Phew, Eh Readers?

Tom Hibbert died prematurely in 2011 at the age of fifty-nine but he leaves behind a legacy unrivalled in music journalism over the past forty years. Hibbert created a mode of humour whilst at Smash Hits that is still used and embraced by writers, fans and critics to this day. He redefined what music journalism could be - recognising and celebrating the inherent absurdity in pop music and picking apart its pomposity at any opportunity.

A man of singular passions - his great musical loves were limited to a handful of cult figures - ensured that the self-righteous were never far from being skewered by Hibbert.

Twelve years after his death, we're all living in a pop world created in Tom Hibbert's image.