What to do when you’ve run out of creative energy.At a time when we’re feeling more uninspired and “meh” than ever, is there anything we can do to jumpstart the imaginative parts of our…Nov 9, 2021Nov 9, 2021
How the pandemic destroyed my creativity and how I rebuilt it brick by brick.At the start of the pandemic, I felt resentful towards anybody who proposed we might use this change of pace to learn a language, take up…Jul 1, 2021Jul 1, 2021
7 delightfully unexpected facts about Lionel RichieHello — is it Lionel trivia you’re looking for?Apr 8, 2021Apr 8, 2021
Why joining a covers band was the most punk rock move I ever made.From 1996–2008 I played in noisy DIY bands. I sat in the back of stinking transits. I drove to Durham in an Austin Maestro to play to a…Apr 1, 2021Apr 1, 2021
Can you make a living from your art? Kate Bush says yes, you can.The seventies. An era of hairy men with guitars, schmoozy crooners, snotty punk rock and shiny disco. If you’d suggested a teenage girl…Mar 26, 2021Mar 26, 2021
Jealous Guy and 21 more cover versions that were better than the originalsWay back in March 1981, a swoony cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy became the first number one hit for art-school rockers Roxy Music.Mar 19, 2021Mar 19, 2021
The easily distracted person’s survival guide to working from home.It’s happening. Office workers all over the country are being told to pack up their work laptops, locate the charger for said laptop…Mar 11, 2020Mar 11, 2020
99 Red Balloons: pop as a protestNena’s 1983 smash hit 99 Red Balloons is a reliable staple of every 1980s compilation CD and the soundtrack to many a drunken wedding…Mar 6, 2020Mar 6, 2020
Atomic: the self-loathing memoir of a girl in a bandBlondie were one of the first bands I really remember. I was introduced to them so early on that, initially, Debbie Harry seemed…Feb 28, 2020Feb 28, 2020
