“A blue bong, high quality indica buds, hash, hash oil, freebase, red wine, cigarettes, LSD, coffee, and whippets.” Dust Brother Mike Simpson’s recollection of the essential items in the production of the Beastie Boy’s second album gives more than a hint about why this particular slice of hip-hop has been, to say the least, a little obscured. And this is the Beastie Boys album which needs the most exposition; even though most people will tell you that it’s their masterwork, the …

Back in 2001, there was still mystery left in the Pixies. Frank Black (not, as he seems to call himself now, Charles Thompson) had only just reached the point where he could say the name of his former band out loud; he still hadn’t spoken to his ex-bandmate Kim Deal in almost a decade. Whispers of a reunion were growing louder, sure, but certainly nobody I knew was ready to believe them. And when an article appeared in Mojo that March, it was still …

Babies in America usually have their choice of a million dangling toys of all shapes and sizes. They can range everywhere from platinum shiny to electric colors invented in the ’80s. These toys can do anything from playing melodies to imitating animal noises to producing the most irritating flatulent squeaks. Yet despite the hundreds of dollars spent on these toys, these aren’t the things babies prefer to see. Most scientists agree that what newborn babies most prefer seeing is the human face. …

I spent the entire month of October 2004 wondering if I had wasted $35 (plus Ticketmaster convenience charges) to see a band better remembered through their records. It’s not as if I assumed the Pixies reunion would be horrible, but for me purchasing a Pixies ticket was more about being able to say, “Well, at least I saw them.” Despite the fact that there were no rumors or reports of the Pixies fighting, there was always the possibility that my show could be the …

If you’ve never heard Sly & The Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On before, I suggest you go do so immediately. I think it’s an album that everyone can get the same vibes from: hazy, fuzzy, depressing, a funk record with a tone so different from other funk records that it’s always surprising. There’s a Riot Goin’ On is simply end-of-an-era coked out genius – and if any one of Sly & The Family Stone’s albums deserves a book written about …

They started as just another satellite in Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions orbit; eight years and one messy divorce later, the Eagles of Death Metal are a full-fledged “movement and phenomenon onto itself,” as mustachioed singer/guitarist Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes puts it. We talked to Hughes for fifteen minutes at the cusp of the Eagles’ spring tour with the Strokes, touching on everything from groupies to girl-phobic indie kids and Rick Springfield. The resulting interview may not be as lengthy as some of the …

There are a number of roles to play in the realm of pop culture, but it’s rare that we give much thought to what is, perhaps, the most important one. Entertainment media is nothing without the fan. The fan is the one who allows a work to succeed. If you have no fan base, your efforts will most certainly fail.
Yet even that idea isn’t so simple: there are your standard fans — the people who make an effort to tune in to a TV show …

Have you ever wanted a textbook to be more personal? Have you ever wanted to feel like you truly had an active hand in your learning? And are you a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure stories? Also, for extra credit, have you ever wanted to get trashed with notable historic figures?
If the answer to any of those questions is “yes,” then James Gabler’s An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation might just be for you. This text seeks …

Ask a few random people to list the definitive artists of soul music, and Sam Cooke’s name is one that probably won’t come up. Despite this, there’s nothing keeping him from being one of the most pivotal and important artists in black music. There’s no contesting that had Sam not died at his height, he’d be recognized by today’s public as the important innovator, entrepreneur and iconic artist he was. But given a few generation gaps and his (relatively) small body of work, Cooke …

For centuries, the world of poetry has been divided into many separate factions. The Beats, the New York School, the Romantics; even today, when poetry’s relevance has been subjugated to more of a romantic anecdote status than actual, high-profile literature, its various categories remain. But especially prevalent in today’s literary community is the slam poet: Def Poetry Jam-style performers whose words are intended more for the stage than the page. There are, of course, times when traditional poetry and slam poetry coexist – …