Marcus O'Dair

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Marcus O'Dair is an English writer, musician/manager, broadcaster and lecturer. He is most notable for his work as part of the band Grasscut, described by Clash magazine as "genuinely daring electronica artists". [1] He is also notable for his 2015 biography of musician Robert Wyatt, a book described in the London Review of Books as "fascinating". [2]

Contents

Career

O'Dair works as both a music lecturer and journalist. [3] He is also the author of Different Every Time: the Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt, [4] which was published by Serpent's Tail [5] [6] and features a foreword by Jonathan Coe. [7] The book was described by The Guardian as "exhaustive and affectionate", [8] and as a "meticulous and vivid account". [8] He co-compiled the accompanying compilation, released by Domino Records. [9]

As a writer, he has written for publications including The Guardian [10] and the Financial Times . [11]

O'Dair is a regular studio guest on The Freakzone (BBC 6 Music) with Stuart Maconie, [12] and in 2015 recorded an essay about swimming in the Lake District for BBC Radio 3. [13]

Along with the songwriter Andrew Phillips, O'Dair is one half of Grasscut, who have previously released two albums on Ninja Tune (1 Inch: 1/2 Mile [14] and Unearth [15] ) and a third on Lo Recordings, 2015's Everyone Was A Bird. [16] The band have been described as building their reputation on "writing about situations and places, rather than standard pop songs", [17] with The Quietus reviewing Everyone Was A Bird as "that rare slab of post-rock that uses the genre's textures and general ethos of exploration to create new sounds instead of rehashing old ones". [16]

O'Dair is also a lecturer in Popular Music at Middlesex University. [18]

In 2016 O'Dair co-authored a report on the use of blockchain technology within the music industry titled Music On The Blockchain. [19]

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References

  1. ↑ Cullen, Miguel (5 March 2010). "Ones To Watch: Grasscut". Clash. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Harding, Jeremy (20 November 2014). "Short Cuts". London Review of Books. 36 (22). Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Delingpole, James. "Double vision". The Spectator. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. ↑ O'Dair, Marcus (9 July 2015). Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt. London: Serpent's Tail. ISBN   9781846687600.
  5. ↑ "Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt". Serpent's Tail. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Review: Thomson, Ian (21–27 November 2014). "Rock bottom and back again". New Statesman. 143 (5237): 51.
  7. ↑ "Different Every Time". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 Penman, Ian (26 November 2014). "Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt by Marcus O'Dair – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "ROBERT WYATT – DIFFERENT EVERY TIME – 17TH NOVEMBER 2014". Domino Record Company. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "The Guardian – Marcus O'Dair". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "I'm enjoying myself with words". The Financial Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Stuart Maconie's Freakier Zone". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Marcus O'Dair – Swimming Stories". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Grasscut 1 Inch / ½ Mile Review". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Grasscut – Unearth (Review)". Indie London. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  16. 1 2 Brusse, Bryan. "Reviews, Grasscut – Everyone Was A Bird". The Quietus.
  17. ↑ "Grasscut – Everyone Was a Bird (Lo Recordings) – Review". god is in the tv. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Marcus O'Dair". Middlesex University. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  19. ↑ Ward, Rich. "Interview: Music on the Blockchain – Marcus O'Dair". 11 is louder than 10. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
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