the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 20

I am confused, as to the nature of fandom.

song of the day 4. antlered auntlord

Reinforcement, and it feels so good.

a few notes on various functions of music criticism

What do we mean by music journalism?

“A music critic can be enthusiast, communicator, discoverer of new bands, dry academic trying to theorise about everything, conduit between musician and public, complainer about the state of music, agent provocateur, diarist, revolutionary, lightening rod of great ideas, drunken fool, failed musician, aural guerrilla or a combination of all of those” – John Robb, Louder Than War

the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 17

Little has changed.

song of the day 3. porridge radio

Look away. It’s OK. No one will mind. 

Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions

1980s soft rock mix (first draft)

Clearly, not all these are from the 1980s. Nor are all of them soft rock, strictly speaking. There is a a fair smattering of New Wave among the bandanas. 

‘Your friends are a massive bunch of dicks’. Bowie fans and Guardian readers get personal.

I did not expect to have to run a disclaimer first, but perhaps I should have done.

reasons i am not that sort of bowie fan

I am not a racist, but…

a dozen of my favourite covers of David Bowie songs

I know I have already written a similar post, but this is far more finely honed.

reasons I am not a David Bowie fan

My new favourite album is Young Americans. 

the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 6

Woke up this morning. David Bowie is dead.

the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 5

I know why people keep their headphones on when they are not listening to anything. 

the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 4

Day 4, Thursday

Nothing, just nothing. 

the troubled diary of a David Bowie fan, day 3

Day three, Wednesday

Woke up. David is still dead (shock). Starting to believe it could all be a gigantic hoax (bargaining). 

The next day after in London: a photographic tribute to David Bowie

“It was a slightly surreal but moving experience to read and hear the words of ordinary fans rather than celebs and politicians in the media.”

song of the day 2. Hinds

A few fundamentals of rock’n’roll.

David Bowie and the 7 stages of grief

This is how it unfolded for me.

A tribute to David Bowie (the playlist)

Blackstar

The Man Who Changed The World

My Facebook feed of the last 31 minutes…

song of the day 1. Jenny Hval

The images she dislodges from my mind with this song I am unable to share.

101 Albums You Should Die Before You Hear – John Lennon’s Rock’N’Roll

To this day, I am not sure why I was so attracted to Lennon as a surly teen.

A cut-out-and-keep review of the new David Bowie album

Blackstar is a ground-breaker/game-changer/startling reinvention of Bowie’s own oeuvre/legacy/past that never/rarely/occasionally fails to astonish/enlighten/surprise, the sort of album the Thin White Duke/Ziggy Stardust/that bloke who appeared as an extra in Extras has not produced/managed/achieved since the last one/Scary Monsters/Station to Station. 

Not so much the Top 200 Albums of All Time, as the Most Depressing Music List of All Time

Some observations on the latest attempt by a group of given-up music critics to reinforce the rock canon. 

Producing music at home – 1. Sugababes

Several years back now, The Flaming Lips came up with this gimmick where their new album could only be properly listened to using four separate CD players.