The Goonies: Never Say Die!
What do you get when kids are left to their own devices, and decide to go on a treasure hunt, using a map they found while rummaging around in the attic? You get The Goonies, a rambunctious, noisy, pirate-themed treasure-hunt action-fantasy that almost everyone seems to love. This is a delightful tale by Steven Spielberg, …
The Tragic Rise and Fall of Badfinger
Badfinger has always been a baffling mystery to many music aficionados. Often called “The Original Power Pop Band,” the band was mega-talented and very connected, but for some reason, they never were able to achieve the level of stardom they once appeared to be headed for. This band had all the necessary components to be …
Fleetwood Mac Rumours: A Retro Review
It’s often said that the best music comes from deep inside, or from a broken heart. Never is that adage more apparent than when listening to Fleetwood Mac’s iconic album, Rumours. The studio sessions were heavily marked by cocaine use, as well as the strife among band members, and the relationship breakups that shaped most …
Denny Laine: On His Own
When you look up the definition of the phrase “Versatile Enigma,” a picture of Denny Laine will surely be near it. Born Brian Frederick Hines in Tyseley, Birmingham, England, the name change occurred very early on with the formation of his first band, The Diplomats. Laine felt that Brian Frederick Hines and the Diplomats sounded …
The Go-Gos: Lips Unsealed
Once again, director Alison Ellwood has hit it out of the park with her newest documentary The Go-Gos on Showtime. Told in their own voices, the girls are raw and candid, with no holds barred on every subject. The Go-Gos are a Los Angeles based punk/new wave band formed in the late 70s, around 1978. …
Cheap Trick: To Budokan and Back Again
Cheap Trick is one of the hardest working bands in the music business and have been since the early 70s. Formed in 1973 in Rockford, IL, the band’s classic lineup consisted of front man, Robin Zander, guitarist, Rick Nielsen, bassist, Tom Petersson, and drummer, Bun E. Carlos. Although a few members have taken a break …
The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night: Retro Movie Review
Over five decades after its release, The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night has aged very well, and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre, and even rock music. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of musical movies. When it opened in September 1964, many critics attended the viewing, prepared to …
Fear as The New Religion: How confirmation bias became the new sacrament and YouTube the new church
We’ve all seen them – the often crazy conspiracy theory videos that seem to be the fastest growing section of the vast YouTube library. They are amusing and occasionally interesting, and I’ll admit that once in a very great while, on the surface, they appear to make compelling arguments. I say “on the surface” because …
Almost Famous: 20 Years Later
Almost Famous is a Cameron Crowe written and directed movie about rock and roll. But it’s far more than that – it’s a timeless coming-of-age story that appeals to viewers regardless of whether or not they were around during the 70s. It’s about bands, music, and life on the road, during the era of “sex, …
Xanadu: 40 Years Later
Forty years after its release, I consider Xanadu to be not only a cult classic, but a true guilty pleasure. “Cheesy” doesn’t even begin to describe it, yet that’s at the heart of its delightfully perverse charm. Now, that’s entertainment! Initially panned by critics, Xanadu cannot be watched with anything resembling a serious mindset, nor …