Best new music books: Bowie, Boston and the Scatman’s Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop
Recent 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s death saw the publication of numerous books about him
David Bowie
Golden years: Colm Keena on why Dublin was the best place to be growing up in the 1970s
What surprised me was how much I liked the guns - and I also learned how to throw grenades
Magic Maker by Pam Grossman: this word-witch doesn’t disappoint
The occult author weaves a cloak of enchantment for anyone intrigued by the notion that creativity is an expression of both intellect and spirit
David Bowie: 10 years after his death, he’s still electrifying, still plugged into the 21st century
David Bowie died on January 10th, 2016. He still has a message for the modern world in a way that, frozen in time, John Lennon or Elvis Presley simply doesn’t
The Music Quiz: While making the album Diamond Dogs, which Bruce Springsteen song did David Bowie record?
Plus: Which Bowie album is named on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2000 song Californication?
Four new films to see this week: Marty Supreme, Cover-Up, Sentimental Value and David Bowie: The Final Act
Timothée Chalamet, Seymour Hersh, Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve in a quartet of movies released in the week of December 26th, 2025
Bowie: The Final Act - fond requiem from fan 10 years after star’s death
Jonathan Stiasny’s film offers overview of iconic singer’s career with emphasis on his final artistic statement, Blackstar
Music books: From Mark Ronson’s insight into being a DJ in 1990s to Bruce Springsteen’s 50th anniversary book
Releases include Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City; Blitz: The Club That Created the 80s and more
David Bowie was right: this German pop professor is a genius
Michael Rother, the musical maverick behind Neu! and Harmonia, is an antidote to the cynicism of the modern music industry
Four music books chart unconventional lives in the industry
Influences and life moments behind the musicians from the ‘70s to ‘90s are revealed
Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails at 3Arena review: Peel It Back tour begins unshowily, then builds to a thrilling mid-set sequence
Expectations are high among fans dressed in reverential black. This Dublin show doesn’t disappoint
‘When I’m singing, I don’t think about my grief’: Choir of patients enriching their lives through music
A Dublin GP practice is the unlikely location where a group of patients meet to sing every week
The Movie Quiz: Who did not direct a film that shares its name with a David Bowie song?
Plus: Which Viking is back in action this week?
Pioneering producer Arthur Baker: Bono called me up and said, ‘Can you get me a guitar? I want to write a song’
Baker’s new autobiography charts his work producing and remixing Springsteen, Dylan, New Order and Afrika Bambaataa
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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