Today (January 28, 2015), social media reliably informs me that Robert Wyatt is 70, which seems a reasonable justification for reposting this long and, I hope, interesting transcript of an interview I did with him at home in Louth back in 2007, a little before the marvellous “Comicopera” was released. It begins with Wyatt discussing, of all things, Big Brother...
By its very nature, garage rock can be a trashy, erratic business - inevitable given the unbridled spontaneity it privileges. One of the many amazing things about Ty Segall and the ever-expanding circle of artists around him, however, is how they've found a way of adding consistency to the volatile mix of productivity and excitement.
Last year, Warp Records embarked on a campaign for Boards Of Canada's "Tomorrow's Harvest" comeback that was notable for its obtuseness. Unmarked 12-inches were hidden in record stores, strings of numbers and inexplicable broadcasts were strewn enigmatically across the internet. At one point, I recall some talk of red moons and feverish online triangulations pointing to a bookshop near Edinburgh as the centre of the universe. It was all fun, and the album at the end of it all was great, but perhaps it wandered a little off course as it went on.
The Rolling Stones have been confirmed as the third headliners of Denmark's Roskilde festival.
They join previously announced headliners Arctic Monkeys at the festival, which takes place from June 29 to July 6, 2014.
A statement from the festival's organiser says they have been pursuing the Stones for some time. "For years, we have dreamed of the moment when we got the opportunity to reunite The Rolling Stones with the Orange Stage at Roskilde Festival," says head of programme Anders Wahrén.
Johnny Depp was the surprise special guest at the 9th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute in L.A. last night (Aug 18).
The evening, which took place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, was in celebration of the life of the late Ramones guitarist and was organised by Ramone's wife Linda.
