Update
Got Q magazine which had a review of Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey + a mention of Nightclubbing by Grace Jones in best recent reissues. They also had a big article on Motown + they mentioned There's A Ghost in My House by R. Dean Taylor which I love. (The Fall did a cover version of it back in the 80s I think).
They also had an article on Britpop - how it's become more criticised in recent years but that really it was sort of the last mass movement in music/popular culture. I always see it as the mainstream-ing/co-opting of indie music/values as well. They had an interview with Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre. I was actually aware of them before DiG came out (which incidentally is a brilliant documentary) cos I read a lot of American music magazines back then + I remember seeing their name mentioned and I used to do this thing where sometimes I would buy CDs literally just because I liked the name/idea of a band + I have to say it generally worked out OK. So I had the Thank God for Mental Illness CD which is great sort of 60s psychedelia influenced ramblings almost-pop songs.
I also read Freak Show by James St. James. (He was a friend of Michael Alig + wrote the book about that case, Disco Bloodbath aka Party Monster which is one of my all-time favourite books). This is a novel about a young boy who's a drag queen/performance artist + has to overcome the bullies/prejudice in his Florida school. I like it tho' I can understand his writing style wouldn't appeal to everyone but it's not as frothy/superficial as it first seems - there are emotional bits in it too + he didn't go for an easy stereotypical happy ending. I really hope he writes more books.
They also had an article on Britpop - how it's become more criticised in recent years but that really it was sort of the last mass movement in music/popular culture. I always see it as the mainstream-ing/co-opting of indie music/values as well. They had an interview with Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre. I was actually aware of them before DiG came out (which incidentally is a brilliant documentary) cos I read a lot of American music magazines back then + I remember seeing their name mentioned and I used to do this thing where sometimes I would buy CDs literally just because I liked the name/idea of a band + I have to say it generally worked out OK. So I had the Thank God for Mental Illness CD which is great sort of 60s psychedelia influenced ramblings almost-pop songs.
I also read Freak Show by James St. James. (He was a friend of Michael Alig + wrote the book about that case, Disco Bloodbath aka Party Monster which is one of my all-time favourite books). This is a novel about a young boy who's a drag queen/performance artist + has to overcome the bullies/prejudice in his Florida school. I like it tho' I can understand his writing style wouldn't appeal to everyone but it's not as frothy/superficial as it first seems - there are emotional bits in it too + he didn't go for an easy stereotypical happy ending. I really hope he writes more books.