Rebellious Judebox

I'm not here any more!

2010-10-22T10:42:00.005+01:00

I'm over at the far glossier juderogers.com where I have been for bloody ages. Come say hello!

A new website, Lady Di, and the boys of London

2010-03-31T11:37:00.006+01:00

First things first. My new website, where the work I've done recently will be shown in a rather more attractive way than what I can muster here, is nearly done. Go to juderogers.com if you can bear to put up with teething troubles over the next few weeks. That angry capital letter typeface will change too, I tell you!

Also, I have set up a new blog over on Posterous , which is feeding through to the right side of the website's home page. On Posterous, I'll be linking to my work as usual, but also posting transcriptions of interesting interviews to give those pieces more depth, and also other bits of ephemera and nonsense that I fancy shoving up there. Be warned!

But while we change over from here to there, here's my interview with 2008 X Factor semi-finalist Diana Vickers, returning to our screens and radio stations this month as a finely-scrubbed pop star, and my review of Barry Miles' rather patchy ode to capital city counterculture, London Calling in the New Statesman.

Hips! Lips! Tits! Power!

2010-03-26T09:00:00.003Z

In today's Courtney Love-edited issue of The Guardian's Film and Music Weekly, you'll find my piece about angry women in rock, stuffed with mini-interviews with Joan Jett, Kristin Hersh, Kathleen Hanna and more. Read it here.

Oh Boy

2010-03-23T17:03:00.003Z

Would you like to read an intellectual piece on the ways in which boy bands were nothing but good for us women? Well, I wrote one, for the members magazine of private members club (coo, me) Soho House. Navigate its fancy digital edition here.

Rae Of Sunshine

2010-03-21T16:59:00.000Z

I interviewed Corinne Bailey Rae for the Times the other week, and really wanted to write about the way she is always dismissed as a pretty, weeping widow. Corinne was more than happy to oblige. The piece was published in yesterday's paper, but read more here.

Saint Bernard

2010-03-17T16:44:00.001Z

Stop everything! My interview with one of my all-time heroes, Bernard Sumner , is up now on The Quietus website. Hoorah indeed.

Return of Lamacq

2010-03-16T17:22:00.000Z

My Word Of Mouth interview with the marvellous Steve Lamacq, surprisingly brimming with his love for Ian Rankin and compilations of '70s glam rock, is in the new issue of Word. Err, that's it. Subscribe here.

Bunny Grunts

2010-03-12T13:22:00.002Z

Ignore the use of the word "was" in the second line of this piece on Frightened Rabbit – some gentle subbing rather spoiled it – but here's a piece on the up-and-coming band from the Scottish Borders who are big in America, but hardly known on over here. Read more here.

Simon Says

2010-03-08T10:50:00.002Z

I saw Carly Simon's first ever gig in the UK. Strangely enough, it happened only last week, and my review of the strange concert is in today's Guardian.

New York Dolls, Pop Tribes, The Saviours Of Six, Radiophonic Warriors and the Power Of Voodoo

2010-03-04T23:05:00.007Z

Hello! What a week. Been too busy to spit, let alone blog, so here's what I've been up to.

Firstly, I reviewed Patti Smith's moving memoir about Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids, in the New Statesman.

Secondly, my epic piece about the state of the young pop tribe in 2010 was the cover story of last week's Film and Music Weekly in the Guardian. Taking in scene, metal, goth, dancehall, grime and punk, it took 300 years to write, but the interviewees made it worth it. Thanks to all of you!

Thirdly, some of you may have heard me gabbing on 5 Live or BBC Wales about the sad fate faced by the brilliant 6 Music. I wrote about the rumours – now sadly established as fact – in last Saturday's Guardian.

Fourthly, another story about the BBC – this time looking at its incredible, experimental days when its in-house sound design unit, the Radiophonic Workshop, was allowed to invent and inspire new worlds of electronic sound. I wrote the piece for the Red Bull Music Academy's brilliant daily paper, The Daily Note, but you can also read it online here.

Fifthly (start to wipe the sweat off the brow now), I reviewed Krystle Warren at the Soho Theatre, again for The Guardian. She was good.

And lastly – although I have two pieces in the paper tomorrow, argh – in today's Guardian, I also have a piece on Haiti Vodou, a fantastic, home-made charity record put together by Welsh singer-songwriter Christopher Rees, who travelled to the country in 2002 to help local schools, and ended up getting immersed in voodoo drumming ceremonies – where priests would fill his mouth with rum and swing machetes against concrete. Go to Red Eye Music to buy a copy right now - I'm donating my fee for the piece to DEC too.

That's it for now. I'm off on holiday. Until Monday. See you then!

Harping On

2010-02-22T22:29:00.004Z

In this week's New Statesman, I write about the glorious Joanna Newsom, and her brilliant new album, Have One On Me – although I did NOT call her a "pixie-like creature", I'll have you know. The woman is a goddess. Read more here.

Elsewhere, you'll find other reviews that I've written this week, of fabulous records by people who happen to have ovaries – Lonelady's debut album, Nerve Up, over at The Quietus, and Kathryn Williams' The Quickening over at the BBC.

My Amis. True.

2010-02-14T17:17:00.001Z

(Sorry, worst pun ever, but I thought it was appropriate for the magazine in question.) In this month's The Word, I review the new Martin Amis novel, The Pregnant Widow – a merry, jolly romp about the death of feminism. Or is it? I also interview Corinne Bailey Rae about the records, books and films and make her go a bit giddy. Simon Cowell and TV On The Radio are in for a surprise. Find out more about the magazine here.

Well, hang on

2010-02-04T14:37:00.003Z

Criticising charity singles may seem like the mission of a fool, but so maddened was I about the hastily put-together, Simon Cowell-marshalled charity single for Haiti, Everybody Hurts – an REM song that once held such a different message – I've given voice to my ire over at The Quietus. Donate to Haiti here and read my article here.

