Missed Opportunities

09/12/2018
ListReviewStory
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One of John Lennon’s many contributions to everyday philosophy is his observation that ‘life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’. It crossed my mind when I read Glen Matlock’s affectionate words in a Pete Shelley obituary. Talking about the brilliance of the Buzzcocks and taking the time to go to…

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I want to break free

28/11/2018
MemoriesPersonal historyReview
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With Bohemian Rhapsody in the cinema it is time to rethink and clarify my position on Queen and Freddie Mercury.I must have loved the band when I was young. After all, at primary school me and my friends imitated Queen on stage. I don’t remember which song we pretended to play. I only remember that…

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Do they hear us calling?

30/10/2018
MemoriesStory
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The setting could have been awkward but felt completely natural. A bedroom, single bed against the wall, a small desk in the corner, no other furniture. In retrospect, the absence of furniture surprises me, but then again, that’s the way me and my friends were living. High school teenagers, still living with their parents, with…

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Film Noir

11/10/2018
Memories
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I first heard OK Computer in the bus during a power outage that stopped all train traffic. I still remember the sensation of Paranoid Android hitting my brain. I first heard The velvet Underground & Nico on my Walkman, cycling to a sports event. The relative conventionality of Sunday Morning almost made me switch it…

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It’s all in the movies

17/09/2018
ListOpinionReview
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How many people knew about Jesus & Mary Chain before the release of Lost in Translation? Not a lot. What made ‘Don’t You (forget about me)’ such a massive hit for Simple Minds: the song’s quality or its presence in The Breakfast Club? Posing the question is answering it. Sometimes the soundtrack of a movie…

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Observations of a luddite

06/09/2018
Opinion
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Some words have a near-perfect harmony of sound, form and meaning. One of those words is Luddite. The word refers to people who are resistant to (particular) new technologies and is derived from a 19th century movement, the Luddites, a group of English textile workers who destroyed weaving machinery as a form of protest. The…

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Pushing against boundaries: create your own art!

16/08/2018
Opinion
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All governments want to control art. They either use public funding to support the arts, but dictate terms in the process of doing so, or they push it out to the market, in the hope that only commercially viable art will see the light of day. I agree. I think government should stay far away…

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Fantasy Football II – The needed substitutes

10/08/2018
ListOpinionStory
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I told you, a football team only has 11 players, and in putting together my near perfect line-up for the land of Music I had to make a lot of hard choices. let’s not try to be complete here. I could come up with at least 100 artists I could also have added. Let’s just…

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Fantasy Football

02/08/2018
ListOpinion
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If the land of music existed, which team would it send to the World Cup Football? Which players would be selected for which positions? Who would be their coach and what type of system would they play? Endless variations are possible, all with their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Numerous decisions have to be made, and…

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Get into the groove; reflections on side A opening songs

26/07/2018
ListOpinion
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I’m a romantic who loves destruction and a bit of chaos. I love human-made ruins, the results of criminal neglect or failed maintenance. I once saw a deserted and completely run down football stadium somewhere between Milan and Malpensa airport. Deteriorating tapes, scratched records, it all appeals to my romantic self. I hated the false…

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