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Pick at the pops

Our weekly round-up of the weird and wonderful world of pop music...

Astonishing revelations aplenty this week as popular boneheaded Chelsea FC manager José Mourinho announced his blossoming friendship with pop show-off Robbie Williams. Apparently, they speak on the phone sometimes. José admits that Robbie’s music is a little racy for his tastes, which centre on the likes of Bryan Adams, Sting, Genesis and Pink Floyd. Wot no Fiddy?

Yet more cataclysmic are the suggestions that Bob Dylan has nabbed lyrics on his new album Modern Times from the work of 19th century poet Timrod. And he would’ve got away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky academics. The poet is not credited, but eagle-eyed Dylanistas note that the letters of Timrod’s name can be found in the album title. Case closed, m’lud.

An icon you can trust is Kylie Minogue, who continued her brave comeback this week, introducing the Scissor Sisters’ huge free gig in Trafalgar Square. The Sisters themselves enjoy a second week at the top of the hit parade, but are under serious threat from Sir Alex Ferguson’s London Bridge and The Killers’ When You Were Young.

Speaking of the Las Vegan Flock Of Seagulls revivalists, tickets for The Killers’ forthcoming UK tour sold out in an incredible five minutes this week. We don’t anticipate similar demand for The Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond Jr’s solo album Yours To Keep, made up of songs rejected by the band. Not good enough for First Impressions Of Earth? One can only imagine the horror.

Good week/bad week for Matt Willis. He and James Bourne are being sued by ex-Busteds jettisoned before fame came beckoning, for unpaid royalties on songs like Year 3000, That’s What I Go To School For and many, many more. He can find solace in his nomination for the ‘Mercury Prize for kids’, launched this week. Begs the question, isn’t the proper Mercury Prize for The Kids? Are you trying to tell us that Arctic Monkeys’ spiky pop appeals to thirtysomething blokes clinging on to youth and fading ideas of ‘cool’? Ridiculous.

Matthew Horton 

• Last week: Monkeys' Mercury delight
• 04/09/2006: Foo Fighters save miners >>
• 28/08/2006: Britney gets banned in Asia >>
• 21/08/2006: Radiohead's grumpy greatest hits >>
• 14/08/2006: Natasha Bedingfield's Rocky return >>
• 07/08/2006: The heavyweight return of Meat Loaf >>