Radio silence, and the best of the Smiths

2010-01-28T14:50:00.007Z

Hello strangers! Apologies for the radio silence this month – a house move, the death of my lovely grandmother, Eirwen, the writing of lots of stuff that will only appear magically in the press next month, and work on my book project, has kept me away from here. Nevertheless, I have reviewed The Lovely Bones for the current issue of The Word, and did an interview for the Times Saturday Review, with Sheridan Smith, aka Rudi in Gavin and Stacey, The Royle Family's Emma and Jonathan Creek's Joey, and now golden girl of the West End, quite deservedly so, for her brilliant lead performance in Legally Blonde The Musical. She tells me, openly and self-effacingly, about her rise to fame, the family tragedy that she's never spoken about, and what the future might bring for her here.

Also, 2010 will bring a proper website from me, rather than this hastily put-together collection of work links, bits and bobs. My crack team of operatives (ie my friend Chris from back home and a nice man called David who I met through Twitter) are sifting through all the html and whatnot as I type, yes they are. Very exciting. More soon!

Christmas catch-up with new stars, Arctic Monkeys, old kings and grand finales...

2009-12-24T15:33:00.003Z

Apologies for it having been a manic few weeks and me forgetting to update this blog in the Christmas madness. I have, however, been plugging away at my 50 Songs, 10 Years blog to which I've been getting a fantastic response – thank you for all your emails, messages and tweets of encouragement, as they really mean the world to me. Read more here.

But back to work, and several things I'm actually very proud of. First of all, my huge interview with Aaron Johnson – the teenage Mr Sam Taylor-Wood and John Lennon in her brilliant debut feature-length film, Nowhere Boy – was published in the Times Saturday Review on December 12, after being a bugger to set up (huge thanks to Will from Noble PR for all his hard work!) and being written for the paper in precisely four hours. Lots of revelations from this gorgeous and talented young gentleman here.

The following week, my festive interview with the taciturn Alex Turner and the slightly warmer Matt Helders was published in the NME (read more here), followed by my last end-of-decade piece for, well, another decade, I assume, this time for The Mighty Quietus. It examined the strange phenomenon of the cover version growing as a cultural form in the last ten years, and how nostalgia has worked in our virtual world. Read it here.

And last but not least, I wrote my last music column for The Guardian, in which I picked apart the myth of the Simon Cowell chart monopoly, showed how the X-Factor haters are actually the people most bowled over be the myth of the show, and looked at all the fantastic things actually going on in pop, before saying goodbye. I've written the column for two years, and would like to thank Dan for being there and being lovely, Michael Hann and Alexis Petridis for his kind words and encouragement. As 2010 comes around, I'll be moving away from mainly writing about music to work on a book that's starting to occupy all my time and my thoughts, and begin a fantastic writing project that should be unleashed (fingers crossed) into the world in the next year. Wish me luck, and enjoy my last column – it is a finale that sums up pretty well all the things I believe in. Read it here. And Merry Christmas!

Speaking Up, Singing Out

2009-12-10T14:53:00.004Z

Some more noughties hi-jinks in this week's bumper edition of the New Statesman. In their Review Of The Decade, I look at the three vocal styles that have defined the last decade in pop – the X Factor warble, the autotuned R&B/hip hop voice, and the heavily accented, regional burr – and try and work out what their popularity means for modern music. Read more here.

My Word, is it the end of the decade already?

2009-12-05T12:48:00.001Z

So it is. In The Word's bumper end-of-the-decade celebration issue, I tell you why Amy Winehouse is one of the people of the decade, and why the Arcade Fire's Funeral is one of its greatest albums. There's tons of other fantastic stuff in it too, and I urge you to get your festive gift subscriptions sharpish. Subscribe here.

Masters Of Reality

2009-12-03T14:35:00.002Z

Also in today's Guardian, you'll find my mammoth end-of-decade feature on the reality TV talent contest, looking at the ways in which Simon Cowell and co have changed pop in the last ten years. It features interviews with Cowell himself, past judges and contestants. And fret not, sensitive souls – the prognosis is good. Read more here.

Going Gaga

2009-12-03T14:33:00.001Z

In today's Guardian column, I hold my hands up, and admit – like any sane person of similar mind really should – that we were wrong about Lady Gaga. Her briliant, bonkers video to Bad Romance is proof of her greatness, while Pixie Lott's latest arty video is not exactly proof of hers. Read more here.

Great Scott

2009-11-20T17:30:00.004Z

I write about Gil Scott Heron's fantastic new album in The Guardian today, looking at how it redefines the rules of what the "heritage artist" can do. Read more here.

Vampires, Auteurs... and locking horns with Ben Goldacre

2009-11-17T18:09:00.012Z

In this month's issue of The Word, I interview Stephen Moyer from True Blood while he whistles on the toilet, review the wonderful new Luke Haines album, 21st Century Man, and also lock horns with the redoubtable Ben Goldacre.

Here's where things get interesting. Many of you will know Dr Goldacre's regular column in The Guardian, Bad Science, in which he pulls apart the culture of misinformation that he believes runs rife in journalism, especially with regards to his own subject, medicine. What's more, he does so brilliantly. To many people, he is a modern-day hero, and my expectations were high when I went to meet him.

What happened was not what I expected. Read more by clicking the image below, and find out more about Word Magazine here.

The Shape Of Punkt To Come

2009-11-16T15:39:00.000Z

In this month's Wire, I review Norway's fantastic Punkt festival, where intimate theatre gigs were followed by live, improvised remixes of these sets, in a separate room, in the same venue. The whole weekend was a genuine revelation. Find out more here.

50 Songs, 10 Years

2009-11-13T12:08:00.004Z

I've started a new blog, counting down the last 50 days of the decade with the help of 50 songs that mean something to me. Have a read, and do share your own stories, over here.

Asking For It

2009-11-12T13:12:00.003Z

In this week's NME, I share lukewarm lattes with Biffy Clyro, the loveliest, hairiest, sweatiest band in – showy axe solo, please – rock, and put the NME readers' ridiculous questions to them. They tell me why Lily Allen should keep her nose out of downloading, rave about Lightning Bolt and the xx, and tell me how embarrassing it is to support Rolling Stones when both your shoes have fallen off. Find out more here.

