‘Frank Sinatra Has A Cold’ was published in 1966 and instantly enshrined in journalism’s hall of fame. But the cat-and-mouse tale of how Gay Talese made Ol’ Blue Eyes sing from a distance is just as astonishing
In November of 1965, the journalistic fates brought Gay Talese and Frank Sinatra together in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas, Manhattan and Hollywood. Well, sort of. They were two guys from New Jersey, both of them Italian-American, given to continental tailoring, unstoppable ambition and unrelenting perfectionism in their chosen crafts.
Billy Joel cancels tour after being diagnosed with brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus
The 76-year-old singer has canceled all concerts owing to condition, which can affect hearing, vision and balance
Adrian Horton 23 May 3025
Billy Joel has canceled all upcoming concerts after he was diagnosed with the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), the singer announced on Friday.
Controversy never drowned out the astonishing songcraft of Sinéad O’Connor
As well as being a fearless interpreter of others’ work, the late singer adapted to a seemingly endless array of styles, marking her out as a bold and utterly singular artist
Alexis Petridis Wednesday 26 July 2023
Almost from the moment Sinéad O’Connor appeared in the mass public consciousness, she created controversy: her first release, a song called Heroine co-written with U2’s guitarist the Edge for the soundtrack to a largely forgotten 1986 film called Captive, was swiftly followed by the singer causing a furore by expressing her support for the IRA. Years later, she described her comments as “bollocks”, but further uproar would surround O’Connor on a regular basis: about her conversion to Islam (she called non-Muslims “disgusting”); about Prince, the author of her biggest hit, 1990’s Nothing Compares 2 U, whom she accused of physical abuse; and, most notably, about sexual abuse in the Catholic church, a subject which she took up long before it became a mainstream talking point.
Debbie Harry reveals she was once raped at knifepoint
BY Eileen Reslen
August 7, 2019 | 10:07am
Debbie Harry has revealed she was raped at knifepoint in her new memoir, “Face It.”
In the book, which comes out Oct. 1, the Blondie singer recalled an incident in which she returned to her then-boyfriend and guitarist Chris Stein’s New York apartment after a shopping trip to the “bodega for milk,” according to People. The couple was met at the front door by a man who “came up from behind us with a knife.”
Debbie Harry
Harry wrote that the man followed them inside and “piled up the guitars and Chris’ camera and then untied my hands and told me to take off my pants.”
“He f—d me,” she added. “And then he said, ‘Go clean yourself.'”
The now-74-year-old said she was “very happy” the sexual assault occurred prior to the AIDS epidemic or she “might have freaked out.”
“In the end, the stolen guitars hurt me more than the rape,” Harry wrote. “I mean we had no equipment.”
Queen of soul whose voice could scald or soothe, and whose talent drew on both sacred and secular traditions
On a crisp, sparkling day in January 2009, Aretha Franklin stood on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, an ample figure swathed in a spectacular ensemble of coat and hat in two shades of grey, singing My Country, ’Tis of Thee to her new president. All around her, and down the full length of the National Mall, the vast audience included African Americans with tears in their eyes, celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama. She was facing west, as hundreds of thousands of slaves had done when they landed on a bitter shore at the conclusion of their portage from Africa. “Let freedom ring,” she sang, in the anthem’s famous exhortation, and many millions watching on television around the world could not help but share the resonance of a historic moment.
‘Concerned with the tensions between authorities and the black community’ Adele in the Hello video
Adele cast black star in Hello video to address 'police brutality'
This article is more than 4 years old
‘It was her desire that we wouldn’t cast a caucasian male in this,’ says director Xavier Dolan on the choice of The Wire’s Tristan Wilds as her love interest
Guardian music
Friday 9 December 2016
Xavier Dolan has spoken about the inspiration behind Adele’s video for Hello, explaining that casting The Wire’s Tristan Wilds was a deliberate attempt to address “police brutality” in the US.
In an interview with Vulture, the French-Canadian film-maker said that while it was his idea to cast Wilds, Adele had specified that the love interest in the video should not be played by a white actor.
“It was her desire that we wouldn’t cast a caucasian male in this, which I thought was great,” he explained to Vulture. “She called me and said, ‘This is what I think we should do,’ and if my memory serves me right … I’m going to be honest, it’s tragic not to be able to remember what exact conflict was on the news at that moment, because there are so many incidents of police brutality.”
