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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.
The synth-pop duo’s singles across the past 35 years are collected on a gamechanging compilation. We dive in and take stock of a landmark pop release. Rating: 10/10 When Classic…
Seal interview: “Wherever it is we go to in the ether, I’ll look back with zero regrets”
A beautiful singer with the looks to match, Seal always seemed destined for stardom. But a new reissue of his self-titled debut album is time to remember that stardom once…
Inspiral Carpets interview: “We were outsiders”
As the Inspiral Carpets prepare for an emotional first tour since the tragic death of drummer Craig Gill in 2016, the band reveal all about their days as outsiders in…
Madness interview: “We’ve collided together in a sandpit of joy on this new album”
No longer a nostalgia band, Madness have spent the past two decades assembling “new universes” of music to showcase their impeccable knack of knowing what makes people tick. In 2016,…
Marilyn interview: “People want me back. That’s amazing”
For a singer who only released one album, Marilyn has made an indelible mark on pop culture. In 2016 he returned a new single, Love Or Money, produced with his…
Yello interview: “It’s legitimate to shake our asses”
After more than four decades together, “funny little Swiss boys” Yello are still innovating. In this interview from 2016, they talked to Classic Pop about stagefright, the dangers of success…
Tom Bailey interview: “It can be harder to write pop when you’re older”
Previously a cult proposition across the albums A Product Of… and Set, US hit In The Name Of Love inspired Tom Bailey to transform Thompson Twins from a seven-piece cult…
Nick Beggs interview: “Limahl became untenable pretty quickly. He was a difficult character.”
In the 40 years since Too Shy became a smash, Nick Beggs has played with ABC, Belinda Carlisle and Howard Jones, as well as being a distinctive bass presence in…
The Human League: The Virgin Years Box Set review
We deep dive into The Human League’s The Virgin Years LP boxset featuring best-selling albums like Dare, Romantic? and more. Here’s what we think… Something of a misnomer, this vinyl…
a-ha interview: “Diplomacy doesn’t really work in a-ha”
Seemingly on the verge of splitting for the third time when last year’s documentary a-ha: The Movie brought their simmering tensions to the boil, with typical contrariness the band are…