Mark Sampson: Man of Straw
My blogs
Blogs I follow
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arts |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Location | France |
| Introduction | Born in London, raised in Belfast, further-educated at Exeter and Sussex universities, I'm a semi-retired dilettante, a family man and tireless dog-walker. As a music journalist, I write for 'Songlines' magazine and 'Sounds & Colours'. As an intermittent DJ, I host the eclectic 'Tropical Hot Dog Night' once a month for Decibel FM. |
| Interests | Music, film, literature, 19th and 20th century art, the natural world, alternative energy, Art Deco, Krazy Kat cartoons |
| Favorite movies | 'The Conformist','Aguirre Wrath of God','The Wild Bunch','Night of the Hunter','The Apartment','Citizen Kane','Taxi Driver', 'The Sweet Smell of Success', 'Dr. Strangelove' and too many others to mention. |
| Favorite music | Miles Davis, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, Roland Kirk, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, The Pretty Things, Procol Harum, Thelonious Monk, Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Fela Kuti, Augustus Pablo, Burning Spear, George Russell, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Gil Scott-Heron, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, T-Bone Walker, Etta James, Jorge Ben, Marcos Valle, Tigana Santana, Mental Abstrato and so on and so forth. |
| Favorite books | 'The Great Gatsby','The Sound & the Fury','Heart of Darkness','The Good Soldier','Lolita','Herzog','A Confederacy of Dunces','Catch 22','Nobody's Fool', 'The Sportswriter', 'Timebends' |
When you open your eyes underwater, do you ever worry that you'll drown?
I'm not a good swimmer. I only ever manage it on my back, so opening my eyes is not an issue. 'I was too far out all my life and not waving but drowning...' (Stevie Smith)