He didn't say those things to black musicians. Check the link from my previous post. Forgive and forget, in my opinion.
The other issue is rappers scolding white kids for using that word when singing along to their songs. Believe me, I get why white people should never use the word. However, coming down on young people for singing lyrics you wrote doesn't help the cause. In fact, it's bullying. Artists don't get to choose who likes and sings along to their songs. If they don't want kids singing that word, then don't put it in the lyrics. I'm over explaining to other white people why some people can use that word and others can't. Equality, right?
I wasn't referring to Costello's artistic decision. He used the word in describing James Brown and Ray Charles during a barroom argument with Bonnie Bramlett. Here are the details. A well-known incident. Here are the details. If we're going to rank usages of the "n" word, what Costello said was worse.
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elvis-costello-racist-remarks/
It's interesting how this article appears at about the same time as the Elvis Costello piece. The question is, how long should we hold using that word against a person? In Costello's case, we have long forgiven him (or at least should have). Since Wallen has apologized, shouldn't he also be forgiven at some point? Or should we strike the words "I apologize" from our lips and language?
By the way, I am in no way a fan of Wallen's music. However, in this era where we're trying to educate people about America's racist history, we should be happy anytime a person comes to terms with their own past mistakes. Morgan Wallen. Elvis Costello. Patti Smith. Your old Uncle Charley. It doesn't matter who the person is.
It's funny that nerds who post their year-end lists here in an attempt to impress people (and mainly themselves) would make fun of a distinguished person's list. What qualifies Tom Breihan to take pot shots at someone else's list? He's a friggin' music blogger.
Why do some of you think Barack Obama doesn't listen to music, read books or value the arts? Because Donald Trump doesn't?
The best leaders tend to care about that stuff.
Wrong. The fool is the person who has that word in his bag of tricks. WE should have zero tolerance for stuff like that. Hate speech is a form of bullying and an act of cowardice. If you hear it in the lunchroom at work, it's your job to do something about it, be it reporting the offender to HR or letting the person know it's not acceptable in any way, shape, or form. Letting these people off the hook is like saying you're okay with using the word to hurt people. Our sons need to learn this as well.
As for your he-man "panties in a bunch" comment, grow up, will ya? Carey wasn't standing up for himself. Instead, he was proving himself to be a, um, tool. His age has nothing to do with it. Whether a person is 6 or 60, we should not be giving a pass to someone who does or says the wrong thing.
The Bottle Rockets. Brian Henneman announced his retirement from music in March. That got me thinking how long our favorite artists should keep doing it. Bop 'til you drop is not a reasonable expectation.
Here’s my annual mix of favorite 20 songs. The difference this year is, just last week, I finally purchased a Spotify subscription. Oh, what fun.
As with 2020, I have added a 21st song as a bonus track. And what a song it is! The first vinyl album I ever bought was ABBA’s “wooden bench” Greatest Hits from 1976. Since the song mentions the wooden bench, the mix would feel incomplete if I didn’t include it.
In my opinion, the segues aren’t half-bad. Who would have imagined Charlie Parr and Olivia Rodrigo sounding so great back-to-back?
BEST OF FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT: 2021
1. The Dive Bar in My Heart – The Wallflowers
2. Last of the Better Days Ahead – Charlie Parr
3. Drivers License – Olivia Rodrigo
4. 18 Cigarettes – Ducks Ltd.
5. Souled Out on You – Robert Finley
6. Be Sweet – Japanese Breakfast
7. I Am – Dori Freeman
8. Molly Says – Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey
9. I Love You, I Hate You – Little Simz
10. Hardline – Julien Baker
11. Pick Up Your Feelings – Jazmine Sullivan
12. Stop Making This Hurt – Bleachers
13. I Notice – Ka
14. Little Town – Dar Williams
15. White Woman’s Instagram – Bo Burnham
16. Brando – Lucy Dacus
17. Wusyaname – Tyler, The Creator
18. Seventeen Going Under – Sam Fender
19. Hard Drive – Cassandra Jenkins
20. Canola Fields – James McMurtry
21. Don’t Shut Me Down – ABBA
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2DV5aNOyqmxEGsPJiMPhMB?si=a78640c1f01b4b91
Peter, Thanks for posting this clip. Ben has good taste in covers. Here's one he did nearly seven years ago years back that I will Alvvays love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xz72V-Mphw
AOY: LUCY DACUS, HOME VIDEO
Since the album is vaguely reminiscent of a writing project I'm working on, I found it inspirational. If not for this being my AOY, "Brando" would be my SOY. A day doesn't go by when I don't give that tune a listen.
SOY: DORI FREEMAN, I AM
A brief study in self-reflection. As a drama queen myself, this was the most "me" song I heard all year. The video is also outstanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwHRIg8JRvE
She actually invented Liquid Paper, not Wite-Out, and was fired from her bank secretary job because of it. But of course, she had the last laugh. Gotta love a woman who marches to the beat of a different drum.
https://www.inclusity.com/bette-nesmith-graham-1924-1980/
@artofjosephshelton, I just checked out some of your work. Fantastic. In 1980, I had a part-time job where I worked with the sister of the guy who created Rockards. If you're not familiar with them, here are images of a few.
https://www.collectors.com/trading-card/1of-52-super-rare-1979-rockards-van-halen-5x8-caricature-ca/-7795289614359476094
Future Stereogum headline...
