GrokeMixOne: so I have a new stereo, and I got to make my first tape in two years. What better way to mark the occasion than self-indulgently posting it to Art Of The Mix. Only I am to blame for the track selection but you can blame Kathleen for the […]

Gasp! Choke! – a teen star with a brand image? whatever next? (via everywhere).
Observation: real music fans’ stagey shock and outrage at a teen star being caught with a marketing plan is an amusing mirror of media stagey outrage at a roc[…]

Sound in Leicester Square: it’s better than the ICA. TRUE OR FALSE?
The ICA has English Sea Power. Sound has “Bow Wow (Thats My Name) by Lil Bow Wow.
Bottle of beer in ICA = ‘3.00. Bottle of beer in Sound = ‘3.50 plus compli[…]

The Ben Crouch Tavern accurately assessed – all I have to add is that it seems to be the HMV staff hangout. Poor bastards – after a long day serving scrofulous teens their Crazy Town wares the last thing they need is piped Goth Odyssey. O[…]

Celebs in the Pub – A Note On Etiquette So we’re in an unnamed pub in an unidentified district of North London. We have just finished last in a pub quiz. Several excuses were forthcoming for this poor performance. All of us had drunk […]

The more articles I read about nu-metal, the more I like nu-metal: this pretty much has me heading down the tattooists to get “Durst Rulez” on both forearms. Nu-metal pieces are starting to follow a set pattern: jaded twentysomething bitc[…]

Quick quiz: who do you think Glenn McDonald is talking about when he says “If Keith Moon had lived to hear drum-and-bass, I can imagine this being his response.”?
If you said “Found That Soul” by the Manic Street Preachers, ha[…]

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS – “I Don’t Believe In the Sun”
I put on Vol 1 of 69 Love Songs at work today. I thought it might sound deadpan and cynical next to the Top 40 we listen to. It sounded wimpier and sappier.[…]

JOY DIVISION – “Glass”/”Digital”
There are those — I’ve met some, sad but true — who believe Joy Division songs might be lovely if only they’d turned the guitars up a bit and the drums and vocals […]

Am I Cool Or Not?: a bulging sack of mail for this week’s subject. Etc.[…]