Pink Floyd: The Prog Rock Archetype
Sean MurphyIt isn’t that Pink Floyd made some of the best albums of the ‘70s (they did), or that Pink Floyd moved the art form forward (they did); it’s that Pink…
Storm Thorgerson, R.I.P.: An A/V Appreciation
You know Storm Thorgerson. Even if you've never heard his name before, you know him. More, if you are any kind of fan of late 20th Century rock music (most especially…
Giving the Devil His Due
So I was getting my air fiddle on --much to the amusement and/or horror of my fellow commuters-- this A.M. to the epic "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". A…
What’s It All About, Then? Part Four: Jazz, Featuring McCoy Tyner (Revisited)
It occurs to me that I've said little, on the record, about McCoy Tyner. This is a shame, since he is one of my all-time favorite musicians and a case…
Memorial Day*
I. I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive Cyrus has never actually discussed his brief stint in the army that took him to Vietnam. On a couple of occasions…
Ray Manzarek: The Key to the Doors
When it comes to this great American band’s legacy, the best thing about the Doors is also the worst thing about the Doors: Jim Morrison. Blessed with one of the…
The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde or, Art Improving Upon Life (Revisited)
ON THIS DAY On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush as they were driving a stolen Ford Deluxe…
Wagner at 200 or, Get Your Götterdämmerung On
Or, If Loving Wagner is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Reich. (More on one of the most complex and controversial composers ever, who was born 200 years ago today,…
Ray Manzarek, R.I.P.
I knew I'd have to deal with this one of these days. So many of my favorite old-school rock legends died when I was young, or before I was born…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part Five: Five Covers from The Black Keys
(Parts 1-4 of this series here, here, here, and here.) Before they became the Black Keys of Leon (a development that was equal parts unfortunate and inevitable) The Black Keys…