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Tom Hibbert

Tom Hibbert

Brilliantly funny contributor to Q, SMASH HITS, MOJO and other publications, Hibbert was the irreverent brain behind Q’s "Who the Hell..." series. He died after a long illness in September 2011.

137 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

The Animals: Animal Tracks - Newcastle's Brand Of Powerhouse Blues

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

In 1963, the northern beat boom was being answered further south by a trend, centred on London, towards a more aggressive R&B: the sort of ...

Britain invades the world: Mid-Sixties British Music

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

Before 1964, the United States' worldwide domination of the pop music industry — and youth culture in general — was virtually total. Few British artists ...

Paul Revere & The Raiders: Paul Revere and the Raiders

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

Hit sounds from America's Northwest ...

Blondie, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, Television: The Bowery Beat: CBGBs and All That

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

FROM 1970 ONWARDS, the US rock mainstream grew increasingly staid, predictable and unimaginative. On the surface, the American scene appeared to offer nothing but sleepy ...

The Easybeats

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

An Australian group with stardom on their minds. IN MID-SIXTIES AUSTRALIA, home-grown acts found it difficult to penetrate the music scene on a national ...

The Fugs: Fugging around

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

Widespread, commercial appeal was never high on the Fugs' list of priorities. ...

The Troggs

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

Reg Presley's rustics reaped a chart harvest ...

The Turtles: Eclectic Musical Mixtures

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1982

While they produced some of the best pop music to emerge from California during the mid to late Sixties and had 16 American hits in ...

Led Zeppelin: Bath 1970: Confessions Of A Festival-Goer

Memoir by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

The 1970 Bath Festival: a personal view. ...

David Cassidy: Teen Dream From The TV Screen

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

"CAN AMERICA'S top rock group prevail against the evil machinations of a fat but deadly enemy agent — without blowing their cool?" ran the blurb ...

Jeff Beck: Rough 'n' Ready

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

When Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds in 1965, disillusioned with the commercial route they were taking, it seemed unlikely that the group would be able ...

MC5: Kicking Out The Jams With The Motor City Rebels

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

"If you take everything in the universe and break it down to a common denominator, all you've got is energy", said the MC5's Wayne Kramer ...

Suzi Quatro: Oh, Suzi Q!!

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

How Quatrophenia conquered the UK "SUZI QUATRO MADE A WELCOME CHANGE from the wimpy, folksy girls who were rock’s only other female representatives at ...

Television: Prime Time: Television

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

THE RULES OF punk/new-wave music laid down in 1976-77 stated that bands should avoid displays of technical virtuosity, should profess a loathing for rock’s history ...

Slade: Feel the Noize

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

"The fans are fed up with paying to sit on their hands while watching musicians who clearly couldn't care less about the customers." Thus commented ...

Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett: Syd Barrett: The Tragedy Of Floyd's Founding Genius

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

Early in 1970, Melody Maker asked Roger Waters what he thought of The Madcap Laughs, the debut solo album by his erstwhile Pink Floyd colleague ...

The Box Tops: Perfectly Packaged Pop That Sold A Million

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

While most of their contemporaries were dabbling in flower power and psychedelia, the Box Tops found success with a pop-oriented soul sound that was distinctly ...

The Osmonds: The Osmond Family: Puppy Love

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1983

"It was not until groups like the Osmond brothers appeared on the scene that the pop revolution really get underway," wrote Richard Robinson in his ...

Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant: from Punk Reject to Prince Charming

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1984

AS THE '70s drew to a close, the British pop scene seemed distinctively lacking in glamour. Punk rock had made way for a ‘new wave’ ...

Shake Some Action! The bands that put the Bomp in U.S. beat

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, The History of Rock, 1984

IN THE mid-Sixties, within the music of groups like the Kinks, the Byrds and the Who, musical aggression and melodic invention had co-existed. But with ...

ABBA, Bucks Fizz, Mary Hopkin, Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw: Eurovision: It's That Time Again!

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 26 April 1984

On May 5 it's The Eurovision Song Contest. And — admit it — you'll be there in front of the telly cringeing as this year's entry, Belle And The ...

