Barney Hoskyns
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I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun
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Richard Cook (1957-2007)
THE DEATH of Richard Cook at the age of 49 robs us of one of the finest writers UK music journalism has produced. He was probably the most knowledgeable and erudite jazz critic we've had on this side of the Atlantic, and the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (co-written with Brian Morton) remains an essential part of any self-respecting music library.
I knew Richard well when we both wrote for the NME of the early-to-mid-'80s. He came into the paper as a jazz specialist but quickly established himself as one of its true stylists, penning reviews as trenchant as they were subtle, and conducting droll, revealing interviews. He was an anomalous character at the paper's Carnaby Street offices, invariably appearing in a white mackintosh and eschewing the sex/drugs/rock'n'roll attitude of many of his colleagues. "I like horse racing," he said in a 2003 interview with allaboutjazz.com, "and, like any proper Englishman, cricket." Before he was even 30 Richard was an exemplary curmudgeon.
"I think writing about music is one of the hardest things you can do," he told All About Jazz. "Describing a piece of music in a way which isn't either cliché-ridden or merely fanciful is desperately difficult. I suppose if I have any advice to offer, it's the simple truth that you have to listen properly, and hard, and ask yourself what's going on and why." Richard never did less than that.
We've put together a small tribute to Richard on Rock's Backpages, at <http://www.rocksbackpages.com>, featuring a selection of his pieces for NME, MOJO, and The Wire (which he edited for several years). Whether it was Charlie Parker or the Police, Frank Sinatra or Scott Walker, Richard wrote brilliantly about all the music he heard.
Fantastic book recommended by my friend Tom Nolan (the first great LA rock writer and author of brilliant Ross McDonald biography): Geoffrey O'Brien's Sonata for Jukebox: Pop Music, Memory & the Imagined Life (Counterpoint, 2004), especially the beautiful second essay "House Music" but also the hymn to the Beach Boys that is "The Lonely Sea". Some of the best prose I've ever read about how we hear and experience music and sound - as good as Evan Eisenberg's all-but-forgotten The Recording Angel.
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My God Barney, 3 book recommendations in one paragraph! Along with Jon Savage's 'Teenage' this fills my reading for the year.
I've got another one - the oral biog of Warren Zevon, compiled by his long-suffering second wife Crystal. Hefty and unputdownable.
Did you ever meet Tom Nolan in LA, by the way? You'd have liked him if so.
Hey Barney! I just wanted to say that Waiting For The Sun is one of my favorite books about music. I found out about so many great artists from reading it. One of the bands was: LOVE. Been a huge fan ever since! Welcome to MOG. Cheers!
TRIALS OF VAN OCCUPANTHER was my favourite album of 2006... so imagine my disappointment when Tim Smith turned out to be a right tit - so pleased with himself he couldn't even be bothered to sing in tune. Love the band, can't stand his phoney over-excitement and wanky hand gestures... somebody tell him just to sing the songs and let the music do the expressing! Also to stop ingratiating himself with celeb fans like the ever-dreary Paul Weller, who came on to add his non-voice to "Young Bride". Great band, very tiresome frontman.
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I do recall this byline, which means I must have been impressed. (Terrible with names.) The loss of anyone who engages their intellect and heart while listening to music - let alone articulating their reactions with clarity and wit - is a blow.
Thanks for this obit, and for the tribute at Rock's Back Pages!
Cook was worthy of respect, then and now. Helluva writer, and still a great and informed read. R.I.P. (unless the celestial band is jamming...)