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When The Kids Had Killed The Man: David Bowie And The Death Of Ziggy Stardust

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:14:00 -0800

Thirty-five years ago, David Bowie decided to kill off Ziggy Stardust, his alter ego and his greatest glam-rock creation. This excerpt from Barney Hoskyns' 1998 book Glam! explains why.

Guns N' Roses: Colt Heroes

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:59:02 -0800

As the world waits – apparently in vain – for the grand Axl Rose folly that is Chinese Democracy , we time-travel back to the early daze of Guns n'Roses in this excerpt from Sylvie Simmons' classic 1987 encounter with the band.

His Name Is Flathead: A Rap With Ry Cooder

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:29:20 -0800

With I, Flathead Ry Cooder completes the trilogy of records about 1950s/60s California that began with Chavez Ravine and continued with My Name Is Buddy. Complete with his own superb 53-page novella, the album explores a lost world of pedal steel guitarists and salt-flat drag racers.

Nick Drake At 60: The Only Interview

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:33:51 -0800

The doomed bard of upper-class Britfolk, Nick Drake would have been 60 on June 19. His tragic death in 1974 has only made his scant recorded output the more hauntingly precious.

The Jam, or How Not To Break In America

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:54:30 -0800

The acclaimed and eclectic new album by Paul Weller affords us the chance to revisit the Jam's back pages in this amusingly Americophobic Creem interview from March 1981.

Who Did We Love: Bo Diddley 1928-2008

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:26:46 -0800

The death of Bo Diddley robs the world of one of the most eccentric practitioners of rhythm 'n' rock 'n' blues ever to have donned a box-shaped guitar. The great NME writer Charles Shaar Murray wrote this splendid retrospective in early 1975.

I Lost It: Kevin Shields Speaks

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:24:00 -0800

With the mighty My Bloody Valentine set to play their first live shows in 16 years, we rewind to March 2004 to hear the group's leader Kevin Shields talking to The Guardian's Paul Lester about music, madness, and making Creation Records boss Alan McGee weep.

A Modern Musketeer: Dr. John In The Right Place

Sat, 31 May 2008 00:16:48 -0800

Mac "Doctor John" Rebennack is a torch-bearer for – and a living monument to – the eternally funky music of his native New Orleans. In the month he releases his post-Katrina album City that Care Forgot , we revisit the good Doctor in his Right Place prime.

Found In Translation: Scarlett Sings Waits

Wed, 28 May 2008 01:07:42 -0800

Stars of stage and screen tend to fall foul of critical prejudice when they make music. Now Scarlett Johanssen has teamed up with TV On The Radio's David Andrew Sitek to record an album of songs by Tom Waits – and it works.