Big-town boys, small-town girls

2009-11-06T11:05:00.006Z

In today's Guardian column, I wonder why Journey's barnstorming power ballad Don't Stop Believin' – a paltry no. 62 "hit" in the UK in 1981 – is back in the top 20, and why so many young people are falling for its charms. I also introduce you to someone who has been all over the internet already – the fantastic Ellie Goulding, whose new single, Under The Sheets, is out a week Monday. Find the hairy old geezers there and the shiny new talent here.

Oh Boy

2009-10-29T14:15:00.004Z

In today's Guardian, I ask five boy band members past and present to tell me what it's really like to be in the eye of the pop-storm. There's moving revelations from East 17's Tony Mortimer and Let Loose's Richie Wermerling, long-term lessons from Westlife Nicky Byrne and Kevin Jonas from the Jonas Brothers, and Blue's Simon Webbe on what it's like to be in the midst of a comeback. Read more here.

Also, over at The Quietus, I've reviewed Robbie Williams' new album, Reality Killed The Video Star, track by track. I also put forward the barmy theory that the boy band refugee is pop's very own Morrissey. Care to agree or disagree? Read more here.

Where There's A Will, There's A Way

2009-10-27T11:31:00.004Z

Last Thursday, I went to one of the best gigs I've been to in a long time – the celebration of Will Hodgkinson's excellent book, The Ballad Of Britain, in Cecil Sharp House. Stephanie Hladowski, Sam Lee and the Gillie Boys, Anthony Robertson, Gruff Rhys and the Waterson/Carthy clan were all magnificent, and I thoroughly recommend that you check them all out on the Ballad Of Britain CD, after reading my gushing review here.

Let Him Entertain You

2009-10-23T10:05:00.006+01:00

In last weekend's Sunday Times, Giles Hattersley wrote that Robbie Williams' much-awaited "comeback" was over already – despite his new single, Bodies, selling brilliantly, and his fantastic new album not being out for three weeks. What's going on? In today's Guardian column, I defend a pop star we should all really savour, and rail against the instant results we demand of our pop stars. Read more here.

Under The Wire

2009-10-22T10:32:00.003+01:00

In this month's issue of Wire, I review the Warp 20 celebrations in Sheffield. Big words and idle thoughts about the fetishisation of brutalist architecture all present and correct. Subscribe here.

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Woman

2009-10-15T17:26:00.009+01:00

I was on Woman's Hour this morning. Yes – WOMAN'S HOUR. I shook Margaret Beckett's hand – much more exciting than meeting Robert Plant, that was – stopped Jenni Murray from falling into a sofa, heard Alison Moyet sing in a lecture theatre, and talked about why youngsters these days like music that their parents do too. You can look at a rather unflattering picture of me on the panel, and hear the show for a week, here.

Music Non-Stop

2009-10-13T17:23:00.001+01:00

Me on Kraftwerk again, on fantastic music website The Quietus. Yes, it's the story of how a Welsh girl from an industrial town fell in love with four robots from Düsseldorf. I'll stop soon, promise. Read more here.

Money (That's What I Want)

2009-10-12T11:23:00.005+01:00

In this week's New Statesman, I've reviewed Peter Doggett's You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle For The Soul Of The Beatles, a wrist-achingly exhaustive study of how cash was the ruin of the world's biggest band. Read more here.

Northern Star

2009-10-09T16:53:00.007+01:00

Back in July, I went to the Faroe Islands, far north of the Shetlands, to interview Teitur, my favourite new singer-songwriter of 2009. He's really exceptional – and look up his music *right now* – but also very lovely, feeding me and my friends horse mussels from the North Sea, countless prawns, plus far too much Black Sheep beer. Find out more about him, his long and varied career, and his fantastic music, here.

I also have a column in today's paper, in which I rant and rave about instrumental music not being given the props it deserves. Read more here.

The Word Is Out

2009-10-08T16:44:00.002+01:00

How nice to remember an old Kylie album track while letting you know that the new issue of The Word – good God, is it issue 81, already? – is now hitting doormats and gracing shelves. Not only does it have a very handsome cover picture of the lovely Wayne Coyne, but it also features – of course, sorry – some of my articles. Inside, you'll find my 1,000 steamy, sweaty words about the latest hot-to-trot HBO series, True Blood, a feature on the BBC's brilliant documentary, Synth Britannia, and reviews of Cate Le Bon's new album, as well as the Dustin-and-Emma oldie romcom, Last Chance Harvey. Subscribe here.

The Power Ballads

2009-09-28T16:25:00.002+01:00

Over the summer, I embarked upon a strange project: I learned how to sing a folk ballad. I went to a workshop, interviewed folk singers, was given my own song by Shirley Collins, and then performed it – alone and a capella – at a traditional club. Read more about my experience, and these wonderful songs, here.

For the record

2009-09-25T13:30:00.002+01:00

I love Kraftwerk. And The Beatles. And Saint Etienne. But which band really knows how to remaster a record, and remembers that our best musical experiences are all about memory? Find out here.

Muse Flash

2009-09-16T16:43:00.002+01:00

At the grand old age of 31, my first NME cover story is on the shelves. I'd never thought I'd write for the NME, but when I was asked to by Features Editor, James McMahon, I was bloody delighted – and not just for the 16-year-old inner me. In my interview with the mighty, mad Muse, I find out about the moment the band sparked into life – a day in 1993 when the grungy-haired Dom, plucked up the courage to talk to the shellsuit-wearing Matt, since you ask – and find out their plans for their forthcoming stadium tour. Find out more here.

Round The Hornby

2009-09-14T10:39:00.001+01:00

This month's issue of Word has just popped through my letterbox – bloody postal strikes – but I'm obviously delighted and thrilled that it's finally here because it's another fantastic issue. In amongst the great encounters with Dame David Bowie and Kate Mossman's staggeringly good pieces on Terry Gilliam and the new Muse album, you'll find my reviews of the great new Dizzee Rascal LP, the execrable Steve Coogan "comedy" vehicle, Hamlet 2, and - more importantly – my Word To The Wise interview with Nick Hornby. The writer tells me that we get too romantic about record shops, that there's nothing wrong with a can't-do culture, and people can't be fixed. Find out more by subscribing to this marvellous magazine here.

