NOTES ON THE SIGN O' THE TIMES BOXSET, PT. 1. It took me a while to listen to all of the Sign O' the Times outtakes from the boxset released in 2020. Maybe you've had this experience: you know a work of art is going to be so good that you want to hold off… Continue reading Soul Psychodelicide
Two months ago, my mother, who has dementia, fell. The memory care facility called me and I rushed over; by then the parademics were getting ready to load her onto a gurney. I can't describe that moment yet. And here is where I say Mom is still alive and back in the memory care unit… Continue reading Cure and Care
Godard's 1966 film is on YT in its entirety with English subtitles. Look at the scary warning below and ask yourself: "Am I old enough to view this film?" Maybe you aren't. You should watch it anyway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO2pREcnQ0I Masculin Féminin is set in Paris in 1965, and it's a grim place, alluring but never beautiful.… Continue reading Masculin Féminin
Dispatches from the virtuality--Prince as superhero--Chris Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0g9Qkrc8nE I was fortunate to participate in another online symposium produced by De Angela Duff, my hero, a.k.a., Polished Solid. <--If you are interested in what's happening in Prince scholarship, De Angela's channel should be your first stop. SexyMF30 celebrated and examined Prince's 1992 Love Symbol album, stylized… Continue reading SexyMF30 Prince Symposium
Like Substack but with less stackin'. Prince Sticks Up for Teachers at Age 11 In April 1970, Prince was eleven years old and Minneapolis teachers were on strike. In recently discovered footage shot by WCCO, the Twin Cities' CBS affiliate, there is Prince, confident but with a familiar shyness, sticking up for the teachers. When… Continue reading Echoes of Ourselves
Recently I was interviewed for our local community paper's book column about my 2017 book, Nothing Has Been Done Before. Read it here! I enjoyed chatting with Mandy Shunnarah about the continuing relevance of "the new" in music culture, and we even took a related detour into musical genres. If you want to learn more… Continue reading Revisiting Nothing Has Been Done Before
In the category of "Did Not Know I Needed This," Built To Spill clocks in with a twenty-minute "Cortez The Killer," the Neil Young anti-colonialism song. My mother is now in a memory care facility. The last five minutes of BTS' performance, recorded live somewhere, gets at the feeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNOvqFISxIc
My band's first full-length has been available for some time over on Bandcamp in digital and CD formats. We're also on the Spotify and other streaming sites. We also have a kick-ass t-shirt for your consumption! Pic follows the embed.
Recently I was thrilled to present at another Prince symposium organized by the incredible De Angela Duff and her team of Arthur Turnbull and Krysta Battersby. This was the second year that the symposium was virtual, and despite a few hiccups with the hosting platform, it was a smooth experience. The topics? Controversy at 40… Continue reading 1plus1plus1is3
April 2021 All-Neil Young Edition Since last fall, Neil Young has released the massive box set, Neil Young Archives, Vol. II (1972-1976), Way Down In The Rust Bucket (a live album with Crazy Horse, recorded in 1990), and Young Shakespeare (a solo live album recorded in 1971). Crazy Horse wins the day. I don't know… Continue reading This Week’s EP
Robert Loss 