Marcus O'Dair
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]
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]
References
- ^ Cullen, Miguel (5 March 2010). "Ones To Watch: Grasscut". Clash. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ Harding, Jeremy (20 November 2014). "Short Cuts". London Review of Books. 36 (22). Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ Delingpole, James. "Double vision". The Spectator. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ O'Dair, Marcus (9 July 2015). Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt. London: Serpent's Tail. ISBN 9781846687600.
- ^ "Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt". Serpent's Tail. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Review: Thomson, Ian (21–27 November 2014). "Rock bottom and back again". New Statesman. 143 (5237): 51.
- ^ "Different Every Time". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "ROBERT WYATT – DIFFERENT EVERY TIME – 17TH NOVEMBER 2014". Domino Record Company. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "The Guardian – Marcus O'Dair". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "I'm enjoying myself with words". The Financial Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Stuart Maconie's Freakier Zone". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Marcus O'Dair – Swimming Stories". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Grasscut 1 Inch / ½ Mile Review". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Grasscut – Unearth (Review)". Indie London. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b Brusse, Bryan. "Reviews, Grasscut – Everyone Was A Bird". The Quietus.
- ^ "Grasscut – Everyone Was a Bird (Lo Recordings) – Review". god is in the tv. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "Marcus O'Dair". Middlesex University. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ 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.
External links
- http://www.marcusodair.com/
- https://twitter.com/marcusodair