The Emperor of Ice Cream (La La La)

This is the way the world ends

Four Thousand Promises Kept

Some stories only have one ending.

Who Turned the Screw?

When Edie Brickell once asked in song to be choked in the shallow water before…

Billy Joel: Rock Blocker?

“Billy Joel does not rock” is a long-standing statement of nigh-fact my friend Bob utters or writes a few times…

Nutbush, Unincorporated

Some things in this world are beyond debate. For example, “Anna Mae Bullock is a badass” is not opinion. It is fact.

The Record Store Ain’t There Anymore

“Our current world is a place where algorithms help us find an approximation of what we think we want. But the best albums deliver something you never knew you…

A Life and Death Promise

At his funeral back in 2010, I made a quiet promise to Joe that I would read his favorite book, The Count of Monte…

I saw Ryan Adams play the Stones. You didn’t. So let me tell you about it.

Bob Marley knows. Do you?

After Bob Marley’s death, his record company cobbled together an album, Confrontation, of leftover songs from different stages of his career. “Buffalo Soldier” emerged as the most-played song, as it should have, as it is one of his better songs, period.