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William Shaw

William Shaw

My first proper job in journalism was as Assistant Editor on ZigZag in the early 80s. When I interviewed nascent Pet Shop Boys for a long dead magazine called Blitz, Neil Tennant asked me to freelance for Smash Hits, then under Mark Ellen where I worked with Chris Heath, Sylvia Patterson and the late, great Tom Hibbert who became my best man when I married in 1994. In the early 90s David A. Keeps, former editor of the short-lived US version of Smash Hits, Star Hits, invited me to write for Details magazine under James Truman and I started writing a lot about hip hop for them. I moved out to Los Angeles for a while, which is where I wrote my third non-fiction book Westsiders, Stories of the Boys in the Hood (Bloomsbury 1999) which still seems to be in print 15 years later. Fascinated by close-up non-fiction I wrote the Small Ads column in The Observer for several years. Those columns were compiled as Superhero For Hire (Guardian Books) for which Jarvis Cocker kindly provided a preface. In 2013 I published the first of a fiction trilogy set in 1968, A Song From Dead Lips (Quercus). The second book, A House of Knives is published in 2014.

82 articles

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The Smiths: Glad All Over

Interview by William Shaw, ZigZag, February 1984

William Shaw locks horns with that charming band The Smiths. ...

Kim Wilde: Heir Presumptive

Interview by William Shaw, ZigZag, November 1984

Kim Wilde and William Shaw; Bliss ...

Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy, Duran Duran: The Ups and Downs of Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 14 March 1985

That's the title of his new LP. Fitting, really, for a bloke who was once the singer in Duran Duran and then written off as ...

Kim Wilde: "I'm Game For A Laugh!"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 24 April 1985

And this, Kim Wilde explains, "can be a bit lethal". When it comes to choosing a new image, she'll try anything. Some look great; with others "I think ...

Tears For Fears: City Hall, Sheffield

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 24 April 1985

IT'S HALF PAST eight and Curt and Roland have these 'If it's Monday this must be Sheffield' glazed looks on their faces. Already well into ...

Propaganda: A Song From Europe

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 8 May 1985

The German pop group Propaganda released their last single, 'Dr Mabuse', over a year ago. Then they had to wait while their record company devoted time to Frankie Goes To Hollywood. And ...

Asher Senator, The Cool Notes, Five Star, Pato Banton, Smiley Culture: The Cool Notes, Smiley Culture, Asher Senator, Pato Banton, Five Star: Hammersmith Palais, London

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 22 May 1985

"All Dayers" have been going for years. They're marathon sessions of dancing to reggae and soul records with live appearances from the singers who made ...

Gil Scott-Heron: Strange Days

Interview by William Shaw, Blitz, July 1985

GIL SCOTT-HERON'S six-year-old daughter has this phrase she likes to use. She stares and points and says; "Look Daddy! How strange."  ...

Midnight Oil, The Style Council, The Untouchables, Working Week: Working Week/The Untouchables/Midnight Oil/The Style Council: Glastonbury CND Festival, Somerset

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 July 1985

MUD: IT'S what you get if 40,000 people tramp around a small farm for 48 hours in almost constant rain. A lot of mud. By ...

The Redskins: * William Shaw Sympathises With... The Redskins

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 17 July 1985

* They think Live Aid is sickening* They reckon the Queen must feel a complete wally"* They want to bring down "post-war consumer capitalism"* They're ...

The Cure: Curiouser & Curiouser

Interview by William Shaw, Blitz, September 1985

In the six and a half years since the release of their first single, 'Killing An Arab', The Cure have released seven albums, with another, ...

Five Star: Five Go To Disneyland

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 9 October 1985

Pooh Bear wanders by with a pot of honey on his head! Shoals of artificial fish splash merrily in a nearby lake! Donald Duck sings ...

Sade: International Centre, Harrogate

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 4 December 1985

SADE ADU may have a most entrancing set of vocal chords and a face to match, but somehow this evening never really got off the ...

