The Secret Public by Jon Savage review – how pop drove LGBTQ+ liberation
A dazzling account of the dreamers and divas who brought a queer sensibility to culture – and changed lives in the process
The Horse by Willy Vlautin review – man and beast in harmony
A musician’s chance encounter with a half-blind nag makes him take stock of his shattered life in the author and songwriter’s latest succinct but compelling novel
On my radar: Claire Messud’s cultural highlights
The novelist on the continuing relevance of Ibsen, the joyful quilt art of Faith Ringgold and where to find British scotch eggs in New York
My Family and Other Rock Stars by Tiffany Murray review – Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and my mum
The British novelist’s first memoir is a sublime account of famed Welsh music studio Rockfield, where her indomitable mother ruled the kitchen in the 70s and rock’n’rollers were great fun – and infuriating
On my radar: Daniel Handler, AKA Lemony Snicket, on his cultural highlights
The US children’s author and novelist on a sublime musical trio, how spices reinvigorated his cooking, an addictive ‘mid-19th century’ BBC panel show and being floored by a new jazz track
‘The truth was just too painful’: the highs and lows of Mama Cass
The daughter of ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot has written a book to explore the tragically short life of her mother, from relentless fat-shaming to a myth about her death
Track Record by George the Poet review – Black artistry and home truths
The spoken word artist and podcaster’s hybrid of social history and rallying cry is heartfelt, if occasionally hectoring
On my radar: Andrew O’Hagan’s cultural highlights
The novelist on a comedic TikTok sensation, the importance of a good suit and his favourite educational app
The big idea: what would culture look like without nightlife?
Live music venues, clubs and bars feed creativity and drive social change. But they’re increasingly in danger
Billy Bragg: ‘There’s nothing like going out there singing your truth. That ain’t changed’
The activist singer-songwriter on fighting for trans rights, his 40 years in the music business and his forthcoming tour with his son
How Portugal’s 1974 Eurovision entry toppled the country’s fascist regime
Fifty years ago, a remarkable chain of events set in motion by the broadcast of a series of songs led to the fall of a dictatorship
On my radar: CMAT’s cultural highlights
The Irish musician on her favourite traditional pub, converting to the cult of baseball, and gigs in a western movie set
George the Poet: ‘Poetry is the artistic wing of politics’
He performed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding and was offered an MBE before he turned 30 – but the writer is ready to head in a more radical direction
Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, a Life review – down the rabbit hole with a musical maverick
He played cello for Allen Ginsberg, nearly joined Talking Heads and was sampled by Kanye West. Now the singular, genre-spanning Russell has the exhaustive study he deserves
All You Need Is Love: The End of the Beatles by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines review – from best man to muckraker
In this ‘director’s cut’ of their 1983 book, which Paul McCartney burned, a former Beatles employee and a music writer appear preoccupied with stirring up scandal around the band’s split