Yahoo News The antidote: your five favourite reads beyond coronavirus
In this series we’re listing the previous day’s top articles by reading time. You can read a little more about how and why we’re doing it here. Today’s list is for Thursday 26 March.
Phil Ochs: the doomed folk singer who woke up from the American dream
Joshua Sanchez pieces together the creation of a classic album, born from the idea of “getting Elvis Presley to become Che Guevara”. Phil Ochs’ life and career ended tragically, but there’s redemption here in the enduring legacy of Greatest Hits, an album titled with savage irony. “Visions of idyllic movie houses and open highways give way to dead movie stars, alcoholism and Hollywood excess.”
A hit, a writ: why music is the food of plagiarism lawsuits
“Have you written a song? A song so memorable that everyone who hears it starts humming it? A song so good it feels as though it has been around forever and you simply plucked it from the ether? Then a word of advice: get an expert to listen to it. Because somewhere, someone is going to be sure your song was copied from theirs.” A fascinating look at plagiarism and copyright in the music industry, from Led Zeppelin to Blurred Lines.
TV review: Born to Be Different
Since 2003, the British documentary series Born to Be Different has followed a group of children with different disabilities: some profound, some less so, some multiple, some hidden, some visible. Here, Lucy Mangan reviews the first episode of the 10th series, in which the subjects turn 18. It is, she says, “a testimony to the power of love and dedication. Something to hold on to, always.”
The Guardian view on Alex Salmond: a battle ends, a battle begins
The trial and acquittal of the former SNP leader have consistently captured our readers’ attention, and our leader columns are often the place they go to get help decoding complex events, so it’s no surprise to see this in today’s list. “Mr Salmond may sue the Scottish government. He wants to put his case to a Holyrood inquiry. He is writing a book. His supporters are revved up. If nothing else, this is a difficult environment for victims.”
Zip it, Kim Kardashian – Taylor Swift is the Marmite we’re all coming to love
Marina Hyde has been running our weekly Lost in Showbiz column for many years but is currently on a break. Those are rather big shoes to fill, but the wonderful Joel Golby is clearly doing something right. “In a way I’m glad that Kim Kardashian has reignited a four-year-old feud with Taylor Swift based on an 11-year-old feud with Taylor Swift that was all started by Kanye West, a man who has hardly been involved in it since about 2017. In a way, that’s good.”
6. When Raúl moved to the Bundesliga and charmed a nation of football fans
7. Tom Hooper’s Cats commentary deepens the mystery
8. Peter Wyngarde memorabilia snapped up at auction
9. The 25 best Tom Hanks films – ranked!
10. Anna Kournikova provided blueprint for success not guide for glamorous failure
