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Michael Barclay
Michael Barclay is a copy editor at Maclean’s and a freelance music writer. He’s been nominated for a National Magazine Award, blogs at Radio Free Canuckistan, is a juror for the Polaris Prize, and is co-author of the acclaimed Canadian music history book ’Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995’ (ECW, 2001; revised 2011).
Does it really take 11 producers to win a Grammy?
Producer inflation may be a huge trend in music, but to win a Grammy, it seems you need to go the opposite way
Martin Scorsese’s ’Vinyl’: A record we’ve heard before
The much-buzzed HBO TV series ’Vinyl’ is a slick rock-music production that’s peak Scorsese—but comes too late
That Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau song: Six things you might be wondering about
Is Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau’s song any good? And where did that come from? What you need to know about her performance
The man who fell to Earth: The ultimate David Bowie playlist
David Bowie shaped generations of music fans, and the music we’re still discovering today. Here are Bowie’s 20 most important songs, and why they matter
The man who invented rock ’n’ roll
The story of Sam Phillips and his mission to change the world
Q&A: The joy and the triumph of Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples discusses the Staple Singers’ legacy and whether it’s strange that her fan base is now largely white Americans
The flying freak flags of David Byrne’s Contemporary Color
With famous artists in tow, did the iconoclastic Byrne succeed in introducing colour guard to the urban masses at Toronto’s Luminato Festival?
Who’s in? Who’s out? The 2015 Polaris Prize long list by the numbers
Polaris Prize juror Michael Barclay tells you everything you need to know
Giving Otis Redding the ’Respect’ he deserves
Book review: Full of bold claims (and dodgy allegations), a new biography makes the case for Otis Redding