Tony Barrell travels back to the day when he spotted a UFO

Pete Townshend has left the Wick, his famous house in Richmond

John Lennon’s mysterious UFO encounter

Ringo Starr reveals the postcards he received from his famous Beatle bandmates

Driving is not only hard work: it’s dangerous

How David Bowie invited an old schoolfriend to travel the world

The Royal Albert Hall’s long history of controversy

The brothers Neil and Tim Finn discuss their New Zealand upbringing, Split Enz and Crowded House, and their musical differences. Interviews by Tony Barrell THE SUNDAY TIMES, MARCH 2005 (expanded version)   NEIL FINN:  When we were growing up in Te Awamutu, on the North Island of New Zealand, Tim used to tell me far-fetched […]

Alan Parsons rewinds his unique career in music

Don McCullin reveals the picture that began his extraordinary career in photography

Did the creator of the Eiffel Tower revolutionise women’s underwear?

Dora Maar was Picasso’s most fascinating muse

What was the Beatles’ “butcher cover” really about?

How did the Spice Girls get their famous nicknames?

Did the amazing flying supernanny really exist?

Dido talks about her strange childhood, and how she accidentally broke America first

What should grown-up Roxy Music fans wear to their concerts?

What is Don McLean really singing about in his most famous song?

The Turner-prize winner Keith Tyson seeks the meaning of life

Tony Barrell talks to Ronnie Wood about paintings, collages… and rock’n’roll!

Why is Mike Oldfield messing around with computer games?

James Bond’s top-secret connections with the county of Kent

Was Mick Jagger planning to have a sex change in the 1980s?

Tony Barrell meets Gillian Anderson

It’s the world’s most valuable record cover!

What exactly is kissing, and why do we do it?

How Jane Fonda discovered Europe, landscape gardening, and saucy sci-fi

Did Valerie Singleton shack up with Joan Armatrading?

Is Courtney Love the granddaughter of Marlon Brando?

Do the British police play silly games with people’s cars?

Tony Barrell meets some of the witches, druids and shamans of Britain

Are equestrian statues trying to tell us something?

Are naturally light-haired people really on the way out?

Peter Blake gives Tony Barrell a tour of his studio

Was the notorious Nazi really an honorary Scouser a century ago?

Monty Python was more like a rock band than a bunch of comedians, says Tony Barrell

Jimmy Page gives a rare interview, discussing Led Zeppelin, astrology… and tropical fish

What links Brian Eno with Philip K Dick? Actually, quite a lot

The famous Breakfast at Tiffany’s character wasn’t entirely invented

Tony Barrell discusses wizards with Gandalf himself – Sir Ian McKellen

Fans of the Beatles were excited by a strange new album in 1976

Essex collides with California, as Alisha’s Attic make an album in Mendocino

It’s the world’s sexiest alien-based religion. Tony Barrell goes camping with the Raelians

Alison Goldfrapp is making an exhibition of herself

Tony Barrell meets the legendary drummer Ginger Baker

Andy Summers looks back at his wild musical life in the 1960s – long before he played guitar in the Police

Why are pop stars selling their own alcoholic drinks? Tony Barrell investigates

Did Orson Welles start making a Batman movie in the 1940s?

Is Gettysburg haunted? Tony Barrell joins the battlefield ghost hunters

The Garbage story – and why this thrilling band is here to stay

Every year, thousands of twins flock to the Ohio city of Twinsburg

Why are people using album covers to create hilarious illusions?

Did a flying saucer really crash in New Mexico in 1947?

Marc Quinn is an artist who deals with the stuff of life itself

Our roads are being named after pop stars, discovers Tony Barrell

Many dead pop stars are simply not allowed to rest in peace

Phil Manzanera remembers how he joined the 1970s’ most exciting art-rock band

Tony Barrell tells the tragic story of Screaming Lord Sutch

Tony Barrell applauds the artists who create absurdly long pieces of music

Did Charles Manson really audition to join the Monkees?

Why are people dressing up and acting out their own fantasy sagas?

Rock bands have played gigs in the strangest locations

Tony Barrell tracks down the mysterious people on great album sleeves

Why is The Fast Show so funny? Tony Barrell analyses a comedy institution

Eric Burdon discusses the mysteries of ‘The House of the Rising Sun’

The majesty and magic of Goldfrapp

Barbara Orbison reminisces about her life with Roy Orbison

Is your favourite pop star an insect, a lizard or a spider?

Where did tribute bands come from? Tony Barrell investigates

What music do celebrities listen to in the gym?

Dozens of musicians are writing their own tasty cookbooks

Is “lucid dreaming” the path to true happiness?

Why do collectors spend a fortune on the possessions of famous people?

Why do famous singers keep stripping off in the studio?

Why are 24 Texans risking their sanity to win a truck?

The Mini, the car that helped the Sixties swing, is still rolling

He was the greatest escapologist ever. But was Houdini also an international spy?

One of the most sacred buildings in London is a recording studio