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Mayer, Race and the Decline of Reading

It's been interesting to observe the fallout from John Mayer's interview with Playboy. As both of my regular readers will be aware, I'm a Mayer fan, and have read nothing to make me change my mind about the man or his music. Nor was I particularly surprised that the combustible combination of wit, intelligence and an addiction to flying close to the edge in conversation would eventually blow up in his face. What has become worth noting, though, is the afterlife of the interview, and what it says about the way we're accessing and engaging with information. ... more »

posted: 15/02/2010 | comments »

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Back on Track: John Mayer's All About the Music (At Last)

John Mayer, Hammersmith Apollo, from the back of the room (again) [the pastel effect isn't a Photoshop filter, it's all my own incompetence].

A week on from a performance so quirky as to seem almost self-defeating, John Mayer returned to a London stage and played the kind of understatedly triumphant show which only someone of his considerable class, constitution and conviction is capable. I've seen him play five times in London now - at the Forum in 2006, the Albert Hall (on my birthday) in 2007, Brixton Academy in '08, last week and last night - and this was far and away the best of the lot. ... more »

posted: 19/01/2010 | comments »

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Why "Hyperlocal" Might Not Be the Future for Journalism

One of the RAF's new Chinook Mk3s on a training flight above the snow at Odiham, January 13, 2010 [Confused as to why this photo has no relevance to the story below? Click HERE.]

I'm hearing excellent reports of the New Ways to Make Journalism Pay conference organised by the NUJ's London Freelance Branch (of which, in the interests of disclosure, I should point out I'm a member; and a member of the Branch committee - though I had nothing to do with the conference so am not claiming any credit for its success). Hopefully this might help prove that the NUJ isn't the head-in-sand dinosaur some commentators assume it to be; it's very much an organisation that is driven by its members, and those members, right now, want to know what they can do, pro-actively, to help secure their livelihoods. One thing that concerns me, though, is the way the term "hyperlocal" seems to be being unquestioningly transplanted from the theoretical to the practical. I'm worried about this because I'm not sure it's a concept that has as much relevance in the UK as it seems to have in the US, and therefore may not be a useful tool for British journalists to use when trying to map out a new way forward in a changing world. So here's a few thoughts I'd like to throw out, in the hope that readers can help me see the light. ... more »

posted: 18/01/2010 | comments »

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Haiti: One Musician's Response

Click on the above to donate.

It's easy to be cynical about celebrities and their charity work, but there's no doubting Wyclef Jean's commitment to Haiti. ... more »

posted: 15/01/2010 | comments »

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John Mayer: Foot and Mouth Outbreak at the Hard Rock Cafe

John Mayer, from the back of the room, Hard Rock Cafe, London, January 11, 2009

I wasn't reviewing John Mayer's Q-sponsored gig at the Hard Rock Cafe in London last night. But if I had been, I'd have written something along these lines. ... more »

posted: 12/01/2010 | comments »