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...
Category: Lifestyle
Have a Rocking Thanksgiving at Alice’s Restaurant
Arlo Guthrie celebrates the life of good friend Alice Brock, who passed one week before Thanksgiving. During my adult life,...
Deadly Fentanyl Invades Rock Music’s Permissive Sanctuary
Rockers such as Tom Petty and Prince succumbed to Fentanyl, a drug accountable for 74,000 American deaths last year. Maybe...
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:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 is the month we mourn...
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...
A Youthful Adventure Along the Mississippi Blues Highway 61
We dropped in on Sam Chatmon, who found some fame with a family string band called the Mississippi Sheiks. Prologue...
Philadelphia Free Library Latest to Go ‘Fine-Free’
Waiving overdue fines celebrates the notion that libraries mean more than a transaction. One of the special things about libraries...
Have a Hearty Laugh for the Holiday!
The Season’s Upon Us The holidays are mostly about family and the solemnity of the spiritual celebration. But I believe...
What Happened to Hitchhiking?
Hitchhiking peaked in the sixties and seventies. Then, it just vanished. Suppose you’re an urban or suburban Philadelphian making a...
An Army Story: Cold War and a Father’s Warmth
I was a campus activist who got drafted in Nixon’s lottery. My father helped me get through it. May 4,...
The Cover-Up of the Biggest Disaster in Music History
A vault said to contain a half-million song masters of the Universal Music Group went up in flames 11 years...
By the Time We Got to Woodstock…
The audacity of rock ‘n’ roll overcame traffic jams, rainstorms, and mass hunger. It was the best of times. It...
Tales from the Cultural War: Sports Betting and Pot Legalization
Despite widespread pot legalization, many Americans, especially minorities, are getting busted for possession. One striking parallel between sports betting and...
Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”
Paul’s holiday ditty is a gift that keeps on giving. Musicians who are able to write catchy songs are usually...
Main Line Artist Had Brush with Chaplin Greatness
Dolya Goutman’s odyssey included a stop at Charles Chaplin’s mansion and a friendship with the screen legend’s two eldest sons....
Barack Obama, a Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You
A random sampling of what our beloved president has been up to these days As it becomes more and more...
Chuck Berry’s Gift: The Soundtrack for Our Time
A Philly Blues Musician and Former History Teacher Measures the Late Rock ‘n’ Roller’s Greatness Editor’s Note: John Colgan-Davis is a harmonica player...
The Democratic Convention: Up Close and Very Personal
A Philly Guy Takes Pride In His Host City, Warts and All The Democratic Party holding its big convention in...
VINYL VIBE – Jazz Composer’s Orchestra
Karl Jones Riffs on His Vinyl Treats Editor’s Note: Welcome to VINYL VIBE, an occasional column reviewing hand-picked jazz records from the personal collection of...