Courtney Love Calls Out Phoebe Bridgers Over Woozy Kermit The Frog Duet Of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Pull-out quote: “It’s not something Kurt would have wanted. He hated skeleton costumes and frogs both equally.”
Also dying 2021: Lee "Scratch" Perry, U-Roy, Bunny Wailer, and, on the UK side, UB40 toastmaster Astro and Beat drummer Everett Morton.
In 2020: Toots Hibbert, Bob Andy, Millie Small, Johnny Nash, Norris Reid of The Viceroys, Apple Gabriel of Israel Vibrations, and Delroy Washington.
I'm sure I left some important people out, but jeesh. As it stands, the list shows that reggae was a lot more diverse than its critics liked to claim. There must be a heckuva festival going on in the great beyond.
Sad news. It's been a rough couple of years in reggae, with so many greats dying. Granted, most of them became prominent around the same time and were up there in years. Robbie was young by comparison. Nevertheless, that generation of Jamaican musicians made the world a better place. Musically speaking, they played a significant role in getting us where we are today.
That's the case with many tribute acts whose singers can hit notes that the artist being tributed no longer can. It's why that stuff is so popular with the classic rock radio crowd. Imitation Bruce sounds more like "Born to Run" Bruce than 72-year-old real Bruce, for a cheaper ticket price. I find the whole thing rather creepy and would never pay to see such a thing. But I might change my mind if someone put together a stone-age ABBA tribute band called ABBA DABBA DOO.
Does Tench have experience as a basketball coach? The Gators might be looking for a new one after tonight's blowout loss to previously winless Texas Southern.
carson3, Another guy I like is Mark Germino, who bounced back from prolonged health woes in 2021 to release his first album in 15 years, 'Midnight Carnival." His 1995 album, 'Rank and File,' is a personal favorite. Before that, he played with the late Tim Krekel in a Nashville band called Mark Germino & The Sluggers. A good album of theirs is 1991's 'Radartown.' The song "Rex Bob Lowenstein," which appears on both albums, is the best song I've ever heard about being a disc jockey. Another fave from 'Rank and File' is "Fire in the Land of Grace," where Germino dreams about burning Graceland to the ground. He has a skewed perspective that's just fine in my book.
That brings me to this song from 'Midnight Carnival.' Wit, wisdom, and wild-eyed storytelling. It always brings a smile to my face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q00EJYQZV2k
That Hold Steady album is superb. It's nice to see it get a few mentions here. I suppose they're at that stage of their careers where they've become taken for granted. "Family Farm" is one of the best songs I heard all year. I'm sure the anti-rock 'n' roll guitar crowd over at Pitchfork hated it.
McMurtry is a fantastic songwriter. To my ears, 'The Horses and the Hounds' is his best-sounding yet, making it a suitable companion on the highways and byways where you do your car-listening. David Grissom and Charlie Sexton take no prisoners on guitars. It's nice seeing Stan Lynch and John McFee in the credits as well.
An older fave I got into this year was Bruce Cockburn. Despite having positive experiences with his 1980 album ‘Human’ and 1984 song “If I had a Rocket Launcher,” I never felt the need to deep-dive into his extensive catalog. For that reason, his 2-CD, 30-track, 'Greatest Hits'set caught me off guard. Lyrically potent and tuneful, it’s a perfect entry point into the world of a songwriter with a lot on his mind and who knows how to express it. A fine listen, that album.
For me, 2021 was like a lot of years in music. At various points along the way, it seemed weak for albums. But when it came time to make a year-end list, I realized there were quite a few outstanding releases that floated my boat.
I’ll spare ya'll the details. Listed alphabetically by artist, here’s my Top 10, supplemented by a couple of related items.
FAVORITE 10 ALBUMS: 2021
Bo Burnham – Inside (The Songs)
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
Ducks Ltd. – Modern Fiction
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall – The Marfa Tapes
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview of Phenomenal Nature
Ka – A Martyr’s Reward
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
James McMurtry – The Horses and the Hounds
Dar Williams – I’ll Meet You Here
FAVORITE ARCHIVAL RELEASE
Bruce Cockburn – Greatest Hits (1970-2020)
FAVORITE MUSIC BOOK
Mary Gauthier – Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting
So much for "journalism" with that headline. Btw, for those who don't know, this is a follow-up to something Stereogum posted earlier in the week.
As I stated in response to the original post, racism/racial profiling is a problem in this world, but everything isn't racism/racial profiling.
Reminder: Racism is a huge problem in our world, but every arrest isn't because of racism or racial profiling. It's interesting how people are quick to choose one side or the other when they weren't there and don't know all the facts. It's also interesting how they tend to make their choice based on their worldview. If someone is shot and killed, they need to know the ethnic and religious background of the shooter before determining their level of anger. We see this all the time.
"Chaise Longue" sounds like an old Stiff Records 45. It's a fun song, but can we hold off on the "great band" stuff? Being great at making music isn't easy and certainly takes more than one catchy song.
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