Billy Joel: The Joel Story

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 24 May 1984

HE THINKS HIS SONGS ARE LIKE "BABIES", VIDEOS ARE "A CHORE" AND HE'S WORRIED ABOUT GETTING "COMPUTERISED". SOUNDS LIKE TIME BILLY JOEL HAD A CHAT ...

Wah!: The Mighty Wah! This Man Is Not 'A Moaner'

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 19 July 1984

In fact, Pete Wylie of The Mighty Wah! says he hates moaners. He used to slag off other groups all the time but now he's ...

Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant: "When everybody likes you, you're in real trouble… And I got in real trouble"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 13 September 1984

Adam Ant is back. Three years after 'Prince Charming', he's ready to face up to his mistakes. And he's still fighting with a new single, ...

Big Country: Country Life

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 27 September 1984

Don't call them pop stars — "we hate that word". Big Country would rather be thought of as musicians, thanks. They're a lot more interested ...

Frankie Goes To Hollywood: The Wild Boys

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 25 October 1984

Pedro, Nasher and Mark are not quiet types. "Getting absolutely bladdered and smashing the place up" is a little more their line. That and slagging ...

Prince: Detroit My Name Is Prince And I've Come To Play With You

Report by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 22 November 1984

Smoke bombs explode, fabulously exciting multi-coloured confetti rains from the rafters, The Revolution are playing 'Let's Go Crazy' and Prince is twirling round and round. ...

Gary Glitter

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, January 1985

"The Portly Pilot Of Pop", they called him. "The Clown Prince Of Glam", they called him. "A Frightmare In Lurex", "Marlene Dietrich Gone Wrong", "A ...

The Smiths: Morrissey: 'Meat is Murder!'

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 31 January 1985

"MEAT IS MURDER!" That's the message from Morrissey. A message he's "madly serious" about. He's so serious, in fact, that The Smiths are just about ...

Mick Jagger: If You Don't Know Who This Bloke Is, Ask Your Parents…

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 14 February 1985

They'll tell you. "He's MICK JAGGER," they'll say, trembling visibly. "Singer with the Rolling Stones. He's 41 and he's had 8 Number Ones, 22 Top ...

Alison Moyet: Fowl Play

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 28 February 1985

Alison Moyet is a singer, mum-to-be, owner of a house in the country and a collector of dodgy videos. But there's something more to her ...

Katrina and the Waves: Katrina & the Waves

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 22 May 1985

They're "rather posh", they're half-American/half-English, have a hit single called 'Walking On Sunshine' and are fronted by a girl who claims: "I'M NO SEX KITTEN!" I ...

The Human League: Six Go Completely Bonkers

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 17 July 1985

Three years ago, The Human League were the biggest pop group in the whole world. Their classic single 'Don't You Want Me' had been number ...

Marc Almond: Do You Hate This Man?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 11 September 1985

Do you hate this man? If so you're not alone. Marc Almond admits he's "one of the most disliked of all pop stars". But he ...

Nik Kershaw, Paul Young: Paul Young & Nik Kershaw: "We Haven't Actually Kissed Yet..."

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 25 September 1985

They'd never met before. But then they set off to "conquer" America — Nick's the support act on Paul's US tour — and now they're ...

Cliff Richard: The Man Who Invented Rock'n'roll (With A Little Help From Elvis Presley And Shakespeare)

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 4 December 1985

"I SUPPOSE many of the young rock fans who are always looking for something new and exciting find me terribly boring. But if you think about ...

Pet Shop Boys: The Pet Shop Boys: An ex-Smash Hits Writer and the Grandson of a Nitwit

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 18 December 1985

Doesn't sound like the ideal line-up for a successful pop duo, does it? But now that 'West End Girls' is whizzing up the charts that's ...

The B.P.I. Awards

Report by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 26 February 1986

While you were watching the awards ceremony on TV the other week, a select few music biz "nobs" were there in person at a big ...

The Bangles

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 26 February 1986

• Four girls from America who think that TV is mashed potato and Prince is "a little crispy round the edges." Oh... Tom Hibbert meets ...

