A bit of me time: the best music, film, books and more about narcisissm

From Lily Allen’s withering takedown of self-obsessed fame to a ravaged painting in an attic, our critics pick culture about taking self-love too far

Reach for the Stars by Michael Cragg review – hot gossip from pop’s golden age

In this hoot of an oral history the stars of 90s chart acts recall how their innocence collided with a cynical music industry

Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key review – cathartic meditation on singledom

The poet’s Joni Mitchell-inspired memoir of her partnerless life marks an important shift in ideas about intimacy and solitude

‘It’s been a wild ride’: funk legend Sly Stone announces memoir

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) will ‘cover all aspects’ of the musician’s life, including his battles with drug use, and is set for release this September

The Art of the Straight Line review – how tai chi brought out Lou Reed’s mild side

The singer-songwriter transformed his later life practising the martial art, as this compilation of writing, edited by his widow Laurie Anderson, shows

Rachel Parris: ‘Standup would have terrified me – the piano was a good comfort blanket’

The comic on hecklers, pre-show rituals, Jane Austen puns and her childhood heroes

‘A billion listens? Is that a lot?’ John Cooper Clarke on penning possibly the world’s favourite poem

I Wanna Be Yours, a love poem that rhymes Ford Cortina with vacuum cleaner, has been a school text and a wedding staple. But now, thanks to TikTok and Arctic Monkeys, it has gone spectacularly global. So who was it written for?

‘A truly special spot’: arts insiders’ top tips for free cultural places in Britain

From Russell Tovey to Gemma Cairney, cultural figures pick their favourite hangouts – from Edinburgh to Aberystwyth – with no entry charge

Contort yourself! The mutant disco mayhem of New York’s Ze Records

Disgusted with Britain’s ‘cruel’ aristocracy, Michael Zilkha left to champion a generation of party-starting punk-funk bands. As he returns as a book publisher, he remembers that wild scene

Stormzy and Tracey Emin join Hay festival 2023 lineup

The UK’s best-known literary festival has a new CEO and promises ‘11 days of different’ as it unveils its full lineup featuring Richard Osman, Dua Lipa, Margaret Atwood and more

Hay festival to hold inaugural Eurovision book contest

Submissions will be made by the public as books festival parters with famed music event for a literary showdown

Why Amazon’s Daisy Jones & the Six is missing that star quality

An ambitious adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s hit novel tries to involve us in a tale of stardom but something is off

‘He was central to music history’: the forgotten legacy of Leon Russell

In an illuminating new book, the incredible highs and devastating lows of the influential musician are remembered

‘She was no submissive puppet’: how I discovered the real Karen Carpenter’s determination and drive

Since her death 40 years ago, the singer has been cast as a victim. But she had a strong, ambitious side – as I found out

Quartet: How Four Women Changed the Musical World by Leah Broad review – off-key hymn to pioneers

This gushing celebration of composers who triumphed against the odds never quite communicates their place in history and leaves a hole at the centre where the music should be