Sign in

Alastair McKay

@alastairmckay.bsky.social
703 followers 430 following 206 posts

Journalist/writer. My book Alternatives To Valium: How Punk Rock Saved a Shy Boy’s Life is a collectors’ item. #MDANT. I review music books for Uncut. Send me yours. open.substack.com/pub/alastairmckay?

PostsRepliesMedia
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Tony Fletcher is one of the great fanzine editors, in what turned out to be a golden age alastairmckay.substack.com/p/jamming-go...
alastairmckay.substack.com
Jamming Good With Tony Fletcher, The Irrepressible Optimist of the Fanzine Age
In his book, Pow! the author re-lives the race against rockism that ran through the early 1980s
022
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Sign to save a great cinema in London (and share): you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Save The Prince Charles Cinema
The future of the iconic Prince Charles Cinema in London’s West End is under serious threat! We are beyond disappointed that our landlords, Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion...
120
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
BBC Newsnight appears to be working for Nigel Farage tonight.
0195
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Very funny Red Hand Files today from Nick Cave. I’d post it, but you’d have more fun if you had to find it yourself.
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The first two stories on the Telegraph website. Fear of a black planet, #53 and #54
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #9
The Bathing Pool, North Berwick
021
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Here Jarmusch here www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ap...
theguardian.com
‘I’m not a commercial director – I’m not even a professional film-maker’: Jim Jarmusch on the seven-year journey to make his new film
The 73-year-old has been at the cutting edge of US independent cinema since the 1980s. As Father Mother Sister Brother opens in the UK, he talks about grief, greed and ‘doing crazy shit’ with Steve Coogan
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
The art of the photo booth - from Warhol to Lz Rideal open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #8
Tartan Castle by Liz Rideal
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Here All The President’s Men here www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘I still think it’s one of the great films of all time’: All the President’s Men turns 50
In April 1976, the flawless Watergate film premiered in Washington – cast members and reporters share their memories of ‘the granddaddy of journalism movies’
011
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Tracey on Tracey open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
Tracey Emin's True Intent Is All For Your Delight
An extraordinary interview from 1998, the year of My Bed, uncovered
031
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #6
Undertanen
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I’m selling this Buzzcocks cassette on eBay. It’s very cool. ebay.us/m/hSF071
ebay.us
Pardon our interruption...
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
What I think about when I think about Aberdeen (includes punk rock, violence, disappearing rock drops) alastairmckay.substack.com/p/i-wish-i-w...
alastairmckay.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #5
Union Street, Aberdeen
121
Reposted by Alastair McKay
Birmingham 81 @birmingham81.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I fancy a career as a Velvet Underground Researcher. Where do I send my CV?
6889
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
A melancholic reflection on golf balls, whisky, sharks open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #4
West Links and Marine Hotel, North Berwick
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
I guarantee you’ll want to hear The Proclaimers after reading this. open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
I Wish I Was A Postcard #3
The Proclaimers
031
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I interviewed the great Amy Rigby about her new memoir, Girl To Country open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
From CBGB to Music Row: the Emotional Reckoning of Amy Rigby's Nashville Journey
The songwriter's new memoir is a poignant diary of dislocation
020
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
I wasn’t aware that John Lydon had been on The Masked Singer. Yak, apparently.
130
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
I interviewed the great NME photographer Peter Anderson (includes Madonna on a rooftop and Fire Engines in a butcher’s shop.) open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
The Glasgow photographer who captured the energy of an era while working for the NME
From Madonna dancing on a roof to Mark E Smith flicking the Vs, Peter Anderson's pictures are a reminder of how creativity can overcome hard times
0164
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Here Tom Verlaine here www.nypl.org/blog/2026/01...
nypl.org
021
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
I wrote about Bowie via Paul Morley open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
The permanent future of David Bowie
Paul Morley on how the Starman anticipated the dystopian counter counter culture
040
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Here Lesley Woods from Au Pairs here www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...
theguardian.com
Au Pairs frontwoman Lesley Woods: ‘We were the antithesis to all that boy-meets-girl stuff’
Her post-punk trailblazers were a key influence on riot grrrl. Now, after decades working as a lawyer, she is taking the name – though, contentiously, not the rest of the band – back on the road. ‘I h...
021
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
My life as a (Beatles) badge open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
My Life As A Badge #12
The Beatles
020
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
That charlie xcx and john cale song is quite bracing
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
I’ve written a brand new interview with Wreckless Eric. open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
From school to art college to pop stardom to desperate nothingness - the wide open world of Wreckless Eric
The great English songwriter revisits the 1980s for his new album, England Screaming
183
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
It’s a bit of a plot twist that the BBC bosses are being forced to resign for NOT BEING RIGHT WING ENOUGH. (A clued up Labour government would use this moment to secure the BBC’s future as a public broadcaster, free from politically inspired management.)
