(The Next Thing Isn’t Always Big)
(DJs: Freelance Hellraiser, Osymyso, Tom Middleton)
The saying goes ‘All good things come in small packages’. I am not sure if the coiner of said phrase really meant quite this small. The flyer for […]

HE SAID TRUST ME I’LL MAKE YOU A STAR SO I BIT MY TONGUE UNTIL HE’D FINISHED…
Nick McMeier: ‘Kind of a compliment, that a famous person was interested in me’
Jon Ronson: ‘You say famous. But he was JUST JONATHAN KI[…]

So in a wonderful example of synergy or timing or conspiracy, the Village Voice has released the results of its ‘Pazz and Jop Poll’ the very same week as Them Strokes Fellers are being analyzed here on FT. Placing number two and all is ac[…]

1) Can I begin with a footnote?1
It makes sense to do so, since for all intents and purposes the Strokes are a footnote – that least sexy of paratextual props2 – a scribbled quibble in the margin of pop history, not even parasitic (since that w[…]

1.
This is an article about the Strokes. Yes, yes: I realize it’s gauche to go on about the Strokes. Let’s get that out of the way as soon as possible: you may well feel that a lot more words have been written about this particular ban[…]

Steps – Gold
Steps – some human atom in the five-faced hundred-bodied pop machine that was Steps – decided to call their greatest hits album Gold. You know, like Abba’s greatest hits album, Gold. It was a good joke because it […]

BOOTYLICIOUS! – Bootlegs And Why I Love Them
“Some of these bootleggers / They make pretty good stuff…” (Bob Dylan, “Sugar Baby”, 2001 – sample it!)
SKEE-LO – “I Wish (Soulwax Remix)”
It was[…]

The Strokes – Is This It?
In 2001 you had to have an opinion on The Strokes, which is a good thing from the off because a little bit of opinion makes being a pop fan more enjoyable. Your opinion could be deranged enthusiasm or distanced disgust[…]

Peggy Lee – “Is That All There Is?”
I broke up with a woman three weeks ago who loves Peggy Lee, and who introduced me to her (and who, and who…) I’ve just been listening to a lot of her stuff again, in alphabetical orde[…]

Rosemary Squires – “I Poured My Heart Into A Song”
Irving Berlin wrote many songs about music, about singing and showmanship; ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ and ‘Just A Couple of Song and Dance Men&[…]