BeachBoys on stage 1971 1500

was beach boy mike love one of rock & roll’s greatest frontmen?

OPINION QUESTIONS are big on Quora and I try to provide answers that are accurate but somewhat off the beaten path. The question I received this morning was, “Who are the all-time great frontmen in music?” I read the question as who are the great lead singers of rock groups, as both vocal and visual performers. [Read more] “was beach boy mike love one of rock & roll’s greatest frontmen?”

JethroTull Devonshire1970 1500 crop

this was a time when it would benefit an artist to stand up

I WAS ONE OF THOSE TEENS who prided themselves in having a really cool record collection, bragging about albums and singles few of my clueless high school peers had ever heard of. So, of course, I was a big fan of Warner/Reprise Records in the late ’60s. Aside from championing my beloved Kinks (and Grommett save them!), [Read more] “this was a time when it would benefit an artist to stand up”

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meet the new boss (true tales from the men’s room)

IT WAS 1975, and I was out of my hippie wannabe stage. I was playing it straight; not out of choice, but necessity. (But that’s another story.) I was still as anti-authoritarian as all get-out—at least when it came to bosses who were really bullies with authority—taking crap from no one. [Read more] “meet the new boss (true tales from the men’s room)”

Bowie ManWhoFell Schapiro 1975 1500 crop

just how did david bowie affect your consciousness?

THE ORIGINAL TITLE to this piece on David Bowie was “Damn That Damn Disco Music!” But that was really an inadequate opening for the tone of this ‘true story’ about conversion. Then I dallied with variations on “The Day I Came Out as a David Bowie Fan,” which was an allusion to his androgynous Ziggy Stardust period. [Read more] “just how did david bowie affect your consciousness?”

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surf’s up as the first new age rock album (the beach boys flirt with ecology – part 1)

MY APOLOGIES if you find yourself here looking for an article about the Beach Boys’ SURF’S UP album. The article is a work-in-progress and I accidentally pressed the Publish button instead of the Save Draft button.

[Read more] “surf’s up as the first new age rock album (the beach boys flirt with ecology – part 1)”