[contextly_auto_sidebar id="mbl7Kvnu4O02Y4xkk8gCu7d8lD7hlfYk"] THERE'S been a lot of talk about Mr. Wonder lately, largely because of the recent concerts. It reminds me of what may be my favorite Stevie song, from a record my parents had when I was a kid and which I pretty much wore out. Cool that he is tipping his hat to another piano player. I've only seen Stevie play once, at the 80th … [Read more...]
“Love Songs: A Hidden History”
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="jmgPWNAcri7qqzMjI9cU8cSfZfom5qHL"] INTERESTED in songs about love and sex going back to ancient fertility rites, through the medieval troubadours and the German art song and into the age of "Tangled Up in Blue," Ziggy Stardust, and bedroom R&B? Then you may want to get your hands on Ted Gioia's new secret history, Love Songs, just out on Oxford University … [Read more...]
Art For the Rich — Only
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="CSqzCJ4xE7EHbdXINKB6lexVqcruUcQp"] GOOD news! Queens has gotten an enormous art space in Long Island City. Says the New York Times The modern-looking facility, built from the ground up at a cost of $70 million, is set to span 280,000 square feet when an adjacent building opens this spring. The complex will be packed with thousands of works of art, from old masters … [Read more...]
What Is a “Subversive” Artist, Anyway?
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="L8uqg7ERM237iPSVXdaL6TdXt2SjQlsL"] AFTER a while, I get tired of all the jive around certain terms. "Disruption" is one; "empowerment," another. ("Innovate" seems to be headed for corporate sponsorship.) The latest infuriating one is the way the word "subversive" has been turned into a marketing strategy and a straight-faced description of Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons. … [Read more...]
Bob Marley: Happy 70th Birthday
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="3BXI0gx6g2APPzSTAgIfCMxuJKZAolOM"] RACING on a deadline, but can't resist posting this 1973 footage of Marley singing Concrete Jungle with the original Wailers. Sorry for cacophonous ad at beginning. Listen to those harmonies! This is like post-apocalyptic soul music. In my 20s I was a huge fan of '60s/early '70s Jamaican music (ska, rocksteady, lovers rock, dub) … [Read more...]
The Ballad of Alejandro Escovedo
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="CCAh4bKVUCAChyU9848GkcdsXhxXqV12"] ABOUT a week ago, I caught the Austin, TX, troubadour at City Winery in New York. Great show -- one of my musical heroes -- thoughts will follow. Sheesh busy few days hope to post on this tonight if I can. Everyone needs to pick up his records Thirteen Years and live chronicle More Miles Than Money if they are curious. He's … [Read more...]
The Madness of Kelly Link
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="EiHxpVihevRrdyMUqFrfFwSxjluukyi5"] I'VE long been an admirer of the genre-mashing short story writer Kelly Link, who infuses the literary story with horror and fairy tales; she co-runs an eclectic small publisher near Northampton, Mass. as well. Today Link is in the New York Times Book Review with a By the Book interview in which she talks about her favorite authors … [Read more...]
Introducing The 21st Century Musician
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="9QYXBUzJHimvnKsbZ6oLELXVvjWIavAs"] OVER the last few years I've been diving into the breakdown of the old 20th century creative economy and assessing as best I can the crisis we're in now. But I've also been asking myself -- and everybody I know -- how we might move forward. Part of the answer comes from work I've been doing for a new online magazine called the 21st … [Read more...]
The Death of a Great Video Store
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="Xk6JC31DMBzwhIx8HqWSAUMhlvPf4tdk"] LOS Angeles is the capital of the film world, but it is about to lose one of its last great shops that rents movies: Vidiots in Santa Monica. I got to know this place about a decade ago, as well as a store made up of some of its alums, CineFile in West LA. A little later, I frequented Rocket Video, which closed a few years ago and … [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...]