Posts by author
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.
As the backing vocalists in Wham!, Pepsi & Shirlie weren’t so much 20 Feet From Stardom as right in the middle of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s success. Living happily…
Dexys interview: “The pop thing was fun”
Usually a band averse to nostalgia, the announcement that Dexys are touring their most successful album Too-Rye-Ay for its 40th anniversary was a shock –until it became obvious there’s a…
Roland Orzabal on Tears For Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair
In 2020, Roland Orzabal talked to Classic Pop about Tears For Fears’ timeless Songs From The Big Chair album Does it feel like 35 years since Songs From The Big…
Prefab Sprout albums – the complete guide
All of the Prefab Sprout albums are worth a place in every pop fan’s record collection. Here we take a trip through the band’s peerless back catalogue… Swoon Released 1984…
Duran Duran: Future Past interview
As their recent single Anniversary hinted, it’s 40 years since Duran Duran first beamed on to planet Earth. Rather than celebrate with a hits tour, they’ve released a stunning new album, where…
Making Madness – The Rise & Fall
Buoyed by having their first No.1 hit, the fourth studio album by Madness, The Rise & Fall, marked the transition between knockabout Nutty Boys and reflective men who’d become hard-bitten…
Toyah – Posh Pop review
After years of copyright wrangling, the belated reissues of her early albums has finally allowed Toyah to be reassessed. So far, Sheep Farming In Barnet and The Blue Meaning have…
Jason Donovan interview: The Boy Next Door
In this Jason Donovan interview from 2019, the former Neighbours star looks back on his life and career. “Those old songs aren’t so easy to sing now,” he tells us. …
Boy George interview
In this Boy George interview, the Culture Club singer reflects on his recent 60th birthday when he released 60 new songs to mark the occasion as his “creative Diwali festival”.…
Dead Or Alive: Pete Burns – his final interview
As the lead singer of Dead Or Alive, Pete Burns was one of pop’s most arresting figures. In 2016, on the eve of the release of a Dead Or Alive…