david Author

Journalist and author David Marsh, former lead singer with The Whatcha-Gonna-Do-About-Its, left the Guardian after 20 years in July 2016 to spend more time with his record collection. He presents a monthly show, The Beat Goes On, on Kennet Radio. David is the author of For Who the Bell Tolls: One Man's Quest for Grammatical Perfection.

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October 28, 2016

‘You won’t have heard of them. It’s by a group called The Beatles’

It was 55 years ago today – at around 3pm on Saturday 28 October, 1961 – that 18-year-old Raymond Jones walked into a shop in...

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October 11, 2016

From ABBA to X: are these the 101 best band names in the world?

The answer is no, but they are an interesting selection of writer Bart Bull’s favourites, listed in his book Battle of the Band...

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September 7, 2016

The Egos: Discography of Your Favourite Band

A lovely cartoon strip by Grant Snider – for more of his brilliant work, visit Incidental Comics.  ...

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August 15, 2016

The Turtles Present The Battle of the Bands

‘I was snorting coke on Abraham Lincoln’s desk in the White House. Yes, that Abraham Lincoln and that White House.’ So...

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July 12, 2016

‘And And fuckin’ And?’ Welcome to the ultimate guide to band names

We’re at a wedding at the start of Alan Parker’s wonderful film The Commitments, and Jimmy Rabbitte is talking to Outspan...

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July 11, 2016

Saint Etienne: ‘The name had this kind of magic’

BBC 6 Music’s excellent Amy Lamé’s French Voyage, on Sunday 10 July, included an enjoyable conversation with Saint...

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July 2, 2016

This bike isn’t a pipe bomb, officer, honest

Sticker sparks explosive end for punk fan’s bike Police sealed off part of an American university after noticing a sticker on a...

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July 1, 2016

Teacher who saved Lynyrd Skynyrd from calling themselves The Noble Five

Leonard Skinner, the PE teacher who inspired the name of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died in Florida. He was 77. Skinner, who had...

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