The Beatles have collaborated with some of the world’s most popular artists through the years. Mashups have become their own art form, and perhaps nobody has been more important to perfecting the […]
Who are the greatest role players in rock history?
In sports they’re called “role players.” They’re the working class guys who play defense, dive for loose balls, get under the opponent’s skin, fight it out in the trenches. They’re not stars […]
It was 20 years ago today…and I still miss Freddie
Freddie Mercury was my John Lennon. I remember when Lennon was killed. I also remember the reactions of his fans. I liked The Beatles, of course, but they were a few years […]
Freddie: no mere flash
Since we’re reclaiming our stake on Freddie Mercury this week, I suppose we need to reclaim all of him—including the schmaltz-fest that was Flash Gordon. It’s common practice today for a band […]
Freddie Mercury
In 1995, only a year after South Africa’s first democratic election, I was working at a community centre in Nyanga, a shanty-town alongside Cape Town’s international airport. The centre had started a […]
What CD have you listened to more than any other?
We all have our favorite artists and songs and albums. Even those of us who listen to a lot of different styles and have thousands of CDs in our collections undoubtedly have […]
TunesDay: Bohemian Rhapsody (ridiculous2sublime and back again)
Today we celebrate one of the greatest, and most improbable, moments in the history of rock. Let’s begin with the Mnozil Brass:
Tournament of Rock – Legends: the Elvis Costello pod
Results: Top-seeded U2 looked poised to be our highest-ranked upset victim yet as of last night, but then put on a strong finishing kick to win one of the strongest pods we’ve […]
Tournament of Rock – Legends: the U2 pod
Results: Well, the top seeds are on a roll now, and this time there wasn’t even a hint of drama to be had, as “Which one’s Pink?” Floyd administered the worst butt-kicking […]
Tournament of Rock – Legends: the Blur pod
Results: Despite facing a daunting (and comparatively underappreciated) pack of challengers, Queen (perhaps underrated themselves) forged an early lead and romped to an easy win. The numbers: #6 Queen 73%; The Cars […]
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 