Adam English is the man behind the YouTube channel Music Mongoose. He’s a former BBC Radio DJ who posts deep dives and curious tales of classic songs and bands. Some things I knew, many things I don’t. I’m a sucker for videos about process. The significance behind an action, the philosophy of the creator, and so on. I also tend to scrutinize those videos. How something is presented says a lot.
I have no tolerance for those who barrel through content with no regard for the accuracy of facts or even the pronunciation of words. I will stop a video abruptly and not return. What I like about how English presents his videos is he is relatable. If he comes upon a difficult name or an unverified piece of information, he will acknowledge it straight away. It’s a quality that I admire. I also like people that can introduce me to things I didn’t know.
For example, it was on Music Mongoose that I first heard of Jem Finer’s 1,000-year-long-song ‘Longplayer’ (see my recent post and I’ve also posted Adam’s video below). I pride myself in my wealth of trivial facts, so it’s a nice surprise to learn new things. There are stories of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Talking Heads, and much more. So, if you enjoy music history and interesting origin stories, check out his YouTube channel.
Cheers!
Stephen
