Ted Kessler
Ted Kessler worked at NME during its Britpop heyday between 1993 and 2002, where he was variously features editor, reviews editor, staff and senior writer. In that time, he wrote dozens of cover stories. He joined the staff at Q magazine in 2004 as reviews editor and was later features editor. He was made Q editor in 2016, a position he held until its closure in 2020. His feature writing has appeared in many other magazines and newspapers, some of which still exist, notably The Observer Magazine.
In 2013 Ted devised the My Old Man blog, where people shared tales of their fathers, for better or worse. In 2016, he edited a new version of My Old Man for a critically acclaimed book published by Canongate, featuring contributions from the likes of Tilda Swinton, Rod Stewart, Florence Welch, Paul Weller and the sons and daughters of Leonard Cohen, Roy Castle, Johnny Ball and Roger McGough. He left school at 17 and has one ‘O’ level, in French.
Ted's memoir Paper Cuts: How I Destroyed the British Music Press & Other Misadventures was published by White Rabbit in July 2022.
47 articles
List of articles in the library
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, June 1991
NO LESSER pop pundits than Ian Broudie and Tony Wilson have thrown their lot in with Edinburgh's Wendys. And judging by this debut LP the ...
The Wedding Present: Seamonsters
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, July 1991
JILTED, JADED AND USED, David Gedge is back and thirsty for the taste of revenge. The bad news for those who've crossed him is that ...
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, August 1991
MOMUS (AKA NICHOLAS CURRIE) is way, way out there. A wicked pop weasel whose poisoned Euro-pop fizzes with animal sex, human sex and cannibalism. His ...
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, January 1992
ICE CUBE IS NOT A MAN to mince his words. "Niggers," he declares solemnly during the introduction to 'Death Certificate', "are in a state of ...
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, May 1992
PAUL HEATON hasn't had a whiff of the much bandied about teen spirit since disbanding The Housemartins. When he ditched every thinking bank clerk's favourite ...
Review by Ted Kessler, Select, April 1993
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN revival finally kicks in! Adorable, Creation's mouthy four-piece, were clearly reared on a grim teenage diet of early '80s guitarbased angst — ...
Naughty By Nature: Hammersmith Palais, London
Live Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 19 June 1993
ALL THE WHITE LIBERALS in the house go: "Uh oh!" ...
Teenage Fanclub: Norman's Song Quest
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 9 October 1993
TEENAGE FANCLUB have unleashed their new album, Thirteen, already resigned to a critical savaging — because it's not the latest word in designer grunge. TED ...
Spiritualized: Shirk, Rattle & Roll-up
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 23 October 1993
Jason Pierce — supposedly SPIRITUALIZED's miserable junky control-freak layabout — has been completely misunderstood… and so have his band. TED KESSLER finds that Mr Glum ...
Live Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 11 December 1993
JARVIS COCKER stands on a little raised section of the stage, one finger pointing a la Travolta to the heavens, the other holding the mic ...
Oasis, Whiteout: Respect is Dune: Oasis/Whiteout: 100 Club, London
Live Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 9 April 1994
THERE IT IS, the new sound of young Scotland, wiggling its corduroy-wrapped hips, pursing its lips and clapping enthusiastically into the mic in a basement ...
Primal Scream: You Can't Always Take What You Want: Primal Scream: Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Live Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 9 April 1994
BOBBY GILLESPIE yells something victorious and completely unintelligible into the mic, waves a bottle of champers at the ecstatic throng at the front and falls ...
The Beastie Boys: We Clamorous Beasties
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 21 May 1994
The Beastie Boys, icons to the sunstruck, tattooed youth of California have set up every American boy's dream empire — clothes, fanzine, record label and ...
The Boo Radleys, Oasis, Ride: Creation Records: Rehabsolutely Fabulous
Interview by John Harris, Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 9 June 1994
A decade on from its inception, Creation rules the British rock underground. The 'Undrugged' party at the Royal Albert Hall, and the random singing of ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 20 August 1994
The scene: Dublin, or the London Underground, or a vomit-strewn bathroom. The props: beer, lots of it. The time: time to wake up to the ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 27 August 1994
Born with a voice to die for and a runaway father who follows him everywhere, JEFF BUCKLEY's wish not to discuss the late, great old ...
Echobelly, Elastica, Gene, Oasis, Shed Seven: Oasis/Shed Seven/Elastica/Echobelly/Gene: EC Raiders
Report and Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 19 November 1994
Sacre bleurgh! Parisian hoteliers flee through the boulevards as la creme de Brit indie culture — i.e., OASIS, SHED SEVEN, ELASTICA, ECHOBELLY and GENE — ...
The Sabres of Paradise, Andrew Weatherall: Andrew Weatherall: Sabre as a Judge
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 17 December 1994
ANDREW WEATHERALL was a wanker, but he's alright new. At least that what he tells TED KESSLER in the wake of his girlfriend ditching him ...
McAlmont & Butler: Drag Man Star
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 13 May 1995
Charged up by men in frocks, with a voice like Al Green meets Liz Cocteau, there's no mistaking McALMONT. But who's the reticent guitarist? BERNARD ...
Shara Nelson: Friendly Fire (Cooltempo/All formats)
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 7 October 1995
SHOT FROM THE HEART ...
