Paul Lester

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Paul Lester is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster from Elstree, Hertfordshire.

Contents

Career

He began his career as a freelance journalist, for Melody Maker in the early 1990s, as well as City Limits , 20/20 , Sky Magazine and The Jewish Chronicle . He covered grunge, shoegaze, Madchester and Britpop, also spending time with bands touring the UK and internationally. [1] [2]

In 1993, Lester became Melody Maker's features editor; then in 1997, left to join Allan Jones in launching monthly music and film magazine Uncut , remaining deputy editor until 2006.

Lester has written more than a dozen rock / pop biographies, co-authored the Virgin Encyclopedia of Albums and often appears as a radio / television music pundit. He has interviewed hundreds of thespians and musicians including Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger and Snoop Dogg. He has also written sleeve notes on many, including: Todd Rundgren, Hall & Oates, The Smiths and The Sex Pistols. [3]

He currently resides in Hertfordshire, from where he has been freelancing since January 2007. He contributes newspapers, including : Guardian (daily columnist of 'Critics Picks' [4] and 'New Band of the Day' [5] ), The Sunday Times , the Daily Express , The Mail on Sunday , The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman . He writes of other periodicals, including: Q (magazine) , GQ , Record Collector and The Jewish Chronicle (an autobiographical column about recently remarried life, as a father of three children).[ citation needed ]

In July 2011, he joined digital station Amazing Radio to present a weekly show dedicated to new music. [6] The programme continues to broadcast on Thursday afternoons between 1 and 3pm, on the national Digital One network in the UK and online via amazingradio.co.uk and the UK RadioPlayer.

In 2018, Lester became the editor of Record Collector magazine.[ citation needed ]

Bibliography

Books

Album reviews

Album titleArtistReviewed in
Sacred songsDaryl HallLester, Paul (December 2014). "Consecration piece". Buried Treasure. Mojo . 253 (6): 114.

Awards

In 2008, Lester won the 'Breaking Music Writer' award at the Record of The Day Awards for Music Journalism and PR [7] for his 'New Band of the Day' column in The Guardian.

References

  1. Paul Lester at Rock's Back Pages
  2. "Paul Lester". Louder Sound . Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  3. Amazon.com author profile
  4. Guardian Unlimited Music, profile
  5. "Guardian: New Band of the Day". TheGuardian.com . Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. "Amazing Radio : Paul Lester". Amazing Radio. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  7. "Record of the Day - AWARDS". Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.