Legacy Acts

At the end of last year , I was unfortunate enough to hear the most recent single from David Byrne, ‘T Shirt’. It’s made of thin material indeed, and I say that as someone who likes some Talking Heads work and his projects with Eno and St Vincent. Likewise Kylie and her insipid Christmas single,Continue reading “Legacy Acts”

Grace at 30

I remember the first time I heard Jeff Buckley singing. I was hanging out at my then boyfriend Paul ‘s flat. He’d just bought the album. I sat frozen in my seat, jaw dropping. I perused the album cover: the impossibly beautiful man in a sequinned coat, looking soulful and untouchable, clutching an old-fashioned microphone.Continue reading “Grace at 30”

Her Master’s Voice: Nina Conti Says Goodbye

The brilliant, gifted ventriloquist Nina Conti may be better known these days for the ritual humiliation of audience members, as she gets people up onstage, slaps weird masks on them and makes them say ridiculous or filthy things, but back in the day, her act was much, much darker: a kind of psychological cleansing thatContinue reading “Her Master’s Voice: Nina Conti Says Goodbye”