The King Is Dead

Wherein Sam Taylor and I come to terms with the passing of a legend…

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Lewis Allan Reed

RIP to a staggering genius

Doug and Sally inside
They cookin’ for the Down Pipe
Who’s staring at Miss Rayon
Who’s busy licking off her Pig Pen
I’m searching for my mainline
I said I couldn’t hit it sideways
I said I couldn’t hit it sideways
Aw just like Sister Ray said
Whip it on.

“Psychedelic Pill” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

On his new album, Neil Young is looking back at over 40 years of making music, and he isn’t sure how he feels about it.

The Sky Is A Landfill

Jeff Buckley was the last of an endangered species.

PAGE TUNER: The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono

I’ve spent the last month devouring music books. One of my recent finds was an old, weather-beaten original copy of “The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono” (a limited pressing, later republished as All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono). I actually had read it years ago, but as I’ve aged, so have my views of John. He’s arguably the most influential musician of all time; another Beatles book I have read described him as “Saint John, Patron Saint of Angry Young Rockers”, which I think accurately summarizes his legacy in popular culture.

RIP Earl Scruggs

 

Earl Scruggs was a innovative instrumentalist who helped to define American music in the 20th century, and as a result influenced every banjo player who came afterwards.

Ivory Joe Hunter

Talented, stylish, and gifted with a strong, smooth voice, Ivory Joe Hunter was the self-proclaimed Baron of the Boogie in the 1940s and 50s. He was a gifted pianist, singer, and songwriter, who worked his way up from hosting a radio program, eventually starting his own record company to press his first single.

Shannon & Elliott

Shannon Hoon left this world on today’s date, as did Elliott Smith.

Son House

Son House was a true genius of the blues. But he was also something else.

Chopin’s Heart

Symbolism is for wimps...