The Soundtracks of Curtis Mayfield

This Freshaphonica episode explores the six movie soundtracks that Curtis Mayfield composed between 1972 – 1977. Before completing his first soundtrack, Superfly, in 1972, Curtis had already had been in the music business for around 15 years. He’d performed in…

Popism - Andy Warhol & Pat Hackett

“I was going out and we’d collided, stepping over Bob Dylan, who happened to be lying on the stairs looking smashed and having a great time, reaching up under girls’ skirts when they walked over him up to the party.”…

Aretha Franklin Autobiography

I had read about Aretha’s autobiography before I had actually read the book itself, with the main criticism being the lack of  personal details and the glossing over of many areas of Aretha Franklin’s life. So I approached the book without too…

Lenny Bruce thumb

A biography of a controversial comic, written by a controversial author. This is a comprehensive life story of Lenny Bruce, which expertly captures the genius and self-destructive nature of this American comedy trailblazer.

Higher Ground - Craig Werner

  The main reason I wanted to read this book was because of the lack of detailed written work on Curtis Mayfield. As author Craig Werner asserts towards the end of the book, while the work of all three of…

FP 05 - Beyond The Beatles Part 4 - John Lennon

In this Freshaphonica episode, I take a look at the wide range of side projects John Lennon had during the 1960s, outside of his career with The Beatles. These include, books, experimental films & music, a quest for peace & more…