RIP: The Iconic AIR Studios Diving Board

One of the most iconic images from the 1980s music scene has disappeared. It's a sad moment. Call me sentimental, but I have felt for years that someone should have removed the diving board at AIR Studios and put it away somewhere safe. It's been rotting away for decades, but to Europeans of my generation…

Montserrat: The Musical

I've had an idea. People who know Montserrat will know it is full of theatrical, musical, literary, and entrepreneurial talent. Apart from climate and natural beauty, this is what attracts visitors to the island, but could this also be a cultural export? Now that I'm back in London, I'm back into my routine of going…

40 Years Ago: Yacht Rock Comes to Montserrat

After the big names in pop music had packed up and gone home, when synth-pop was just about to pass its peak, and before the guitar gods and metal bands found their way to Montserrat, we had Air Supply for a short time working on their self-titled eighth album. Despite originating in Australia, I'd probably…

Mark Knopfler’s Montserrat guitars sell for £800,000

I decided to join the Christies’ auction of Mark Knopfler’s guitar collection today (paddle number 3439).  The 122 lots sold for a total of £8,843,940, with 25% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross and two other charities.  But the two guitars I was most interested in were the two used to record in…

40 Years Ago: Elton’s 3rd and Final visit to Montserrat.

Forty years ago, in December 1983 and January 1984, Elton John made his third and final trip to record at AIR studios in Montserrat. This was for the Breaking Hearts album, the follow-up to Two Low for Zero, recorded just over a year earlier. Elton liked the style of recording and writing that AIR facilitated,…