Tom Dunne: A glimpse at the glory days of the music press

Ted Kessler's memoir, Paper Cuts, is a great read on his time with publications such as NME and Q magazine

Q magazine closed in 2020, marking the end of an era for the music press.

Fri, 10 Feb, 2023 - 14:35

Tom Dunne is a music-lover extraordinaire who, as well as presenting radio and TV shows, can also be seen in the wild as the lead singer with Something Happens.

January and February are traditionally bad months for musicians; gigs all but disappear, revenue streams dry up. As our beloved piano player, Pat, used to say; “January, not a sausage!” He would say this, passing his credit card, stoically towards the bar.

I think of him every year at this time, as music hibernates. Not a sausage to be earned again till spring. So, I take comfort in long, hungry, walks and, increasingly, audio books, mostly about music, the latest being Ted Kessler’s Paper Cuts.