Write

push chairs for grown ups

how lucky they are not to have to get a proper job

What is this cockfarming assumption that most people writing about music are getting paid full-time for it? GRRRRRR.

My question carries no implication at all of professionalism. I have in mind people like Tom E - or anybody who writes about music.

What they enjoy. What interests them. What piques their curiosity. What they know absolutely nothing about.

Music.

i think they should draw stuff for a while instead.

oops, i misread the question. i thought it said "what should musicians write about".

i do not know the answer to "what should music writers write about", other than whatever they think best

PF I was GRRRRRRing at leigh not you, and I'm sure leigh is entirely innocent of anything but bee-bonnet triggering too.

They should write about their experiences listening to music.

My band.

Although I do think it would be good if they expressed themselves a la ethan, with his lovely pictures and that...

>>> They should write about their experiences listening to music.

Yes, yes, I agree. Anything more specific?

My own answer:

This afternoon I was thinking about Chris Roberts and how his old reviews ought to be available - how someone should type them up and put them on the www, or whatever. Then I thought that the time might be better spent writing *about* Chris Roberts.

Or rather: what I'd like to see is an article, or even a book, about the UK music press in the late 80s. Or a bit earlier or later than that, if you like. By someone like Tom E or Robin C, not someone like Stuart Maconie. The article would talk about the context and significance of the music press; the experience of reading it; the odd juxtapositions involved; the way it related to listening to music; etc. This is an old chestnut of a topic on ILM - but still none of us have actually *written the article*.

So that's one thing I'd like to see a music writer write about.

i'm with tom - money would be nice...

buta as afr as writing goes, music that excites, that opens up possibilities, irrespective of whether they deliver..music that challeneges, that leads to voids and chasms that haven't been explored/manipulate.d

OK, let me rephrase the question:

what (presumably as yet unwritten) music-based article do you most want to *read*, at the moment?

I could provide a top 5 suggested FT articles I'd like to read...

Please do, Tom.

Wouldn't be fair on the putative writers. ;)

indeed.

that was an indeed post the list, you manipulative cockfarmer.

I've said this before, but I want to read an article on the hip hop wars in the UK music press (NME specifically?), pref. by Mark Morris.

hey hopkins i lived thru those wars!?! (sample explicative anecdote: m*t sn*w had the UNTIDIEST DESK in ROCK HISTORY!!)

And now he edits FourFourTwo. What does it MEAN?

So yeah, Tom, let's see this damn list.

Architecture magazines are the new music magazines! And so goes the music writers, morphed into design writers. Possibly the only thing worse.

Read in amazement as Metropolis interviews Karim Rashid for the 50th time! Gaze in breathtaking awe as WallPaper features a 20 page pullout centerfold on the genius of the new Prada store! Stare longingly at the Eames chair... made in 1950!!!! Woohooo! Viva la Revolutione! The Revolutionaire is HERE!

architecture magazines are very expensive and don't have much writing in.

I'd like to see an article about integrity of musical artists credited to that darius bloke. and ghostwritten by H from steps.

I 'd love to see a lengthy piece from John Darnielle about Thai Pop. If there already is one, please let me know, John. And where would one find these records in Southern California?

Wahey! You need one of the print issues of Last Plane to Jakarta, then -- issue four, I think, where he talks about Thai pop, Amorphis and Suede.

There's a short piece about one of my favorite Thai pop bands here:

http://www.lastplanetojakarta.com/Ztwo.html

The longer piece was in #4, which is out of print, though I think Douglas Wolk read it at one point on his radio show, and that the broadcast is archived somewhere: Douglas?

Incidentally Zaza have a third album out now and it is also quite wondeful.

Thanks!

I would like to read something warm. I would not like to read any more 'in the studio' articles. I would also like to read an article about Japan which doesn't make fun of Japanese kids' haircuts. To be honest, I don't think there's much point in writing about music. Or at least, I don't think there's much point in setting out to write about music. An article I enjoyed recently was Tom's (I think) child's eye view of Sergeant Pepper, which said as much about childhood as it did about music. I would also like to read Terry Hall's version of The Specials experience, which was missing from a recent half-baked Mo-Jo article.

I would also like to read Terry Hall's version of The Specials experience, which was missing from a recent half-baked Mo-Jo article.

Mr Miller is bang OTM here, that would be top of my list too at the moment.

Actually, the new archi mags are quite reasonable--certainly no more than Wire or something--and they have about the same length articles as, say, The Fader, or, again, Wire, minus the one feature-length. It's more the bizarre, breathless hero worship, and the idea that they are the purveyors of the hip and trendy.

I wish there were more cd review magazines out there though--enough with the personalities, I just want to know when new records come out!