03/27/2007
Electro; live, and in full effect (in music & sound)
I've played in Italy a few times, and twice I've played with Raffaele Costa, a DJ/producer based in Rome. He performed recently with a few friends as XCOAST, and here's a brief clip of them in action. Raffaele's the guy in the middle, wearing th ... Read More
03/18/2007
When ODB met Lucy (in music & sound)
I have no idea how widely the Wu-Tang Meets Peanuts comics have circulated, but if you haven't seen them yet, they're wild. Actually funny, with great production values. "I'm pulling Julio Iglesias cream in this booth, word up." Thanks to ... Read More
03/16/2007
Ornette Coleman: He walks the walk, and... he talks the talk. (in music & sound)
Ornette Coleman's acceptance speech of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Grammys. As an artist, Mr. Coleman has achieved a unique and seamless relationship between his music and his public utterances. Fasten your seat belts. Read More
03/05/2007
NWA vs. PTA (in music & sound)
How does a parent resolve a love of gangsta rap with the responsibility of raising a child? Thanks to Strictly Kev, who will be facing this dilemma as soon as his twins figure out what their parents are listening to. Read More
02/28/2007
Ralphie's Bop City, Pt. 2 (in music & sound)
So there I was, running this sort-of-art project. It started with a single answering machine on my regular phone line, using an endless loop cassette answering tape, and eventually became a dedicated phone line using 3 rotating answering machine ... Read More
02/27/2007
Frank Zappa: Young, and on Television (in music & sound)
In 1963, Steve Allen - the precursor to Carson, Letterman, Leno, etc. - hosted a fresh-faced Frank Zappa in a session of experimental improv on national television. Read More
02/24/2007
Alec Baldwin, David Mamet, and me (in music & sound)
In an article in today's Salon.com , Stephanie Zacharek gives Alec Baldwin an honorary Oscar for his roles in The Departed, The Good Shepherd, and Running With Scissors. Ms. Zacharek goes on to give a general appreciation of Baldwin, which (o ... Read More
02/20/2007
Joel Dorn, voice-over talent (in music & sound)
I assume most people poking around here are familiar with Joel Dorn's work as a record producer; Rahsaan Roland Kirk's Atlantic albums, Bette Midler's first two records, Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Leon Redbone's first ... Read More
02/16/2007
Ralphie's Bop City, Pt. 1 (in music & sound)
In 1976 or thereabouts, I acquired an answering machine. Which, in 1976, was quite a big deal. In 1976, there were no personal answering machines in use at all. None. No voice mail, no call waiting, nothing. In fact, there weren't that many ... Read More
02/13/2007
The Flying Saucer Records (in music & sound)
In a lot of interviews, I mention Buchanan & Goodman as a major influence. It occurs to me that people have probably never heard any work of theirs, so I'm posting the great ones. The first is The Flying Saucer, as it appeared on a Luniverse 7 ... Read More