Better Late Than Never
Even though I listen to a fair amount of new music thanks to my XM radio, I don't always keep up with the trends. I might hear something good, but…
ITEOTWAWKI: Larry’s Hideaway
I finally got my hands on a copy of the deluxe reissue of Murmur, which also features a 1983 concert on the second CD of the set. I asked for…
ITEOTWAWKI: No Grammy Nods
I didn't expect R.E.M. to head the list of Grammy nominees this week. I gave up expecting the awards to truly reflect what's good in music a long time ago.…
Elvis, Bruce, Jimmy and Frank
For more than a year, I have followed the news of the XM-Sirius merger. I have had XM radio for nearly six years now and really looked forward to getting…
ITEOTWAWKI: Celebration
R.E.M. has unabashedly supported Barack Obama from very early on. When I saw them in June less than an hour from D.C., Michael Stipe very openly talked about how much…
ITEOTWAWKI: Tour Resumes
R.E.M. gets back on the road tonight with a show I would love to see. The Old 97s are opening for the band which will make for a hell of…
Still Go-Go-ing Strong
Each night when I read my local newspaper, I love to peruse the "Today in History" section. I scan the celebrity birthdays to find some interesting topic of conversation. Yesterday,…
Stayin’ Alive … For Real
Luckily, I managed to miss most of the disco era. Sure, I was alive, but I hadn’t reached my teens so I watched the whole mess from afar.
The closest I got to disco fever was a copy of the strange “Disco Duck” album released by DJ Rick Dees, who was making fun of the whole fad. I didn’t realize I was supporting satire at that point. I just thought the duck voice was funny.
Like a lot of people my age, I have supported disco through the years, but with a wink and a nod. I continually find myself amazed as the Village People song “YMCA” gets families to dance and sing since that’s the last thing the lyrics suggest.
But songs like that ultimately make us have fun, and that’s the point. Having fun and saving lives.
ITEOTWAWKI: Murmur Anniversary
Twenty-five years, seven months and two weeks after R.E.M. released Murmur, its first full-length studio album, an anniversary special edition will come out. The release is scheduled for Nov. 25.…
Music to My Ears?
A flier came home from school the other week. Since Bridget has entered the third grade, she could now sign up to learn an instrument.
At first the thought of rudimentary violin being played in the house might not sound like the greatest idea in the world, but I knew I could not let this chance pass by.
You see, I have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. And I blame the nuns.