Billy Bragg, Junior Giscombe, Spandau Ballet, The Style Council: Red Wedge

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 12 February 1986

"It's no good just complaining in your beer about things — you've got to come out and say it..." So says Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp. ...

Brilliant

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 12 March 1986

...are someone who used to be in Killing Joke and went a bit mad, a girl from the poshest group in the world and a ...

Queen

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 26 March 1986

Were they wrong to play in Sun City? Did the cash in on Live Aid with their single 'One Vision'? At last their gracious majesties ...

Level 42: This Man's Hands Are Worth £1,000,000

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 23 April 1986

WHY? Because Mark King of Level 42 is widely reckoned to be the best bass guitar player ever. He plays so fast that his thumbs ...

Talk Talk: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 4 June 1986

WHAT A SCRUFF Mark Hollis is! Talk Talk's singer and songwriter is wearing a tatty old pair of jeans, his shirt isn't tucked in and ...

Falco: The Sound of Music

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 8 October 1986

"THE SOUND OF Musik". Fair brings it all back, doesn't it? Julie Andrews swanning over the Alps singing her little heart out. 'Climb Every Mountain'. ...

Howard Jones Has Had A Baby

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 22 October 1986

A little boy, to be exact. He's called Osheen (!) and, at 12 weeks old, has already flown in a plane 11 times and been backstage to ...

Little Richard: This Man Invented Rock'n'roll

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 22 October 1986

Little Richard was wearing make-up and singing pervy songs and shocking audiences before Prince or Sid Vicious or Martin Degville were even born. "I'm a living legend!" ...

Nick Berry: Why Do All Actors Want To Be Pop Stars?

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 22 October 1986

They're all at it these days: TV personalities (and almost everybody on EastEnders) making pop records. Isn't it all getting a bit out of hand? ...

Cameo: "I Am A Warrior"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 5 November 1986

Oh. That's funny, we could have sworn you were the bloke with the"codpiece" from Cameo, Larry Blackmon (for it is he) announces his plans for world domination. ...

Kool and the Gang: Kool & The Gang

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 19 November 1986

They're one of the most successful disco bands ever! They make pots and pots of money! They used to beat up paint cans! They're useless ...

A-ha: WOOOOAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!

Report by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 17 December 1986

A-ha play their first ever concert in Britain! The whole country goes 'wooooaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!" ...

Pepsi & Shirlie: Pepsi and Shirlie: 'Us Groovy Chicks Want To Get On Down'

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 14 January 1987

Quite. That's what Wham!'s former backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie told George and Andrew anyway. Now they're out there on their own but there seems ...

The Jesus & Mary Chain: The Jesus And Mary Chain: The Glummest Group In The World

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 22 April 1987

The Jesus And Mary Chain hate travelling, hate Ferry Aid, hate Curiosity Killed The Cat, hate being pop stars, hate just about everything actually... "Grumpy ...

Glenn & Chris

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 6 May 1987

Why are these two famous footballers zwinging their way up the flingaway charts? Why do their team-mates "compare" them to Wham!?(?) And why do they think the ...

Curiosity Killed The Cat, Sly & Robbie: Sly & Robbie

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 20 May 1987

They've played with Curiosity Killed The Cat, Cyndi Lauper, Grace Jones and now they've got their own hit single with 'Boops (Here To Go)'. "You ...

Johnny Hates Jazz: Hello. We're Johnny Hates Jazz

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 June 1987

Clark Datchler • His dad used to be in a top jazz group called The Polka Dots!• He actually doesn't like jazz very much at all!• He's ...

Boy George, Culture Club, Heartbeat UK: Jon Moss: "Culture Club is the last thing on my mind"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 June 1987

Why does Culture Club's drummer Jon Moss not want to think about his old pal Boy George? Is it because their last few months together ...

A-ha, The Beastie Boys, Boy George, The Communards, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Whitney Houston, Nick Kamen, Simply Red, Spandau Ballet, Swing Out Sister, UB40: The Montreux Pop Festival

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 June 1987

What are Curiosity Killed The Cat, Boy George, Whitney Houston, Beastie Boys, A-ha and three squillion other pop stars doing in a little town in ...

