Author Archives: adrian
Shawn Lane 1963-2003
Shawn Lane died last week. He was one of my biggest musical heroes. Unless you’re a particularly voracious fan of guitarists or non-mainstream music, you probably won’t have heard of him. Shawn was, first and foremost, a hugely talented guitarist, … Continue reading
The end of the summer
It’s been a good summer. For a start, there was this… I like the Proms. I’ll admit that it’s a flawed system, limited geographically to London and stylistically to a fairly traditional idea of what “classical” music is. But it’s … Continue reading
Warren Ellis on WAP
I use a wap-compatible mobile phone, a useful tool for the sort of person who runs out of book or newspaper midway through a journey. Or, therefore, for the sort of person who likes to make such journeys on unpredictable … Continue reading
Badger badger badger badger badger
Will someone please come round and rewire my brain, to stop the badger tune from spinning round in my head all day, every day… I mean, it’s such a cool little animation, but I can just imagine standing in the … Continue reading
Soup. With cheese in!
I feel I must share this with you. Well, the theory at least. If you want to do it for real, you’ll have to buy your own ingredients. Taken from the book ‘Soup’, appropriately enough… TOMATO, BLUE CHEESE AND BACON … Continue reading
Mahler for hi-NRG disco nights?
In Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, the first little solo played by the trumpet sounds exactly the same as ‘In the Navy’ by the Village People. See? I told you everything was connected, didn’t I?
Is the UK music industry full of hot air?
So let’s get this straight. This year, the UK music industry has sold more albums than ever before. Album sales since 1998 (just after the first popular internet explosion) have been on average 40% higher than in 1993. So what’s … Continue reading
New music – A Moment of Clarity
Spent yesterday morning knocking together a very quick little tune. I’d been messing around with a Japanese pentatonic scale called the Hirajoshi for a while and wanted to do something with it. It’s a very easy way of getting a … Continue reading
Just another old Nazi
So, Diana Mosley (née Mitford), that spectacularly wrong-brained old woman, has died. Surely, with such an unrepentant fascist as she clearly was, we won’t be subjected to more of the revisionist memories accorded to Idi Amin and (on a smaller … Continue reading
New music – Magic Theatre
Much as I’m enjoying the hot weather, it’s not much good for productivity. Playing guitar has become a sticky, energy-sapping pursuit, so I’ve mostly just been sitting in the garden listening to Beethoven’s late string quartets today. Luckily, the latest … Continue reading