Sigue Sigue Sputnik

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 12 March 1986

"A lot of people are going to hate Sigue Sigue Sputnik," says their bass player and boss Tony James. "Because we're not into being miserable ...

Prince: The Prince Story

Overview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 12 March 1986

A Tom Hibbert "Blockbuster" ...

Sade

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 21 May 1986

Born 26 years ago in Clacton, Helen Folasade Adu spent a lot of her childhood watching Scooby Doo and Charlie's Angels, throwing stones at cars, ...

Bucks Fizz: To Hell And Back

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 2 July 1986

BUCKS FIZZ have survived a coach crash, the Jay Aston "scandal" and Shelley's chaotic audition. And they're still having top ten hits and rattling on ...

Ozzy Osbourne: A Mad Man in Japan

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 30 July 1986

"They're great, the Japs... they do everything I do. Stick my hand in the air and a thousand hands go up. If I got me ...

Janet Jackson: This Girl Sleeps With Snakes

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 27 August 1986

And feeds her llama on bubble sum and lets her giraffe eat all her mum's trees and sends her monkey to school. Oh yes, and ...

Janet Jackson

Profile and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1986

"THERE COMES A time in a kid's life when they have to take over. It's hard for the parents to let go – and I'm ...

Billy Idol: An Englishman Abroad

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 8 October 1986

Where does the man with the biggest sneer in rock'n'roll go for his summer hols? The Caribbean? St. Tropez? Los Angeles? No — Majorca, that's ...

Pet Shop Boys: Neil Tennant

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1986

LEAFING IDLY through the pages of last year's diary – recalling his early adventures in the wonterful world of pop – Neil Tennant arrives at... ...

Duran Duran: How To Make A Pop LP Called Notorious

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 17 December 1986

PART ONE: NOTORIOUS In which the three members of Duran Duran talk "openly" and "frankly" (and "incomprehensibly") about the creation of their latest "waxing". Moroccan interview: ...

The Human League: Human League: Dynasty!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1987

They bickered their way through six different line-ups. They were consumed by power and ego. They made a fortune and lost it. Tom Hibbert charts ...

Jonathan King: Who The Hell Does Jonathan King Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1987

"WHO IS THE REAL Jonathan King? There is no real Jonathan King. Jonathan King simply does not exist, dear heart..." ...

The Margaret Thatcher Interview!!?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 25 March 1987

Come with us, why don't you, inside the hallowed portals of Number 10 Downing Street where the so-called "Iron Lady" awaits your "pleasure"... ...

Janet Jackson: Watch Your Heads!! Janet Jackson's About!!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 25 March 1987

She seems so calm and dainty, but when the urge overcomes her, you just can't see the sky for grapes!!? Tom Hibbert faces the fruit... ...

The Bangles: Girls on Top

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, April 1987

"JERRY! JERRY! Where's the marijuanaaah?" The voice of The Bangles' bass player Michael Steele booms through the refined lounge of Mayfair's Westbury Hotel causing many ...

Bon Jovi, Jon Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi: "I am Superman!"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 8 April 1987

No, you're not — you're Jon Bon Jovi and you "only came to rock and roll" (or something like that). "Wooooah!" screams Tom Hibbert. ...

Pepsi & Shirlie: Crazy Places, Crazy People!

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 20 May 1987

"Show us your favourite 'haunts'," we barked at Pepsi and Shirlie. So they did! But little did we know just how downright odd they would ...

Billy Joel: We All Make Mistakes…

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1987

DOWN THE HALL of the Mayfair hotel, the beautiful star model, Christie Brinkley, she of 1,000 swimsuits on 1,000 glossy covers, and the less beautiful ...

Boy George: The Boy Who Fell From Grace

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1987

THE PRESS OFFICER has pleaded, in the nicest possible way. "You're not going to ask him about drugs, are you?" Maybe. Maybe not. In the ...

Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger: A Trial Separation

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1987

WORLD'S END, CHELSEA, just down the King's Road from the old Drug Store, there's a charmingly delapidated terraced house that serves as occasional management offices ...

Was (Not Was)

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 21 October 1987

■ Who on earth are Was (Not Was)? How did they split Wham! up? Why do they think Madonna can't sing for toffee? And will ...

