ITEOTWAWKI: Heaven

The band has played three legs on the show, and I already wonder if I have died and gone to heaven. Because these are set lists that just defy earthly thinking. Last night in L.A., they not only played Pretty…

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ITEOTWAWKI: Tour Time

Tonight’s the night. I know the band has played a few live shows already, but R.E.M. starts its summer tour for real tonight in Vancouver. To say I am excited is an understatement. I won’t get my chance to see…

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“Who Sings This?”

As we drove to my in-law’s for Mother’s Day, Maria flipped around the radio to find something she wanted to hear. At one point, she got frustrated. “What is this, Stevie Nicks Day?” I should have sympathized her because we…

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This is How You Make a Video

One of the greatest crimes of the last 20 years is the decline of the music video. MTV has turned into a shell of itself with horrible “reality” shows designed to feed the egos of vapid youngsters eager to shock…

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ITEOTWAWKI: You Tell ‘Em, Peter

As the tour to support “Accelerate” approaches, Peter Buck has started to puff out his chest because, as he puts it, he finally got his way. I always complained and I always suggested that we work quicker and more spontaneously….

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Don’t Stop Believing in Good Music

Normally, I have no problem entertaining myself with the many cable channels we get. For some reason the other day, I decided to explore some of the extras that come along with our Tivo. They had some special feature featuring…

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Totally Awesome

I will touch more on this topic in tomorrow’s newspaper column, but I have to sing the praises of “Totally 80s” on VH1Classic. The show runs most mornings, and I like to catch it on weekend mornings. There’s nothing like…

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Thank You, Phantom Dan

Music loses a hidden legend

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ITEOTWAWKI: Happy Birthday, KO

Kathleen O’Brien Layson has a birthday today. I have no idea how old she is. I have never met her. But the party she threw for herself in 1980 – when I was 11 years old – changed the face…

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Play It Loud

Thanks to my obsession with R.E.M., Accelerate‘s tidy running time of around 40 minutes and the fact I heard it for free a week before its official release on iLike, I have listened to the new album more than a…

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