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- From the archives (September 12, 2006): Under the Ghostbuster Sky
- From the archives (October 18, 2002): the first post on my blog
- Today, the Sheila Variations turns 24
- Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- From the archives (2011): Wisconsin Idyll in Funny Hats with Rocket Launchers
- From the archives (2004): I Was Told I Would Get Wings
- Off Campus, episode 3: Two truths. Hence, ergo, therefore.
- From the archives (2006): My Situational Crush
- Off Campus, episode 2: Commence the one-sided yearning
- From the archives (2004): Chicago: The Cold Extreme
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- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- ReadingandWatching on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
- sheila on Off Campus, episode 4: Moonlight in a chamber
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Category Archives: Music
“Who do you sound like?” — Marion Keisker to 18-year-old Elvis Presley, July 18, 1953
It’s her birthday. I finally wrote about her – and my theory about her “role” in “discovering” Elvis – for my column at Liberties! That was a long time coming! In the piece I mentioned her reunion with Elvis in … Continue reading
“I want everybody to think that I’m singing to them.” — Joan Jett
“I think there’s nothing better than seeing a three-chord straight up rock ‘n’ roll band in your face with sweaty music and three minute good songs.” — Joan Jett There was a lot that was fucked up in the ’80s … Continue reading
“I was a pretty good imitator of Roy Acuff, but then I found out they already had a Roy Acuff, so I started singin’ like myself.” — Hank Williams
It’s his birthday today. He came to Nashville and he just set this whole world on fire. He was the first one to go to Las Vegas as a country singer, he was the first one in a major hotel … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged Eric Church, Joan Jett, Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings
5 Comments
“Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you.” — B.B. King
I love Langston Hughes’ description of the blues: “The mood of the Blues is almost always despondency, but when they are sung people laugh.” WHAT a performance. And WHAT an audience. The mood – the back and forth – the … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Little Richard, Merle Haggard, Robert Johnson, Sam Phillips, Sun Records, The Beatles, Willie Nelson
6 Comments
“Sometimes, the most powerful lyrics are the ones left unsaid.” — Otis Redding
Seen on Beale Street: Watch Otis Redding’s live 1967 performance of “Try a Little Tenderness.” In this performance, what always strikes me is where it starts … and then where it GOES. And the journey he takes in between. That … Continue reading
“If anyone asks you what kind of music you play, tell him ‘pop.’ Don’t tell him ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ or they won’t even let you in the hotel.” — Buddy Holly
Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, Grand Central Station, 1959 It’s Buddy Holly’s birthday today. Buddy Holly on Arthur Murray Dance Party, December 29, 1957 Buddy Holly’s career was cut tragically short. Signed to Decca in 1956, he was killed in a … Continue reading
“The reason we’re successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course.” — Freddie Mercury
It’s his birthday today. It’s hard for me to talk about my feelings for Freddie Mercury. When Freddie Mercury moved, he cracked open the atmosphere. He’s almost frightening. When he walked across a stage, or threw his body into a … Continue reading
“I just sat at the drums and said, ‘Can I have a go?’ I just took to it.” — Honey Lantree
It’s her birthday. Even now, a “girl drummer” in an all-boy band is a rare thing. Back in the 1960s, it was unheard of. Which is why Honey Lantree, drummer for the Joe Meek-produced The Honeycombs, stands out. Still. When … Continue reading
This Thursday: Elvis: That’s the Way It Is at Jacob Burns
This coming Thursday, I’ll be in Pleasantville, NY, at the Jacob Burns Film Center, to introduce the great 1970 concert film Elvis: That’s the Way It Is. It is “Elvis Week” after all, and I’m excited to pay tribute to … Continue reading
R.I.P. Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer was a staple in our household. Just like the Raunch Hands were. We had a Tom Lehrer songbook and we’d play it on the piano. I had no context for him. It was like my equal love around … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Personal, RIP
2 Comments