[contextly_auto_sidebar] IT'S been a very tough year for music lovers, and the last week or so has been especially rough for other reasons. But the legacy left by the late poet/ songwriter is something to be grateful for. In my latest Salon story, I document the influence of Cohen from the earliest covers of his songs (Judy Collins' "Suzanne," Fairport Convention's "Bird on a Wire"), … [Read more...]
Music For the Rich — Only
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="cELFSD2urf59ms0bpah0vxzoSfd8JREJ"] THE Brits have been more comfortable discussion notions of social/ economic class than we are here in this classless paradise. (Was it Rick Santorum who called "middle class" a Marxist term?) In any case, a new report from the British press asks, "is the music industry becoming a hobby for the upper classes?" The article, in I-D, is … [Read more...]
The Meaning of The Clash
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="jzqLTuB5rmQYkgMOc3cPogWpL4eHcyGM"] For the last two weeks I've been touring behind my book, doing lots of public-radio interview, and in some cases dueling with people who disagree with me. The concentrated attention has made me think long and hard about my stance and my values. One of the things I've realized is that my politics are an odd cross between Teddy … [Read more...]
The Sardonic Muse of Lloyd Cole
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="x7fHoswu5DffP7bQJStvjipFAfVMBxGb"] I HAD the pleasure recently to speak to one of my longtime heroes, the British-born, Massachusetts-dwelling singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole, about Dylan, Why he loves country music, aging as a rock musician, and other topics. The conversation is here. Here's my first question for Lloyd: Let’s start with the new record and then … [Read more...]
Belle & Sebastian at the Ace Hotel
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="xC6gkwoxkwKwvRaOHnXwiWWd8B0gSpwd"] FOR a band known early on for playing downbeat folk songs and spending a lot of time onstage tuning their instruments, Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian have become one of the most reliably engaging, even restorative, live bands on the planet. Last night's show at the theater at LA's newish Ace Hotel was so full of joy and great music … [Read more...]
David Mitchell’s “The Bone Clocks”
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="KUST1tJRtgkRnoQOLlZRPbrZOASSJtA8"] I'M not sure there's a novelist alive whose work I look forward to more than David Mitchell's. I say this even while sharing some mixed feelings about his new novel. The parts of this that work -- four and a half of its six parts -- are simply spectacular. In fact, I can't think of two many writers of any kind whose storytelling is … [Read more...]
The Pleasures of Waiting
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="V6NmBVYqb2qdo87yWjeHN0SrNINzHk4V"] NO, this hasn't become an abstinence-themed blog while you were napping. But I'm struck today by a piece about the joys of waiting for culture, whether it's a weekly music newspaper or the new singles or LPs that those publications served to announce or assess. No matter what kind of culture you care about, you'll find something you … [Read more...]
Elvis Costello at the Hollywood Bowl
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="yoxDRYe0pvcibitrbAUITNZnhe94ChmB"] OVER the weekend, the former Angry Young Man played the Bowl, alongside indie piano man Ben Folds, both accompanied by the LA Philharmonic. I'm split on the show. Because both artists had equal billing, Costello had to squeeze a career that goes back to the 1970s into an hourlong set. It was too short, and his syncing up with the … [Read more...]
Amazon Attacks… George Orwell
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="FGMaW10z0XI8nVQN7MfT1Ac9PxVEGJCS"] BOY, this is weird. The online bookseller, in an attempt to tackle its critics, has been quoting George Orwell WAY out of context. A New York Times story gets at the whole messy business. In 1936 Orwell told a British paper: “The Penguin Books are splendid value for sixpence, so splendid that if the other publishers had any … [Read more...]
The Return of the the Clientele
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="GvXKWajzd59XJt2Gt7TaopxjoaWObQiN"] IT'S something I never expected: Another tour by the spooky, chiming English folk-rock band The Clientele, who sort of broke up a few years ago. For a handful of reasons -- the 25th anniversary of the band's label (Merge), the reissue of their first LP, some new songs -- the Clientele made a small U.S. tour, which on Saturday … [Read more...]