So It Goes

Listen

The dB’s: “Working For Somebody Else” That’s right.  Time for your Friday...

Jul 31st

It’s after lunch, the sun’s punching its way...

Jul 31st

Willie & Bobby & John

Jul 31st

This Time Last Year, I Worked at a Shoe...

Sometimes when I get discouraged at how slowly my writing career is plodding along, how far I...

Jul 31st

Los Angeles Times January 24, 1937 One Time Queen of Sennett Beauties Victim of Heart Attack in...

Jul 30th

Jul 30th

Listen

Nick Lowe: “Marie Provost” I meant to post this yesterday because of the date...

Jul 30th

Nothing combines your appreciation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil...

Jul 30th

Listen

Ida Maria: “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” I wish I were...

Jul 30th

GPOYW: Born Double Decades Too Late Edition Monterey, CA ...

Jul 30th

"Ever notice that 'What the hell?' is...

Refrigerator magnets bring the wisdom, yo.

Jul 29th

“My eyelids said 4:30 But the radio clock said 6 And I was...”
— Cowboy Mouth, “Louisiana...

Jul 29th

“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is...”
— Bobby Dylan

Jul 29th

Oh but ain’t that America… John Mellencamp...

Jul 29th

So today has been pretty cool.

Jul 28th

“Ernest Hemingway once said all he wanted to do was write one...”
— Lance Clayton (Robin Williams)...

Jul 28th

Jul 28th

I, Too, Was Born In A Small Town

This afternoon I’m heading to fabulous Durham, North Carolina to catch the Willie Nelson/John...

Jul 28th

John “He Was Totally Cougar Back Then”...

Jul 28th

"The charred locks of hair from Michael...

Jul 28th

OK, so the Mad Men version of me has scrawny calves, a...

Jul 28th

Watch

The Seeds: “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine”

Jul 27th

But perfect for unhinged street person, stage-door groupie,...

Jul 27th

—via

Jul 27th

I know what you’re asking yourself. The answer is yes.

Jul 27th

“Ian Johnson designed this jaw-dropping series of...

Jul 27th

“We make music for kids who don’t have any friends.”
— Michael Quercio, The Three...

Jul 27th

Guys! Guys! The new hatemail is here! The new hatemail is...

Jul 27th

“While still in high school, Simon and Garfunkel...

Jul 27th

I don’t know what I’d do without this book. Oh...

Jul 27th

“I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all...”
— Annie Savoy, Bull Durham

Jul 26th

I had nothing else to do this afternoon besides watch Repo...

Jul 26th

R.I.P. dB’s T-Shirt Goodnight, sweet preshrunk 100%...

Jul 26th

Listen

Green Day: “Chump” [Live] I don’t know you But I think I hate you […] ...

Jul 26th

Listen

Chuck Prophet: “I Can Feel Heart Beat” I knew of Chuck Prophet before yesterday, from ...

Jul 25th

Stop by, everyone.  This two-liter of Diet Sierra Mist is...

Jul 25th

“Shakir S. Jerwan, chief pilot of the Moisant...

Jul 25th

Listen

The Leftovers: “You Know What You Do” A couple of days ago a friend asked what I was...

Jul 24th

Cavity Search

Jul 24th

dwineman: Oh hey, look who’s being hilarious right in front...

Jul 24th

Here we see the artist pre-comedy show, trying to get a list...

Jul 24th

Anyone who’s spent more than twenty seconds on this...

Jul 23rd

Onstage at the Yukon Club Eielson Air Force Base,...

Jul 22nd

Lessons From My T-Shirts, Volume 1: R.E.M.. Pageantry Tour...

Jul 22nd

My Dad is Sixty-One.

Um, thanks for all the emails, I guess.

Jul 22nd

Roxy Music: Clicky to Enlarge It’s worth it for the...

Jul 22nd

GPOYW: Trying To Touch My Nose With My Tongue Edition

Jul 22nd

Three Things

About The Hollies Song “Carrie Anne” 1) This may be the only time in history, ever,...

Jul 22nd

Listen

The Hollies: “Pay You Back With Interest” Oh, we’re on an all-out Graham Nash...

Jul 22nd

Graham Nash, circa 1966 Breakfast of Champions

Jul 22nd

Listen

The Records: “Starry Eyes” Some of my favorite bands are the ones who got maybe two...

Jul 21st

Today’s Absolutely True Fun Fact: Monkee Mike...

Jul 21st

—via theduty

Jul 21st

I’m not sure I’ve ever needed a garment more...

Jul 21st

Three Things

That Are Wrong With Me: 1) Sometimes when I meet people, I’m so insanely nervous that I...