Closing Speech

2009-09-12T16:28:00.000+01:00

I promise this is the last thing I'll post about the Mercuries. The Times asked me to tell them what it was like to be a judge, though, and how it really felt on the night, and I couldn't resist. Read more here.

Le Bon, c'est bon

2009-09-11T10:52:00.003+01:00

In today's Guardian column, I write about the lovely new album by Cate Le Bon, and the shock of hearing regional accents in popular music. There's lovely. Read more here.

Sainted Love

2009-09-10T12:11:00.003+01:00

I love London. I love Saint Etienne. Here is a review, from the bottom of my heart, about both of them.

Saved by Debelle

2009-09-09T10:32:00.003+01:00

Speech. Debelle. Won. I am, as I'm sure regular readers will guess, pretty happy about this. This week, as a judge for the third time, I've been talking about the prize on Radio 5 Live, and I've made – ulp – a few videos for the Guardian website about the prize, with masses of help and direction from the paper's brilliant producer, Shehani Fernando.

In the first, I give you a bit of background to the awards, speaking to this year's nominees, The Invisible, and the Sunday Times writer, Robert Sandall, who judged the prize in its first year. In the second, I sweatily interview Speech Debelle herself (it was BOILING in there!), members of Sweet Billy Pilgrim and Led Bib, two of my fellow judges, and some of the punters. The whole process was terrifying – I'll leave the camera skills to the brilliant Lauren Laverne, I think – but really enjoyable. Now I'm off to lie in a dark room with a bag of frozen peas on my forehead to try and get rid of the hangover. Go Speech!

A Woman's Work

2009-09-03T08:07:00.002+01:00

In this week's New Statesman, I write about the five female nominees on this year's Mercury shortlist – La Roux, Florence and the Machine, Bat for Lashes, Lisa Hannigan and Speech Debelle. The prize is awarded next Tuesday, and I have no earthly idea who will win it. Get your tips in to me sharpish.

This is the Muse

2009-08-28T14:25:00.002+01:00

Here's my Muse column at last, oh yes. Important stuff about the mad, marvellous new album, and the power of music and minimalism, here.

No Money, No Problems

2009-08-28T10:07:00.005+01:00

This week in The Guardian, I write about the free gig phenomenon – not a new thing on the indie circuit, but now that the big guns are doing it, what does this mean for the music industry? Also, you'll find my column about the brilliantly bonkers new Muse album in the paper, but it's not online yet. More when it appears.

Baby, we loved you

2009-08-27T16:38:00.002+01:00

Sixties songwriting legend Ellie Greenwich died yesterday = the woman behind the Shangri-Las' Leader Of The Pack, The Ronettes Be My Baby, and countless other incredible pop songs. Remember her here.

Unknown Pleasures

2009-08-18T12:20:00.008+01:00

Over the last few months, I've been quizzing various pop stars about songs that they love, that we wouldn't expect them to, for The Guardian. The feature runs in the paper today. Here's a taster – Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers telling me, naturally, why he loves Take That's Patience:

It's the greatest comeback single in history. If Neil Young had written it, people would be calling it a masterpiece. I've always liked Take That, too. They looked so brilliant back in the day and did everything right, but this is something else. It's got such a dark lyric: "My heart is numb, has no feeling/ So while I'm healing/ Just try and have a little patience". There's also a maturity about it that suits the boys all grown-up. Gary Barlow is a genius; I won't have anyone argue against him. When Alex Turner slagged off Take That at the 2006 Q awards for getting an award, I nearly lost it. James [Dean Bradfield from the Manics] was grabbing me by the arm, saying: "Don't lose it, Nicky." You get so many alternative bands banging on about how to make perfect pop, and this kicks all their arses."

Elly from La Roux also goes gaga about Gerry Rafferty, Speech Debelle gets perky about Paul Simon, and Jonsi from Sigur Ros reveals he is mad about Metallica. Find out more about these musicians' unusual choices – and what they say about their own music – here.

Last of the summer whine

2009-08-14T12:10:00.001+01:00

"Haven't you heard? Music is dead, a cadaver quivering coldly on the edge of the rave. Music writers, the poor dears, say nothing of note. In the hot, sweaty summer of 2009, this has been the concern of many heavyweight thinkers. Take Mark Fisher's requiem for dance music in the New Statesman, John Harris's elegy for music journalism in the Saturday Guardian, the Drowned in Sound series Music Journalism: RIP? or Simon Reynolds's criticisms of club culture in the Wire and on his own blog. Enough is enough. It is time to tackle these quibbles, look up, and take action."

In this week's Guardian column, I look at the whinges about music and music criticism that have been all over the press this summer, and propose we stopped talking, and start bloody DOING something – with some help from David Byrne and a few old folk singers in Sidmouth. Read more here.

Rated xx

2009-08-14T10:01:00.005+01:00

"Under the pale blue painted metal of Putney Bridge, beside the Thames in west London, is a tiny black and red door. Oliver Sim, a teenager with a high, oily quiff, dressed in black clothes and gold chains, leads me towards it. 'This is our studio,' he says shyly, as trains rattle overhead. 'It's a bit noisy, isn't it? You can hear the trains when we record here, but we leave them in.'"

The xx are my new favourite band – four fantastic twenty-year-olds from the South London comprehensive that also brought us Kieran Hebden, Burial and Adem. The xx are particularly wonderful because they understand the idea of space, and its dark, melancholy qualities, like a 21st century Young Marble Giants. Read my interview with the lovely souls here. They're much less scary than they look in press photos too, bless them.

Blur, Blair and the Death Of A Party

2009-08-13T10:54:00.005+01:00

"Summer 2009. In a house just off Edgware Road in London, if the rumours are true, a man with a bright, beaming smile is trying to become president of the European Union. Nearby in Hyde Park, Blur are performing together for the first time in years. They are playing a song called "Out of Time", from their 2003 album Think Tank - released the same year as Tony Blair, the smiling man who lives around the corner, announced Britain's commitment to take troops into Iraq.

