the topic of poverty. In 2022, Darren followed this up with ‘The social distance between us: How remove politics wrecked Britain.’
Darren has had regular columns with the Daily Record and The Scotsman and has regularly contributed to publications including The Independent, The Guardian as well as television and radio mainstays like Question Time and Radio Four’s ‘Start the Week’. Darren has also written and produced a series of programmes for BBC Radio Scotland about causes of social behaviour and deprivation.
Darren has presented a series of television programmes for BBC Scotland, which investigate the rise of poverty and inequality in Scotland, (Darren McGarvey’s Scotland), how social class shapes our identities and destinies (Darren McGarvey’s Class Wars) and, more recently, focussing on why Scotland is the most addicted country in Europe (Darren McGarvey’s Addictions).
As well as having a passion for writing about, and highlighting social issues, Darren is a vocal supporter of the colleges sector, and cites attending Glasgow Clyde College to study HND Practical Journalism as a pivotal moment in his life. It was one of the first steps he took after struggling with alcoholism and studying on the course, and the support he received from his lecturers, helped him to become more confident and to find his voice and mature as a writer. He frequently supports his former department with class visits.
Last year Darren won the award for Best On Screen Personality at the RTS Scotland awards.
Darren shared his delight at being inducted into the College Hall of Fame by stating:
“10 years ago, I had no idea the different turns that my life would take, but I can trace a lot of what I’m doing now back to taking that first step back into education – further education – which for me was the right mix of learning and challenge, with support and encouragement”
“I’m very happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, it’s the most prestigious thing I’ve ever been inducted into”
Follow Darren McGarvey on Twitter using @lokiscottishrap
