K is for Knopfler, Mark. A man who – through no fault of his own – plays a crucial role in Dave’s early downfall in Dead Man Singing. It’s easy to forget just how huge Dire Straits were in the 80s, although I think Dave would have favoured the sparseness of their earlier work...

J is for the Jericho Tavern, the location of the first scene in Dead Man Singing. A confession: despite living in nearby Thame for a couple of years in the 90s, I have never been to a gig at the Jericho. It first rose to wider national notoriety as the legendary venue for early Radiohead gigs, but t...

What was the best ever year for music? Strangely, I own two books dedicated to arguing the case for particular years: Dave Hepworth’s Never A Dull Moment (which puts forward 1971 as the peak of musical creation) and James Acaster’s Perfect Sound Whatever (which argues for 2016).

The case...

I is for ‘I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine’, a beautiful Ry Cooder instrumental which seemed like a perfect note of optimism on which to end the story. You can find it on his Bop Till You Drop album. If there is ever a film version of the novel (I’m open to offers, just sa...