Standing in fields where the Chartists and the suffragettes made their opinions known, Blur's frontman, Damon Albarn, is just a few hundred yards away from Speakers' Corner. He has already told us how this space inspired his band's best-known album, 1994's Parklife, but now he reminds the audience that this is also where two million people ended their march against the Iraq war. The younger members of the crowd, busy with beers and mobile phones, barely blink in response. And as Albarn sings, his words are heavy with irony: ". . . you've been so busy lately/That you haven't found the time to open up your mind/And watch the world spinning gently out of time."

Inspired by last month's Blur gigs in Hyde Park, I've written a mammoth article this week's New Statesman about what it felt like to be a wide-eyed teenager growing up under the glorious lights of Britpop and Blair – and how it feels now, at 31, to have been a pawn in Blair's vision for a young country. Read more here.

Star of David

2009-08-12T10:40:00.004+01:00

This month's Word is out now, with a gorgeous picture of the lushly-bearded, musically brilliant, Robert Wyatt on the cover. Inside, you can find my encounter with the rather less lushly-bearded, but equally brilliant, David Mitchell, who offered me, and now offers you, the Word readership, his Word(s) To The Wise. Here's how our encounter began:

As David Mitchell slices a Soho patisserie croissant perfectly in two, yummie mummies peek at him over their teacups. He is listening to messages that I have been sent, from my female friends, about our breakfast together. "One day I will marry him", fluttered the first comment on Facebook. "No, I will marry him first", scowled another. A third – who calls him "My David" – told both to get in line, before Caitlin Moran, the friend of The Word who gushed about his loveliness in a recent Times column, simply wrote "SCREAM!"

David bats the comments off politely, his cheeks slightly pink. "Ha ha, well, yes. There does seem to be something about me that brings out a certain quality in women. I fancy it's a sense of feminine pity."

And here's one of his many wise thoughts, this time on the BBC:

"The recent poetry season on BBC2 was fantastic, and no other broadcaster on earth would be making that now. Thank God for that, I say. Thank God for the BBC in general, in fact. It angers me that a small, distastetful piece of broadcasting on Radio 2 has become the root cause in the eyes of other media organisations – (whispers) yes, I mean the Daily Mail – to dismember the greatest public service broadcaster, indeed the greatest broadcaster – in the world. That's just not on. We must not. Let. That. Happen. It's like someone doing a dirty protest in a hospital being used an excuse for closing the NHS. The BBC haven't defended themselves properly, I grant you – they're like this vast, benovolent, big-brained aquatic mamal running scared of a tiny malevolent dogfish. The Daily Mail would bloody miss them too. When they were shouting "more of this filth!", they were ignoring Gardeners' Question Time, Songs of Praise, The Archers – all these programmes that their readers get for a ridiculously cheap price. They would sorely miss them if they were taken away, and wouldn't be made by anyone else."

To read more - as well as other lovely things about cult heroes, Michael Jackson's studio habits (a brilliant piece by Paul McGee), and some other pieces by me (an interview with folk legend Ewan Maccoll's grandson's indie band, Bombay Bicycle Club, plus reviews of Armando Ianucci's new book, albums by Wintersleep and Hockey, and the American documentary, Religulous), pop to the shops, or subscribe via a rather marvellous offer here.

Grey's Anatomy

2009-08-03T10:52:00.003+01:00

On Saturday, I had my first film piece published in the Times Review, a meaty exploration of the influence and appeal of Grey Gardens, the cult 1975 documentary about Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, the aunt and first cousin of Jackie Onassis, which has inspired haute couture fashion collections, Kylie Minogue and cabals of fabulously dressed gay men. It was an absolute ball to write it, and I hunted down lots of interesting folk, including Jerry Torre, the gardener who Little Edie called the Marble Faun. Read more here.

Free Speech

2009-07-31T09:42:00.003+01:00

In today's Guardian, my column boasts the rather terrifying title, "Is Speech Debelle black enough?" It's a question asked by the Mercury nominee herself in last week's Sunday Times, as she told Dan Cairns how she struggled to understand why her music wasn't played on Choice FM, the Brixton-born hip-hop station with which she grew up. Find out what I think about the whole palaver here.

The Sound of Summer

2009-07-23T10:32:00.005+01:00

What makes a perfect summer pop song? In today's Guardian, I pick the lovely brains of Pete Waterman, Peter Robinson, editor of the wonderful Popjustice, Elly Jackson from La Roux, Sara Dallin from Bananarama and George Ergatoudis, head of Radio 1, and then tell you what they said, and what it all meeeeans. Read more here.

Radio (Lady) Gaga

2009-07-22T16:02:00.002+01:00

Tonight, I'm on Resonance FM's fantastic, oestrogen-heavy show, The Other Woman, which showcases exciting new music by, or fronted by, women. I'm playing new tracks by Speech Debelle, Dot Allison, Piney Gir, Stricken City, Emmy The Great and Allo Darlin'. More here.

Mercury cooling

2009-07-21T17:28:00.001+01:00

Guess what? I'm one of the twelve judges on the Mercury Music Prize panel again. I know, I know - I don't know why I put myself through such terrible pains either (trans = eating free sandwiches with Janice Long and John Kennedy from XFM, ranting about WHY ON EARTH THAT PILE OF SHIT GOT ONTO THE LIST and getting 260 CDs is QUITE FUN).

Find the shortlist here. I'm allowed to say what I love, too – so big props from this corner of E5 for The Horrors, Friendly Fires and the brilliant Speech Debelle (above). GO, SPEECH!

Wolfing It Down

2009-07-17T10:17:00.002+01:00

Shakira's new single, She-Wolf, is bloody marvellous – a furry-bottomed, tooth-baring electronic pop monster about a lady who has a lupine persona howling inside her. Crikey.

But! What does it say about pop's obsession with the superhuman alter-go, eh? EH? Fret not. I explain all here, while taking the opportunity to shove a boot into Bono for no particular reason. We all have our hobbies.

