Reading an obituary of Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone, strikes as surreal in 2025. Didn’t he overdose in 1975? No, he just disappeared from popular culture around that time and we encountered him only rarely, and then usually…
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is about as rock ‘n’ roll as Wilford Brimley. It inducts this month to its crass cash scam 14 nominated acts, to include the talented but not-rock Mariah Carey, which inspires a revision…
I had the good fortune to catch Becoming Led Zeppelin the other night in Manhattan. Even better, I experienced this motion picture in IMAX. What a cornucopia for the eyes and ears! This top-drawer film is the first official, authorized documentary ever produced with the full cooperation of…
In the early Sixties, the left side had human credibility. They seemed authentic, concerned about ordinary people, the sovereigns of the nation whose authority had been usurped by powerful factions. The liberal left of those days defended free speech,…
As 2024 comes to a close, I’ve thought a lot over the past year about another year: 1984. Yes, 1984. What had me thinking were two recent political events felt keenly by readers of The American Spectator and any American…
The guys with the long-hair are very worried about the issue of old music. No wonder. With so many classical music concerts, they have received news that there is some guy running around town playing the flute, which is a…
For in joy will you go And in peace will you be brought along. The mountains and the hills will break into song before you And all the trees of the field clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 Phil Lesh recounted…
Teenagers are stereotypically rebellious. They push boundaries, make bad decisions, and are frequently ornery enough to do things precisely because they were told not to. In retrospect, banning rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t an effective strategy if the goal was to…
February saw a new record set for records — the record for the most albums to chart in Billboard’s top 200 — which had formerly been held jointly by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. It was set by a band…
