A new film has just dropped, another attempt to pin down the unpindownable. It’s about Bob Dylan. The early years. It’s called “A Complete Unknown” and stars Timothée Chalamet, who it is said spent a half decade learning how to mime the Unwashed Phenomenon’s affectations, speak and sing with the Original Vagabond’s inflections. Whatever. This […]
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Back when, you know, in the day, there would be more than occasional Saturdays that arrived without evening plans. So, they began at the record store. Karma. ear x-Tacy. Looking for somebody to flirt with. Knowing some similar music obsessives would be there to chat up, maybe with knowledge of where that night’s action was. […]
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I’m ever fascinated by how music is used in film. How it is an integral part of the most immersive of art forms. And there are two specific instances where movies allowed me to rediscover what are easily two of my favorite Doo Wop songs ever. Both original artists and both are one hit wonders. […]
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Yes, this shall be a review of Chris Wilcha’s outstanding documentary “Flipside.” Which is — I shan’t bury the lede — the best film I’ve seen this year. In several years. But, as is my wont, I shall wend my way there, starting with Anne Lamott. Whom I’ve adored from the get go when hearing […]
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I am a desperado. One who has for all the bounty I’ve enjoyed in life been somewhat desperate of soul. An outlaw of sorts once upon a time. Just as a descriptor, it is a sonorous word, with which I’ve been fascinated. It’s use in two totally different tunes is something I’ve been meaning to […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. Out of respect, I have been reluctant to engage artists of note on the few occasions through the decades when I’ve been in their presence. (The exception to the rule. I could not not engage Allen Toussaint when our paths crossed […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. It is the sense of the place. More so than the righteous music I’ve heard there on several trips down. The Delta. Birthplace of the Blues. Which of course begat the rock & roll I love so much. Two images from […]
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Yes, kids, it’s been awhile since I’ve weighed in on a movie or TV series. And, frankly, I’m still not sure why this smile-inducing, easily forgettable Netflix confection from Jerry Seinfeld has me at it again. Perhaps the way I watched it. On my laptop at the car dealer while my car was getting worked […]
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I’m a lifelong rock & roller. I love JazzFest. Here’s my latest report. But first a quick explanation why this is so late. And thanks to those loyal readers who have actually reached out and wondered what’s up and where is it? Stuff happens. Strange week. Car tsouris. Reacclimatizing to Ohio Valley sludge and the […]
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I am a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. Derby parties. Derby concerts. I’ve been to a few. When the two merge it can be really special. The Derby Eve Jam used to be a big thing. May still be, don’t pay as much attention as I used to. […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another: There are many wondrous happenstances that can come when going to a concert. One is learning the full effect of a performer you might have known only peripherally. A classic example for me is Tony Joe White. Back in the day […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. Noticing that the Beach Boys — or so as now constituted they would call themselves — are playing a number of festivals this summer, including Bourbon & Beyond, I couldn’t help but be wryly bemused. Their Endless Summer Gold Tour, I […]
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I’m a rock and roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. There was one thing that struck me immediately the first time I heard Richard Thompson live. Which came in the 90s, well after Fairport Convention, well after his Richard and Linda Thompson days. He was then performing solo most of the […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. At its most astute, satire not only makes fun of the subject it is skewing, but it does so with a reverence and acknowledgment. In rock & roll, the prime example of exacting, may I say perfect satire is Spinal Tap. […]
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I’m a Rock & Roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. As is my tendency before I hit the hay, I was culling the interweb the other night, searching for some tuneage that would allow my head to rest more gently on the pillow. When I came across Lake Street Dive vocalist […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. Bluegrass music is not rock & roll. Though it’s certainly a part of it. Elvis Presley’s first release had Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on one side, and blues master Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right, […]
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Let’s consider Solomon Burke. Though never as famous, the charismatic soul singer sits rightfully in the conversation of his more noted contemporaries. Otis Redding. James Brown. Sam Cooke. Wilson Pickett. Always a man of considerable girth, even before the morbid obesity of his later years, he was ever entrepreneurial. On those extended Parade of Stars […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I’ve got lots of stories. Here’s another. Sometimes the stars and planets just align. Like November 7, 2008. The tale begins a few months earlier. Before a David Byrne show at the Palace. Newly betrothed, the Film Babe and I ran into some old pals, who are as musically […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here are more. Given my annoying propensity to play rock & roll oneupsmanship at every opportunity, I’m often asked a question. Are there any bands from back in the day you didn’t see live? Of course there are. As loathe as I am […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. When it comes to 50s and 60s dance crazes — a cultural phenomenon long ago far away — I have a singular personal if somewhat fuzzy memory. At an Atherton High School sock hop — that’s what we used to call […]
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I am a lifelong rock & roller. I’ve got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. It’s a game college hoops fans play while sitting around musing about their favorite sport. If you need one play to be drawn up in a huddle to win a big game, what coach would you choose to do it? […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. And now for something completely different, How a love for gut bucket rock & roll, the back beat, but a willingness to move beyond, can lead down rabbit holes resonant and satisfying. My fascination started with the Founding Fathers. The architect […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories. Lots of stories. Here’s another. Starting in ’70, the year I finished law school, somehow passed the bar, and got a real adult job, ventured into psychedelics, I also attended my first rock festival. Where I heard the whole panoply of music being made in rock’s […]
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I’m a rock & roll lifer. I got stories, lots of stories. Here’s another. I’ve always been fascinated with how passions germinate, evolve. Still have no clue. I’ve got a couple, and despite all the contemplation do not understand where the depth of the obsessions came from. Though I’m grateful for them. I do however […]
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