Happy 80th birthday to the mighty Neil Young. 🎂 Some words/thoughts on him here from a couple of years ago for @thequietus.com thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

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I'm on the Beatle Blethers podcast having a nice long chat about Paul McCartney in the 1990s. Video and audio versions here. Thanks chaps! @reaktionbooks.bsky.social #offtheground #paulmccartney #beatles 68a9a46c09c9f0-62282495.castos.com/player/2203078 www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWXV...

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Personal highlight of the new Wings book is Paul’s story that he nearly went to meet Bob Marley when he was in London in the mid 70’s but was too stoned to go.

Does Tintin count as a superhero? (No fewer superpowers than Batman.)

#AMS2025 may be ending, but our virtual exhibit is still open! Browse our virtual exhibit and get 30% off & free domestic shipping using code EX58132: bit.ly/UCPEXAMS

Cartoonist Tom Gauld seems to have hacked into my email correspondence. #booksky

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things.

Enjoyed reading the @steviechick.bsky.social interview with Roddy Bottum. Cards on the table, I have never seen Faith No More perform live… But I have seen Sasquatch: The Opera. #ILikeHisLaterStuff www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...

This is serendipity incarnate. My comrade @michaelshallcross.bsky.social and I have, for the last month, being holding our own Maccathon: listening to his entire post-Fabs catalogue while ranking the albums and pulling favourite songs for a long list, ultimately to be honed into a Macca Top 50…

OFF THE GROUND is one year old. 🥳 “…a must read for serious Beatles fans.” 👇👍✌️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @reaktionbooks.bsky.social

People my book would make an excellent Christmas present for: Hip-hop heads Readers who enjoy music biographies Readers who enjoy political history Lefties All the comrades, outlaws and generally scandalouz

“We had some seriously good turnips.” - Paul McCartney ❤️

The definitely historically real, Cain and Abel. 🤔

Few live bands are as grin-on-your-face entertaining as Les Savy Fav, especially on Halloween. 🎃 @lessavyfav.bsky.social

A new (old-school) Hey Colossus number! Like The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster if they listened to Cows… ON ACID. 🧟‍♂️

Happy LULU day, to all who celebrate. @drownedinsound.bsky.social @metallica.com

In the latest singles roundup for Record Collector I have an overdue pop at Nine Inch Nails and appeal for some complimentary Boursin. 🧀 @boursinuk.bsky.social

Entry to the pub quiz is a pound per person. Someone asked if they could pay with their smartphone. 🪙

Discovered Husker Du when I was 16, in the wake of Nevermind, and they were my absolute North Star for years, and remain so close to my heart. Thanks so much to @thequietus.com for letting me write this. It’s quite long. thequietus.com/interviews/h...

When a group push their way to the front, halfway through the headliner’s set, only to have a loud and drunken discussion during every song… Then you realise they’re only the morons from the feeble support act (who should know better). 🤫😠🙈

Team trills.

#nowplaying Plastic Fang by THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION, on CD of course. 💿 #ROCKNROLL

If anyone would like signed copies of ELECTRIC WIZARDS or OFF THE GROUND before XMAS (for yourself or others), I can get some stock here, scribble inside and send them out. RRP plus postage to wherever you are. Let me know. 📚 ❤️ 🎶

#31: Zips

“And The Golden Globes’ Best Supporting Role goes to… Mark Ruffalo’s belly cushion in Task.”

Pitchfork will have to employ an army of people who could otherwise be writing music criticism to moderate all the commentators comparing each other to Hitler.

If anyone would like signed copies of ELECTRIC WIZARDS or OFF THE GROUND before XMAS (for yourself or others), I can get some stock here, scribble inside and send them out. RRP plus postage to wherever you are. Let me know. 📚 ❤️ 🎶

Delighted to see Professor Quentin Bell (b. 1910) on this week’s BBC Four repeat of Call My Bluff. His essay on ‘Bad Art’ would inform the defence of Lou Reed & Metallica’s LULU (=good art!) in Electric Wizards. If only he had known. @reaktionbooks.bsky.social #BBCFour #CallMyBluff ⚡️ 🧙‍♂️

'There are billions of words that are overused by music critics. “Genius,” for example. “Ethereal” is another classic. A case could be made for “unhinged”. But what other way is there to describe Yokers by Flesh Narc?' Flesh Narc – Yokers - #PsychRock For October buff.ly/fOS9DGQ

Stewart Lee on the Riyadh Comedy Festival @thenerve.news www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...

This is the best book about Sir Paul McCartney I have ever written and also one of the better ones I’ve read.

Will laugh if Alf Wolice snatch it again. #mercuryprize thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

When our album Plumb was on the #mercuryprize list in 2012, we were only allocated two seats at the ceremony. Additional seats cost £400+VAT iirc so, just to have Kev and Andrew, our actual band members, at the table with us would have cost more than the entire recording budget for the album.

'Talk about a rhythm section with pedigree. Ethan Miller of Howlin Rain & Comets On Fire, on bass. On drums is Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley. Those two cats provide the bouncy basis over which Orcutt shreds like a man possessed' Orcutt Shelley Miller – S/T - #PsychRock For October buff.ly/fOS9DGQ

When the comments dunces complain in the most unimaginative way possible that my bits are a “load of student journo bollocks” or written “like the most annoying 14-year-old”… That’s a badge of honour, mate! Keeps me young and full of chutzpah. ONWARD! thequietus.com/quietus-revi... @thequietus.com

Before he gets to grip with the latest psych and noise rock releases (Orcutt Shelley Miller, Dusted Angel, Flesh Narc and more), @spinal-bap.bsky.social has a brilliantly bleak brainwave... Columnfortably Numb: #PsychRock For October buff.ly/fOS9DGQ

"Before he gets to grip with the latest psych and noise rock releases, JR Moores has a brilliantly bleak brainwave..." @thequietus.com thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

This mustard roundup seems to be an exercise in thinking of different ways to describe “yellow” and I enjoyed it. ⚠️ www.theguardian.com/thefilter/20...

ICYMI My review of Lovin’ You by Richard Ashcroft. The eventual aim is to whittle down the art of the album review to a series of non sequitur one-liners. @thequietus.com thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

"The Idles LP has sated him for now. It will be 3 weeks before he feeds again."

“I like to imagine JR Moores as a savage beast caged in the corner of the Quietus offices, pacing back and forth hungrily until another unsuspecting gazelle is sent his way to be torn limb from limb.” 😆 🦁

Thom Yorke there, looking like a long lost eccentric cousin in Succession S2 who everyone thought had disappeared ‘in 1998 in India’ and is now- via some fiendishly complex loophole- about to *totally screw* everyone before silently going back to India.

In preparation for her role as Linda McCartney, I hope Saoirse Ronan will read the appropriate chapter in my book OFF THE GROUND as it will prove far more useful than anything by *** ******, ****** ****** or ****** ******. 😉 www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

Now playing 👇 And obviously the reversy thing will be getting done 😂

Today in 'tell us what you really think' news, JR Moores on Richard Ashcroft.

UH OH! I’ve reviewed Lovin’ You, the new Richard Ashcroft album, for @thequietus.com Don’t tell me it’s a mean-spirited or bad tempered write-up, however true that might be. Sometimes a writer just has to lash out. thequietus.com/quietus-revi...

My interview with the frontperson of an indie band who’d been out the night before and kept repeating the questions back to me, to discover my opinions on the mooted subjects, as if that would’ve made for serviceable copy.

CDs were cool because you could pry the tray out of the jewel case and sometimes there would be art or something hidden under there.