Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” has had multiple lives. This “making of” video snuck up on me. The demos are so cool to hear. Iteration is a magical part of the artistic process. As 2023 comes to a close, I’m embracing the processes. Digging in. Unearthing, as part of the work, in stages. Happy to copy some … Continue reading Sunday Music: Making Angel(s)
Category: music
Podcast Of The Week: LL Cool J Affirmations
LL Cool J did an interview on Questlove Supreme. LL’s one of those rappers, he’s been there since the beginning, he’s never faded away, and he just - sticks in your head. He’s done more firsts than people give him credit for. Not out of spite, but probably because folks don’t know. That’s what happens … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: LL Cool J Affirmations
Mary Oliver’s “Lead” And New Beginnings
Mary Oliver’s poem “Lead” wants you to know something. About yourself. I can’t tell you what it is. But it has to do with the broken bits. It has to do with what you do after you break. After. Next. On the first day. Even when it's not the first-first one. Because... I don't know, … Continue reading Mary Oliver’s “Lead” And New Beginnings
Sunday Music: Sisters (White Christmas Edition)
I remember the Christmas my mom and her sister made the blue feathered fans from White Christmas and sang “Sisters.” How the uncles joked and did the drag version too. Christmas is for family. For singing the old songs and watching the old movies. For remembering how the long dark slowly gets brighter and brighter … Continue reading Sunday Music: Sisters (White Christmas Edition)
Sunday Music: Alicia Keys Songs I Wish I wrote
At the 61st Grammys, Alicia Keys did a solo segment they called, “Songs I wish I Wrote.” She did the Hazel Scott 2 pianos thing (and shouted it out). But not turned backwards or while spinning in circles. She did it in the Tori Amos feminist front-facing way, and I think both artists deserve that … Continue reading Sunday Music: Alicia Keys Songs I Wish I wrote
Podcast Of The Week: Q-Tip and Questlove
Podcast people with deep catalogs - this is me going on record saying this - I LOVE it when you re-share old stuff. Ok, and just to be clear, I am referring to the really cool old stuff. We're trusting you to know the difference. I listened to this Q-Tip Questlove Supreme appearance years ago … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Q-Tip and Questlove
Sunday Music: Yer So Bad (Tom Petty Solo)
Ever since the expanded edition Wildflowers (and the Rick Rubin interviews with Petty’s daughter about making the album), I’m extra fascinated by Tom Petty’s demos and solo takes. Something else shines through. It’s easier to hear the nuance around the simplicity somehow. Maybe it’s just me. My history with Petty goes back to an obsession … Continue reading Sunday Music: Yer So Bad (Tom Petty Solo)
Go Crazy (Happy Hagakure-Themed Birthday Edition)
Shaking loose from the confines and constraints of an old identity - it’s a lot of weight to shed. It's something you have to do alone. And it's something you can't accomplish alone at the same time. Going through old notes I came across this quote from a few years back. I was in a … Continue reading Go Crazy (Happy Hagakure-Themed Birthday Edition)
Sunday Music: Mos Def And Fat Booty Love
By the time I first heard Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides I was not just deep in Black Star and Mos' many amazing guest spots, but I was a reggae and soul-loving teenager too - steeped in Aretha Franklin and Gregory Isaacs. It all came together when “Ms. Fat Booty” came on. A love … Continue reading Sunday Music: Mos Def And Fat Booty Love
GZA On A&R, Labels, And – Art
The connection between making art and the business of selling it has fascinated me my entire life. It’s an exchange for value. Kind of intangible. Kind of so tangible you can’t even put words on it so much as feel it. Yes, there’s product you can buy. But in the end, consumption is pure experience. … Continue reading GZA On A&R, Labels, And – Art