6 APRIL 1991, Page 24

Rock of ages

Sir: I am no great fan of Sinead O'Connor, but stand up for her against the tired cynicism of Marcus Berkmann (Pop music, 9 March 1991), who tramps some well- worn territory. The first theme is that rock stars cannot possibly have anything in- teresting to say (unlike, one assumes, rock critics).

The second is that rock musicians should give up while they are still in their youth (unlike jazz musicians who, so the cliché runs, always get better as they grow older).

I am a fan of Keith Richards, and those lame jokes about laboratories and 'dis- pensing chemists' should be laid to rest once and for all.

Humphrey Keenlyside

6, 77a Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong