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Mick Sinclair

Mick Sinclair

In the first half the 1980s, Mick Sinclair's navigations of the London music scene led to his features and reviews appearing in Sounds, NME, ZigZag and numerous others across the globe, most composed from a desk overlooking the Westway: he chose the desk; the view was coincidental. The ups and downs of these times were recounted his 2013 volume of reminiscences Adjusting The Stars: Music Journalism from post-punk London.

His post-music writing includes a trunk-load of travel guides spanning the Baltic to the Pacific for publishers such as the AA, Thomas Cook and Rough Guides, and cultural and literary histories of San Francisco and the River Thames.

More recently, his observations of the world at large have informed his photography, predominantly of buildings, signs, markings, and other things that don't move, which has appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, and on TV, throughout the world.

Continually since 1979, not counting a brief 30-year gap for rehab, he has written and recorded songs with the Funboy Five, in which his part is integral.

Aside from the above, he is a person of no interest whatsoever.

39 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

The Higsons: Welcome to the Monkey House

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 8 August 1981

MICK SINCLAIR goes bananas to track down THE HIGSONS ...

The Beat, Joe Jackson, OK Jive, Tom Robinson Band: The Beat, Tom Robinson, OK Jive, Joe Jackson: Rainbow Theatre, London

Live Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 5 December 1981

Higher Ranking ...

Black Flag: Me No Popeye

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 19 December 1981

Hot on the heels of the Dead Kennedys come L.A. punx Black Flag. ...

Buzzcocks, Pete Shelley: Pete Shelley: Origin of the Species

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 16 January 1982

Pete Shelley discusses humanity with Mick Sinclair ...

Bucks Fizz: Let's Get Fizzical

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 23 January 1982

Gasps Mick Sinclair ...

The Jam: The Gift (Polydor)

Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 6 March 1982

ALTHOUGH THERE is every possibility that any of a hundred lesser known bands have the potential to one day produce as good an artefact as ...

Blancmange: Custard's last stand

Profile and Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 13 March 1982

Blancmange crack the instant whip ...

Poison Girls, Rubella Ballet: Rubella Ballet: Pop! Go the measles

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 13 March 1982

MICK SINCLAIR accepts a dinner date from Rubella Ballet ...

The Passions: Love plus two

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 20 March 1982

Mick Sinclair experiences some new PASSIONS ...

Can, Holger Czukay: Holger Czukay: Ode to normailty

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 17 April 1982

Mick Sinclair in spontaneous discussion with HOLGER CZUKAY ...

Bucks Fizz: Are You Ready (RCA RCALP8000) ***

Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 15 May 1982

EARLIER THIS year in a moment of secret passion, Cheryl Fizz bit my earlobe and confided "our next LP will be rockier and heavier". ...

Lora Logic: The blank(et) generation

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 5 June 1982

My temple or yours? MICK SINCLAIR asks LORA LOGIC ...

Laurie Anderson: Looney Spoons and Merrie Melodies

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 26 June 1982

The Super Adventures of Laurie Anderson ...

Swans Way: Swan's song

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 2 October 1982

MICK SINCLAIR goes down on Swans Way ...

Felt: More than a feeling

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 9 October 1982

FELT boast of their brilliance to MICK SINCLAIR ...

Everything But The Girl, Marine Girls, Tracey Thorn: Tracey Thorn: Ahead of her time

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 23 October 1982

MICK SINCLAIR dials TRACEY THORNE and wonders if she's... ...

Duran Duran: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 13 November 1982

Ghouls on film ...

The Farmer's Boys, Orange Juice: Orange Juice, Farmer's Boys: Lyceum, London

Live Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 11 December 1982

IN THE sound ruining Lyceum even the normally wondrous Farmer's Boys have trouble. Their chirpy minimal sound gets distorted into a tinny grating which performs ...