Review by Ted Kessler, Vox, December 1995
WELL, COME ON IN, Mr Corgan. What will it be today? Let's see… Perhaps the whip-cracking, bitch-baiting, wrap-around metal thong? No? What about the cherubic ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 4 May 1996
'The Return Of The Mack'? OK, so it might be all trendy trenchcoats round your way, but we're talking MACKS proper — the Mr Bigs ...
Manic Street Preachers: Everything Must Go
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 18 May 1996
IMAGINE ONLY good things. Imagine that after checking out of the Embassy Hotel in London on February 1, 1995, Richey James drove to his flat ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 22 June 1996
ANY BAND THAT HANGS OUT with George Michael, forsakes drugs for jogging and spends five years on that difficult second album must be completely arse, ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 14 March 1998
Smack addiction, tragic death and a clueless music biz may have conspired against the fortunes of genius singer-songwriter MICK HEAD and his band SHACK, but ...
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 1 May 1999
Loaf-fi Allstars! ...
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 8 May 1999
CAMBERWELL CARAT! ...
Oasis: Fan-ish Inquisition, Pt. 1
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 19 February 2000
Go Letter It Out. The New Oasis. Your Questions! Their answers! Oh no, it's…the fan-ish inquisition. In the first of a two-part interview with Oasis, ...
Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age: Queens of the Stone Age make an offer you can't refuse
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 29 July 2000
"SOME OF YOU DRUGGERS, SOME OF YOU SOBER PEOPLE, SOME OF YOU SEX FIENDS, SOME OF YOU VIRGINS. COME TO OUR CLIQUE. YOU JOIN THE ...
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 5 May 2001
HOORAY! MANCHESTER has delivered its first great album of the millennium. Others will doubtless follow, but few will conjure up magic as brooding as Elbow ...
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 26 May 2001
FOUR TET's second album is a voyage of warm, ambient loveliness. It is its author Kieran Hebden's best work to date and confirms the prolific ...
Pulp: Postcards From The Hedge
Profile and Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 2 June 2001
Galloping stallions, shagging on a mountain top and perhaps a spot of weeding. Welcome to the all-new pastoral pastimes of Pulp. ...
Missy Elliott: Missy in Action: Missy Elliott
Profile and Interview by Ted Kessler, Observer Music Monthly, 5 August 2001
As a child, Missy Elliott sent daily letters and tapes to her heroes Michael and Janet Jackson, asking them to save her from abuse and ...
Review by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 11 November 2001
THERE ARE FEW GROUPS who can successfully support the twin burdens of leftfield artistic endeavour and big-time bankability. We know one such group, though. A ...
The Strokes: Great White Hopes
Report and Interview by Ted Kessler, The Observer, 16 December 2001
Twelve months ago they were an unheard of indie band. Today, they're being compared to the Rolling Stones. Ted Kessler goes on the road in ...
Oasis: Liam Gallagher: Mad for it
Interview by Ted Kessler, The Observer, 16 June 2002
Liam Gallagher has it all: the looks, the voice, the blondes, the tabloid headlines. So why is the new album his last chance of rock ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, The Observer, 14 July 2002
As a schoolgirl she drove the nuns crazy with her belly dancing, now she's got the world gyrating. Ted Kessler meets Shakira, the Colombian superstar ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, The Observer, 28 July 2002
He worries about his hair, he worries about women and he worries about death. Chris Martin even worries about worrying. But with the launch of ...
New Order: "We've had it large"
Profile and Interview by Ted Kessler, The Guardian, 22 November 2002
A five-year split, a suicide, financial ruin, heavy cocaine abuse... New Order have survived the lot – and they're nowhere near quitting. Ted Kessler meets ...
Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Winter of Love
Overview by Ted Kessler, New Statesman, 20 January 2003
MANY outrageous claims have been made on Arthur Lee's behalf — but most of them are true. ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, The Guardian, 25 January 2003
America's favourite hip-hop artist Jay-Z is hanging up his mic. After all, what's left to talk about when you've achieved everything? Ted Kessler raps things ...
Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 8 March 2003
FEW ROCK'N'ROLLERS have crashed from such a spectacular height as Evan Dando. Fewer still live to tell the tale. In 1992, he was primed to ...
Comment by Ted Kessler, New Statesman, 31 March 2003
Ted Kessler on the rise of a new rap star who just can't stay out of trouble ...
Happy Mondays: Shaun Ryder: "I look all right, don't I?"
Interview by Ted Kessler, The Guardian, 20 June 2003
Two years ago Shaun Ryder was finished. He had lost his money, his mates and the plot. With a new album out, he tells Ted ...
The Libertines: The decline and fall of the Albion Empire
Profile and Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 20 September 2003
THE LAST TIME Pete Doherty and Carl Barat played on the same stage together was at the summit of the Libertines' explosive career in May. ...
The Strokes: Not So Different Strokes: The Strokes: Room On Fire (Rough Trade) ****
Review and Interview by Ted Kessler, Uncut, November 2003
Hotly-anticipated second album from New York's finest ...
Special Feature by Ted Kessler, The Times, 21 May 2016
Rod Stewart's dad gave him football lessons; Chris Martin's joins him on tour; Shaun Ryder's broke his nose on stage; Leonard Cohen is funnier than ...
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