Will Hodgkinson
Encyclopedia
Will Hodgkinson is a journalist and author from London, England. He writes for The Guardian
newspaper, 'The Times
newspaper, 'Mojo
magazine, and presents the Sky Arts
TV show Songbook, in which he interviews contemporary songwriters.
His book "The Ballad Of Britain" (2009) (Portico) is a travelogue for which he travelled through Britain making field recordings in an attempt to capture the spirit of the place and its people. Guitar Man (2006) and Song Man (2007) (Bloomsbury) are narrative non-fiction in a comic style. In Guitar Man, Hodgkinson picked up the guitar for the first time aged 34 with the aim of playing a concert six months later. He received lessons and advice from the Scottish folk guitarist Bert Jansch
, Johnny Marr
, former guitarist of The Smiths
, Roger McGuinn
of The Byrds
, PJ Harvey
and the pioneering guitarist Davey Graham
. For Song Man he learned the basics of songwriting with the goal of recording a single at Toe-Rag Studios in London, this time picking up tips from Keith Richards
, Andy Partridge
of XTC
, folk queen Shirley Collins
and the hippy era songwriter Bridget St John
. Guitar Man and Song Man are published in the US by Da Capo
.
In 2007, Will launched a project in conjunction with the Guardian Newspaper to create and run a record label, 'Big Bertha', which he wrote about in a monthly column. Acts signed to the label were Cornish folk band Thistletown
and Pete Molinari .
Will Hodgkinson is the brother of Tom Hodgkinson
, editor of The Idler
. Their father is the science writer Neville Hodgkinson and their mother is the non-fiction writer Liz Hodgkinson.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, 'The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper, 'Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine, and presents the Sky Arts
Sky Arts
Sky Arts and Sky Arts HD is the brand name for a group of art-oriented television channels offering 18 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music...
TV show Songbook, in which he interviews contemporary songwriters.
His book "The Ballad Of Britain" (2009) (Portico) is a travelogue for which he travelled through Britain making field recordings in an attempt to capture the spirit of the place and its people. Guitar Man (2006) and Song Man (2007) (Bloomsbury) are narrative non-fiction in a comic style. In Guitar Man, Hodgkinson picked up the guitar for the first time aged 34 with the aim of playing a concert six months later. He received lessons and advice from the Scottish folk guitarist Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
, Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, former guitarist of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
and the pioneering guitarist Davey Graham
Davey Graham
David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham, originally spelled Davy Graham, , was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival...
. For Song Man he learned the basics of songwriting with the goal of recording a single at Toe-Rag Studios in London, this time picking up tips from Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, Andy Partridge
Andy Partridge
Andrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
of XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, folk queen Shirley Collins
Shirley Collins
Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...
and the hippy era songwriter Bridget St John
Bridget St John
Bridget St John is a British singer and songwriter, best known for the three albums she recorded between 1969 and 1972 for John Peel's Dandelion label. Peel produced her debut album Ask Me No Questions. She also recorded a large number of BBC Radio and Peel sessions and toured regularly on the UK...
. Guitar Man and Song Man are published in the US by Da Capo
Da capo
Da Capo is a musical term in Italian, meaning from the beginning . It is often abbreviated D.C. It is a composer or publisher's directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space. In small pieces this might be the same thing as a repeat, but in larger works D.C...
.
In 2007, Will launched a project in conjunction with the Guardian Newspaper to create and run a record label, 'Big Bertha', which he wrote about in a monthly column. Acts signed to the label were Cornish folk band Thistletown
Thistletown (band)
Thistletown are a psychedelic folk band from Falmouth, Cornwall.They came to public attention through a Guardian Newspaper column by Will Hodgkinson concerning his year long project to start a record label, after he saw them playing in The Jacobs Ladder pub in Falmouth...
and Pete Molinari .
Will Hodgkinson is the brother of Tom Hodgkinson
Tom Hodgkinson
Tom Hodgkinson is a British writer and the editor of The Idler, which he established in 1993 with his friend Gavin Pretor-Pinney. His philosophy, in his published books and articles, is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future...
, editor of The Idler
The Idler
There have been three British publications called The Idler:* The Idler , a series of essays by Samuel Johnson and his contemporaries.* The Idler , a literary and humorous magazine started by Jerome K...
. Their father is the science writer Neville Hodgkinson and their mother is the non-fiction writer Liz Hodgkinson.
Sources
- http://www.bloomsbury.com
- Guitar Man (Bloomsbury, 2006)
- Song Man (Bloomsbury, 2007)