011
Reposted by Alastair McKay
Neil Cooper @neilcooper.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Tonight (Oct 31) I’ll be chatting with with Jah Wobble at Oran Mor in Glasgow about life after PiL, revisiting Metal Box and anything else we can pack in before he and the band play a seismic set. Doors 7pm. Q&A 7.30pm. Gig 8pm. oran-mor.co.uk/events/an-au...
063
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Here Edwyn here. open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
The World Spinning Sounds of Edwyn Collins in His Own Sometimes Self-Mocking Words
The triumphant Testimonial tour prompts a re-appraisal of the Two-Hit Wonder's long career
041
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Fascinating night at the Walthamstow Rock ‘n’ Roll Book Club for the (re)launch of James Nice’s history of Factory Records. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed so many long pauses between questions and answers, with the prevailing sense being “which bit should I say out loud?”
020
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
I sang Jerusalem with Robert Jenrick at school — he’s wrong about race www.thetimes.com/article/3af4...
thetimes.com
I sang Jerusalem with Robert Jenrick at school — he’s wrong about race
The Conservative MP has complained that, visiting Handsworth in Birmingham, he didn’t see ‘another white face’. You can’t judge whether someone is integrated by skin colour, argues fellow Wulfrunian S...
110
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Can I be the first to say that Taylor Swift’s new album is underrated? (Probably not. Reviewers are reviewing the thing, their expectations, their perception of the audience reaction, rather than the music). That said, Wood is objectively terrible and should have remained a private valentine.
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
I read a book. I recommend it. www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/thom...
uncut.co.uk
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
The Guardian’s football writers don’t seem to like football much. As a West Ham fan, there are reasons to be annoyed, but the global vortex isn’t top of the list. A mobile centre forward would cheer everyone up. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
West Ham tumble in modern football’s vortex, with home now a distant memory | Jonathan Liew
A feeling of loss and dislocation surrounds the East End club, which has never been part of tourist or establishment London
010
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
www.vulture.com/article/jim-... Protect empathy
vulture.com
‘Protect Empathy at All Costs. And Live Groovy Lives.’
Jim Jarmusch on what’s paying his bills these days and the words he lives by.
031
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
McCartney’s Long and Winding Road. (It goes to Cambelltown and describes the end of the Beatles). www.musicradar.com/artists/i-ju...
musicradar.com
“I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song. It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable”: The story of the ballad that sparked the breakup of The ...
Featuring "atrocious" bass-playing by John Lennon
030
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
A different angle on the Go-Betweens themusic.com.au/features/the...
themusic.com.au
‘We Were Just Passionate About Making Good Songs’: Lindy Morrison & Amanda Brown Reflect On The Go-Betweens’ ‘16 Lovers Lane’
As they prepare to once again revisit The Go-Betweens’ seminal sixth album ‘16 Lovers Lane,’ original members Lindy Morrison and Amanda Brown remember how for them it was always about building a legac...
051
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
This Paul McCartney song got under my skin. I asked Peter Asher, of Peter and Gordon, to tell me all about it. open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
From Wimpole Street To Number One: How Peter Asher found the sad, eternal heart of a rejected Paul McCartney song
A lonely ramble down the road to the pure teenage sound of 1964
011
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
open.substack.com
Justin Currie's diary of a somebody: a brisk, irascible record of rock 'n' roll life
A diagnosis with Parkinson's colours the del Amitri singer's reflections in his memoir, The Tremolo Diaries
094
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Watching Live Aid, I now want to ask The Edge about minimalism.
030
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Chris Mason of the BBC (and the BBC News) are so embedded in the framing of Farage that they can’t even see it anymore.
050
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
So, West Ham fans - as you wait for the Irons to sell their best players in order to buy some worse ones, here’s my gallery from the great days of Green Street and Upton Park. (Now, Mr Sullivan, a fit centre forward, please).
041
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Chris Mason of the BBC, I put it to you that you are overexcited.
130
Reposted by Alastair McKay
George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Say it with me. RFK Jr. is killing children.
49599593029
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Thought For The Day. How can we have any hope of sorting out any of the world’s problems when no one is brave enough to sort out the insulting monstrosity that is Thought For The Day on the R4 Today programme? Make it stop! Free my ears!
011
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
In his new book, Arthur Baker suggests that Tony Wilson was “David Frost meets Donald Trump.” This is terrifying, obviously, but I wouldn’t mind watching David Frost interview Trump, Nixon-style.
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
A reprise (with some new bits) of one of my favourite interviews (as Sir Rod prepares for Glastonbury). open.substack.com/pub/alastair...
041
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
I enjoyed this (very) long profile of the PM, and the revamped New Statesman looks good. However, the correct cover line would be Hellbent On Compromise, which is a) true b) a good thing and c) an Edwyn Collins reference.
000
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
When the new chair of Reform is called David Bull, you know that Martin Amis is writing the news.
030
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Good to see the Daily Telegraph admitting to the devastation of Thatcherism.
070
Alastair McKay @alastairmckay.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Why does the BBC news behave like a Nigel Farage fanzine?
6364