Books
‘Michael and Me’, An Upcoming Book By The King Of Pop’s Alleged Girlfriend
‘Michael is a real hot-blooded man who loves women’
Barney Hoskyns + Michael Azerrad At The Strand, Discussing “Small Town Talk”, Monday, April 4th, 2016, Reviewed
Barney is like the movies vision of an Englishman Gentleman
Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music, John Fogerty, Reviewed
Fogerty comes across as a good hearted, high strung perfectionist who is happier catching fish than writing music
Ray Wylie Hubbard ‘s “a life…well, lived” Reviewed
At some level, Hubbard almost works like a magician; he’s a guy who seems to have a perpetual ace in the hole.
Elvis Costello Has Written A Memoir And Is Talking About It November 10th At BAM
So not the longest story ever told by any stretch of the imagination and what is strange is the man is a gasbag and so you’d expect him to tell the story long and hard. I remember seeing him at the “Spectacle” gig years ago and he kept on stepping all over his guests line…
Marvin Gaye’s Second Wife: He Was A Pervert
Naturally, the reason for “After The Dance” is money. But also, and I say this without benefit of reading the book, maybe something else: “That I lost myself in someone else — someone as remarkable as Marvin Gaye — is no longer cause for self-condemnation.” Can’t we all claim the same?
Steve Crawford’s “1000 Essential Songs From The 1970s” Reviewed
Crawford’s book is not unlike the man himself, he seems unassuming but he takes you by surprise, he doesn’t shout in his writing, he lets his wide knowledge and wry humor work for him. He expects you to appreciate his writing and you? You’ll dip into it with Spotify on, and before you know it hours have passed
Viv Albertine’s “Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys” Reviewed
Among the many many things I admire about the book is just how unsentimental it is, how to the point, how it doesn’t deal in life in abstraction but rather it deals in life as flesh and blood. There is a stubborn resilience to it. Over and above the fun of reading about people you know is the fun of reading about a world you have no clue about
Malcolm Gladwell's "David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits And The Art Of Battling Giants" Reviewed
The academics hate Gladwell, they think he is dumbing down when not getting it all wrong, important questions about sociology but layman like me appreciate his storytelling and if he gets stuff wrong, he gets stuff right as well. I mean, David did beat Goliath, right?
Robert Hilburn's "Johnny Cash: The Life" Reviewed
It’s all well and good that Cash was admired by Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and Bono and various rock critics and was a peer of Elvis and Jerry Lee and Carl Perkins. However, it’s somewhat mystifying that Hilburn would rely on third party quotes and recognition instead of trying to define the gravitas of Cash in his own voice.
Stephen King's "Doctor Sleep" Reviewed
He may well be a great storyteller but he isn’t a great stylist and his metaphors are banal and obvious and therefore he isn’t a great novelist and this is so far from being a great novel as to be, indeed, a very ordinary one.
Morrissey's "Autobiography" Reviewed
Moz mixes intense ego with unconsolable self doubt. In his mind, even in his 50s, he seems to see himself as one of the victims of the Manchester Moors murderer Myra Hindley, running in the dark as horrors come out at him from every direction
Robert Gordon's "Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion" Reviewed
In his new book, he covers the history of the label, the personalities involved, the business decisions, as well as the social and political climate of the time. Most importantly, Gordon has the critical chops to get to the heart of the matter – all the timeless music that Stax produced
Morrissey's "Autobiography" Reviewed In Segments: Moz In Court
The writing here is Dickensian in its outrage, and while it is, of course, outrage at harm done to him himself and not to society, the ramifications are indeed for British society where the law is at the whim of a senile old bastard. Morrissey knows his “Bleak House” and by the end of the 40 pages, you can join Morrissey in absolute fury at the nonsense justice meted to him.
US "Autobiography" Tones Down Morrissey's Homosexuality
why would Morrissey choose not to discus his sex life in any detail in an autobiography? I mean, if Moz was in a serious homosexual relation for years on end, what songs did he write about it? Why reveal if only to conceal, if you don’t want to write about yourself, for fucks sake don’t write about yourself, but what price prudish concealment?
Morrissey's "Autobiography" Reviewed In Segments: The Rough Trade Years
There is something small minded in Morrissey’s not being able to be happy. It is something very Nicholas Nickleby, very Little Dorrit, in the young Paul getting beaten by ignorant vicious school masters and something much less so in Moz complaining about Travis not appreciating him enough for saving Rough Trad
Morrissey's "Autobiography" Reviewed In Segments: "I cannot cope with anything but my inability to cope.”
One of his closest friends dies in a car wreck, another from cancer, on visits to his sister in the US nothing stems the depression so great Morrissey is nearly comatose and he can’t even get a part time job at “Targets”.
Morrissey's "Autobiography": An On Going Review, This Time Starring Jerry Nolan
I loved glam as well, and essentially the same bands as well: T-Rex, Bowie, Roxy, Mott -you know the rolecall. And Moz writes about them with all the positive passion where until then the passion was seriously negative. 80 pages in and I’m loving it.
The First Nine Pages Of Morrissey's "Autobiography" Reviewed
Whether Morrissey shall turn out to be the hero of his own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, this post must show.