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Well this is a kick in the teeth and no mistake. Mark Lanegan, best known as the singer with The Screaming Trees, has died at only 57.
I was a massive fan of The Streaming Trees first album, and Mark's debut solo, featuring Cobain and Novoselic, is an outstanding piece of work. His voice is almost undescribable. As deep and full as any you've ever heard. It was a thing of wonder. Forget his Queens Of The Stone Age dalliance, no one likes them anyway, and listen to his collaborations with Isobel Campbell. I know! Isobel Campbell from indie wanks Belle And Sebastian. An obvious nod to Hazelwood and Sinatra, but obviously that's no bad thing. If you're intent on ignoring me, do yourself a massive favour and listen to their album Hawk. It's vaguely a Christmas album, but it's not really. It's just a really great record.
In all honesty it's a wonder that he made it to 57. An alcoholic, and massive drug addict for most of his life, he started drinking at 12! As documented in his outstanding autobiography, he contracted covid last year and was close to death. He spent six weeks in a medically induced coma, and released a second volume of his memoirs only last December documenting that experience. By the time he'd formed Screaming Trees in his late teens, he had a criminal record as long as your arm. A life well lived right enough. And he absolutely hated Liam Gallagher. Bonus points right there.
He was one of those rarest of things. An artist that both me and the current Mrs Gers loved. Just before the first lockdown he was playing at the O2 in Oxford. She wanted to go and see him, but I said that I didn't fancy it, and we could see him another time...
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They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.
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