Five years

Pinups Bowie’s album of covers, Pinups, is one of my favourites. It was recorded shortly after Aladdin Sane and has largely the same personnel notably Mick Ronson and Mike Garson - and a similar feel. Bowie took as much trouble over his covers as his own work, and usually included one cover on each of his albums. With this band he had a crew that were the coolest karaoke outfit ever.

Pinups consists of songs originally recorded by groups on the Ricky-Tick club circuit (featured in the movie Blowup) in the period 1964-67. I have chosen See Emily Play and Where Have All the Good Times Gone? from the album. Early Floyd and the Kinks are both favourites of mine and the latter track has that combination of nostalgia and melancholy that Ray Davies is so good at.

One of the first pieces that I wrote for my art writing group was Influences, inspired by a Raymond Carver piece. It is, as the title suggests, a distillation of personal influences from all kinds of areas musical, political, literary etc.

The two pinboard collages I have included here were site-specific pieces for St Olaves Church in Exeter. These pay homage to two of my rock pinups: Roxy Music and John Lennon, as well as responding to aspects of the church – An old print of the last supper and the prayer board.