Division Bells

2009-07-09T12:26:00.001+01:00

Where has the dark power of Joy Division gone? As someone who vividly remembers finding her copy of Closer for a pound in that wonderful record shop in Llanelli in the dusty arcade by the Savoy, and still remembers how scared, and how staggered, she was when she first heard it, this question has been preying on my mind for a long time – and in the last few years, even more so. I bemoan the commercialisation of Britain's greatest gothic rock band, and set new rules for how we should remember them here.

Word-y Rappinghood

2009-07-08T23:43:00.000+01:00

The new issue of Word is, literally, out now. This month, I've reviewed albums by Years and Arthur and Martha, documentaries about Marlene Dietrich and Gorillaz (never the twain, etc) and written the 99% True Quiz in the back of the mag, which is about reality TV. Did Simon Cowell REALLY a runner on The Shining? Is China's biggest reality show REALLY called Happy Girls? All this and more will be magically REVEALED if you buy the mag, or subscribe. You "know" it makes "sense".

Let's get Dizzee

2009-07-03T18:27:00.003+01:00

I love Dizzee Rascal. Rather a lot, in fact. And this summer, he's suddenly become Britain's first black male superstar, with his human frailties in check – and a great new summer single "to boot". Read me gushing about him in today's Guardian column here.

Boss Hogging

2009-06-26T16:29:00.004+01:00

How on earth can Bruce Springsteen, that stacked-'n'-thrusting chunk of myth-making man-beef, be an indiepop hero? He is, you know. I explain why in today's Guardian, which you can magically read here.

Perry Coma

2009-06-19T12:39:00.001+01:00

Sorry, that's the worst headline ever, but it makes me laugh like a person with no brain. Anyway – I've written about Katy Perry suing Katie Perry, an Australian fashion designer, in today's Guardian, where I whinge about how important brand names have become to pop stars – even when they don't mean that much. Read more here.

Woman on Wire

2009-06-16T16:41:00.003+01:00

More reviews by your correspondent, this time in Wire. Moebius and Plank's Rastakraut Pasta (ah, they could name a record, those Krautrockers) and Gavin Bryars' The Sinking Of The Titanic (1990s version, pop-spotters) are dissected for your pleasure.

Capital Gains

2009-06-12T16:29:00.001+01:00

My utterly huge review of The London Collection, London In The Raw and Primitive London is in this month's very lovely issue of The Word magazine – as is my case for the greatness of The Adult Net (in a piece called The Bands Only I Like), and reviews of albums by Grizzly Bear, Patrick Wolf and Sparrow and the Workshop.

The beach is back

2009-06-12T09:33:00.001+01:00

Why, hello – that's me on the left looking a bit moody at Broad Haven Beach in Pembrokeshire. Why? Because I did a 10k amble down there for this week's series of Guardian walking guides, and my walk just happens to be in today's paper. It also includes a full-page poster of this delightful picture, on which you can draw glasses, a moustache or whatever you fancy. Lovely.

Wii Can Work It Out

2009-06-05T09:55:00.005+01:00

Elsewhere in today's Film and Music Weekly – in my column, in fact – I rave about the Fab Four's fantastic-looking Rock Band game, and how it's true to the spirit of rock and roll. Oh yes, it really is. Read more here.

Fjord focus

2009-06-05T09:51:00.005+01:00

In today's Guardian, I kick off their Scandinavian pop special with an interview with the Swedish chart-topper Robyn and the Norwegian knob-twiddlers Royksopp, who release their joint summer single on 22 June. Warning: this piece might contain rubber dresses, robots and philosophising in broken English (that's them, not me).

Into The River we dive

2009-06-04T09:34:00.005+01:00

I have been PUBLISHED IN A BOOK! I know, they'll let anything past muster these days. But seriously, I'm very excited: I have a chapter in the fantastic new hardback, Caught By The River – a gorgeously illustrated anthology of writing about, who'd have thought it, rivers. I write about the River Loughor, my own little waterway back home, alongside such luminaries as Jon Savage, Jarvis Cocker and Bob Stanley. Exciting stuff. Buy it here.

Monkey magic

2009-05-22T11:21:00.000+01:00

Fanfare, please: The Arctic Monkeys have announced their return in this week's NME, so in this week's Guardian column, I praise the unsung hero of Sheffield's best band – the utterly brilliant Matt Helders. I also pour scorn on the virtuosic drummer, and slag off Keith Moon and John Bonham a bit. Sorry, boys. Read why here.

Knock on Word

2009-05-16T16:01:00.001+01:00

I only have one tiny piece in this month's fabulous edition of Word (*look* at that cover, for Chrissakes!) – because last month I was living it up in America and not working for love nor money. (Ah, sweet penury.) When I came back, I wrote about When Harry Met Sally for a cracking section up-front called deep-end DVDs – about movies that you have watched trillions of times, and why. Subscribe to the lovely rag here.

Livin' Dolls

2009-05-08T09:15:00.002+01:00

In today's Guardian column, I introduce you to Dolly Rockers, the daft, gobby, mascara-slathered,perfect new girl band for 2009. Find out why here. I also review Leona Naess' flawed, album-shaped attempt to be the new Feist.

Real Deals

2009-05-03T16:45:00.003+01:00

My interview with Kim and Kelley Deal, the fabulous twins behind the Breeders, is in today's Observer. It features a bull mastiff, Martin Sheen, a cameo for Frank Black, and Kim and Kelley's mum.

They call her Jackie

2009-05-01T08:40:00.004+01:00

If you follow me on Twitter, or have listened to the podcast linked to the post below, you'll know that Jackie De Shannon took four friends and I out to the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge a few weeks ago, where we spent five amazing, drink-addled hours on her tab. Some weeks previously, our Jackie and I had hit if off in Claridges. The interview that came from that latte-addled first encounter is in today's Guardian.

Pod bless us

2009-04-29T09:31:00.000+01:00

Ooh look, I'm on a sofa at Word HQ sitting next to top pop industry pundit Eamonn Forde. But why? Because the two of us were the Phil and Fern of this week's Word Magazine podcast, which you can read about and stream here.

