Herb Alpert Is Perhaps the Most Successful Instrumental Performer in Pop History
Alpert’s unique trumpet sound is the upshot of experimental studio overdubbing and trips to Tijuana bullfights. About two years before...
Author: Andrew Goutman
Uvalde Confidential: Police Training is All About Self-Preservation
‘Better to be judged by 12 than carried by six.’ Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas We’ve all shed tears for the...
Six Cool Things About The Band
Starting as strictly backup players to two legendary performers, The Band developed a likable and totally unique sound. Prologue The...
Our Democracy in Peril as Republicans Prepare for Minority Rule
There are reasons why Republicans are okay with jeopardizing the right to an abortion, which is supported by a majority...
‘Tranq’ – The New Agony of Junkiedom
There’s a powerful new tranquilizer in the street drug supplies of Philadelphia and other cities that’s causing mysterious body wounds...
In his Barbaric Recolonialization of Ukraine, Putin Is Playing the ‘Long Game’
Putin regards liberal democracy as on its last legs. Will the US prove him right or wrong? Donald Trump, presumed...
Linking Metal with Punk in the ’80s and ’90s, Grunge Had Its 15 Minutes as a Seattle Thing
The death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins recalls a genre whose distinctive sound influenced bands in other musical hotspots,...
The Top 10 Rock Songs About Places
The songs are, as they say, all over the map. There’s a bonus round at the end. Since no aging...
Censoring Race in the Classroom Protects Students? It Fortifies a Culture of Ignorance
Ask the good people of Tulsa, Oklahoma: American history cannot be unlived. Critical Race Theory You know that conservatives have...
When Newspapers Were in Demand on the Streets of Philadelphia
My reminiscence of being part of a crew who got up before dawn to hawk a tabloid newspaper on Philadelphia...
Reforming the Electoral Count Act Is a ‘Back Door’ to Securing the Vote
Both voting rights bills died in the Senate and elections remain vulnerable to partisan bad actors. Let’s embrace what’s possible....
‘Alternate’ Trump Elector Slates a Crime of Forgery?
The Justice Department, state prosecutors, and the House Select Committee are on the case. In the 2020 post-election craziness in...
Top 10 ‘Friendliest’ Songs in the Rock Era
Here’s a Top 10 playlist of songs about friendship (plus a bonus round). Naturally, the Beatles, Stones and Dylan top...
1972 Gave Us the Greatest Soul Song Ever, the Temptations’ ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’
That year in rock was kind to the great Chuck Berry, who scored his first and only #1 hit with...
Malarkey! The Jan. 6 Rioters Aren’t ‘Wasting Away’ in Jails
Their charges and sentences have been lenient compared to the BLM George Floyd protesters, many of whom are doing hard...
The Beatles Share That Christmas Magic
The Fab Four recorded jolly ad-libs for their fan club members to celebrate the Christmas holiday. You better believe frenzied...
The Beach Boys in Two Songs
‘Sloop John B’ and ‘Sail On, Sailor’ were off the charted course from the Beach Boys’ idealized California culture. ‘If...
Trump and Cronies Aim to Infiltrate Local Elections Machinery
“Having election deniers run elections is like having arsonists take over the fire department.” Sound the Alarm If you are...
Have a Rocking Thanksgiving in Alice’s Restaurant!
You can get anything you want (excepting Alice). During my adult life, I have made a ritual of listening to...
COVID Wars: Who Needs Science When You’ve Got Eric Clapton?
As a massive public figure, Clapton must realize that spouting his pro-COVID nonsense could have grave consequences. Paraphrasing the Independent:...
James O’Keefe’s Dishonest Voter Fraud ‘Sting’ Helped Enable Trump’s ‘Big Lie’
The faux journalist’s election year misadventure targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who conservatives love to hate. You might have heard...
Houston Astros and Pete Rose Collide at Home Plate
The cheating Houston Astros get off with a wrist-slap, while Pete Rose, a man with a gambling addiction, gets the...
The Beatles’ White Album: Brilliance Overcame Adversity
Even with the bitter taste of the Maharishi and Yoko Ono’s unwanted presence, the Beatles created a masterpiece. Most rock...
Notable Rock Books Now on the Shelves
Printed-word storytelling is not a lost art in this new crop of rock books hitting bookstores and libraries this fall....
Texas’s Changing Landscape and Misgivings About the GOP’s Far-Right Agenda
Texas Republicans’ strict ‘pro-life’ stance conceals a culture of death. Election Audit for Texas? Being from the east coast, my...
