Give me your music, your art, your huddled masses of words and rhythms yearning to breathe free.
Imagine there’s no Billboard to measure record sales. No song’s the winner, no song ever fails. Imagine all releases treasured equally…. Imagine the most defining song of John Lennon’s career NOT reaching the number one spot on the Billboard charts when it was released in October 1971. I wonder if you can. Surprisingly, John’s iconic … Read more
“Turn the station to Letterman. That guy you like, the one who wears the do-rag, is on the show.” That’s my mom calling to tell me that Steven Van Zandt is sitting in the guest seat talking to Dave. Good ol’ mom…always keeping me abreast of rock star sightings. She may not have remembered the … Read more
Been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time….since the musical machinations of Led Zeppelin first set my turntable needle ablaze. Sure, I enjoyed weapons-grade guitar noise before the Zep – in the form of Clapton, Beck and Hendrix – but it was the deafening decibels of … Read more
Honky tonk honey Gram Parsons loved being in the spotlight. Whether he was singing and strumming on stage or posing for the camera in fancy finery and eyeliner, he was always the most exotic cat in the room. With his pretty face, Southern charm, and puppy-dog charisma, I believe he might have been just as … Read more
As a kid I had breakfast every morning with the 50,000-watt Godzilla of all AM radio stations – KDKA 1020, Pittsburgh, PA. The first commercial radio station in the world, launched by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, turns 95 years old today. My dad always had our kitchen radio tuned to 1020 on the dial. There … Read more