Author archive: Barney Hoskyns

Love this story on CMU Daily. Is the dome-headed king of 90s arena-grunge still seething at Steve Malkmus’ hilarious diss of Smashing Pupkins and Stone Temple Junkies in “Range Life”, a song that’s over 16 years old?! (Let me, meanwhile, … Continue reading →

Just our luck to catch Liverpool rising from the dead, fresh off the back of three wins and Torres back to his best (the first goal was electrifying; the second a moment of genius). Plus Essien missing, Lampard still out … Continue reading →

About to finish Pynchon’s INHERENT VICE and really don’t want to – want it to go on & on & on. To my slight surprise – I guess I thought TP must be too ancient now to sustain the SoCal … Continue reading →

Am encouraged by reviews of Lisa Cholodenko’s opening-in-UK-this-weekend THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT to believe that the great Mark Ruffalo may have given his first great screen perf since the magnificent turn in Ken Lonergan’s YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, … Continue reading →

Animal Collective to curate ATP in May 2011 We are very excited to announce the news that Animal Collective will be curating ATP at Butlins in Minehead which runs from 13th – 15th May 2011. (This will be the only … Continue reading →

PAUL MORLEY TO PEN TONY WILSON BOOK Journalist Paul Morley has announced that he is writing a book about legendary Factory Records boss Tony Wilson. He revealed the news on Wednesday at an event at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall – … Continue reading →

Was listening to Rickie Lee Jones’ heartbreaking ‘Company’ yesterday – and suddenly in my mind heard the late Luther Vandross singing it in a lush and immaculate version with Marcus Miller on bass and Yogi Horton on drums (etc. etc.). … Continue reading →

The short list is out for the next batch of inductees into the US’s Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. And on it are Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, Chic, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Dr John, J Geils Band, LL … Continue reading →

BLACK HOLE – A compilation of California Punk by Jon Savage, released November 15th 2010 Domino is proud to announce the release of Black Hole, a compilation celebrating the first wave of California Punk that briefly flourished between 1976 and … Continue reading →

Having lived with it now for a month, I can now offer a properly considered response to THE SUBURBS and declare that it is indeed magnificent – barring a few dips like the two “Half Light” tracks. The first four … Continue reading →

Mega-exciting news that the complete Larry Sanders Show will be on DVD early November. Shandling’s brilliant show was the grandfather of everything from Curb Yr Enthusiasm to 30 Rock, with genius support from Artie and Hank. Unmissable for all box-set … Continue reading →

I guess we knew it was coming, but the news that Robert Sandall has succumbed to his cancer is none the less heartbreaking for that. I knew him a little, but I knew him over many years and always liked … Continue reading →

FROM POPMATTERS: by Jason Gross Like Roger Ebert, Christgau went beyond simple grades and gave you much more in his reviews, almost always rewarding your attention. In the latest and probably last edition of Robert Christgau’s Consumer Guide (published yesterday), … Continue reading →

For what it’s worth, which ain’t a lot… and assuming TIME FADES AWAY counts! 1 The Band – Rock of Ages 2 Van Morrison – It’s Too Late to Stop Now 3 James Brown Live at the Apollo Vol 1 … Continue reading →

Have to agree with RBP contributor Richard Williams in The Guardian this morning: Fabio Capello is already making howlers. His tactics against the US were really no better than Erickson’s or McLaren’s would have been (and yes he shouldn’t have … Continue reading →

LOVED this quote from California harpie Newsom in The Guardian on Monday: “The music press is so saturated with Twitters and blurbs and MySpace – there’s so much that is just noise. It’s overwhelming and also, I think, ineffective.” Hear … Continue reading →

For what it’s worth, I thought Mourinho got it absolutely right over two legs. CFC never looked like winners in either game. Yes, English refs might have given penalties for some of the rugby tackling in the Inter box. But … Continue reading →

Word up on WHEN THAT ROUGH GOD GOES RIDING: LISTENING TO VAN MORRISON, an imminent new book by Greil Marcus. (Faber are publishing in the UK this year.) While opaque in places, as with some of GM’s Dylan writings, it … Continue reading →

When I were a lad I was passionate about rugby union (American readers need read no further…) Those were the days of great Welsh players like Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Barry John, Mervyn Davies et al – and of the … Continue reading →

From Jaron Lanier’s bracing, nay withering new YOU ARE NOT A GADGET: A MANIFESTO: “Pop culture has entered into a nostalgic malaise. Online culture is dominated by trivial mashups of the culture that existed before the onset of mashups, and … Continue reading →

So Carly Simon reveals “You’re So Vain” was about none other than David Geffen, whose ruthless winnowing of the Elektra Records roster in 1973 upset her greatly. I for one am more than a little surprised – especially when the … Continue reading →

Yes, Pete ‘n’ Roj were godawful in Miami. And I’d spent Friday writing a 1200-word piece for the Indie on Sunday reminding everyone they were once the best live band on earth… boy, did I feel a fool. On a … Continue reading →

Yeah, this is really gonna work: “An editor at publishing house Faber & Faber, Lee Brackstone, has used the company’s relatively new blog to send an open letter to Morrissey asking him to write an autobiography. According to Brackstone, this … Continue reading →

“I think records were just a little bubble through time and those who made a living from them for a while were lucky. There is no reason why anyone should have made so much money from selling records except that … Continue reading →