Tributes paid to former NME journalist Gavin Martin
nme.comNME journalist Gavin Martin, who has died.The news was reported by Louder Than War earlier today (March 11). A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.Born in 1961, Martin was first published in the NME letters page when he was just 13-years-old before moving to London as a teenager to work at the magazine alongside Julie Burchill, Tony Parsons and Danny Baker.Martin wrote U2‘s first-ever NME cover interview in 1981 ahead of the group releasing their second studio album, ‘October’, later that same year.
As former NME reviews editor Stuart Bailie wrote in a tribute online, Martin went on to “rubbish” U2’s follow-up record, ‘War’ (1983).Bailie described Martin as “nobody’s tame journalist”, reflecting on the time the late writer interviewed Marvin Gaye, had a “messy confrontation” with Van Morrison and a run-in with Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.Great words on Gavin Martin by @stu_bailie pic.twitter.com/2gA0Qa2KzO— John Harris (@johnharris1969) March 11, 2022Martin – who later became the music critic for The Daily Mirror – also interviewed the likes of James Brown, The Four Tops, David Byrne, Meat Loaf, The Killers and Lou Reed (via Rock’s Back Pages).Writing on Louder Than War, journalist John Robb said: “Gavin knew the worst crime in music was to be boring and his visceral wild energy and his romantic belief in the power of the music and the power of the word made him stand out from the surrounding mundane terrain.”Following the news of his passing, many of Martin’s friends, former colleagues and fans took to social media to share memories and messages of tribute.A post on Uncut Magazine‘s official Twitter page read: “We’re very sad to learn of Gavin Martin’s passing.
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