Home and away

2009-04-26T11:30:00.004+01:00

Last weekend, I went to the wonderful Homegame festival in sunny Anstruther, there to write a review, and interview the lovely King Creosote, whose new album, Flick The Vs, is now available in all good record outlets. I'm sad to say that only a tiny piece appears in today's paper, but hopefully you can still tell what a wonderful weekend it was.

Don't ram harder, Jarvis

2009-04-24T16:28:00.005+01:00

I've heard Jarvis Cocker's second solo album, Further Complications, and its title, very sadly, speaks volumes. Why? Because I think our boy's lost the ingredient that made his best work so special. What's that, then? Answers over at my Guardian staging post.

And in the beginning, there was The Word

2009-04-21T12:16:00.002+01:00

And this month marks my 35,492nd appearance in The Word magazine. This month, I interview Gary Burger about his razor-happy, cape-clad '60s garage rock band, The Monks, and review the following: debut albums by the lovely Leisure Society and the "interesting" Seal Cub Clubbing Club, the third wilfully grand offering by The Veils, and two DVDs – the promising BBC detective series, Moses Jones, and Ross Kemp: Return To Afghanistan, which is simultaneously cringeworthy and nerve-shatteringly brilliant.

Close To The Wire

2009-04-21T12:06:00.003+01:00

This month also marks my debut in Wire Magazine. (Incidentally, are there two more different magazines than Elle and Wire? Other than the fact that their titles are made up of four letters.) Buy the mag to read my joyful words about the Ghost Box and Trunk Records night that was held at the Shunt Vaults in the middle of last month.

Elle's belles

2009-04-21T11:39:00.004+01:00

This month marks my debut in Elle Magazine. No, not as the gorgeous brunette modelling his season's trouser on page 384, or as a fashion scribe, although my methods of coordinating a £5 lash-lengthening mascara and a $30 H&M mac in cherry red are unparalleled. Instead, I have written a memoir piece about my father, who died when I was a child, and the experiences I've had trying to find out more about him as an adult. The piece also features a rather fetching photograph of me, aged 5, grinning manically while gripping a Snakes and Ladders board game. You can buy this month's Elle - it's the one with Kylie on the front of it blabbing about Botox - until the end of April in all good newsagents and bookshops.

Bona Drag

2009-04-21T11:33:00.001+01:00

While in San Francisco, I finished off a piece about the DVD release of the fabulous Paris Is Burning, a film from 1990 about the dark side of the drag balls from which the vogueing phenomenon made its first, unforgettable shapes. Read it here.

The horror, The Horrors

2009-04-21T11:27:00.004+01:00

On the first day of my holiday, in the very glorious New York, I wrote a column about how much I loved the new single by The Horrors. Not a conventional thing to do in the Big Apple, I admit. I also reviewed the new album by The Whitest Boy Alive, and advised you not to buy it. I am nothing if not credit crunch clued-up.

The wanderer returns

2009-04-21T11:21:00.008+01:00

Hello there, strangers. This jetlagged, jaded juvenile is finally home after three weeks trotting around the United States of America. I should've told you before I headed off into the blue that you could've jumped into my virtual knapsack by subscribing to my inane ramblings over at twitter.com/juderogers. Ah well, now you know, and you can go over there to peer at a crazy journey through the murky marvels of Manhattan, the snowy streets of Chicago, the Kim and Kelley Deal-endorsed pitstops of Dayton, Ohio, the hidden gems of Seattle, the wild rains of Portland, the glorious landscapes of the West Coast to San Francisco and LA, the life-changing contours of the Grand Canyon, and the seedy spectacle of Las Vegas. From now on in, my tweets will be far less exciting, and I apologise unreservedly in advance for being so bloody dull.

But while I was out in America, I had some pieces published too. They follow above.

This Is England

2009-03-17T16:06:00.007Z

Last month, I went to Mick Jones' crazy lock-up in West London. It was full to the wonky beams with all manner of pop culture ephemera, and we shared a couple of warm lagers as we talked about how it was going to become his Rock and Roll Public Library exhibition, which begins at London's Chelsea Space tomorrow. I've written a little bit about this exhibition for The Word, who've added a brilliant Zoomify-enabled picture of the lock-up on their website, and also interviewed Mick for The Quietus. Read what the lovely man had to say for himself here.

Vauxhall...and why?

2009-03-13T11:22:00.005Z

Remember Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted, the Be Here Now and Heathen Chemistry of Morrissey's swollen career? Well, they are being reissued, with lots of extra touches, provided by the man himself. He thinks they are great records. I think otherwise. Find out why here.

Also, Bonnie "Prince" Billy has a new album out. I have reviewed it. It is, literally, quite good.

Caledonia Calling

2009-03-12T14:14:00.000Z

Do you live in Edinburgh? Good. You should go along to the National Library of Scotland, then, and see their new exhibition, Scots Music Abroad.

When there, you should pick up a copy of the NLS magazine, in which I have written a 2,000-word megafeature on how Scottish music migrated to other countries in the days in which workers travelled into the Commonwealth with their flutes and their songs, light entertainers travelled around America wearing kilts and singing ditties, and military men took their music with them to war. And did you know that Waltzing Matilda steals from two old Scottish folk songs? Me neither 'til recently.

There you go. I am nothing if not industrious/eclectic in my tastes/slightly eccentric, I know.

Knock On Word

2009-03-10T10:57:00.001Z

In this month's gorgeously lovely issue of The Word, introduced to the eye by Chris Lowe's spooky specs and Neil Tennant's rather terrifying jacket, you will find me:

(a) Going on for 800 words about the new albums by Doves (good) and Starsailor (bad);
(b) Reviewing spiky new Fierce Panda boys Hatcham Social, Soul Jazz's 100% Dynamite Dancehall Reggae Meets Rap anthology, and that oh-so-controversial Holocaust film for the kiddies, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas;
(c) Singing the praises of the BBC's Listen Again service under a picture of a flushed-faced Stuart Maconie working out with a Wii Fit.