James Taylor’s Apple Debut a Triumph Despite Secret Life
His drug addiction hidden from view, Apple Records could sense the immense talent in a young James Taylor, the first...
Surviving Racial Conflict in the US Army in 1970s Germany
There was always a chance for a racial confrontation in the German town where I was stationed. So we opened...
“John Barleycorn Must Die!” the Best Drinking Song Ever?
The story behind Traffic’s deep dive into British folk music. Prologue: Steve Winwood At the center of it all was...
GOP: COVID Is Like a River in Egypt
But just in case COVID exists, say Republicans without evidence, its spread is being caused by recent immigrants. I can’t...
The Jefferson Airplane Was a San Francisco Treat
The flight of the Jefferson Starship Enterprise was not a charted course. Did the Jefferson Airplane betray its “Haight-Ashbury” roots...
Multiculturalism in Census Results Must Be a Factor in Redistricting
Republicans still have the edge in redrawing state maps. That means gerrymandering is alive and well. Prologue At first blush,...
Trumpworld and Fox News Tout Hungary’s ‘Soft Fascism’ as a Blueprint for America’s Future
Though on the surface a Euro-democracy, Hungary under autocrat Viktor Orban has dismantled democratic norms much like Donald Trump tried....
Laura Nyro: The Best Songwriter You’ve Maybe Never Heard Of
Six essentials about the reclusive Nyro, who wrote songs that others made into hits. Prologue Right around reaching my teenage...
The GOP Plan to Overturn Democracy…By the Numbers
Republicans are busy changing the rules to make it easier for their party to overturn the will of the voters...
The Hapless Demise of Trump Disciple Ashli Babbitt
Q: Who shot Ashli Babbitt? A: The people who keep asking that question. All of a sudden, six months after...
Rubber Soul: The Beatles’ Pop Masterpiece, Revisited
Rubber Soul marked the end of ‘Beatlemania’ and heralded the dawn of creating the gold standard in recording artistry. You...
The Fourth of July, a Holiday Uniquely American
The Ameican Experiment began with a raised fist towards the mightiest of world powers. It was built for the long...
Clown Show Arizona Recount’s Ultimate Goal: No Election Will be Safe From Partisan Meddling
Is relitigating the past the smartest electoral strategy for the GOP? The bogus recount of ballots cast in Arizona’s Maricopa...
Main Line Textile Designer Enjoying Second Act in the Fine Arts
Priscilla Bohlen on her second go-round in art: ‘It’s a great life!’ It was author F. Scott Fitzgerald who said...
Revolver: The Beatles At Their Collaborative and Creative Best
On recording the greatest record album of all-time. The Beatles album Revolver, forever in the shadow of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely...
Whither Goes the Republican Party?
A break-away third party? A Trump indictment? The demise of our democracy? Will the fever ever break? Autocrats of the...
Sheryl Crow’s Hit Song, “All I Wanna Do,” Gives Poet Wyn Cooper His 15 Minutes
The song was based on a poem that Crow’s producer found in a Pasadena used bookstore. The Nineties: Rock’s Last...
Biden Takes Aim at the Gig Economy
Gig workers lack safety net protections, while internet-based companies save on labor costs and receive a government bailout. Prologue The...
They Just Lie…and Lie…and Lie
Republicans weaponize political misinformation through a right wing echo chamber. When it’s debunked, some damage filters through. Rogue Recount Here...
Stealing Black Land
Since 1910, African Americans have been stripped of 90% of farmland that was legally their own. Prologue: 40 Acres and...
The Yardbirds’ Sixties ‘Rave-Up’ with Three Legendary Guitars
Two original Yardbirds have kept the flame burning long after the band’s final 1968 concert. Three Guitars It is a...
Baseball Negro Leagues: He was called the ‘Cuban Babe Ruth’
Or maybe Babe Ruth was the ‘American Cristobal Torriente.’ If I should see [Cristobal] Torriente walking up the other side...
Oh Lawdy, the Blues World’s Got Trouble
Blues guitar great Kenny Wayne Shepherd has become prey to a racial reckoning. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, longtime blues guitarist, singer...
Back in the Day: Punk Rock versus Disco
The story of a clash of cultures in the late ’70s. In the midst of all those great rock acts...
The Electric Guitar Gave Birth to Rock ‘n’ Roll
Here are five truly awesome guitar recordings, released during the golden age of rock. This is a chord. This is...
