A summary of essays on my Songs and Objects Substack that appeared in March 2024, plus one planned for March but posted in early April because having time off is nice. 1. Epiphany and What Came After: Remembering Townes Van Zandt. This was the first of two posts to remember Townes Van Zandt in the… Continue reading Songs and Objects: A March Summary
Tag: song
Recent posts on Songs and Objects
I've been continuing to publish weekly posts to the Songs and Objects Substack. Posts since the start of this year cover topics such as seasonal songs (with a focus on January and the turning of the year), a three-parter on the songs of Mary Chapin Carpenter, a piece of life writing that maps songs on… Continue reading Recent posts on Songs and Objects
Recent posts on Songs and Objects
There are new posts available on my Songs and Objects Substack, including reflections on Grandaddy's classic Sophtware Slump album, a set of observations prompted by the recent release of Richard Dawson's The Ruby Cord Live film and a three-part analysis of the musicality of lists which previously appeared as a podcast episode, now been revised… Continue reading Recent posts on Songs and Objects
Songs and Objects now on Substack
I've recently launched a Substack newslwetter and website to share work in progress on my 'Songs and Objects' project. Posts so far have covered the song 'These Foolish Things', Cat Power's recreation of a classic Bob Dylan concert and thoughts about the afterlives of Dolly Parton's classic 'Jolene'. Some of the material (for example, the… Continue reading Songs and Objects now on Substack
New publications on Nina Simone and clipping.
I've had two articles published recently. One is a text I've wanted to work up for some time, connecting Nina Simone to narratives of Afrofuturism. It's a topic I first considered over a decade ago when writing my book about Simone. The material didn't really fit the shape the book ended up taking (and would… Continue reading New publications on Nina Simone and clipping.
Video of my recent conversation with Richard Dawson
The video of my recent conversation with Richard Dawson at TUSK North has now been streamed on Tusk TV and archived on YouTube. Thanks to Mariam Rezaei, Lee Etherington and Will Edmondes for setting this up, and to Fred Hollingsworth, Rob Blazey and Tom Waterworth for tech suppport during and following the event. Check out… Continue reading Video of my recent conversation with Richard Dawson
Music for Girls Online Symposium
I'll be participating in the 'Music for Girls' online symposium on Wednesday 18 May 2022. I'm planning to present material from my ongoing Songs and Objects project, specifically looking at how song lyrics foreground evocative objects and how these reflect the importance of such objects in everyday life, memory and life-writing, as well as considering… Continue reading Music for Girls Online Symposium
In conversation with Richard Dawson for TUSK North
I'll be talking to Richard Dawson as part of the TUSK North festival taking place on 4 and 5 March. TUSK North is a collaboration between Tusk Music Projects, the International Centre For Music Studies at Newcastle upon Tyne (ICMuS - i.e. where I work), DIY project TOPH and the Newcastle's historic Literary & Philosophical Society. Tusk has formed… Continue reading In conversation with Richard Dawson for TUSK North
New pubication on Aneka’s ‘Japanese Boy’
I've contributed a chapter to the book One-Hit Wonders: An Oblique History of Popular Music, edited by Sarah Hill and newly published by Bloomsbury Academic. My chapter is on Aneka's 1981 chart-topper 'Japanese Boy'. I discuss the song's chart history, give a little bit of biographical detail about the Scottish singer Mary Sandeman and her… Continue reading New pubication on Aneka’s ‘Japanese Boy’
Songs and Objects podcast
I am working on a podcast that explores the materiality of song. I’ve created it to accompany a research project I have been working on for some years now and which I hope to turn into a book in the future. The podcast is called Songs and Objects and the first five episodes are available… Continue reading Songs and Objects podcast
Late Voice 