Curiosity Killed The Cat Conquer The World!

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 17 June 1987

Or a teensy-weensy bit of Germany anyway. Though, as William Shaw discovers, this wild life of disintegrating jackets, late late nights, heavy metal clubs and disgusting aeroplane ...

A-ha: Are A-ha still the Greatest Pop Group in the World?

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 1 July 1987

Three years ago they were penniless, living in London on salt and pepper sandwiches. Two years ago their first single 'Take On Me' had flopped ...

Pet Shop Boys: Take: 1 Wasteland, 2 Pet Shop Boys, 7 Deadly Sins, 15 Monks

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 1 July 1987

...and what have you got? "Beats me," says William Shaw, "but I hope they don't eat all of that vegetable crumble." ...

Wet Wet Wet: The "Secret" Life of Wet Wet Wet

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 29 July 1987

Who are these four Scottish scamps currently racing up the charts with 'Sweet Little Mystery' while still living at home with their mammies?... ...

Sinitta: "Hello, I'm Sinitta and..."

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 12 August 1987

'TOY BOY' IS ABOUT MY 18 YEAR OLD LOVER ...

Brother Beyond

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 12 August 1987

We present 25 incredible, barmy and completely true facts about the group that Italy knows as "Brother Behind." ...

Terence Trent D'Arby: Spook Shopping The Terence Trent D'Arby Way

Report by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 21 October 1987

What do pop stars do when they're suddenly quite rich? If they're called Terence Trent D'Arby they buy lots of compact discs, loads of books ...

Bros: This Is What You Do To Get On The Cover Of Smash Hits...

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 10 February 1988

It's not just a queston of having a massive hit (e.g. Bros' 'When Will I Be Famous?') and then standing still for thirty seconds in ...

Bros: "We're The Only Group Who Write About Our Generation"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 6 April 1988

Matt, Luke and Craig from Bros tell William Shaw about the songs on their first-ever LP Push... ...

Wet Wet Wet: Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow

Live Review by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 29 June 1988

HERE WE are at the first Wet Wet Wet concert of their "Temptation" tour and blow me down if there aren't people keeling over wherever ...

Big Audio Dynamite, The Clash: Big Audio Dynamite: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll...

Interview by William Shaw, Blitz, July 1988

...but Mick Jones likes it. Jones has an old-fashioned attitude towards music which began long before his days as guitar hero with The Clash. His current band, Big Audio Dynamite, release ...

Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Holly Johnson: Holly Johnson: Frankie Say See You In Court!

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Blitz, August 1988

Despite rampant early successes, the Frankie Goes To Hollywood saga ended in a bitter courtroom battle. Now freed from his ZTT contract, frontman Holly Johnson ...

Voice Of The Beehive: There's No Place Like Home

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 21 September 1988

There certainly isn't, listeners, especially when you're Tracey and Melissa from Voice Of The Beehive and "home" is none other than "L.A." (man). William Shaw ...

Brother Beyond: What's it Really Like Being a Pop Star?

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 11 January 1989

Oh, being a pop star is such hard work. You've got to get up at six in the morning and sit in a draughty warehouse for 17 ...

Sinitta: "I'm Bigger Than Kylie!"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 14 June 1989

..."I'm sure I'm at least a head taller than her!!!" jests pop phenomenon Sinitta from a hotel room in Detroit where she's visiting her family. ...

Transvision Vamp: "I Don't Care If Everyone Hates This LP"

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 27 June 1989

Pah! She does really! Because even rock'n'roll rebels want to be rich and famous and adored by everyone. It's why Wendy James and Transvision Vamp have ...

Salt-N-Pepa: What Has Happened To Salt'n'Pepa?