Songs of ’71: John Lennon and Marvin Gaye Each Create a Masterpiece
50 years ago, ‘Imagine’ and ‘What’s Going On’ validated rock ‘n’ roll as a force for social change. Janet Jackson...
Unheralded Session Players ‘Funk Brothers’ Key to Motown Sound
Ace songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier-Holland helped make Berry Gordy’s dreams come true. Back in the Day If you came...
Democrats Might Be in Decent Shape to Retain the Senate in 2022
In the House, Democrats can benefit from primary challenges by Trumpian extremists. Conventional wisdom. It’s a bear when it works...
When Soul Music and Rock Shared the Top of the Charts
The sixties was a time for breaking down racial barriers. Music was no exception. The Way It Was By the...
The Jan. 6 Seditionists: No Profiles in Courage with This Bunch
The rioters included dozens of financial deadbeats and some convicted of violence against women. Requiem for an Ex-President With Donald...
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven’ found in a Speck of Northern Alabama
‘The Swampers’ in Muscle Shoals integrated soul, rock and the blues to become sought-after, elite instrumentalists You’re in rock ‘n’...
Some Dare Call It Treason
With impeachment acquittal likely, there are other remedies to hold Trump accountable. Impeachment For those of you wishing upon a...
Phil Spector’s Let It Be Beatles
The late ‘Wall of Sound’ producer was allowed on George Martin’s sacred turf. The results were not pretty. The Late...
Post-Trump: Undoing the Damage
Part I: Get government on the side of workers and make the ‘gig economy’ a personal choice. Scalia’s Revenge One...
The Musical Journey of ‘House of the Rising Sun’
British Invaders Eric Burdon’s Animals made the song famous in 1964. A young Bob Dylan gave it a whack two...
Helping Bob Dylan Create His Masterpiece
Mike Bloomfield’s and Al Kooper’s excellent adventure recording “Like A Rolling Stone” Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper met at the...
The Allman Brothers Band Gave the Blues to Southern Rock
The band played a key role in both the blues and Southern rock’s revivals in the seventies. During my freshman...
John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” a Christmas Treat
John and Yoko’s Christmas song is a stirring reminder of their unique anti-war activism. This week, we mourn the 40th...
The Down-Ballot ‘Red Wave’ Election Explained
Defund the police? Words matter. Down-ballot losses couldn’t have come at a worse time. First, the good part. We can...
Television Endeared Us to The Wizard of Oz
The movie premiered before our time, but TV created new generations of fans. The Wizard of Oz was the Super...
Power-Riffing with Rock Legend Eddie Van Halen
Savoring instances of the charmed but tragic life of rock’s last guitar God. The rock world on Oct. 6 lost...
Biden Rebuilds ‘Blue Wall,’ Wins Presidency
Democrats pull a 2016 in reverse, while Trump and Giuliani spin baseless and dangerous conspiracy theories. Joe Biden’s path to...
Trump’s ‘October Surprise’ a Reality Show of Presidential Incompetence
Nobody’s buying the Hunter Biden smear, and so this year’s ‘October Surprise’ is Trump surrendering to widespread coronavirus spikes. Prologue:...
COVID Misinformation by Fox News Making Pandemic Deadlier
The Republican death cult seems to have given up trying to slay the beast. The issue before us is no...
Women Bearing Brunt of Pandemic Recession
Even a small shift toward Democrats among working class women could spell payback in battleground states. In this pandemic election...
Four Awesome Bruce Springsteen Covers
One song was actually a collaboration. Most recipients of Bruce’s songwriting had career revivals. There is a commonality to these...
DeVos Hand in Rigging School Pandemic Relief Formula Gets Caught in Cookie Jar
The education secretary is also gifting private and Christian schools with PPP funds while public schools go begging. A federal...
After Phenomenal Success, Cat Stevens Hit the ‘Road to Find Out’
This fall marks 50 years since the groundbreaking ‘Tea for the Tillerman’ hinted at Cat Stevens’ escape from pop stardom....
Trump’s Payroll Tax Cut a Covert Attack on Social Security
The president has vowed to permanently shut off the funding spigot for Social Security and Medicare if reelected. Donald J....
Right Wing Terrorism Thrives in Trump’s America
What kind of president or human being cheers on gun-toting racist agitators? Prologue On April 19, 1995, a truck packed...
Democrats: Vote by Mail or In-Person Voting?
Trump and his crony Postmaster trying to concoct chaos and confusion over the election. It’s not about the money. According...
