John L. Walters

John L. Walters is a journalist and composer, who once wrote a tune that people whistle. He has written about different genres of music for mags and newspapers, notably The Guardian, for whom he wrote a column for five years. He has been the (award-winning) editor of Eye, the international review of graphic design, since 1999, and its co-owner since 2008.

After university he formed Landscape, who gigged extensively, released EPs on their indie label and pioneered computerised synth-pop. 'Einstein a Go-Go', featuring Walters' Lyricon melody, was a top 5 hit. 

Walters produced Swans Way, Twelfth Night, Mike Gibbs, Mark Springer and wrote several long-forgotten TV themes. With Landscape's Richard James Burgess, he programmed Fairlight on Kate Bush's Never Forever. 

In the late 1980s he formed 'electronic jazz orchestra' Zyklus with Neil Ardley. In the 1990s he launched (Prudential award-winning) creative music journal Unknown Public with Laurence Aston. 

He reinvented himself as a journalist, working for the Sunday Times and Architectural Review before joining Eye, and writing for The Wire, Jazzwise, The Independent and The Guardian. Since 2014 he has also edited Pulp, which Eye makes for Fedrigoni Papers. Career highlight: joining Charlie Gillett twice for 'Radio Ping Pong'.

Photo by Bruce Connew