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 16 May 1990

★ ONCE THEY WERE A GIRLIE RAPPING TRIO WHO STOLE THE SHOW AT THE SMASH HITS POLL WINNERS PARTY. ★ Then they disappeared off the ...

Adamski: This Is The Life!

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 5 September 1990

The lucky swine! Adamski's record company has given him loads of money to go to LA, record some songs, rub shoulders with the stars, quaff ...

Michael Jackson: The Day I Went To Michael Jackson's House…

Report by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 October 1990

Imagine… you go to Michael Jackson's house, he introduces you to all his animals, you have a cosy chat, a spot of luncheon, go for ...

Betty Boo Conquers America!!

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 14 November 1990

Well, that's what she's trying to do anyway. She's just spent three exhausting weeks in TV studios, radio stations and hotel rooms all over the ...

Jason Donovan: If You Go Down To The Woods Today…

Interview by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 12 December 1990

You'll probably bump into this bloke staring moodily into the middle distance, resting from a gruelling Christmas TV show, contemplating having to dance with a ...

Urban Dance Squad: Dutch Treat

Profile and Interview by William Shaw, Details, December 1991

URBAN DANCE SQUAD BRINGS A RAP-ROCK-FUNK FUSION OUT OF THE NETHERLANDS ...

Michael Jackson: Dangerous (Epic) *****

Review by William Shaw, Select, January 1992

HE LIVES on an estate called Neverland Valley, guarded by armed security. The driveway is lined with statues of naked cherubs. His most constant companion ...

The KLF: Who Killed The KLF?

Report by William Shaw, Select, July 1992

It's the last grand gesture, the most heroic acts of self-destruction in the history of pop. And it's also Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty's final ...

Ice Cube: Fire and Ice

Profile and Interview by William Shaw, Details, February 1993

A ganqsta's tale: From boy in the hood to prophet of rage, Ice Cube is no sellout. William Shaw meets the most incendiary man in ...

Jesus Jones: The Messiah Complex

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Details, March 1993

Mike Edwards is Jesus Jones. Sort of. William Shaw breaks bread with one musical miracle worker and his four hapless disciples. ...

Depeche Mode: In the Mode

Interview by William Shaw, Details, April 1993

Depeche Mode are (1) techno pioneers, (2) synthpop pervs, (3) the Second Coming. During the making of their new LP, Songs of Faith and ...

Morrissey: Homme alone 2 — Lost in Los Angeles

Interview by William Shaw, Details, April 1994

With the release of Vauxhall and I, Morrissey intends to take over America. If only he can get over himself. William Shaw gets down with ...

Stone Temple Pilots: Scott Weiland: Fighter Pilot

Interview by William Shaw, Details, July 1994

Let he who is without grunge cast the first Stone Temple Pilot. William Shaw breaks bread and beer bottles with future heavyweight contender Scott Weiland. ...

Coolio Like That

Profile and Interview by William Shaw, Details, December 1994

Coolio's fantastic voyage, from crackhead to platinum rap star ...

Massive Attack, Portishead: Massive Attack: Surprise Attack

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Details, February 1995

Massive Attack invented a loping, trippy dance sound that could have turned them into international stars. When they decided they'd rather stay home in Bristol, ...

Aphex Twin — You don't have to be made to work here…but it helps.

Interview by William Shaw, Select, May 1995

Richard "Aphex Twin" James is branching out these days. Now he creates challenging sounds by using a Black & Decker sander on a stereo stylus. ...

Bound for Glory, Rahowa, Skrewdriver: Hate, Rattle & Roll

Report by William Shaw, Details, July 1995

For years, skinhead rock has remained safely in the lunatic fringe. But now, white-power outfits like Resistance Records are using the music to rally the ...

Tribal Gathering: Whose Land Is It Anyway?

Report by William Shaw, Select, July 1996

The residents of Otmoor hated it. The good citizens of Beckley insisted it should be halted. Members of The Woodland Trust claimed it would cause ...

