Photographed last week in Seattle.

posted 25 February 2011 in Photos. no comments yet

“Wow, I’ve worked really hard,” Dr. Luke told me last year. “Maybe I deserve a couch.” Luke lost out on the Grammy for “Producer of the Year” last week, but it nevertheless seems like a fine time to add my article on him to the archives. This piece ran in Rolling Stone last April; to […]

posted 23 February 2011 in Archives, Articles. no comments yet

With Bahrain in the news, and the American military presence there being a large part of the story, I find myself remembering the time I spent on the Manama naval base in that small country. It was back in 2003, and I was accompanying Blink-182 as they played for American servicemen. You can read the […]

posted 22 February 2011 in Archives, Articles. no comments yet

Taken last week on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. As people here like to say, “That’s so L.A.” (Which I guess is the West Coast equivalent of “Only in New York.”)

posted 18 February 2011 in Photos. 1 comment

Another excerpt from the Andy Warhol Diaries.  Monday, May 29, 1978 We walked over to have lunch at One Fifth, and on the way we saw Patti Smith in a bowler hat buying food for her cat. I invited her thinking she’d say no, but she said, “Great.” When we walked in, there was […]

posted 16 February 2011 in Excerpts. no comments yet

I’m afraid I’ve never interviewed Esperanza Spalding, but with 109 Grammy awards handed out yesterday, I was bound to have written about some of the winners. I’ll add my Mavis Staples (Best Americana Album) and Green Day (Best Musical Show Album) articles to the archives soon–but until then, may I direct your attention to my […]

posted 14 February 2011 in Archives. no comments yet

Taken three weeks ago at the Santa Anita racetrack.

posted 11 February 2011 in Photos. no comments yet

(New to the countdown? Catch up here.) MTV visits the Duke. First, the stoned intern in the control room has cued up the Bon Jovi promo again. It includes footage from the “Wanted Dead or Alive” video–and an actual lighter being held up at a concert! Only a few years later, that would feel anachronistic. […]

posted 9 February 2011 in 1988. no comments yet

I’ve mentioned the name of Ted Friedman on this blog before: Ted’s one of my oldest friends, and back in 1988, was my host on New Year’s Eve for a party where we watched (and taped) the MTV year-end countdown. He’s now a professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta (specifically, Associate Professor of Communication). […]

posted 8 February 2011 in 1988, Outside. 2 comments

Taken in late December, when L.A. was getting its annual torrential rainstorms.

posted 4 February 2011 in Photos. no comments yet