Category Archives: Music

Sláinte! Metallica “Whiskey in the Jar,” Dublin, 2006: “Hear Dublin Roar!”

An exhilarating performance of the unofficial Irish national anthem. For St. Paddy’s Day. Not “Patty’s”, you philistines.     Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, “Mr. Personality” Lloyd Price

It’s the birthday of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lloyd Price (born in 1933- he died in 2021 at the age of 88!) He moved into a rarified level of cultural status with his 1959 mega-hit “Personality” – which … Continue reading

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“See, to me, rock’n’roll doesn’t have any point. It’s just fun. It has a million different angles and they’re all valid.” — Evan Dando

“We didn’t know what we were doing at all. And it’s cool to be a rudimentary example of something that somehow does something – is able to do a few shows and make records. It’s a miracle. It’s like dogs … Continue reading

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Eleanor Roosevelt, the D.A.R., and Marian Andersen

85 years ago today, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt publicly resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) after the organization barred famous contralto Marian Anderson from singing at Constitution Hall. Howard University had invited Anderson to sing in Washington … Continue reading

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“Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.” — Johnny Cash

It’s his birthday today. Johnny Cash, singing “Man in Black” in Denmark: Here he is on Tex Ritter’s Ranch Party, 1956 or so. Great guitar solo, too. He’s not just strumming that guitar. The guitar CHUGS along, with an irresistible … Continue reading

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“I find it very difficult myself to make movies where I know right from the beginning what the end is going to be.” — Bob Rafelson

It’s his birthday today. In 1965, television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider placed an ad in the Hollywood Reporter: MADNESS!! AUDITIONS Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age … Continue reading

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“And I’m not sad and just maybe / I’m to blame for all I’ve heard…” — Kurt Cobain, “Lithium”

“The kid has heart.” — Bob Dylan, after hearing Nirvana’s song “Polly” for the first time Today is Kurt Cobain’s birthday. I’m not over it. There are defining moments in a generation, moments everyone remembers. For my generation it was … Continue reading

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Josh White, singer of “the fighting blues”

You could call [Josh White] the minstrel of the Blues, except that he is more than a minstrel of the Blues… Josh is a fine folksinger of anybody’s songs — southern Negro or southern white, plantation work songs or modern … Continue reading

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February 3, 1959: The Day the Music Died

Buddy Holly was #13 on Rolling Stones’ 100 Greatest Artists list, and John Mellencamp wrote a very touching couple of paragraphs about Buddy Holly as the ultimate hillbilly, and how important that was: I was just a little kid when … Continue reading

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“I still keep my watch two hours behind.” — Lisa Marie Presley

It’s her birthday today. Her absence still seems a little unreal. My reaction to her untimely death was so strong – and had nothing whatsoever to do with her dad, but with my own experience of her presence in the … Continue reading

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