David Bowie: 10 Years On
Sean Murphy(From 2016.) ONLY THE BEATLES. That’s the sole comparison that comes to mind when compelled to name a musical act with similar impact and importance. The Beatles, as we all…
Deliver Me From Nowhere: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’
(Damn right I came up with the title of the movie first. Actually, Bruce did—and it’s one of his best lines, from one of his best songs from an album…
Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here at 50
It isn’t that Pink Floyd made some of the best albums of the ‘70s (they did), or that Pink Floyd moved the art form forward (they did); it’s that Pink…
Wayne Shorter on Thelonious Monk & More…
Wayne Shorter performs with his quartet at the 2008 Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival in Basque Country, Spain. Insights into music, mental illness, iconoclasm, and a particular American Genius i. First off,…
When Bruce Became Boss: Born To Run at 50
In a rather counterintuitive turn of events, the fact that the first two albums didn’t make as much noise as they could (or should) have ended up being the best…
Never Say Die: Ozzy into the Void
He accomplished everything he was put here to do. And more. He didn't merely change music, and the world, for the better, he shifted history, like a cultural tectonic plate:…
F with the Formula: Brian Wilson as Antidote for Cynicism
Brian Wilson could hear everything. The miraculous sounds in his mind. The sound of history being made in real time: a recording studio the laboratory where he worked on his…
The Once and Future King: Brian Wilson
What can be added to the mostly excellent obits and tributes coming in from around the globe, including shout outs from all-time heavyweight champs like Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen?…
Sly Stone: For me to stay here, I got to be me
Listen: hearing is believing. Always. Which isn’t to say that we don’t need or shouldn’t appreciate critics (hi!), but sometimes it really is best to let the tape roll and…
Pete Townshend at 80
Happy 80th, Pete Townshend! Inspiring? Pete Townshend, arguably, is the ultimate rock hero. He had the Lennon & McCartney songwriting skills; he played the hell of those guitars he ultimately…