The Sound of Nonsense

My new book is called The Sound of Nonsense and it's published by Bloomsbury Academic today. To mark the publication, I'm posting an illustrated version of the book's introduction below. Introduction ‘Watch the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves’; so says the Duchess in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.[i] But can we be… Continue reading The Sound of Nonsense

New essay on Robert Wyatt published

My essay ‘“Words Take the Place of Meaning”: Sound, Sense and Politics in the Music of Robert Wyatt’ has been published in The Singer-Songwriter in Europe: Paradigms, Politics and Place, edited by Isabelle Marc and Stuart Green (Routledge). ABSTRACT: When we speak of singer-songwriters we tend to consider voice as both literary tool and musical… Continue reading New essay on Robert Wyatt published

New article on Van Morrison published

My article 'My Tongue Gets t-t-t-: Words, Sense, and Vocal Presence in Van Morrison’s It’s Too Late to Stop Now' has been published in a special issue of the journal Twentieth-Century Music on 'Voice'. ABSTRACT: Van Morrison’s live version of his song ‘Cyprus Avenue’ on the 1974 album It’s Too Late to Stop Now provides… Continue reading New article on Van Morrison published

Upcoming presentation: Be-bop-sh-boom-a-langa-langa-doo-wop: Pop’s Love of Nonsense

I will be presenting my current research at the University of York on Wednesday 27 January as part of the Music Department's research seminar series. My talk is entitled 'Be-bop-sh-boom-a-langa-langa-doo-wop: Pop’s Love of Nonsense' and it relates to my current research project 'The Sound of Nonsense'. Abstract below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4 In this paper I explore popular… Continue reading Upcoming presentation: Be-bop-sh-boom-a-langa-langa-doo-wop: Pop’s Love of Nonsense

New publication: ‘You can’t just say “words”: Literature and Nonsense in the Work of Robert Wyatt’

My essay ‘You can't just say “words": Literature and Nonsense in the Work of Robert Wyatt' has been published in the collection Litpop: Writing and Popular Music, edited by Rachel Carroll and Adam Hansen (Ashgate, 2014). Throughout his musical career, British musician Robert Wyatt has explored the interaction of words, language, sound and sense. His… Continue reading New publication: ‘You can’t just say “words”: Literature and Nonsense in the Work of Robert Wyatt’