THE ROLE OF THE CRITIC: Everett True (aka Jerry Thackray) is doing a PhD on music-writing and the internet. Last year he emailed me (and others) some questions relating to this, and he’s begun posting some of our answers. Here’s me on the “role of the music critic”; and here’s Neil Kulkarni (more will presumably follow). The comments boxes are there for you to invade! 

(Picture: one of my mum’s favourites! It’s from a book called A Nursery History of England, by Elizabeth and Mary O’Neill, Thomas Nelson, undated — my guess is mid/late 1950s — and the illustration is by George Morrow, inspired ultimately by this. The woman was called Jenny Geddes, and she disliked the imposition in Scotland of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.)