Marcus O'Dair

Marcus O'Dair co-leads the Popular Music BA at Middlesex University, where he is convenor of the Blockchain for Creative Industries research cluster. He is the author of Different Every Time: the Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt (Serpent's Tail, 2014). Shortlisted for the Penderyn music book prize, it was a Radio 4 book of the week and a book of the year in the Guardian, the Independent, the Times, the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard, Mojo Uncut.

Marcus has written for the Guardian, the Independent, the Financial Times, the Irish Times, Uncut, the Arts Desk, the Quietus, Pitchfork, Wire and Jazzwise. He is an occasional studio guest on BBC 6 Music (Freak Zone, Freakier Zone) and BBC Radio 3 (Jazz on 3, the Essay) and has presented music podcasts for the Independent, Music Week and the Barbican.

As a keyboard player, double bassist and manager, Marcus is one half of Grasscut, who have released three acclaimed albums (Ninja Tune, Lo Recordings) and performed across Europe. As a session musician, he also spent several years on retainer with Passenger, performing at festivals including V and Latitude and live on Radio 2 and Radio 4, but somehow managed to leave before Let Her Go became an international number one.