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John Earls
Writing for Classic Pop since our first issue, John has been to Adam Ant’s house, sworn at by Bob Geldof, touched Johnny Marr’s favourite guitar, interviewed Richard Coles on his vicarage bed and serenaded with Last Christmas by Shirlie Kemp. John first specialised in writing about music as editor of Teletext’s Planet Sound music column from 2000-09 and now writes about pop for a range of magazines and national newspapers. A Luton Town fan, John also writes about football. His bucket list interviews for the magazine are Grace Jones, Kylie, Siouxsie Sioux and Andrew Ridgeley.
Then Jerico aren’t the most obvious name for an explosive tale of self-destructive anger, winding up Iggy Pop, rehab, shocking disability and heartwarming redemption. But singer Mark Shaw has lived…
OMD Interview: ‘Stockhausen or ABBA? Can’t we be both?’
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark began as an art project that played one gig for a dare. Forty years later, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys’ art project has sold millions…
Kid Creole Interview: ‘I travel around, because it’s hard to catch a moving target’
The tropical gangster Kid Creole? Travelling showman August Darnell? Native New Yorker and former english teacher Tom Browder? The leader of Kid Creole and the Coconuts has more identities than…
Martin and Shirlie Kemp Interview: ‘For us, the words actually mean something’
Eighties pop royalty Martin and Shirlie Kemp have joined forces for an unexpected album of jazz covers. The couple talk to John Earls about their feelgood record, dinners with George…
Patience Is A Virtue: James Jackman Interview
George Michael’s working methods have always been a source of mystery. Just how much music did he make in addition to his five solo albums? How much of it will…
The Revolution Interview: Prince 1999 reissue
It wasn’t until the fifth Prince album – 1999 – in 1982 that the world really began to take notice of the High Priest of Pop. In 2019 we spoke…
Gary Numan Interview: ‘It’d be arrogant not to do the nostalgia thing once in a while’
It’s been 40 years since Gary Numan dissolved Tubeway Army and immediately had solo success with Cars. It’s just as significant that it’s 25 years since the electronic music innovator rescued his…
Duran Duran – 2019: A Space Odyssey
Even by Duran Duran standards, flying 300 drones in formation above Nasa while performing to astronauts in front of a moon rocket is quite something. It’s been a tale of…
Shakespears Sister Interview: ‘All I wanted to do was have that conversation that had not been had for 26 years’
Returning after 26 years, the reunion of Shakespears Sister is impossible not to cheer: the story of how Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit became bitter enemies by accident and were…
A Flock of Seagulls Interview: Mike Score talks
In this Flock Of Seagulls interview from 2019, singer Mike Score tells Classic Pop why it was the right time that the band reformed… To this day, “A Flock Of…