Jul 21st

Watch

Elvis Costello: “Love For Tender” You will be delighted by this.  I promise.

Jul 21st

Watch

sloganeerist: Nirvana vs Rick Astley Stop not watching this. I dare you to find something more...

Jul 21st

Guys. Guys! In what has been the best four-day stretch since someone asked what bands Martin Belmont...

Jul 21st

Listen

Wreckless Eric: “Walking on the Surface of the Moon” Forty years ago today. Cheers,...

Jul 20th

—via

Jul 20th

Watch

Flock Of Seagulls: “I Ran (So Far Away)” Sadly, the video doesn’t involve any...

Jul 20th

Holy crap, I want this t-shirt. Wish I’d had it when...

Jul 20th

Watch

hurtling: The Feelies - “Doin’ It Again” Live on “Late Night with David Letterman” ...

Jul 19th

“Sometimes you just gotta say ‘OK, I still have nine...”
— Animal sideshow owner John...

Jul 19th

Listen

Wheatus: “A Little Respect” Covers Week, Sunday Edition The one-time Teenage Dirtbags...

Jul 19th

Old Salem: 512 Salt Street Never has walking the dog...

Jul 19th

Jul 19th

Listen

R.E.M.: “Femme Fatale” (Live) Covers Week, Day Whatever, I’ve Been A Total...

Jul 18th

This is a screenshot of Robyn Hitchcock’s website. ...

Jul 17th

Elvis Costello, 1979. Yes.

Jul 16th

Watch

“I know this is a sensitive question, but what was it like not being the first man on the...

Jul 16th

Other Things America’s Got Besides Talent: An ill-advised combover A drinking problem The...

Jul 16th

John Cleese, I could kiss you on the mouth. —via...

Jul 15th

I will never stop being delighted by the Big Ugly Community...

Jul 15th

GPOYW: “Six Donuts Are Too Much” Edition

Jul 15th

Listen

Note: I’m re-posting this late-spring diatribe because the five year anniversary of Arthur...

Jul 15th

“A Band You’re Gonna Like, Whether You Like It...

Jul 15th

“People should write about what they know. These old-timey...”
— Justin Townes Earle, on...

Jul 15th

Listen

Justin Townes Earle: “Can’t Hardly Wait” Covers Week, Day 3 Can a country singer...

Jul 15th

bradelterman: It seems like yesterday when I took this...

Jul 15th

Listen

Devo: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” Covers Week, Day 2 If I have to explain to...

Jul 14th

Note To Self

When someone introduces himself as Scott Miller, it’s best not to respond with a mouthful of...

Jul 14th

So what exactly are you trying to tell me, Facebook? And how...

Jul 13th

Thank you, Roger. Sigh.

Jul 13th

Listen

The Golden Palominos: “Omaha” Covers Week, Day 1 I was listening to Bryan...

Jul 13th

“And that male character, ech. He’s a total mimbo,...”
— From an Amazon one-star review...

Jul 13th

Watch

Paul Carrack: “Don’t Shed A Tear” MY LIIYYFE WON’T END WITHOUT YOU THE...

Jul 13th

Listen

Ace: “How Long” Ace started as a pub rock band and this song—the first single...

Jul 13th

Jul 12th

Today's Absolutely True Fact

Huey Lewis’ grandfather invented that red wax they put around cheese. I just dropped a piece...

Jul 12th

Fifteen Through Twenty

This week I’ve been posting the twenty albums that a Facebook meme described as the ones “that had...

Jul 12th

Can’t sleep…Julia Roberts will eat me

Jul 10th

But On The Other Hand...

Number of Concerts This Year: 11, counting Bonnaroo as one giant show Number Of Dates This Year:...

Jul 10th

Aaaand here’s a friend request that will be ignored.

Jul 10th

Can we please talk about how the cover for Accidental...

Jul 10th

edwardfilms: blandben: lotusmodern: juliasegal: Michael...

Jul 10th

Ticketmonster

I was just looking at my day planner—OK, I was drawing a picture of a weeping tooth to...

Jul 10th

Howard the Duck: Issue #1 I’m pretty sure I have this...

Jul 10th

Jul 10th

Television, circa 1978

Jul 10th

Nine Through Fourteen

This week I’ve been posting the twenty albums that a Facebook meme described as the ones “that...

Jul 10th

“Later, as he sat on the balcony eating the dog, Dr. Robert...”
— The opening line to JG...

Jul 10th

Listen

Graham Coxon: “Standing On My Own Again” So after a 2 1/2 month layoff to let my...