Unsure which death she was responding to, he said: “She called me right after one of those incidents of police brutality, and I wish I could remember the name. I wish it wouldn’t be as hard to remember because there wouldn’t be so many different instances of those incidents. They’re disgusting.”
Dolan went on to say that this casting decision “was not opportunistic”. He added: “She was just like, ‘I’m concerned with the reality of the tensions between authorities and the black community, and I want to send a message out there.’ I thought it was beautiful. I wish it was my idea, but it wasn’t.”
The video for Hello has been viewed on YouTube more than a billion times since its release in 2015.
Last year, a Guardian study showed that young black American men were five times more likely than white men of the same age to be killed by police officers, with the final tally of deaths in 2015 at the hands of law enforcement officers reaching 1,146.
The pioneering punk musician, poet and political activist broke through the male punk movement without chasing fame or money
"I
t was the most electrifying image I'd ever seen of a woman of my generation," Camille Paglia said of the cover of Patti Smith's debut album Horses, which was released in 1975. That photograph, taken by Smith's friend and sometime lover Robert Mapplethorpe, revealed her as defiant and without pretension, with an unkempt masculine beauty – and she has remained that way ever since
She is inspirational, not only because she broke through the heady male punk movement, but because she has integrity and loyalty to her art, resolutely never interested in chasing fame or money. Smith, 64, is a poet, photographer, artist, mother, political activist and a voracious reader and writer. "All I've ever wanted, since I was a child," she says, "was to do something wonderful."
Singer had earlier this year postponed Unbreakable tour, saying she and husband Wissam Al Mana were ‘planning our family’ Press Association Wednesday 12 October 2016 20.45 BST
Janet Jackson has confirmed she is pregnant with her first child at the age of 50. The American singer was rumoured to be expecting after postponing the second leg of her world tour earlier this year, telling her fans she was planning for a family.
My favourite album: Songs of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen
Our writers are picking their favourite albums. Here, Andrew Pulver explains how he fell for the dark charms of a figure who used to be a joke to him Andrew Pulver Thursday 6 October 2011 15.59 BST
I
'd be lying if I said Leonard Cohen's records soundtracked my adolescence, or comforted me during student awkwardness. The sad truth is, as I suspect it was for most gormless teenagers growing up in 80s suburban Britain on a steady diet of post-punk, Berlin-era Bowie, and the Velvet Underground, Cohen was a joke.
Blame, if you will, The Young Ones. Looking back, I don't quite understand how, but the show was an early-80s religion, and their running gags at Cohen's expense. Consequently, Cohen's actual music was a sealed book to me; if I ever thought about it, I suppose I assumed he was a hippy, like Neil. File under lame.
We need to drop Delilah song for being too violent, says singer
Sir Tom Jones' classic and Welsh rugby anthem Delilah has been labelled inappropriate for rugby crowds over claims it promotes domestic violence.
Former Plaid Cymru president and folk singer Dafydd Iwan said the iconic ballad should be abandoned for its violent lyrics.
He said the song tends to "trivialise the idea of murdering a woman".
The Welsh Rugby Union disagrees though, comparing the lyrics to Shakespeare plays such as Romeo and Juliet.
Mr Iwan said: "It is a song about murder and it does tend to trivialise the idea of murdering a woman.
"It's a pity these words now have been elevated to the status of a secondary national anthem. I think we should rummage around for another song instead of Delilah."
Sir Tom said he was proud the song was used at rugby matches and said the song's subject matter simply reflected "something that happens in life".
Too violent?
The lyrics in question are: "At break of day when that man drove away, I was waiting.
"I cross the street to her house and she opened the door.
"She stood there laughing... I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more."
A Welsh Rugby Union spokesperson said: "Within rugby, Delilah has gained prominence through its musicality rather than because of its lyrics.
"There is, however, plenty of precedent in art and literature, prominently in Shakespearean tragedies for instance, for negative aspects of life to be portrayed.
"The Welsh Rugby Union condemns violence against women and has taken a lead role in police campaigns to highlight and combat the issue."
Adele confirms album release date and new single, Hello
This article is m
ore than 6 years old
Fans can hear 25 on 20 November, with her new single Hello released on 23 October
Following news that Adele’s 25is a “make-up record” inspired by coming to terms with adulthood and all of its grown up responsibilities and regrets, the singer has revealed its 20 November release date, as well as its official artwork.
