Mark Burton

Gram Parsons: A Life Cut Short

Gram Parsons’ star blazed bright, but sadly, burned out far too soon. Born Ingram Cecil Connor III in Winter Haven, FL, his early life was badly shaken when his biological father committed suicide when he was 12. His mother quickly remarried, and young Gram took the surname of his step-father, Robert Parsons. For a time, …

Music

Bernie Taupin: The Other Half of Elton John

Elton John (“EJ”) is an artist that almost everyone recognizes. But there’s another side to the singer’s success, and that’s his long-time lyricist partner, Bernie Taupin, or the other half of Elton John. Taupin has been writing the lyrics for one of music’s greatest showmen for over half a century. Yet, to many, he is …

Music

John Lennon: We Can Only Imagine

What can I say about the late, great John Lennon that hasn’t already been said numerous times? He was a brilliant musician, an Avant Garde poet, an outspoken, and sometimes, rebellious visionary, and most certainly, an icon. He was a husband, a father, a lover, and an idol. He was a million different things to …

Cannabis

A Short (Really Short) History of Early Cannabis Use

When we typically think of Cannabis usage, we normally go back in time to the 60’s or perhaps a bit earlier, to the Prohibition era, when it was sold quietly in speak easies focused on weed, called “Teapads.” But human culture has been intertwined with Marijuana for far longer. We can find evidence of it …

Music

REM: The Unheralded Instigator of Grunge

REM: The Unheralded Instigator of Grunge In the Beginning As we moved past the middle-80’s, we saw a shift from the artistic creativity of earlier in the decade, to a what many felt was a blander and formulistic approach to pop, rock, New Wave and dance music. Many bands continued to pursue their music ambitions …

Music

How Madonna Became “the Queen of Pop.”

Madonna, the artist often referred to as the “Queen of Pop,” was born Madonna Louise Ciccone (see she came by her stage name legitimately!) on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan. From relatively humble beginnings, Madonna approached the music industry on her own terms and ended up, well… “The Queen of Pop!” To a …

Pop Culture

Woodstock Redux

It’s Woodstock, fifty years later—the convergence of 60, 70 and some 80 year-olds onto an iconic bowl-shaped venue as they try to buck themselves out of skin that’s liver spotted and crepey in order to make the wry prick of time not feel so poignant or so permanent. It rains. Cold rain and hot earth …

Cannabis

The Cannabis Culture of the Psychedelic Sixties

Think of the word “psychedelic” and what is apt to come to mind? Most likely you conjure images of long-haired, bell bottomed, barefooted hippies, of course some tie-dye thrown in for good effect. Music that ran the gamut from acid rock, to folk songs, to more classic and iconic rock-n-roll. And interwoven through all of …

Television

How Some of the Iconic 80s Sitcom Families Got it Right

Many a Gen Xer grew up on a steady diet of heavily laugh-tracked sitcoms. Flashback to 1987, I am in my room surrounded by pinups torn from sundry teen magazines featuring the likes of Michael J. Fox and Kirk Cameron. How could you not fall for the devilish and still kind-hearted Mike Seaver. The Seavers, …

Music

The Carpenters: For All We Know

Karen and Richard Carpenter, also known as The Carpenters, were the soundtrack of most of our lives throughout the ‘70s. They produced a distinctive, soft musical style, combining Karen’s beautiful alto vocals with Richard’s harmonizing, arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television …

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Mark Burton

Gram Parsons: A Life Cut Short

Bernie Taupin: The Other Half of Elton John

John Lennon: We Can Only Imagine

A Short (Really Short) History of Early Cannabis Use

REM: The Unheralded Instigator of Grunge

How Madonna Became “the Queen of Pop.”

Woodstock Redux

The Cannabis Culture of the Psychedelic Sixties

How Some of the Iconic 80s Sitcom Families Got it Right

The Carpenters: For All We Know

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