Scott McLennan
In 2002, Scott McLennan gave away a promising career with the Australian Federal Police in favour of roughing it as a music journalist. Both vocations offered him a chance to question a litany of undesirables and ne'er-do-wells about where they were and what they were doing last night; only one of them paid him in the currency of backstage meet-and-greets and trolley loads of CDs.
Scott worked as a full-time entertainment writer and editor for Adelaide's street press citadel Rip It Up Publishing for a decade. In 2016 he turned to the dark side and became a senior marketing manager at Warner Music Australia, pitching creative and enticing campaigns for the likes of David Bowie, Madonna and Michael Bublé… and having most of them rejected.
Although he now has a 'sensible' full-time job that doesn't offer as many opportunities to wear Milli Vanilli T-shirts and debate how t.A.T.u. were robbed of victory at 2003's Eurovision, Scott still freelances on music projects for Warner when time allows.
A number of Scott's additional run-ins with acclaimed artists including Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne and Slash can be found on Scott's personal website thelinesblur.com.au, which also includes a selection of his gig photographs from the past 20 years.
49 articles
List of articles in the library
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Fall 2003
Eels frontman Mark "E" Everett is as slippery as the fish his outfit takes its name from. After weeks of interview schedules aborted due to ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), October 2004
Unlike their UK dance contemporaries Faithless, the rumours of Groove Armada's imminent demise remain firmly denied by the duo themselves. While Tom Findlay recently commented ...
The Prodigy: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2005
AFTER A SEVEN year wait for the follow up to 1997's The Fat of the Land and more than a decade on from the career-transforming ...
The Prodigy: Two Tribes Go To War
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2005
While last year's underachieving Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned album was released after a break of more than seven years between records, The Prodigy's European shows ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), April 2005
In her 25 year recording career, Tori Amos has been many things. Hairsprayed rock chick, prodigious pianist and enigmatic lyricist are some of the deliciously ...
Electric Six: Where There's Smoke There's Fire
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 20 October 2005
HAVING BEEN introduced to live rock music through an Aussie double bill over 20 years ago on the outskirts of his hometown Detroit, it seems ...
Retrospective and Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 3 November 2005
With the format only just beginning to be embraced in the mid-1980s, it seems music video programs were made for bands like The Bangles. Far ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Spring 2005
With her father formerly a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and her debut album Arular referencing bombs, warfare and violence, hot new UK star M.I.A. is ...
The Coral: The Invisible Invasion
Profile and Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Spring 2005
"I HATE KNOBS who hang on the very thought of Pete Doherty being on smack and thrive off it – they're dickheads," the Coral's guitarist ...
Bloc Party: Running on Bravado
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Summer 2005
ALREADY CLUTCHING the seal of approval from Franz Ferdinand, Interpol and the Chemical Brothers, London's Bloc Party have burst onto the international music scene in ...
Aztec Camera, Madonna, The Smiths, Talking Heads: Seymour Stein: Siring Greatness
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Summer 2005
IN A WORLD where the longevity of most rock stars is fleeting, record magnate Seymour Stein has nurtured a vast array of successes across the ...
Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, U2: Daniel Lanois: The Compromise You Make For Some
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2006
The "Fifth Beatle" moniker has been bandied about numerous times over the years in reference to everyone from George Martin to Pete Best, but if ...
Arctic Monkeys: It's Up To You, New Yorkies
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), August 2006
Even when you've sold millions of copies of your debut album, earned a Mercury Award nomination, had Oasis, Kanye West and Jack White sing your ...
My Chemical Romance: Saviours Of The Damned
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), November 2006
With talk of ghosts, pesky kids and freaky cartoons, My Chemical Romance's year to date could almost be a warped Scooby Doo cartoon. Although recording ...
Sandi Thom: Lie… It Confuses People
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 14 December 2006
IN THE SPACE of a year she's risen from performing in a dank basement to smashing Australian chart records with her debut single 'I Wish ...
Fall Out Boy: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 15 March 2007
They're arguably the world's foremost emo band, yet for a brief moment in 2006 it looked like it could all unravel for Fall Out Boy. ...
Brandi Carlile: The NeverEnding Story
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), August 2007
AFTER YEARS of slogging it out in any Seattle venue that would offer her a free meal in exchange for a music set, American songwriter ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), September 2007
NOTE: This is Scott's original version of the article that appeared in Rip It Up. ...
Kings of Leon: The Best of Times
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Spring 2007
TAKING AIM for the stadiums with their staggering third album, Because Of The Times, southern brethren Kings Of Leon have expanded their musical textures by ...
Kate Nash: Singing oh oh on a Friday night
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), January 2008
WHILE TOM MORELLO strums away in his Nightwatchman guise around the corner, British newcomer Kate Nash is sitting backstage in her dressing room at the ...
Michael Jackson, Steve Lukather, Spinal Tap, Toto: Toto: Get in the Van…
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), February 2008
Steve Lukather's resumé over the last three decades not only showcases a prolific musician, it also suggests a wildly divergent talent unafraid of variety. The ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2008
SITTING IN the Adelaide Hilton dining area and eating a banana in the superstitious hope that it will ward off his jetlag, tired but genial ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), September 2008
IN AN AGE when youth learn their rock history from Guitar Hero, some music constants remain. Judas Priest, who helped transform the global metal scene ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 4 December 2008
Elvis Presley's vintage tune 'Old Shep' was written about a pet canine, Michael Jackson's 'Ben' was an ode to a rat and The Beatles' 'Martha ...
