MJ Hibbett
Mark John Hibbett (born 19 June 1970)[1] is an English academic in comic book studies and is also, when performing as MJ Hibbett, a guitarist singer-songwriter who has often been compared to Billy Bragg[2][3] or Richard Digance.
Music
[edit]With his band The Validators, Hibbett came to widespread online notice in 2000 with "Hey Hey 16K", an ode to the ZX Spectrum and other home microcomputers of the 1980s. The song, one of the "first-ever viral videos",[4] gained larger acclaim when an animated music video for the track, created by Rob Manuel, was released in 2004.[5] Hibbett later collaborated with Manuel, who directed the music video for his song "The Gay Train".[6]
In 2004, Hibbett gained national exposure in the United Kingdom, on the Steve Lamacq show on BBC 6 Music, by regularly performing "The Fair Play Trophy (Again)", a song whose lyrics were updated for each rendition to reflect the then-ongoing events of that year's UEFA European Football Championship.
In 2009, Hibbett and his band released their fourth album Regardez, Ecoutez et Repetez, with lyrics formed from Hibbett's wry observations, often of the trivial. Critical reviews indicated the songs could be "catchy-as-hell", such as "Red Black Gold", however that repeated listens did tend to "dull the humour".[7][8]
Hibbett and his band often appeared at the Indietracks indie pop music festival.[9] His songs have mostly been released on his own record label, Artists Against Success.
Hibbett is an advocate of the ukulele, which he has used for solo performances and in his song and album A Million Ukeleles.[10] The noted misspelling is characteristic Hibbett.[11]
Research in comics
[edit]Hibbett earned a doctorate in philosophy in comics studies at Central Saint Martins in the University of the Arts London.[12] This is the world's only doctorate on Doctor Doom, and was later published in book form.[13] Hibbett has since used his expertise to comment on developments with Doom[14][15] and on Superman in film.[16]
He also hosts the Funny Comics Fanclub podcast alongside John Dredge.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Hibbett lives in London and works at the University of the Arts, where he uses his experience as a database administrator.
He holds master's degrees from City University and De Montfort University, and attended Deacon's School.
References
[edit]- ^ ISNI record as given below.
- ^ Web Watch, Dave Green, The Guardian, 21 August 2003.
- ^ The Fuzztival: Oh, what a night!, Alex Hodgson, BBC South Yorkshire, 15 November 2003. Archive
- ^ "5 SHOWS TO WATCH TODAY". Leicester Mercury. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Hey Hey 16K song, video and history.
- ^ The Gay Train video at YouTube.
- ^ Marszalek, Julian (2009). "MJ Hibbett & The Validators Regardez, Ecoutez et Repetez Review". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Regardez, Ecoutez et Repetez Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Previous events". Indietracks Festival. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ MJ Hibbett YouTube channel, with ukulele performances of songs including "A Million Ukeleles".
- ^ "Monday Exposure: MJ Hibbett". Ukulele Hunt. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ @MJHibbett (23 March 2022). "It's official - I am now a Doctor of Doctor Doom!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Mark Hibbett (2024). Data and Doctor Doom: An Empirical Approach To Transmedia Characters. SpringerLink. ISBN 978-3-031-45175-1.
- ^ Hibbett, Mark (29 July 2024). "How Marvel could avoid disaster with Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom". Radio Times. BBC. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
I'm holding out my hopes for the T-rex in a cape!
- ^ Hibbett, Mark (28 March 2025). "Avengers: Doomsday has a clear path to success – if Marvel leans into an unexpected story". Radio Times. BBC. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
Silliness like this is a vital part of superhero storytelling
- ^ Davis, Johnny (16 May 2025). "Superman's Popularity Is at an All-Time Low. Can James Gunn's New Film Save Him?". Esquire UK. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
Hibbett likens his own superhero journey to a maturing appreciation of The Beatles.
- ^ "thefunnycomicsfanclub". www.instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- www
.mjhibbett .com - MJ Hibbett discography at Discogs
- MJ Hibbett at AllMusic
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- 1970 births
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- English male bloggers
- Alumni of Central Saint Martins
- Alumni of the University of the Arts London
- Alumni of City, University of London
- Alumni of De Montfort University
- People educated at Deacon's School
- Musicians from Peterborough
- English pop guitarists
- English rock guitarists
- English male guitarists
- English male singer-songwriters
- English singer-songwriters
- 21st-century English singers
- 21st-century English guitarists
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