Cliff Richard

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1987

CLIFF IS PERPLEXED. He is attempting to curl his upper lip into a smouldering sneer but the flesh is not willing. "I can't do it." ...

Grateful Dead: Deadheads!

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1988

OUTSIDE THE LONG BEACH Arena, south of Los Angeles on the California coast, there is a massive field. Reserved for recreational activities throughout the rest ...

Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant: Robert Plant: Guilty!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1988

"I CAN'T BLAME anybody for hating Led Zeppelin. If you absolutely hated 'Stairway To Heaven', nobody can blame you for that because it was, um...so ...

Kylie Minogue

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 20 April 1988

She's already been number one for about 12 years with 'I Should Be So Lucky', she's about to bring out her new single 'Got To ...

Chuck Berry: Who The Hell Does Chuck Berry Think He Is?

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1988

They called him The Inventor Of Rock 'n' Roll. And this, apparently, gave him the right to ride roughshod over all of them for 30 ...

Bananarama: Who the hell do BANANARAMA think they are?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1988

You nip into the studio, warble a bit, nip out and embark on a fresh round of televised formation-jigging, giggling press encounters, hazy photo opportunities ...

T'Pau: Love is...

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1988

...hosing the cow shit off his amp. Raiding the pennies jar for a can of beans. Playing every "dodgy gig and toilet" that would have ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: American Dream

Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1988

It has been suggested that this LP is the result of the compassion of Graham Nash, Stephen Stills and Neil Young–a bid to keep their ...

Dame Edna Everage: "I'm A Sort Of Fairy Godmother"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 14 December 1988

Absolutely! For you are the "legendary" "housewife-superstar" Dame Edna Everage, mentor of the rich and famous, guru of "style" and big pal of Sir Clifford ...

Dusty Springfield: Blondes Have Less Fun

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, April 1989

"I CAN'T STAND that word!" says Dusty Springfield sitting with tea in the plush suite of the plush West End hotel. ...

The Byrds, David Crosby, Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Who the hell does David Crosby think he is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1989

THE AGING MUSICIAN sits in his hotel room, an acoustic guitar propped upon his considerable paunch. He tosses back his long, greying hair, fingers his ...

John Lydon, Public Image Ltd: John Lydon: …Heeere's Johnny!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, July 1989

IN THE BAR OF the North London rehearsal studio complex, John Lydon, wearing a typically loud shirt, a pair of unorthodox dark spectacles and the ...

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys: Tom Petty: Outlaw Blues

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, July 1989

Tom Petty survived the scuffling Southern bar circuit, soul-destroying legal wrangles and a self-inflicted hospital spell to bring his mid-tempo memories of fickle women and ...

Pete Townshend, The Who: Who The Hell Does Pete Townshend Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, July 1989

Doesn't time fly? Seems like only yesterday he was a powerful advertisement for reckless hedonism and passionate irresponsibility. Today he's a bookish publishing consultant, earnest ...

Malcolm McLaren, The Sex Pistols: Malcolm McLaren: Pernicious? Moi?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, August 1989

IN THE "PIANO BAR" of a Mayfair hotel, portion of club sandwich in one hand, glass of fine red wine in the other, Malcolm McLaren ...

Bros: Good Morning, America!

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1989

"VERNA!" CRIES Luke Goss, the drummer. "Verna! Can I have another triple Hennessy's, please, darl?" ...

Gary Glitter

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, January 1990

WEDGING HIMSELF with effort into a most negligible pair of silver spangled trouserlettes, Gary Glitter is struck by the possibilities of a mirth-making ruse. He ...

Jerry Lee Lewis: Who The Hell Does Jerry Lee Lewis Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1990

The Killer is at large again, the firebrand ivory-thumper with the legendarily short fuse. And 30 years of bankruptcy, busts, mayhem-making and messy divorce have ...

The Day The Music Died

Book Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1990

ROCK'N'ROLL, EH? It really does 'em in. They fall like ninepins (or used to) which is gurrreat news for necrophiles – and for music buff ...

