Mood indigo: a farewell to Tony Bramwell
Last night I found that I’d lost a friend, Tony Bramwell, of over 30 years. Tony used to drop in on us regularly at MOJO, helping with Beatles issues; he … Continue Reading →
Downfall of a Dandy
I’m re-loading some choice Q&As from the publication week of the UK paperback of Sympathy For The Devil. Later I will post John Keen, who knew Brian as a 19-year old, … Continue Reading →
Anatomy of a Fall
Today is 50 years since an event that’s both inspiring and sad. For it was 50 years ago that Iggy Pop berated an audience with the words “you missed again, … Continue Reading →
Lazarus, 3: Previews and Farewells
The later trio of Lazarus songs – which we can now enjoy on the download EP, released January 8 – arrived fairly quickly. The Plan, a lovely ballad with sweet, … Continue Reading →
Lazarus, 2: “We’ve got to crack on with this”
Throughout the autumn of 2014, Enda and David continued to work together. For Robert Fox, it was a question of being patient: “Once they got together, they just got … Continue Reading →
Lazarus Trilogy, 1: a Black Star rises.
Lead photo is by Jimmy King, a press shot shared on January 7, 2016, with the caption: “”How is this man so happy?” Maybe because he knows his new album … Continue Reading →
The Beautiful and the Damned
This is a sad, symbolic part of the Brian Jones story which features two other doomed icons of the ’60s jet set, Paul and Talitha Getty, of … Continue Reading →
Deep Blue: Part 2
Johnson’s replacement, Hubert Sumlin, would become Wolf’s greatest collaborator. A young pup whom Burnett regarded as practically an adopted son, Sumlin had been hanging out in Memphis with James … Continue Reading →
The Call of the Wild
Chester Burnett, the otherworldy musician known as Howlin’ Wolf, was born 113 years ago this weekend. Right at the time I was finishing Portrait of the Blues, and an early … Continue Reading →
Happy birthday, jeans!
Today is the 150th anniversary of jeans. It was on this day in 1873 that Levi Strauss patented an idea suggested to him by one of the customers of his … Continue Reading →