Coolio, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, The Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A, Puff Daddy, Tupac Shakur, Snoop (Doggy) Dogg: Biggie, Tupac et al: Hollywood or Bust-up

Report and Interview by William Shaw, The Observer, 7 July 1996

New York can lay claim to having invented rap, but LA has violently rewritten the rules. William Shaw charts an increasingly bitter rivalry ...

Audio Adrenaline, DC Talk, Jars of Clay, Newsboys, Rebecca St. James: Jesus Rocks

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Details, October 1996

But does he mosh? William Shaw follows Jars of Clay to Creation '96 — the Godstock of Christian contemporary music — and pitches his tent ...

Tupac Shakur: His life on Death Row ended in a Deathblow

Obituary by William Shaw, Details, December 1996

William Shaw remembers Tupac Shakur 1971-1996 ...

Village People: "Macho Types Wanted, Must Have Moustache"

Retrospective and Interview by William Shaw, The Face, April 1997

Young man! There's no need to feel down... Until you've heard the strange and tragic tale of the man behind the biggest disco sensation of ...

The Wallflowers: Jakob Dylan: The Wallflower

Interview by William Shaw, Details, July 1997

WHAT'S JAKOB DYLAN'S SIGN? DO NOT DISTURB. HE WANTS YOUR ATTENTION, BUT HE WON'T SELL HIS SOUL TO GET IT. WILLIAM SHAW INVADES HIS PRIVACY. ...

The Prodigy: Who Will Rave Your Soul?

Interview by William Shaw, Details, August 1997

They started a fire on MTV Now everyone expects them to heat up Lollapalooza. William Shaw butts heads with the Prodigy, rock's most reluctant heroes. ...

Tupac Shakur: Life and Death in South Central LA

Book Excerpt by William Shaw, The Observer, 9 January 2000

South Central Los Angeles is notorious both for its violent gang warfare and for the gangsta rap that celebrates it, yet the media rarely ventures ...

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang Clan: Ol' Dirty Bastard: Portrait Of The Artist In Jail

Report and Interview by William Shaw, The Guardian, 22 March 2002

He was the clown prince of hip-hop, famously appearing onstage with the Wu-Tang Clan while on the run from the police. Now Ol' Dirty Bastard ...

Eminem: The Super Anti Hero

Interview by William Shaw, Blender, August 2002

Eminem may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But there doesn't seem to be much else that's beyond the hip-hop ...

Julian Cope: The Missing Link

Profile and Interview by William Shaw, The Word, December 2003

A thin evolutionary strand connects the forgotten sounds of the psychedelic North and a meticulous chronicle of megalithic Europe. It's Julian Cope, a man whose ...

Mariah Carey: The Secret Life Of Mariah Carey

Interview by William Shaw, Blender, March 2005

She's the super-private diva who doesn't speak for days at a time. But, for Blender, Mariah Carey opens up about her "horrific" childhood, her friend ...

James Blunt: "'You're Beautiful' Got Me Laid"

Interview by William Shaw, Q, July 2006

The Americans think he's "Prince William with a guitar". There is one important difference. James Blunt knows 53 ways to kill a man. ...

The Killers: The Q Interview: Brandon Flowers: "I refuse to say, Fuck Bush."

Interview by William Shaw, Q, March 2007

The Killers man: practising Mormon, condom salesman, insists upon washing his own underpants ...

How Green Is Rock?

Report and Interview by William Shaw, The Word, August 2007

In years to come, will the picture on the right be as unacceptable as the one above? The music business has a green problem, and ...

Metallica: Some Kind Of Monsters

Report and Interview by William Shaw, Q, September 2008

In the old days, Metallica were hard-drinking, groupie-shagging rock pigs. Today, they're all about pre-gig yoga sessions, surfing and being good dads. On the merch ...

Amy Winehouse: Lost Girl: The Fierce Life and Tortured Times of Amy Winehouse

Retrospective by William Shaw, Q, August 2012

The force of nature who made Back To Black was also a vulnerable daddy's girl, a harsh taskmistress, a woman with a weakness for the ...

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