The Moody Blues: Moody Blues: Step This Away…

Retrospective and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, April 1990

Two genial curators greet you in a small town record shop, ready to take you on a journey...from shiny suits and grimy clubs to "concept" ...

Mick Jagger: Who The Hell Does JERRY HALL Think She Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1990

WANTED: drawling Southern belle with modelling experience, fun-loving socialite/raunchsome rock star's moll with sidelines in amateur dramatics, swimwear design and promoting beefy hot drinks. Position ...

Billy Idol: …And This Is Me!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, June 1990

IN THE SUITE of a hotel just off Sunset Boulevard, Billy Idol is sitting with leg encased in a cast resting upon a pile of ...

The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde: "I Want To Die For Something…"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, June 1990

CHRISSIE HYNDE tosses her big black cowboy hat on to the hotel sofa, glances around at the foyer's dainty decor with an air of sniffy ...

John Lennon: That Lennon Concert In Full!

Live Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, July 1990

AS WE ENTER the scene, we spy a rockin' Reverend on the stage performing a boisterous version of an old Beatles' tune. ...

Kennedy, Nigel: Nigel Kennedy

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1990

He's the man who made classical music mass-market. And this he achieved by reinventing himself into a lager-handed, spike-topped pseudo-lout, complete with textbook rock star ...

Who The Hell Does Sir Jimmy Savile Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1990

There's something unsettling about the tireless benevolence, something irksome about the infantile banter and spangly self-satisfaction, something eerie about this strange old uncle patting the ...

Pet Shop Boys: Tum-Ti-Tum!

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1990

OCCASIONALLY, WHEN they feel like it, the Pet Shop Boys take great delight and perverse pride in portraying themselves as the most preposterously pretentious pop ...

Grateful Dead

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, January 1991

OUTSIDE THE Grugahalle, a monstrous concert erection in Essen, Germany, a bearded fellow bearing more than a passing resemblance to the young Charles Manson is ...

Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett & the Dawn of Pink Floyd, Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson (Omnibus Press)

Book Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1991

TWO EXCELLENT ways to become a sort of "cult" rock hero: 1) Be dead; 2) Be bonkers...Actually, come to think of it, the first option ...

David Essex: Who The Hell Does David Essex Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1991

DAVID ESSEX KNOWS all about the pressures that go with being an international star but still manages to keep a friendly smile on his face ...

Rock And The Tabloids: Publish And Be Damned

Report by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1991

The pop columnists of Britain's tabloid papers had a high old time of it in the 1980s. Then they woke up to an unpleasant lesson ...

Tom Jones: Who The Hell Does Tom Jones Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1991

THE BIG-BONED "boyo" stands in the centre of the room engaged in an elaborate mime: he crouches as he runs his clenched fists down along ...

The Byrds, Roger McGuinn: Roger McGuinn: The Jingle Jangle Man

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, April 1991

Nothing defined the sound of The Byrds so much as the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar of their leader Jim McGuinn. As the years went by his ...

Gary Numan: Who The Hell Does Gary Numan Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1991

THANK CHRIST for this "Siberian snap" and all this snow, is all I can say. Thank Christ that "it's cold outside" (as G. Numan sang ...

Billy Bragg: Who The Hell Does Billy Bragg Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1991

Here he comes again: "pop's political conscience" in his dilapidated trousers and sensible shoes, worthily correcting the unenlightened and uplifting the downtrodden with his unsubtle ...

Cliff Richard: Who The Hell Does Cliff Richard Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, January 1992

THIS IS a tricky question, I said, but tell me, Cliff: what is it in your half-a-century bound on earth, in your illustrious career, that ...

Procol Harum: Feeling Kind of Seasick?

Profile and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1992

DUM-DI-DUM ... How did it go again? Something about a light fandango and 17 vestal virgins? Or was it 15? In fact, what was 'A ...

Who The Hell Does Anthony H. Wilson Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, February 1992

IN THE headquarters of Factory Records, Manchester, I found myself privy to a sight and sound seldom witnessed, I dare say, by any human being ...

John Lydon, The Sex Pistols: John Lydon

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1992

THE MAN IN THE ETHNIC-TEA-COSY-STYLED headwear and the unsightly puce satin ski pants lies back on my sofa, swigs lustily from a bottle of strong ...