Cyndi Lauper: Still Good Enough
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Summer 2008
It might be hard for her to break away from the wackily tressed imagery that accompanied her 1983 global smash 'Girls Just Want to Have ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 2009
Robyn's fronting on mighty pop moments such as 'Konichiwa Bitches', 'U Should Know Better' and 'Criminal Intent' have projected the Swedish star as a bad-ass ...
TV On The Radio: Golden Agents
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), January 2009
Big Day Out commitments might have prevented TV On The Radio's Jaleel Bunton from attending Barack Obama's presidential inauguration last week, but he'd already played ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), April 2009
IN 1997, THE world of commercial music was experiencing a notable change. After five years of indie rock raking in the cash, cheery pop made ...
La Roux: Together In Electric Dreams
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), July 2009
ELLY JACKSON is lying under her duvet in the same bedroom she's occupied since birth, but recently something feels different. The David Bowie albums are ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), October 2009
IF CHICAGO'S Wilco sound at ease on their current release Wilco The Album, perhaps it's due to the climes in which the album was recorded. ...
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Dasher! Dancer! Blitzin'!
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), December 2009
THEY'RE PERHAPS the least rural-looking band to emerge in the last decade, but Brooklyn art rock superstars Yeah Yeah Yeahs found solace in the Texas ...
Marina and the Diamonds: Marina & The Diamonds: Inside the Outsider
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2010
AS FAR AS revelatory points in music history go, the moment Marina Diamandis points to as her breakthrough seems impossibly inane. In late 2007 the ...
Regina Spektor: A Sorta Fairytale
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), April 2010
IT'S A LITTLE-KNOWN fact, but D-grade celebrity oaf David Hasselhoff taught Regina Spektor English. After emigrating from Moscow to New York in the late 1980s, ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), July 2010
KASABIAN FRONTMAN Tom Meighan laughs when talking about how his band's fame took another delirious turn a few months ago. Winning last year's Brit Award ...
The Vaccines: Kicking Against The Pricks
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), January 2011
AFTER A WHIRLWIND 2011, the Vaccines' Árni Hjörvar is retreating to his Icelandic homeland for a festive feast of smoked lamb and Christmas ham. Set ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), October 2011
Considering Def Leppard's Phil Collen generally performs gigs shirtless, it's little wonder the hard rock guitarist enjoys performing in the warmer climes of Australia. First ...
Dave Stewart, Joss Stone: Joss Stone: Hey Soul Sister
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), Summer 2011
THE TWO MEN apprehended for a kidnap attempt on soul singer Joss Stone a few months back might have underestimated their proposed victim. Not only ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2012
ELBOW'S 2011 Glastonbury performance at sunset in front of 100,000 punters was another spine-tingling moment in the history of the legendary English festival, but beefy ...
Linkin Park: Things Falling Apart
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), 2 August 2012
They made their fortune on the back of punchy hit singles such as 'What I've Done', 'In The End' and 'Numb' tapping into a 21st ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), November 2012
If Santi "Santigold" White's strong and independent voice on her two studio albums Santogold and Master Of My Make-Believe hadn't already marked out the performer ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), December 2012
IT'S TRUE: drinking to excess really does makes you rich and famous. The temperance movement might shake their heads in despair, but for Icona Pop's ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), January 2013
As the promotion for Foals' third album Holy Fire ramps up, it's become apparent from press shots there's a notable new addition to the Oxford ...
Iggy Pop & James Williamson, The Stooges: Iggy & The Stooges: Gimme Danger
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), March 2013
IT'S 7,000 KILOMETRES from Michigan Palace, Detroit, to The Prince's Palace, Monaco, but for Stooges guitarist James Williamson, the emotional distance is even greater. One ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), May 2013
Although Canadian duo Tegan & Sara have previously notched up collaborations with artists as diverse as Against Me!, Tiësto and Kaki King, it was still ...
Interview by Scott McLennan, mX, 10 July 2014
Baltimore's synthpop trio Future Islands are so hot right now, not even Hollywood royalty can stand in their way. ...
Courtney Barnett: Truth Blurts Out
Interview by Scott McLennan, mX, 31 July 2014
Humble Aussie singer returns from an explosive U.S. tour ...
Veruca Salt: Divide To Conquer
Report and Interview by Scott McLennan, mX, 18 September 2014
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Nina Gordon says when she last toured Australia with Veruca Salt in 1997, ...
Report and Interview by Scott McLennan, mX, Fall 2014
REVERED CANADIAN songwriter Sarah McLachlan has never played for the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks, yet she sustained an injury during the Super Bowl ...
Lady Antebellum: Nashville Skyline
Interview by Scott McLennan, mX, 13 March 2015
"YOU'VE GOT to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'" After playing golf with Dirty Harry himself, Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, Lady Antebellum's Charles ...
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