- Mark Beaumont (journalist)
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Mark Beaumont Occupation Music journalist Nationality English Period 1995-present Mark Beaumont is a British music journalist.
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Career and writing style
A contributor to such titles as The Times, Shortlist, The Guardian and Uncut, Beaumont's writings have predominately appeared in the NME where he has written numerous reviews and interviews since 1996 and has also functioned as the magazine's letters and singles page editor. Considered by NME editor Conor McNicholas one of the title's "star" writers, Beaumont has frequently been assigned the task of reviewing latest releases and gigs from high-profile artists (Arctic Monkeys[1], Black Rebel Motorcycle Club[2], Coldplay[3])and Muse.
In his writings, Beaumont has often favoured a caustic, confrontational and at times humorous prose style, especially when writing on artists or records that he doesn't hold a particularly high regard for.
Beaumont wrote a band biography for the liner notes of the band Mansun's posthumous album Kleptomania.
Beaumont released a biography of the band Muse entitled "Out Of This World" in the autumn of 2008.
2007 Keith Richards interview
In April 2007, Beaumont found himself at the centre of a media storm when NME magazine published his now-infamous interview with Keith Richards. Beaumont had asked Richards what the strangest thing he had ever snorted was,[1] and quoted him as replying:
“ My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared, he didn't give a shit. It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive.[2] ” Amid the media uproar that followed, Richards' manager claimed the remark had been made in jest,[3] but Beaumont told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that he believed Richards had been telling the truth, adding that "He did seem to be quite honest about it. There were too many details for him to be making it up".[4] He later told Uncut magazine that the interview had been conducted by telephone and that he had misquoted Richards at one point (reporting that Richards had said he listens to Motörhead, when what he had said was Mozart), but that he still believed the veracity of the ash-snorting anecdote.[1] Richards later confirmed in an interview with Mojo magazine that he had, in fact, snorted his father's ashes - with no cocaine mixed in - before burying them under an oak tree: "I said I'd chopped him up like cocaine, not with."[5]
Notes
- ^ a b "Snortergate:The True Story (Interview with Mark Beaumont)", Uncut (IPC Media): 55, September 2007
- ^ "Exclusive: Keith Richards: 'I Snorted My Dad's Ashes'". New Musical Express. 3 April 2007. http://www.nme.com/news/the-rolling-stones/27515. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
- ^ "Did Keith Richards Really Snort His Dad's Ashes? No — It Was A Joke!". MTV. 2007-04-03. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1556258/20070403/rolling_stones.jhtml.
- ^ "Stones Star Denies Snorting Ashes". BBC News. 2007-04-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6524661.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ^ Doyle, Tom (September 2007), "Keith Richards: The Mojo Interview", Mojo (EMAP Performance Ltd.): 60
External links
- [4] - Beaumont's "Raving Reporter" NME Blog
Categories:- English music journalists
- Melody Maker writers
- Living people
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