‘I am not a number. I am a free man!’ The Prisoner and the Illusion of Freedom
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to…
Letters from Chicago – Volume I: Fit to Burst
It’s Superfest 2012 and the Congress Theater down the block hosts heavy beats and youthful entropy. I spent the night…
A Plague Upon Your Ignorance: The Overwhelming Genius of Zappa
“I’m gonna tell you the way it is/And I’m not gonna be kind or easy” Frank Zappa, “Harry, You’re a…
Too Many People: Revisiting Paul McCartney’s Ram
Paul McCartney is that one artist where, even in the depths of his discography, I feel completely at home and…
Linda, Before Paul McCartney
I first met Linda McCartney at the Scene on West 46th Street. A hip little grotto in a cellar, it…
Review: Nas – Life Is Good
“Before there was an audience to watch us / I assure you, there was a process.” Nas has had one…
Interview: Pete Seeger – When Will They Ever Learn?
“Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”—Pete Seeger Before the Byrds or…
Blooms & Busts: Lollapalooza 2012
The sort of manic energy present at a music festival compressed into ten square blocks of downtown Chicago is hard…
YOU COMPLETE IDIOT: My Gwar Experience
Why does the beverage Jagermeister hold such appeal to Gwar? BECAUSE IT GETS YOU WASTED, YOU COMPLETE IDIOT. ...Read on…
No Contest: The Ali-Warhol Tapes
Victor Bockris: On the other hand, you always said you just like to have people who talk a lot when…