UKNY for March 31

Tonight's UKNY at 11 is split in two directions. The first part of the hour pays tribute to teen pop idol turned acclaimed idiosyncratic adventurer Scott Walker, who passed away on Monday to the dismay of a long and starry line of musicians who cited him as an influence, like the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon or Pulp's Jarvis Cocker (all of whom we'll hear too). And David Bowie adored Scott Walker — there's a lovely blog posted on the Bowie website that tracks their mutual admiration for one another.

An American, born Noel Scott Engel in Hamilton, Ohio, Walker chose Britain as his home back in the '60s and had far more popularity in the UK than the States. He also claimed some remarkably disparate chapters in his life: as the Walker Brothers (with Gary Leeds and John Maus), the wistful troubador (and Jacques Brel aficionado) of his early solo years, and eventually the rule-breaking iconoclast of his later years, slinking into the clanging throes of darkness on The Drift or working with head-exploding drone metal gorgons Sunn O))).

The second part of the hour is an FUV Live session with London's Nilüfer Yanya: her debut album Miss Universe glides effortlessly from blistering rock to breezy jazz. Also, more Londoners — a track from the thrilling black midi (lucky you if you've got your hands on a vinyl copy of their Speedway EP). They're a band that Walker would have surely appreciated.

Catch up to UKNY at your leisure — find it on demand in the Weekend Archives.

Songs played:

1. black midi, “Crow’s Perch,” single
2. Scott Walker, “It’s Raining Today,” Scott 3
3. Pulp, “Yesterday,” We Love Life (bonus track)
4. Scott Walker & Peter Knight, “Funeral Tango,” Scott 3 and Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel
5. David Bowie, “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” Blackstar
6. The Teardrop Explodes, “Treason,” Kilimanjaro
7. Scott Walker, “Rosemary,” Scott 3
8. The Divine Comedy, “The Happy Goth,” Absent Friends
9. FUV Live Session with Nilüfer Yanya (includes “In Your Head” and “Heavyweight Champion of the Year”