Jul 9th

“One thing I’ll say about Mick Jagger. He’s...”
— Truman Capote

Jul 9th

Listen

The Kleptones: “Careless or Dead” What happens when you mash Wham! with Bon Jovi?...

Jul 9th

Things Two Different Dudes Said To Me As I Walked the Dog Past The Bus Station: 1)...

Jul 9th

Big Mouth Blues

My new dentist’s receptionist is Gram Parsons’ first cousin. We talked Fallen Angels and...

Jul 8th

GPOYW: Waiting For The Dentist Edition

Jul 8th

“People like me are aware of their so-called genius at ten,...”
— John Lennon Rolling Stone,...

Jul 8th

Listen

Marshall Crenshaw: “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time” How can you not dig a love song...

Jul 8th

One Through Eight

Last night’s Desert Island Discs post made me think of something I wrote a few months ago,...

Jul 8th

Desert Island Discs

hurtling: Just over 10 years ago, some colleagues and I did a story for our newspaper’s weekend...

Jul 8th

Steve Martin, Reading A Book About Bob Dylan (1969) This...

Jul 8th

Listen

The 101’ers: “Keys To Your Heart” The genre of music known dismissively as Pub...

Jul 8th

Listen

The Pretenders: “Stop Your Sobbing” I love this song for a variety of reasons, mainly...

Jul 7th

Steve Martin is an automatic reblog, even if especially if...

Jul 7th

Exit In An Orderly Fashion

Jul 7th

—via

Jul 7th

Watch

“Shit, the Beatles were so high, they let Ringo sing a couple of tunes.” —Bill...

Jul 7th

Here’s wishing a Happy 69th to Ringo Starr.  Rumor has...

Jul 7th

thememegeneration: Seriously…not one person giggled even a...

Jul 7th

The Metropolis Hotel, London July 11, 2006 —via

Jul 7th

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun Shine...

Jul 7th

Watch

Huey Lewis & The News: “Perfect World” After seeing that picture, my entire life...

Jul 6th

No, Huey Lewis.  No, no, no, no, NO. It wasn’t...

Jul 6th

Compare & Contrast

Top Five Elvis Costello Songs: “Alison”, “Little Triggers”, “Man Out...

Jul 6th

“Rock n’ roll, at its core, is merely a bunch of raving...”
— Lester Bangs

Jul 6th

“Rock and roll is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious...”
— Frank Sinatra, in a 1958...

Jul 6th

Edit + Undo

Don’t ever do a Google image search for “harlequin baby”.

Jul 6th

Watch

Roxy Music: “Jealous Guy” The video for this John Lennon cover works a lot better if...

Jul 6th

Listen

Roxy Music: “Love Is The Drug” I’ve had a serious Bryan Ferry boner for the past...

Jul 6th

“You can mutter to the artichokes all you want, they won’t...”
— Part Two of my insanely long...

Jul 6th

Iggy and The Stooges, 1969

Jul 6th

“Ketchup is for dilettantes and three year olds.”
— Evan Lawson (Paulo Costanzo)...

Jul 5th

Rob: Liking both Marvin Gaye and Art Garfunkel is like...

Jul 5th

“I’m sorry, it’s not my language. ...

Jul 5th

It works out really good because even though Anvil...

Jul 5th

Listen

Team America World Police: “America, Fuck Yeah” 1 Happy Fourth, kids…here’s...

Jul 4th

In the past twenty-four hours, I have learned that 1)...

Jul 4th

“Someone told me after the gig last night night that my death...”
— I recently had the chance to...

Jul 3rd

Listen

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel: “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” I inexplicably...

Jul 3rd

December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971

Jul 3rd

Signature of Sender: Marc Johns *swoonage*

Jul 2nd

“Syd” by Jef Aerosol I’m starting to like...

Jul 2nd

“And don’t forget, every goodbye is the birth of a...”
— Bob Dylan, signing off the...

Jul 2nd

A bench in Cambridge, England placed in memory of Syd...

Jul 2nd

“In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom.”
—  JG Ballard

Jul 2nd

“Woody” by Jef Aerosol —via

Jul 2nd

Writers, Composers and Artists: · You must be established outside the UK and be primarily engaged...

Jul 2nd

The older David Byrne gets, the more his day-to-day...

Jul 2nd

Irrefutable Proof That I’m Growing Up: I nuked a box...

Jul 1st

Must Be This Tall To Ride

Jul 1st

Watch

The Mr. Belvedere Theme Song Season Two EXTENDED VERSION, because that’s how much I love...

Jul 1st

GPOYW: One Of Us Could Quite Possibly Be Rabid Edition1 ...

Jul 1st