Haters gonna hate … but stars like Taylor Swift can help to make literature pop

I teach the megastar’s lyrics. Adding contemporary material to school curriculums won’t dumb down – it will inspire, says academic Elly McCausland

‘Mind-boggling’: Johnny Marr on his 53 favourite guitars – and the one Noel Gallagher smashed

They were used to write Smiths classics like Still Ill and What Difference Does It Make? As the star publishes a coffee-table book telling the stories of his most adored guitars, he remembers the loan to Noel that made him give up booze

On my radar: Slavoj Žižek’s cultural highlights

The Slovenian cultural theorist on enjoying books that contradict him, Boots Riley’s hilarious TV series, and his ‘terrifying’ taste in food

Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore cancels book tour, revealing ‘debilitating’ health condition

The 65-year-old musician says it was ‘utterly distressing’ to be told he shouldn’t travel after a longstanding but undisclosed illness recently escalated

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly Stone review – euphoric expression and drug-crazed chaos

A memoir by the groundbreaking funk-rock-soul survivor contains all the playfulness and charm of his music but little in the way of insight

In brief: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop; Birdgirl; Mozart in Italy – reviews

The tale of a divorcee embraces its sentimentality; a young birdwatcher proves a gifted memoirist; and Mozart’s Italian job sparkles with detail

Madonna by Mary Gabriel review – the definitive life of a pop colossus

The work of a cultural historian rather than a fan, this meticulous study puts the shape-shifting star in proper context

Soft sandwiches, street fights and surrealism: Marlene Marder’s memoir of Swiss punks Kleenex/Liliput

The guitarist’s diary of their formation and early tours gets its first English translation, offering funny, biting, absorbing insight into the influential band beloved by the likes of Kurt Cobain

On my radar: Oneohtrix Point Never’s cultural highlights

The experimental musician and producer on a mind-blowing Guatemalan cellist, the joys of ‘smear frames’ in old-school animated films and his favourite brand of vegan caviar

The Guardian view on female composers: a forgotten musical powerhouse

Editorial: For centuries the achievements of women have been ignored in classical composition. That can’t go on

The Double Life of Bob Dylan Volume 2: 1966-2021 by Clinton Heylin review – a fierce kind of love

The Dylan scholar won’t accept any criticism of his idol unless he himself is wielding the sword in his latest exhaustive attempt to understand the ultimate unreliable narrator

On my radar: Rebecca F Kuang’s cultural highlights

The bestselling author of Yellowface on prepping for Christopher Nolan films, a touring Mozart biopic and the swaggering young stars of Italian rock

Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst review – the dark is rising

The former Cure drummer traces the genre from its 18th-century literary roots to its flourishing as a music subculture

Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner apologizes for disparaging Black and female artists

In interview about new book The Masters, Wenner had said no female or Black musicians ‘were as articulate’ as white performers

The big idea: could we use music like medicine?

We know that music influences our emotions, but could it improve physical health too?