Manic Street Preachers: Pathetic…

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1992

Well it is, isn't It? You expected to be confronted by a group of palace-torching, system-smashing situationist art guerillas and you wind up having a ...

The Beatles, Ringo Starr: Who The Hell Does RINGO STARR Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, June 1992

He was The Lovable One who cracked his daft mop-top jokes for The Queen. The Fab With The Big Nose who you could take home ...

Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Right Church, Wrong Pew

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, July 1992

"I FEEL REAL PHONEY when my name is Bell." This may not mean very much to the younger generation, but for those who struggled through ...

The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson: Brian Wilson: Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story

Book Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, August 1992

IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE Brian Wilson, inspired composer of surfing symphonies and divine pop, writing anything as tabloidesque as: "I was a zonked-out zombie, ...

What's Your Tipple?

Guide by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1992

Music and drugs have always been promiscuously compatible bedfellows. How many of the great albums would exist had their creators not been "shedded" at the ...

Who the hell does GARRY BUSHELL think he is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1992

Here he comes, Mr Lager Top, with his shining nose and monstrous grin and unsupportable beard, talking about "poofs" and "Oi!" and "invalidated Socialism" and ...

Television: One Big Happy Family…

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1992

...with child abuse, divorce and incest. Television can't agree why they split up and now they can't work out if they've re-formed. "We're still the ...

Roger Waters: Who the hell does he think he is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1992

"SO HOW'S SYD these days?" ...

Tori Amos: From Rock Chick To Twisted Mystic

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Details, November 1992

YOU'VE SAID that you were an awkward, hapless teenager. How bad was it? ...

Happy Mondays: That Monday Mourning Feeling

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1992

FOR NO IMMEDIATELY discernible reason, Shaun Ryder is attempting to perform a party trick and failing miserably. He is trying to flick a cigarette (one ...

Roy Harper

Profile and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1992

FROM SOMEWHERE within the packed and sweaty audience at Whelan's, small and quaint and antique club in a Dublin back street, a projectile comes, wings ...

Status Quo: Who the Hell do Status Quo think they are?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, January 1993

"She wears denim wherever she goes/Says she's gonna get some records by the Status Quo..." 'The Concept', Teenage Fanclub, 1991 ...

Julian Cope, The Teardrop Explodes: Julian Cope: Mad Dog and Englishman

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Details, March 1993

There's a fine line between genius and madness. Julian Cope erases it. ...

Jonathan Richman: The Man Who Hates Sitting Down

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, May 1993

OCCUPANTS OF automobiles cruising the road betwixt the crumbling house of Margaret Mitchell (she who wrote Gone With The Wind) and the shiny tower of ...

Boy George: The Comeback

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Details, July 1993

The comeback queen talks to Tom Hibbert about losing his virginity and finding his religion ...

Blondie, Debbie Harry: Debbie Harry: Three Times A Lady

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, August 1993

DATELINE: MAY 28, 1977. There she stood, growling, upon the stage of the Hammersmith Odeon with her skinny-tied boys around her. ...

Arthur Brown: The Original Torch Singer

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1993

It's not the most promising of CVs – "God of Hellfire; sets hair alight; slightly bonkers" – but for a few short years it did ...

Big Star: The Grand, London

Live Review by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, November 1993

AT THE BACK OF the hall stood a tall and bulky figure, taking light refreshment and delivering his expert verdict on the performance of the ...

The Byrds, Moby Grape: Just Like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot

Book Excerpt by Tom Hibbert, 'Love is the Drug' (Penguin), 1994

THE BYRDS FORMED in 1964 when Jim (later Roger) McGuinn, a Dylan-obsessed folkie from San Francisco, saw A Hard Day's Night. He decided there and ...

Blossom Toes, Chicken Shack, Deep Purple, The Pink Fairies, Ten Years After: GEROFF!

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, May 1994

Born too late for The Beatles, too early for punk. 1969 was not a good year to be starry-eyed and 17. So tell us, Tom ...

