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Remember the Time

Michael Jackson, in rehearsal for the his O2 dates; Staples Center, Los Angeles, June 23 2009. Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/AEG/WireImage.com 

Paul Lester and I were asked on Friday by The Guardian to try to gather reactions from musicians to the death of Michael Jackson, to be included in the paper on Saturday. Partly as a result of all the biggest stars and those most closely involved with Jackson issuing statements, maybe somewhat due to others with something to say being too busy speaking to Time, and (I suspect mainly) down to the news breaking during Glastonbury, with most of the UK's music business decamped to a field in Somerset and cursing their bad Blackberry reception, we didn't get very many responses in time for the deadline, so the quotes we got weren't included in the paper. But we were very grateful to those who did agree to speak to us, and it seems a shame if what they said never sees the light of day. So here are Ali Campbell, Alice Cooper, David Guetta, Mpho, Quincy Jones III (QDIII), Ronan Keating, Gary Kemp and Beverley Knight talking about their favourite MJ tracks, and ODIII speaking about his memories of the man he first met in 1977. ... more »

posted: 30/06/2009 | comments »

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Living Easy, Living Free

Some digital infrastructure last week; construction costs not pictured 

I've not read Chris Anderson's new book yet, but I enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's review of it in The New Yorker. After being riled to the point of almost throwing it at someone while reading The Long Tail, I'd been fearing that the aura of the visionary that mystifyingly grew around the Wired editor would make his new book immune from criticism. But this time, it looks like enough of the people at the parade have been able to see that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes: the lion's share of the press I've seen so far for Free: The Future of a Radical Price (interesting that his publisher's page lists a different title to the one on the dust jacket) has been mixed or, in Gladwell's case, withering. ... more »

posted: 29/06/2009 | comments »

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Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'?

will.i.am: photo courtesy Interscope/Polydor

It's been another day with wisps of different ideas coming together in the same place, slightly unexpectedly. The end result is that I'm going to mark the death of Michael Jackson by posting some previously unpublished parts of an interview with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. And if you bear with me, the reasons for doing so may possibly hove in to view. ... more »

posted: 26/06/2009 | comments »

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Express Condemnation

For the past few days, I've found myself thinking a lot about Express. I've no idea where he is or what he's doing today, but in 1993, Express - a rapper from Northampton called Simon - wrote one of the greatest pieces of anti-fascist poetry ever set to music. Gone to da Dogs was an impassioned response to the by-election that saw the British National Party win a seat on Tower Hamlets council, when Derek Beackon was elected in the Millwall ward on the Isle of Dogs, beating Labour by seven votes. My mind has turned occasionally to what he must be making of the European election results, because he made more sense of what happened in 1993 than most other folks at the time. ... more »

posted: 11/06/2009 | comments »

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Second Chance

News just in: second Stone Roses album quite good after all shock. Fifteen years after its release, this piece on Mojo's revitalised website finally sees someone with respect to lose stating what's seemed to me the self-evident truth: that the main failing in the eyes and ears of those who heard Second Coming when it was new was that the band hadn't simply re-made their debut. ... more »

posted: 03/06/2009 | comments »

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Everything Is Broken

Photo: (c) Ken Slone

Well, not everything. Just my computer, which has developed a mystery illness and has to be shipped off for a week in hospital, and may yet return with all its data amputated (if you've emailed me in the past week or so and I've not replied yet, this is almost certainly why: so please do re-send). Oh, and Newcastle United, whose relegation from the Premier League is doubtless causing much mirth to everyone but us supporters. And the publishing industry, which doesn't seem to work any more. And the music business. And cricket. And... Oh, hang on, I was right in the headline after all. But for now, I'll concentrate on Newcastle.... more »

posted: 02/06/2009 | comments »

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Phoenix Rising

OK, so it's not like-for-like preparation, and you know when you're playing against a team whose board forgets even to renew the domain name registration for its official website (above - image captured at 11pm BST, 18th May; see detail and update below) that perhaps you're not dealing with international sport at the highest level. And I admit that since a fortnight ago, when I was thinking entirely the opposite, not a great deal has changed. But there've been signs, in the demolition of the West Indies, that England may be gearing up to make at least a halfway decent fight of the Ashes after all. ... more »

posted: 19/05/2009 | comments »