The first in what will be an informal series of posts touching on life in the pre-Internet age. The Internet changed everything, some things for the better and some things for the worse. Music firmly falls into the latter camp. Popular music, at least. Rock music, in particular. But the industry as a whole suffered …
Rock n’ roll isn’t dead, it just smells funny. The always insightful Rick Beato had a recent video explaining his theory as to why Gen Z doesn’t care about music. I think it’s a bit of a stretch to claim that an entire generation doesn’t care about music. I’m sure it cares about music plenty. …
The 1990s were not paradise. Going back to the way things were in the decade of Clinton would not make anything better. In fact, the seeds of what people rightly hate now were not planted in the 90s, but the 90s are when they began to take fruit. Comparatively, I accept that the 1990s were …
It’s here! I am proud to announce that Pulp Rock is available for purchase on Amazon! ADVENTURE ROCKSSpace pirates and superspies, ghostly singers and half-orc bards, lost cities and deals with the devil . . . all this awaits and more in Pulp Rock: Twelve musically inspired tales of adventure, excitement, and horror by some of …
A silence so awkward it felt like being forcibly contorted into impossible shapes. He didn’t know what to do. The words came from him, just like the songs said, but she didn’t respond in kind. The way she was supposed to. It was in the song! This stuff worked for his friends who tried it. …
In a 1968 interview with Rolling Stone, Frank Zappa was asked the following question about his group’s image: The image was related to the music? Zappa’s answer combines his typical prescience and business savvy: Sure, and of course it still is. The appearance of a group is linked to the music the same way an …
Meet a new person and spend more than five minutes with them, and if they’re a musician—much like with vegans, crossfitters, atheists, and homosexuals—they’ll find a way to work their lifestyle into the conversation. So anyway, I’m a musician. In the past, I was pretty active in my city’s rock music scene. There were tons …
Q: When is a piece of entertainment an act of war? A: When it comes from California. * * * Back in the 1980s I, a young boy living in rural New Hampshire, wanted nothing more than to grow up to be a skateboarding, black-belt rock star who could surf and lift weights at Venice …
Hey! Do you remember “Africa” by Toto? Do you remember “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds? How about when Ronnie Spector sang on “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money? Did you like that? Then you’re going to love “Last Train Home” by John Mayer. It’s got the keyboard sound and the shuffle …
By Something for Nothing This week we talk with Alexander Hellene, author of the new book Dreamers & Misfits: The Definitive Book About Rush Fans. Alexander created a survey to find out who the typical Rush fan is. What did he discover? That’s what we’re here to find out!
Alexander Hellene is either a dilettante or a Renaissance man, depending on whom you ask. A musician, athlete, artist, and law school graduate, Alexander has always been attracted to fantastical tales, since they tend to do a better job of explaining how the world works than just about anything else. He lives in New England with his wife and children.