Newsletter September 2001

Every time we add something new, you'll see a linked guide to it here,
with an archive of past additions.

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Please forward a copy to a friend.

Easing back in after a slow summer, the news at the Stereo Society has a late eighties accent, memories of a time in the UK when you could get milk delivered to your doorstep in glass bottles and the coal in your fireplace came from Yorkshire or South Wales. In that country, the social confrontation between unions and the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, in parallel with the popular moves for personal liberation in general and gay liberation in particular, threw up one of the least likely superstar groups, the Communards, the second group to be fronted by Jimmy Somerville.

The tall, bespectacled instrumentalist/music director (in striking contrast with the short Scotsman singing in falsetto) left a secure musical career for the media, his writing (from comedy to the arts) and presenting in TV and film generating high praise and awards. Perhaps a three year graduate degree in theology gives a clue, although he did not leave music completely (as in music for Zeffirelli’s film Sparrow).

Richard Coles gives a long, wide-ranging and candid interview about his changes, his politics and life in showbiz. About what it meant to be a gay figurehead in the transitional eighties, about poplar and classical culture and why no-one should be intimidated by either.

The third member of the lineup that delivered the classic version of Don’t Leave Me This Way that topped the UK charts for a full month in 1986, Sarah Jane Morris pursues her own solo career to New York this month, playing at New York’s Bottom Line (September 6) and Tonic (September 9). She will also contribute to two more tracks for Thorne’s second CD before returning to the UK for work on her latest solo album project. We have added a few recent articles, including an extensive interview with her by noted British singer Ian Shaw and a 'Diva' interview.

From the archives we dug a scan of a full page article about the most memorable Communards concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1986. Hi-res download is provided, since it makes a nice small poster for the wall.

Because of the size of the site, we are rearranging the structure of the pages to help us find any of the 600+ easily. This means that some of your browser bookmarks may become out of date. If in doubt, please go to the Site Index. Apologies for any inconvenience, but we were drowning in a sea of cyberfiles.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend, and to give me your feedback about the site via the contact page . I enjoy hearing your opinions, which help our development, and will do my best to respond individually to each e-mail.

Mike Thorne, September 2001