The Danse Society, The Fall, Felt: The Fall, Danse Society, Felt: Lyceum, London

Live Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 18 December 1982

FELT ARE hinged around guitarist and singer (in that order) Lawrence, a lovably naive, hick-ish figure from a village just outside Birmingham. ...

Frank Chickens: First Bites: Frank Chickens

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 12 February 1983

ONE OF the most unusual and likeable entertainments currently intruding upon the gig circuit are Frank Chickens. As the name inscrutably doesn't indicate, they are ...

Marine Girls: Lazy Ways (Cherry Red)

Review by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 26 March 1983

RISKING ACCUSATIONS of unseemly drooling, I'll simply state that I actually feel quite close to the Marine Girls. I don't wish to boast but I ...

Danielle Dax, Lemon Kittens: Danielle Dax: I Yam What I Yam

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 4 June 1983

And that's what I yam says DANIELLE DAX to MICK SINCLAIR ...

Xmal Deutschland: X-rated

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 16 July 1983

MICK SINCLAIR EXAMINES HIS FETISCH FOR XMAL DEUTSCHLAND ...

Killing Joke: Triumph of the Will

Interview by Mick Sinclair, Sounds, 30 July 1983

Killing Joke get apocalyptic with Mick Sinclair ...

Holger Hiller: The Hillers Alive

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, March 1984

... and Mick Sinclair found him for you ...

Laurie Anderson, she slipped back in

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, July 1984

THE ARTICULATED LAURIE. OUR SUPERMAN, MICK SINCLAIR, TRACKS DOWN THE ENIGMATIC LAURIE ANDERSON ...

The Flying Lizards: Flying Lizards: The Final Battle Starts Here

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, September 1984

They came from outer town. They claimed to be our friends. But Mick Sinclair kept his hamsters home regardless. ...

Tom Verlaine: Far from the Madding Crowd

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, September 1984

TOM VERLAINE is a tall frame clothed unremarkably. He's basically apolitical, carrying the air of a fine artist who's possibly been born into the wrong ...

Twisted Sister: Knights in White Satin

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, September 1984

Crazed rocker Mick Sinclair arm-wrestles and jives with mean Mutha Dee Snider of Twisted Sister who isn't as dumb as he looks. ...

Test Dept.: Metal Gurus.

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, October 1984

Test Dept. Cracked Open. Blow Torch — Mick Sinclair ...

Frank Chickens: Pierced Nippon

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, November 1984

Mickimono Sinclair and the delightful Frank Chickens ...

The Go-Betweens: Fencing Lessons

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, November 1984

AS THEIR man Robert Foster notes: "There are a small group of people who like the Go‑Betweens intensely. I see the band as having good ...

Feargal Sharkey: Fins Ain't What They Used To Be

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, December 1984

Mick Sinclair and Feargal Sharkey compare inside leg measurements ...

The Alarm: Take A Chant On Me

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, December 1984

Mick Sinclair tears the Guy Fawkes mask off Mike Peters. The Alarm are all set to Explod. ...

Joan Jett, The Runaways: Joan Jett: Jett Black

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, January 1985

Joan Jett finds Mick Sinclair loves rock'n'roll ...

XTC: The Agony and the...

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, January 1985

Contemporary Note: This interview took place at Virgin Records' London HQ during the height of the year-long miner's strike (led by the National Union of ...

Killing Joke: Spare The Rod

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, March 1985

Enjoying greater success than they have for many a moon KILLING JOKE convince MICK SINCLAIR that they're nice girls really. ...

Strawberry Switchblade: Kick Out The Jams

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, April 1985

MICK SINCLAIR FINDS HIMSLEF IN A JAM WITH JILL AND ROSE OF STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE, BOTH VERY WELL PRESERVED (NO PUNNET INTENDED) ...

Propaganda: Doctrine In The House

Interview by Mick Sinclair, ZigZag, June 1985

MICK SINCLAIR MEETS THE QUIET TYPES WITH THE ABILITY TO EXPLODE ...

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