Lucy O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Lucy O'Brien is an author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music
.
aptly named "the Catholic Girls". She left the band in 1980 to attend University in Leeds, and The Catholic Girls continued for a while under the name Almost Cruelty before splitting up.
At university she played with a number of bands before giving up performing to write instead. She became music editor of the University of Leeds
magazine, Leeds Student, and after graduating in 1983, she submitted gig articles to the music paper the New Musical Express (NME
), which then published Charles Shaar Murray
and Nick Kent
. She has since written about the "intimidating" office culture at NME in the eighties, and the extent to which female music journalists were ostracised and not taken seriously by the paper. Her best-known contribution to the paper may be the notorious "Youth Suicide" cover article.
Forming an alliance with fellow soul and socialism heads Stuart Cosgrove
and Paolo Hewitt, O'Brien became part of a leftist faction at NME
which was eventually discharged by incoming editor Alan Lewis — an IPC
troubleshooter instructed to de-politicise the magazine and boost sales.
During her early years at NME
, O'Brien also wrote for the feminist magazine, Spare Rib
, whose offices she had first visited in 1980. In 1984 she co-wrote a cover story for them about women in the music industry. She was shocked to discover just how few women had record deals or were in the charts compared to men and this discovery would inspire her later work, particularly She Bop.
After leaving NME
, O'Brien worked as Music Editor at the London listings magazine City Limits. It was here that she interviewed Dusty Springfield
, an interview which led to her being contacted by the publishers Sidgwick & Jackson, and to her being offered the chance to write Springfield's biography.
and The Independent
, and music magazines Q Magazine and MOJO
, amongst others. Her reputation as a writer and commentator was seriously established by the publication of her first book Dusty — a best-selling biography of British soul legend Dusty Springfield
(Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989). The book was instrumental in the rediscovery and reappraisal of Springfield's work, and was the foundation for O'Brien's reputation as an authority on female artists and soul music.
Her next music biography, Annie Lennox (St Martin's Press, 1993), was also published in the United States
. O'Brien charted Annie Lennox
's career from the early troubled days of The Tourists
through to the global success of Eurythmics
to Lennox's decision to take a pop sabbatical at the height of her career to work on behalf of the homeless.
In 1995, O'Brien took a broader look at female musicians in She Bop: The Definitive History Of Women In Rock, Pop & Soul (Pan, 1995). Using a personal, polemical, and thematic approach, the book begins with the Blues and Jazz Age
, and ends with chapters on protest pop and the business side of the music business, taking in chapters on fifties girl pop, sixties girl groups, rock chicks, punk
and its feminine descendents, including riot grrrl
, singer/songwriters, Madonna, MTV
and the power of image, artistry, androgyny
and the lesbian
question, Disco
and the dance scene, rap and reggae
, and world music
along the way.
The second edition of Dusty appeared in 1999 and covered events up to Springfield's death, while the updated She Bop II was published in 2002 by Continuum Press, including more recent artists and a chapter on girl power
.
In 2007, O'Brien wrote an in-depth biography of Madonna
, entitled Madonna: Like An Icon. This was published on 28 August 2007 in the UK and later, on 6 November 2007, in the USA.
However if you look on her Myspace page she says she is Lucy Toothpaste. This is particularly curious given that she has gone on record to clarify that she isn't Lucy Toothpaste.
Sisters of swing in Cooper, Sarah (ed), Girls! Girls! Girls!, London: Cassell, 1995
The Year Skunk Broke in Evans, Liz (ed), Girls Will Be Boys: Women Report On Rock, London: Pandora, 1997
The Woman Punk Made Me in Sabin, Roger (ed), Punk Rock; So What?, London/New York: Routledge, 1999
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Early musical and writing career
In 1979, whilst attending a convent school in Southampton, she formed a punk bandPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
aptly named "the Catholic Girls". She left the band in 1980 to attend University in Leeds, and The Catholic Girls continued for a while under the name Almost Cruelty before splitting up.
At university she played with a number of bands before giving up performing to write instead. She became music editor of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
magazine, Leeds Student, and after graduating in 1983, she submitted gig articles to the music paper the New Musical Express (NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
), which then published Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
and Nick Kent
Nick Kent
Nick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
. She has since written about the "intimidating" office culture at NME in the eighties, and the extent to which female music journalists were ostracised and not taken seriously by the paper. Her best-known contribution to the paper may be the notorious "Youth Suicide" cover article.
Forming an alliance with fellow soul and socialism heads Stuart Cosgrove
Stuart Cosgrove
Stuart Cosgrove is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and television executive. As a journalist Cosgrove served on the NME and The Face during the 1980s, before joining Channel 4 in April 1994, serving for eight years as Controller of Arts and Entertainment and currently as Head of Programmes...
and Paolo Hewitt, O'Brien became part of a leftist faction at NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
which was eventually discharged by incoming editor Alan Lewis — an IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
troubleshooter instructed to de-politicise the magazine and boost sales.
During her early years at NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, O'Brien also wrote for the feminist magazine, Spare Rib
Spare Rib
Spare Rib was a second-wave feminist magazine in the United Kingdom that emerged out of the counter culture of the late 1960s as a consequence of meetings involving, amongst others, Rosie Boycott and Marsha Rowe.-Description:...