The Clash: Clash on Broadway (Legacy)

Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, June 1994

DID YOU know that The Clash's song, 'Career Opportunities', was written whilst the band feasted on potato croquettes from Kentucky Fried Chicken? ...

John Lydon, The Sex Pistols: Who the Hell Does John Lydon Think He Is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, June 1994

THE INTERVIEW, Q vs Lydon, should have taken place several months ago but when I turned up on his Fulham doorstep and rang his bell, ...

Syd Barrett: The Madcap Laughs/Barrett/Opel

Review by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, July 1994

IN A RECENT EDITION OF A MAGAZINE THAT SHALL REMAIN nameless, some clever-dick had this to say: "No-one likes Syd Barrett except for the kind ...

Ginger Baker: "Do Toad!"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, August 1994

"DO 'TOAD'!" THAT WAS THE TENDER CATCHPHRASE THAT every youth used to yell at Ginger Baker every time he took his place behind his amazing ...

The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix: Who the hell does MAX CLIFFORD think he is?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, September 1994

Hamster snack outrage! Lycra thigh-shots farrago! Politician-toe-to-actress-tonsil coincidence! All the proud work of one proud PR man, ever spoon-feeding the media, manipulating the smaller-format newspapers, ...

Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, October 1994

IT IS JUST POSSIBLE, I SUPPOSE, THAT SOMEWHERE IN Chrissie Hynde's attic, there lurks a portrait of a withered old crone hunched over an electric ...

Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship: Up The Revolution? F**k The Revolution!

Review and Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, October 1994

PLANEBRANES. THAT'S WHAT obsessive aficionados of Jefferson Airplane and all that venerable group's offshoots – Jefferson Starship, Starship (two different enterprises, confusingly enough), Mickey Thomas's ...

Naomi Campbell: "It's good to be a baby elephant"

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, November 1994

Huh? Naomi Campbell — looker, actress, pugilist and girlfriend of the famous — has now turned her manicured hand to pop music. And novel writing. ...

Nirvana: Unplugged In New York (Geffen GED 24727)

Review by Tom Hibbert, Q, December 1994

"IT'S BETTER to burn out than fade away..." The death of Kurt Cobain affected the (rock) world like no other since John Lennon's. Was it ...

Donovan: Sunshine Superman/Mellow Yellow/The Hurdy Gurdy Man/Barabajagal

Review by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, January 1995

HOW WAS IT that our "Celtic" hippie friend put it to Queen magazine in 1967? Oh, yes: "Pop is the perfect religious vehicle. It's as ...

John Lydon: The Q 100 interview

Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, January 1995

HOW THE devil are you?Oh, I'm all right. I'm fiiiine. I'm lovely. I'm doing a solo record. Just me. John Lydon and nobody else. ...

The Monkees

Retrospective by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, April 1995

"Hear this, and remind yourself why pop music was invented in the first place." ...

Roky Erickson, 13th Floor Elevators: His Own Private Realm: Roky Erickson

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, June 1995

Come with us now to the home of erstwhile 13th Floor Elevator Roky Erickson: a little shack on the outskirts of reality. And marvel how, ...

Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band: Men Behaving Badly

Book Review by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, August 1995

Midnight Riders: The Story Of The Allman Brothers Band Scott Freeman (Little Browne) ...

Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead: The Last Great American Adventurer: Jerome John Garcia 1942-1995

Obituary by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1995

On August 9, Jerry Garcia, leader of the Grateful Dead, the most successful live group of all time, died in a Californian rehab center. To ...

The Eagles: 'We're the F***in' Eagles. Kiss My Ass!'

Retrospective and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, August 1996

Thus, in 1972, spake Bernie Leadon, then guitarist with FM country rock's Biggest Band Ever. As their Hell Freezes Over tour hits the UK, and ...

The Monkees: What Goes On?

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, March 1997

Here they come. Walking down the street. Spouting more long words than they ever did on TV. Tom Hibbert meets The Monkees, re-formed and playing ...

Going Down Memory Lane with Jenny Fabian

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, July 1997

BEFORE JENNY FABIAN, groupies hardly existed...well, they probably did, but the general public, ie Mr and Mrs Beswick of Pursey, knew nothing about them (even ...

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