Adam Blake
Adam Blake was born in Lincoln, England in July 1960 and immediately given a copy of ‘Rocking Goose’ by Johnny and the Hurricanes. What chance did he have? At the age of 18 months his parents moved to London without asking his permission or consulting him in any way and, around this time, it was noted that young Adam was unusually interested in records and had learned how to operate the record player. At four years old, he was taken to see the movie A Hard Day's Night and exposed to the Rolling Stones first album. At eight he bought his own record player. At eleven he started to learn guitar. At seventeen he dropped out of school to become a musician. It's been that way ever since.
11 articles
List of articles in the library by date
Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1 September 1988
Martyn Ware does most of the talking about Heaven 17's new album Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho: about the process of recording and their use of samples; their attempts to recreate a '60s R&B sound; the problems with marketing themselves; their the European view of art; their influences; Frank Zappa and associated artists; the current appalling state of pop, especially Stock Aitken Waterman, and their dislike of hip hop and House...
File format: mp3; file size: 29.4mb, interview length: 30' 36" sound quality: ***
Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages Audio, 29 September 1988
The leading pop culture commentator on his latest book, Music for Pleasure: the book as clarification, and academic life vs. rock'n'roll; showbiz vs. pop; where pop is at now; the effects of globalisation; the declining importance of rock; music and capitalism; the space for idiosyncrasy; the impact of sampling; packaging vs. product, and what constitutes bourgeois culture.
File format: mp3; file size: 20.7mb, interview length: 21' 33" sound quality: **
Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages Audio, 18 July 1989
Interviewed at London's Mayfair Hotel, Vincent Furnier's alias talks about his new album Trash and about performing his older material; planning his stage shows; music coming first and theatrics second; the evolution of his theatricality; his current audience; the 'Elected' video and videos today; Alice Cooper vs. Vince Furnier, and being "the ultimate rock villain"; drinking with Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin; his Minister father... and such non-rock influences as John Barry.
File format: mp3; file size: 22.4meg, interview length: 23' 20" sound quality: ***
Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant (1989)
Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages Audio, 12 December 1989
The foremost Antperson talks about how his time at art school informed his musical life; his changes of style and concept; the realtionship between songs and videos; getting into acting, and acting vs. music; new album Manners & Physique and his interest in the Regency era; working with Kevin Rowland; his punk days, indie label rip-offs, and Derek Jarman's Jubilee movie; and writing with the Ants' Marco Pirroni.
File format: mp3; file size: 30mb, interview length: 31' 18" sound quality: **
The Detroit Cobras: In Church with the Detroit Cobras
Comment by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 2004
FOR ME, IT happened like this. In April 2003 I was getting a lift back from a session gig courtesy of Ben out of Cornershop, ...
Retrospective by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, February 2004
IT'S HARD TO imagine nowadays, but in the strict context of the then-emerging British blues boom, Free were a punk band, and Tons Of Sobs ...
Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 22 February 2004
FOR THE RECORD, I would like to state that my favourite bluesmen are Sonny Boy (Aleck 'Rice' Miller) Williamson and Professor Longhair, neither of whom ...
Elvis Presley: Tryin' To Get To Elvis
Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 4 April 2004
IN THE LIBRARY today I put on the Sun Sessions to cheer me up while I was working. When it came around to the bridge ...
Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 25 April 2004
I DECIDED TO make a compilation of The Faces for the usual reason: an anally retentive desire to put all my favourite tracks in one ...
Memoir by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages, February 2011
AT THE START OF September 2005 I moved into a new place: a rather Agatha Christie-esque 1930s apartment block at the posh end of Ladbroke ...
The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde and the Mystery Achievement
Memoir by Adam Blake, Sound of the World (Charlie Gillett Forum), February 2013
WHAT DID YOU do when you were 18? Me, I played in a rock'n'roll band. As I type that, I'm aware of what an arch ...
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