, whose offices she had first visited in 1980. In 1984 she co-wrote a cover story for them about women in the music industry. She was shocked to discover just how few women had record deals or were in the charts compared to men and this discovery would inspire her later work, particularly She Bop.
After leaving NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, O'Brien worked as Music Editor at the London listings magazine City Limits. It was here that she interviewed Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, an interview which led to her being contacted by the publishers Sidgwick & Jackson, and to her being offered the chance to write Springfield's biography.
Freelance writing, and books
By 1990, O'Brien had gone freelance, going on to write for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, and music magazines Q Magazine and MOJO
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, amongst others. Her reputation as a writer and commentator was seriously established by the publication of her first book Dusty — a best-selling biography of British soul legend Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
(Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989). The book was instrumental in the rediscovery and reappraisal of Springfield's work, and was the foundation for O'Brien's reputation as an authority on female artists and soul music.
Her next music biography, Annie Lennox (St Martin's Press, 1993), was also published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. O'Brien charted Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
's career from the early troubled days of The Tourists
The Tourists
The Tourists were a British rock and pop band, but are better known for two of their members who went on to achieve great success as Eurythmics...
through to the global success of Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
to Lennox's decision to take a pop sabbatical at the height of her career to work on behalf of the homeless.
In 1995, O'Brien took a broader look at female musicians in She Bop: The Definitive History Of Women In Rock, Pop & Soul (Pan, 1995). Using a personal, polemical, and thematic approach, the book begins with the Blues and Jazz Age
Jazz Age
The Jazz Age was a movement that took place during the 1920s or the Roaring Twenties from which jazz music and dance emerged. The movement came about with the introduction of mainstream radio and the end of the war. This era ended in the 1930s with the beginning of The Great Depression but has...
, and ends with chapters on protest pop and the business side of the music business, taking in chapters on fifties girl pop, sixties girl groups, rock chicks, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and its feminine descendents, including riot grrrl
Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement based in Washington, DC, Olympia, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the greater Pacific Northwest which existed in the early to mid-1990s, and it is often associated with third-wave feminism...
, singer/songwriters, Madonna, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and the power of image, artistry, androgyny
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...
and the lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
question, Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and the dance scene, rap and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
along the way.
The second edition of Dusty appeared in 1999 and covered events up to Springfield's death, while the updated She Bop II was published in 2002 by Continuum Press, including more recent artists and a chapter on girl power
Girl Power
The phrase "girl power", as a term of empowerment, expressed a cultural phenomenon of the 1990s and early 2000s. It is also linked to third-wave feminism...
.
In 2007, O'Brien wrote an in-depth biography of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, entitled Madonna: Like An Icon. This was published on 28 August 2007 in the UK and later, on 6 November 2007, in the USA.
Television and Radio
O'Brien's books, notably She Bop, have led to frequent television appearances as an authority on rock music. These include appearances on Channel 4's Top Ten... franchise, and work for BBC2's The Ozone in the late nineties (including a feature exploring the concept of girl power, and an interview with Yoko Ono.) amongst others. O'Brien also co-produced the Channel 4 documentary Righteous Babes, on rock and new feminism, and in 2002 adapted She Bop II as a two part documentary for BBC Radio 2.Point of confusion
Possibly because of her involvement with the seventies U.K punk scene, O'Brien has occasionally been mistaken for Lucy Toothpaste,(aka: Lucy Whitman) who wrote the feminist punk fanzine Jolt, and who, like O'Brien, later wrote for the feminist magazine Spare RibSpare Rib
Spare Rib was a second-wave feminist magazine in the United Kingdom that emerged out of the counter culture of the late 1960s as a consequence of meetings involving, amongst others, Rosie Boycott and Marsha Rowe.-Description:...
However if you look on her Myspace page she says she is Lucy Toothpaste. This is particularly curious given that she has gone on record to clarify that she isn't Lucy Toothpaste.
Essay Collections
A kiss in the dreamhouse in Aizelwood, John (ed), Love Is The Drug, London: Penguin, 1994Sisters of swing in Cooper, Sarah (ed), Girls! Girls! Girls!, London: Cassell, 1995
The Year Skunk Broke in Evans, Liz (ed), Girls Will Be Boys: Women Report On Rock, London: Pandora, 1997
The Woman Punk Made Me in Sabin, Roger (ed), Punk Rock; So What?, London/New York: Routledge, 1999
- O'Brien was also an interviewee in Helen Reddington's (aka: Helen McCookerybookHelen McCookerybookHelen McCookerybook was the bass guitar player and lead singer with Brighton-based punk rock band The Chefs during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She later formed Helen and The Horns , before continuing her career as a solo artist, writer and lecturer...
)book The Lost Women Of Music: Female Musicians Of The Punk Era, which was published by Ashgate Publishing in 2007.
External links
- Lucy O'Brien interviewed by Sophy of Sista Yes! fanzine for her site hardluck.org. Interview not dated.
- Lucy O'Brien interviewed by author Cazz Blase in 2002
- Lucy O'Brien reflects on She Bop and She Bop II in The Guardian, 2003
- Lucy O'Brien talks to Paula Shackleton at BookBuffet.com about Madonna: Like An Icon, 2007
- Lucy O'Brien's official website
- O'Brien's page at Transworld publishers UK
- O'Brien's page at Harper Collins publishers USA