Music

Born on Halloween 63 Years Ago in Manchester, the Guitar Legend Behind One of the Most Influential “Sad Boy” Bands of the 80s

• Johnny Marr turns 63 on 31 October.
• His guitar work helped define The Smiths’ sound.
• His career has spanned bands, sessions and solo records.

Johnny Marr, born in Manchester on 31 October 1963, is best known as The Smiths’ guitarist and co-songwriter. His distinctive guitar work helped shape alternative rock and influenced musicians who followed, while his career has continued across bands, collaborations and solo music. Marr formed The Smiths with Morrissey…

Six unsettling YouTube videos offer varied Halloween viewing

• Six YouTube videos offer varied Halloween unease.
• The picks range from surreal shorts to cosmic horror.
• *Heck* delivers *Skinamarink*-style tension in 29 minutes.

The article recommends six unsettling YouTube videos for Halloween, spanning surreal short films, cosmic horror and early-style viral weirdness. It presents them as varied alternatives to choosing a single horror film or album, with each offering a different balance of unease, comedy and ambiguity. The selection includes Cecelia…

Musk’s record donation, Omar inquiry and US cities tighten Halloween curfews

Federal investigators are examining allegations against Ilhan Omar as efforts to remove her face a historic Supreme Court test. Jacinda Ardern marks a new university role, while The Northman surges on streaming.

In 1975, Rush made an album they fell in love with. It almost destroyed them

• Rush were proud of *Caress of Steel*, but audiences largely rejected it.
• The album’s extended fantasy tracks marked a major change in sound.
• *2112* became the next crucial step in the band’s career.

Rush were deeply proud of their 1975 album *Caress of Steel*, which pushed further into lengthy, story-led progressive rock. Its poor reception left the band hurt and put their future under pressure, making it a pivotal low point before their later breakthrough. The album’s two extended pieces drew…

In 1970, Jimi Hendrix delivered a performance Steve Vai says nobody could truly copy

• Steve Vai says Hendrix’s playing cannot be authentically copied.
• He singles out the live “Machine Gun” performance.
• Hendrix’s touch and musical character set him apart.

Steve Vai says Jimi Hendrix’s playing remains impossible to truly reproduce, even when guitarists can learn his songs note for note. Vai points to Hendrix’s distinctive touch, groove and note choices, arguing that his performances carried a personal quality inseparable from the musician himself. Vai singles out Hendrix’s…

45 years into his career, one scene finally “put it together” for Henry Winkler: “Took me till I was 72!”

• *Barry* helped Winkler move beyond years of acting anxiety.
• He won his first Emmy for playing Gene Cousineau.
• The breakthrough came at 72, decades after *Happy Days*.

After decades of being closely associated with The Fonz, Henry Winkler says his role in the comedy series *Barry* helped him finally overcome the anxieties and habits that had held back his acting. The part as acting coach Gene Cousineau earned him his first Emmy and marked a…

In 1966, Paul McCartney was working on one of The Beatles’ greatest songs. His music teacher wasn’t impressed

• McCartney played an early “Eleanor Rigby” in a music lesson.
• He sang placeholder lyrics over E-minor chords.
• The teacher’s focus on scales ended the lessons.

Paul McCartney recalled that a music teacher was unimpressed when he played an early version of “Eleanor Rigby” during lessons in 1966. The episode illustrates the gap between his ear-led songwriting and the formal music training the teacher wanted him to pursue. McCartney said he played the melody…

The 9 artists that disappointed Nick Cave on a personal level: “Damn them!”

• Cave says nine admired artists have disappointed him.
• He accepts that they followed their own paths.
• Their authenticity keeps him interested.

Nick Cave has described nine artists he deeply admires as having disappointed or alienated him at points in their careers. His reflections show how admiration can coexist with disagreement, and raise the question of how listeners relate to artists whose choices diverge from their own beliefs. In an…

In 2005, Dave Grohl nearly abandoned one of Foo Fighters’ biggest hits

• Grohl initially thought “Best of You” could be improved.
• The manager’s reminder brought the song back into contention.
• It became a lasting fixture of Foo Fighters’ stadium shows.

Dave Grohl nearly left “Best of You” off Foo Fighters’ 2005 double album *In Your Honor*, believing the band could write something better. The song was later revived and became a stadium favourite, illustrating how a track its songwriter doubted could turn into one of the group’s defining…

Chicago wrote a love song, and then they gave it an ‘Indiana Jones’ adventure and a ‘Casablanca’ makeover

• Chicago gave ‘Along Comes A Woman’ a cinematic MTV video.
• Director Jay Dubin drew on *Casablanca* and adventure films.
• The band’s group performance was the video’s strongest feature.

Chicago gave their love song ‘Along Comes A Woman’ an elaborate video inspired by adventure films and classic Hollywood, reflecting the pressure on established bands to adapt to MTV. The clip was a striking shift for a group whose identity had traditionally centred on its music and collective…