This month's issue also includes some of the greatest headlines ever. A review of Generation Kill? Hussein In The Brain. A piece about West African singer Oumou Sangare? Making Plans For Niger. I doff all my caps.

Baring up

2009-02-27T09:27:00.002Z

This week in my Guardian column, I talk about tits in rock. Or at least scratch my chin thoughtfully and think what Lily Allen's topless Q cover, and Bat For Lashes' new braless single, means for civilisation.

Elsewhere, I give five stars to the brilliant, brilliant Teitur record, and introduce you to the Cherry Brakewells – the dirty, spiritual daughters of Betty Davis.

Sexual Reeling

2009-02-16T17:38:00.004Z

Here's an odd one, and perhaps the first article I've ever been asked to write to be illustrated with a picture of a condom in a man's palm. On Thursday, the BBC called me to ask if I'd write a piece about the BFI's new DVD, The Joy Of Sex Education, a brilliant compilation of sex education films from 1917 to 1973, and my childhood experiences of watching similar films. I fear that they asked me because I am a public information film geek, not because I am the Welsh equivalent of Emmanuelle.

Teacher's Pets

2009-02-13T14:12:00.003Z

I have blatantly used my Guardian column today to splurge on and on about why the Pet Shop Boys, next week's recipients of the Brit Lifetime Achievement Award, are totally amazing (they're like the late 20th century Beatles, everything they touch turns into gold, etc, etc). But they are and that's that. So there.

Elsewhere, I bend my ears towards new band Official Secrets Act, who sound a little bit like The Waterboys after a go on the Gloy. Not quite up there with Tennant and Lowe yet, but give them time.

The Word Is Out

2009-02-11T12:02:00.000Z

It's a new month! It's a new Word! This issue has a cover feature about the late great John Martyn which the team at Word Towers threw together in half a day – because their subject, a naughty bugger to the end, decided to wheel himself off into the great beyond on press day. It also includes a page where I gush on like mad for 700 words about the new reissue of Murmur, and how a C90 of it, recorded for me by my history teacher in 1993, changed my life totally, and reviews of the new Sunny Day Sets Fire album (very nice indeed) and the DVD release of Steve McQueen's Hunger (utterly brilliant).

Then there was that incident with the 'Pigeon

2009-02-06T10:12:00.002Z

Woodpigeon is a poor name for a band. But Woodpigeon, the band, are rather good. If you like Sufjan Stevens or Elliott Smith, have a peek at my review of their new album , Treasury Library Canada, here.

No Kidding

2009-01-30T09:58:00.002Z

With not many apologies to the cool kids, I present you all with the subject of my Guardian column this week: the New Kids. Marvellous.

Cosmic Adventures

2009-01-23T07:14:00.000Z

It's been a strange week, this week – I've not only been recording a programme for the BBC about the British Queens of Pop, but I've also been writing a chapter for a book on Great British Rivers, and starting a memoir for Elle Magazine.

And now, proving that my tastes are nothing but all over the shop, my piece about the rise of cosmic disco has been published in The Guardian. Don't know what that cosmic disco is? It's wonderful – and you can read about it here.

Going GaGa

2009-01-16T17:59:00.004Z

Lady Gaga, currently number one in the hit parade, is rubbish. There, I've said it. You might not agree, but this is what I'm banging on about in my column in today's Guardian, which has oddly been filed under a section called Florence And The Machine – to whom, admittedly, I also give short shrift in the piece.

I don't like White Lies much either. I've reviewed their debut album in today's paper, too, and somehow given them a generous two stars.

I do like *some* things, though, honestly. Take R.E.M., who've made two of my track-a-days this week. You can glory in their loveliness over here.

Sell-outs, CDs and Sheilas

2009-01-14T16:29:00.004Z

How remiss of me – I've forgotten to put up some of my pieces. In the January 2 edition of The Guardian's Film & Music Weekly, I ranted and raved about the concept of the sell-out, and how we should stub it out – especially in these precarious times. I also reviewed the debut album by Bricolage, which you'll like if you're partial to Orange Juice and Aztec Camera.

Also, the new issue of The Mighty The Word The Magazine, as we like to call it round here, includes my Word To The Wise interview with the divine Sheila Hancock, in which she calls shy people arrogant, burns with fire about feminism, and tells us how life can go on after death.

Plumpet oratory

2009-01-09T18:27:00.002Z

Happy new year, you lot, although it seems to be a bit late to be saying it. 2008 seems a very long time ago. In its dying days, I went to see the Lost and Found Orchestra, the new project by the people behind the Stomp meganomenon, at the Royal Festival Hall. It was deeply average, and the depth of meh I felt for it has been taken away somewhat by the subs at the Staggers. No matter – if you fancy going along it, waggle your plumpet at this.

It's stressful, it's Christmas

2008-12-19T12:34:00.005Z

Want to hear the cruel Christmas song I wrote with Teddy Thompson for The Guardian? (That's us on the left, me dressed up like a Christmas tree and grinning through the pain.) If you want to, it's here. I've also reviewed Max Tundra's wonderful Parallax Error Beheads You in today's paper, an album to perk you up after mine and Teddy's gloomy effort. Ho, ho, and, if you will, ho.

Humans, pop stars and robots

2008-12-12T09:02:00.002Z

Bumper day of my ramblings in The Guardian today. You can read my column about how 2008 has been the year that the cool kid fell in love with the sound of the human voice; my trek around Tin Pan Alley with my favourite new pop star, VV Brown, and my review of the wonderful Botpop compilation.

Ears not refusing

2008-12-11T17:52:00.003Z

I went to The Pigalle Club in London's swishy West End this lunchtime to hear the first playback of Morrissey's forthcoming album, Years Of Refusal. The man himself was there to introduce the record too, looking like a shy Albert Finney in a v-neck, shirt and smart slacks. Read about what he said, and about my first impressions of the record, here.

A bit of a Blur

2008-12-10T11:08:00.001Z

A busy day today. I got up at 6.30 to write a blog about Blur, and hey presto, it's already been on the site for an hour. Modern technology, kids. Say what you think about their reunion here.