Marcus Berkmann



Profile:


Full name: Marcus Berkmann

Area of interest: Pop music, cricket, football, popular culture

Journals: The Spectator, The Independent on Sunday

Email: [mailto:marcusberkmann@macace.net marcusberkmann@macace.net]

Website:

Blog:

Agent: Conville and Walsh

Networks:



Biography:
Education: Highgate School; Worcester College, Oxford

Career: Was a pop critic for the Daily Mail, a TV critic for the Daily Mail and Sunday Express, wrote sports columns for Punch and The Independent on Sunday Current position/role: Pop columnist for The Spectator, television reviews for the Daily Mail


 * also writes/written for: Private Eye (TV reviews, under the pseudonym of either Square Eyes or Couch Potato); The Oldie

Other roles: Author

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

TV/Radio:
 * IMDb

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours:

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * Deloitte ratings: the complete guide to test cricket in the eighties (1990) OCLC 21231464
 * Rain men: the madness of cricket (1996) OCLC 33045337
 * Brain men: a passion to compete (1999) OCLC 40682379
 * Mediaballs: all the world's best media rubbish, including, the stupidest quiz show answers, the worst misprints, the most pretentious writers, the silliest actors (2003) OCLC 61128274
 * Mediaballs 2 (2005) OCLC 61177493
 * Zimmer men: the trials and tribulations of the ageing cricketer (2005) OCLC 76797346
 * Fatherhood (2005) OCLC 57006916
 * The Prince of Wales (Highgate) quiz book (2006) OCLC 70671625
 * Dumb Britain (2007) OCLC 163340965 (with Grizelda Holderness)

Latest work: The insider's guide to quizzing Marcus Berkmann (2007) OCLC 163316972

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Independent on Sunday:
Column remit: Football, cricket, popular culture

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email:

Website:

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

Regularity: Rare

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * Punishment in a post office queue - The woman in front of you is sending a dozen small parcels to Estonia... - Wednesday, 24th December 2008
 * Hope I die before the band gets back together - Sunday, 23rd September 2007
 * Ah, bliss... it's that Great British Film time again - Thursday, 30th August 2007
 * Gordon's iPod: bang up to date - and dreary - Sunday, 1st April 2007
 * They won. But must they look so bloody pleased? (cricket) - Sunday, 7th January 2007
 * The sign that says: caution, idiot driver - Sunday, 4th June 2006
 * Players, refs, fans, managers: they're all at it. And don't we just love it? - Sunday, 26th February 2007
 * When it comes to British pop, only a Northern song will do - Sunday, 19th February 2006
 * Is Tom Cruise really better - or am I getting old? - Sunday, 1st January 2006
 * Savour our moment in the rain... This is just a blip. Nothing can challenge football - Sunday, 11th September 2005
 * The way to a higher consciousness, while eating biscuits - Sunday, 14th August 2005
 * Confessions of a demented author (or how I may sue Amazon for cruelty) - Sunday, 7th August 2005



The Spectator:
Column remit: Pop music

Section:

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: The Spectator / Marcus Berkmann

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

Regularity: Monthly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * Why now? - January was a fierce month for celebrity life expectancy, especially if you are in your late forties and feel you grew up with these people - 11th February 2009
 * loves'' - Marcus Berkmann presents his records of 2008 - 7th January 2009
 * Crumblies’ gig - It all started earlier this year, when my friend Chris managed to get four tickets for the first Leonard Cohen concerts at the O2 - 3rd December 2008
 * Timely resprouting - Marcus Berkmann looks back on Prefab Sprout - 29th October 2008
 * IPod dilemma - A musician friend of mine acquired his first iPod recently, and like small boys who don’t realise that everyone else went through this about five years ago, he and I frequently discuss our battles with the things - 1st October 2008
 * Creative differences - Marcus Berkmann on Walter Becker's new album - 3rd September 2008
 * Tables have turned - Marcus Berkmann on Travis Elborough's nostalgia for LP records - 30th July 2008
 * Hitting the mark: Marcus Berkmann on Michael Jackson - 2nd July 2008
 * Hip-hop hell :Marcus Berkmann doesn't enjoy hip-hop - 4th June 2008
 * Capricious buyers: Marcus Berkmann on the tough world of pop - 7th May 2008
 * The best possible ragbag - 8th April 2008
 * Sugar rush: Marcus Berkmann buys a Take That album - 2nd April 2008
 * Aural danger: Marcus Berkmann on what failing hearing means for a music-lover - 27th February 2008
 * Truffling around: Marcus Berkmann on hunting down new music - 30th January 2008
 * Reasons to be cheerful - am an idiot. Last month, in this space, I proffered the usual random selection of favourite albums of the year, not a single one of which had actually been released in 2007 - 2nd January 2008



Links:

 * Wikipedia biog.
 * The Your Sinclair Rock 'n' Roll Years: Marcus Berkmann