Give me your music, your art, your huddled masses of words and rhythms yearning to breathe free.
Snow came down like coarse sea salt on a big ugly Tupperware bowl of pale popcorn. It was January 1977, the coldest month in Pittsburgh history. I was a pint-size high school senior living in a small town 40 miles east of the Steel City, serving my time and awaiting the day in late May … Read more
’Tis the season to see “Jews for Jesus” popping up around Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the vibrant center of Jewish culture here in the city. Why, just the other day I was strolling to the iconic Little’s Shoe Store, my beloved Bethlehem of Boots, when I saw two spunky dudes dressed in blue “Jews for … Read more
Man, I can’t tell you how many times my shrink has had to listen to me recount this dream: I’m strutting down the street decked out like Joan Jett – carrying a guitar/amp/tambourine/harmonica – when a car pulls over and a famous, seasoned musician asks me to stop by a recording studio and rehearse with … Read more
“Your Honor, the defense is trying to sway the jury with inane references to a counter-culture rock song,” said the District Attorney. So, what song could the defense attorney possibly be citing? It’s Bob Dylan’s word-twister from 1965, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” one of the most influential and imitated songs in popular music. With its random … Read more
Singer/songwriter Bob Dylan just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Bobby wore shades and never cracked a facial muscle as the Prez heaped all kinds of well-deserved praise upon him (“There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music.”). That’s our poker-faced Bob, the brilliant, eccentric minstrel … Read more