Contemporary Britain is still so much more a literate culture than America that the GUARDIAN gives away paperback books in its Sunday Observer (whereas the Mail gives away pop CDs). And this past Sunday's special Music section included a feature article on My Bloody Valentine by... Sean O'Hagan, who … [Read more...]
Archives for 2008
Less Is More
Portishead's THIRD was worth the wait. … [Read more...]
Yoko Ono Blocks Documentary in Boston court
This aired on NPR on Wednesday's Morning Edition, a slightly longer version aired on WBUR's Morning Edition local break. … [Read more...]
CD OF THE MONTH
In case there was any doubt: Filing on this today for NPR, stay tuned for air date. PS: please oh please notify us all about Prince boots from Coachella. Trade you for last year's Super Bowl sound-check ("Johnny B. Goode"). … [Read more...]
Tabloid Negative
Here's reflexive enigma worthy of Joe Pesci: does Ellroy's masterful novel (or Dillelo's Libra) read like the nightmare forecast of David Kaiser's voluminously detailed history or the other way around? Is history more like fiction or does fiction tend to anticipate and generate history? Was there … [Read more...]
Old White Men, Unite!
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" played as warmonger Bush greeted His Papal Self at the White House. Wonder if either of them could name the song's lyricist, Julia Ward Howe, who went on to write the Mother's Day Proclamation, a call for peace. … [Read more...]
Card Shark
OH! Canada!
So, Jim and Brian and I wander around Vancouver this afternoon ... then we wander over to the old hockey arena and pick up our our all-access passes to the Foo Fighters show. And we're hanging out back in the bowels of this arena until Brian's friend Nate, who plays bass in the Foos, wanders in … [Read more...]
LESBIANS LOVE BRUCE
Well, I thought it was a great night. The 'backstreets' online review is oddly mixed -- though they're right it took 20 minutes or so for the band to kick into gear. But when they did, it was pretty incredible. Surprises: back-to-back requests in the middle of the set, for "For You" and then "Lost … [Read more...]
Price-check on Don DeLillo conceit…
Somewhere in Hawaii, awash in the good vibe of finishing up CIRCUS MONEY, his second solo album, Walter Becker pitches a marketing idea to his publicists: A campaign which kicks off with a "promotional stunt" -- in this case, it would be me faking or simulating my own disappearance, abduction, or … [Read more...]
The Monkees: Pomo Arrivistes…
Another TOP TEN POMO list by Jason Gross of Perfect Sound Forever: 1. Bugs Bunny "Rabbit Rampage" (Warner Bros, June 11, 1955) One of Chuck Jones's many classic cartoons with that rascally wabbit,this is also the baby of one of his long-time partners, MichaelMaltese. Here, Maltese's background as … [Read more...]
Ain’t That Good News
We think this is good news, or at the least great casting. … [Read more...]
Soundcheck: Neil Young’s PR sense…
At a press conference for his new Crosby Stills Nash & Young documentary at the Berlin Film Festival recently, Neil Young told reporters that "the time when music could change the world is past." It's time for science and spirituality so save the planet, the 62-year-old songwriter added. Perhaps … [Read more...]
Vertigo
SHINE A LIGHT On the way home from the iMax, my 10-year-old asked me "Dad, were the Rolling Stones always so OLD?" … [Read more...]