You're browing the archives for the month of July 2013

1988 Countdown: Commercial Break #25

(New to the countdown? Catch up here.) Time to visit the Duke. The ads kick off with the network’s frequently deployed spot (the seventh time on a once-per-hour schedule) for their “Big Bang ’89” program (the New Year’s Eve live program playing a few hours later). I’ve noted previously that Robert Plant had the best […]

posted 31 July 2013 in 1988. 2 comments

A Man, a Plan, a Dan–Alpanama!

You may recall an article I wrote last year for Men’s Journal about Dan McLaughlin and his “Dan Plan”: at age 30, despite never having played a round of golf in his life, he decided that he would quit his job and devote 10,000 hours to remaking himself as the best golfer possible (with the […]

posted 22 July 2013 in Articles, Outside. no comments yet

July 13, 1985

As part of my research for VJ, I rewatched Live Aid (or more precisely, the DVD box of it). A few aspects of the show that seemed notable twenty-eight years down the road: 1. The wittiest song selection of the day was Elvis Costello with his cover of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” […]

posted 13 July 2013 in Tasty Bits. 5 comments

Live! One Night Only!

Hey, Los Angelenos! I will be appearing at the Pop-Hop Bookshop tonight! It is in Highland Park, and it is filled with goodness (and books)! I will be talking with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong–she’ll be reading from Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, while I’ll do anĀ  excerpt from VJ. There will be conversation about […]

posted 11 July 2013 in Buy My Stuff, News. no comments yet

1988 Countdown #40: David Lee Roth, “Just Like Paradise”

(New to the countdown? Forgotten what it’s about? Catch up here.) A rock climber dangles from a steep cliff, pulling himself up with his left leg. To emphasize that this is a raw, elemental scene, the only soundtrack is a howling wind. The climber would not be identifiable as David Lee Roth without the block […]

posted 9 July 2013 in 1988. 6 comments

Friday Foto: Independence Day All Down the Line

Photographed last night on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, watching the action at the Wilshire Country Club.

posted 5 July 2013 in Photos. no comments yet

Pop Hop You Don’t Stop

Good people of Los Angeles and its surrounding regions: I will be at the Pop-Hop Bookshop next Thursday, July 11th. And I will not just be shopping: in the service of the bestselling VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, I will be appearing with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of Mary and Lou and […]

posted 2 July 2013 in Buy My Stuff, News. no comments yet

Top Five Bands That Split the Job of Lead Singer and Lyricist

(Most of the time, anyway.) 1. The Who 2. Depeche Mode 3. Rush 4. Oasis 5. Abba Who else?

posted 1 July 2013 in Tasty Bits. 6 comments