Screeching Jazz, Punk Provocateurism, and Flaunting Whiteness – A Pondering of James Chance

Jazz is, or is supposed to be, a wild idiom, invented on the fly by trained professionals, a masterpiece by midnight. Certain ontological limits exist: Jazz is a form of music, made with instruments, by people. You can have any number of people, and any instrument you want, and still call it jazz. The aesthetic… Read More Screeching Jazz, Punk Provocateurism, and Flaunting Whiteness – A Pondering of James Chance

22 Sep 2023 Andrew1 Comment

Radar Station Blues – Let us now Praise Captain Beefheart By Slapping His Fat Face

I wish today, for no good reason, to write about Captain Beefheart. I am not, or at least not yet, an affirmed fan of Captain Beefheart, and given my stands on the concept of fandom in general, I am unlikely to become one (especially if there’s a tribal name attached to it, like “Beefheads”… the… Read More Radar Station Blues – Let us now Praise Captain Beefheart By Slapping His Fat Face

13 Sep 2023 AndrewLeave a comment

Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 5 – What is Indy Can Never Di

Meant to have this up sooner, but once I sat down to put it together it flowed nicely, and in fact I was able to create some good thoughts on the fly, which is always gratifying. One of the things on my mind a lot of late is the extent to which fandoms and other… Read More Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 5 – What is Indy Can Never Di

6 Nov 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 4 – The Lost Summer Episode

Doing this fell by the wayside as I was wrapped up in bringing Caligula to market (The Kindle Countdown deal is going well, by the way). But having a few free evenings, I was able to clear out the notebook and talk about some stuff I’d meant to all summer. Here are the results.

19 Sep 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

The Milennial Nostalgia Machine

Back in the 90’s, when concepts such as “youth culture” seemed relevant to me, I was known to lament the chokehold Boomers had over pop culture. Every time the same damn Beatles songs were repackaged into a new format, I got incredibly annoyed, especially when someone my age bought it. Looking back, this exercise seems… Read More The Milennial Nostalgia Machine

17 Aug 2020 Andrew2 Comments

Quick Review: Fyre Fraud

The Hulu documentary is a hoot. It’s more about the lie, the huckstering, Billy McFarland as the Incompetent P.T. Barnum of the time. The Netflix doc was more about How Not to Put On A Music Festival. This is about how people got suckered into believing something that was not physically possible. All from the… Read More Quick Review: Fyre Fraud

31 Jul 201931 Jul 2019 Andrew1 Comment

No, Really, This is Why Music Sounds Bad as You Get Older

I’m tired of being right all the time.

11 Oct 2018 AndrewLeave a comment

Why Music Sounds Bad When You Get Older

Two reasons: 1. As you age, your critical faculties improve. When you first discover pop music, it’s like the rush of first love. You’re a blank slate and the music just writes itself into you. It becomes identity. And you immerse yourself into it. And after enough songs, you start getting readier and readier to… Read More Why Music Sounds Bad When You Get Older

20 Jun 201820 Jun 2018 Andrew1 Comment

Music Modernization Bill Sounds Good.

I am generally distrustful of bipartisan legislation, especially when the CEO of RIAA is this enthusiastic, but this doesn’t look too bad on its face: A key provision of the bill is for Congress to establish the equivalent of a SoundExchange for songwriters to track credits and distribute royalties when digital services use their work.… Read More Music Modernization Bill Sounds Good.

11 Apr 2018 AndrewLeave a comment