Author Archive

The tale of the tape

Feb 04, 2013 Comments Off on The tale of the tape

This past weekend, for the first time in I’m not sure how long, I went to a movie theater, and I’m very happy I did. The film I saw was Dave Grohl’s Sound City, which, on the surface at least, is about a dumpy little recording studio in Van Nuys, Calif. It just so happens […]

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Off the Meter

Sep 11, 2012 Comments Off on Off the Meter

This afternoon I had a really fun chat about Exit Music and a few other things with cabbie/comedian/radio personality/Radiohead fan Jimmy Failla for his show Off the Meter. You can find it here or (if you prefer the iTunes platform) here. My spiel starts around 29 minutes in. Enjoy!

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A “Playlists” Sampler

Aug 21, 2012 Comments Off on A “Playlists” Sampler

As a way of drawing further attention to my book 101 Great Playlists (available electronically through Barnes & Noble and iTunes starting today), I’ve decided to create a few Spotify playlists that correspond roughly to lists in the book. Since 101 Great Playlists is divided into three principal sections (tracks grouped by genre, tracks that […]

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101 Great Playlists

Aug 07, 2012 Comments Off on 101 Great Playlists

Recommendations for every music listener

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Homage to Friuli

Jul 14, 2012 1 Comment

A little over a week ago, I returned from one of the most remarkable travel experiences of my life. It involved flying to Italy to talk about Radiohead and sign copies of my book on the band. Just that would have been fun enough in itself, but the unexpected way this trip came together elevated […]

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The Rock Book Show

Apr 20, 2012 Comments Off on The Rock Book Show

I recently had the pleasure of chatting on camera with Kimberly Austin of the Rock Book Show about the new edition of Exit Music and Radiohead in general. You can check out her excellent questions and my rather prolix but generally articulate answers here.

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Two types of “Magpie”

Mar 27, 2012 Comments Off on Two types of “Magpie”

My series of guest blog posts about Radiohead on the Hal Leonard website comes to an end with an examination of the song “Morning Mr. Magpie.” Two extremely different renditions here, separated by nearly 10 years. Check it out by clicking on this link.

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Advice to a young writer

Mar 26, 2012 Comments Off on Advice to a young writer

This is an email I sent recently to an undergraduate student at a well-respected East Coast university who contacted me for suggestions about how to begin establishing himself as a music journalist. **************************** Dear ______________, Thanks for getting in touch, and sorry it’s taken me a while to respond. I’m not sure what suggestions I […]

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In front of the camera

Mar 21, 2012 Comments Off on In front of the camera

As promised last week, here’s a video that relates to my most recent blog post for the Hal Leonard website. In it, I unleash my inner music professor and get all technical about the rhythmic intricacies of Radiohead’s “Videotape.” Enjoy!

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Roll “Videotape”

Mar 13, 2012 Comments Off on Roll “Videotape”

Part two of my guest blog for Hal Leonard is now online. This time, the Radiohead song getting the live compare-and-contrast treatment is “Videotape.” Go here to check it out. And please note that (aptly, given the song title) a video-only version of the blog—featuring yours truly on camera demonstrating a subtle but important aspect of […]

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