Music
Dolly Parton Knew What She Was Doing
The country icon was a woman of contradictions. Or was she?
Jason Arday's Downfall, Lindsay Clancy Case, and the Surveillance State
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi take on press restrictions, the war on drugs, Flock cameras, data centers, dating, punk rock, and why war is still bad, actually.
Trump's Newest Tariffs Could Protect America From the National Security Risk of Brass Instruments
An idea that's wildly out of tune at a time when Americans are trumpeting their worries about affordability.
Boy Throb Had To Go Viral To Get Its Fourth Member a U.S. Visa
After building a fanbase around his immigration struggle, Darshan Magdum can finally come to America.
RIP Lou Koller, a Hardcore Punk Hero and Free Speech Champion
Remembering the lead singer for the iconic band Sick of It All
Metal Band GWAR Says Secret Service Contacted It Over Mock Onstage Execution of Trump
The sci-fi scumlords GWAR have been killing presidents onstage for years, but until now they say they've never had problems with the Secret Service.
Trump's Failed Kennedy Center Takeover Shows Why Art and Government Don't Mix
The president's remedy for a "woke" Kennedy Center was to replace one alleged strain of ideological capture with another.
The Federal Government Botched the Bicentennial Too
There's a lesson laying there: Make it local, embrace the commercial, and ignore the president.
The DJ Who Brought America Weird Al, Tom Lehrer, and 'Cows With Guns'
After 55 years, Dr. Demento has finally retired from the airwaves.
Michael Is a Brutally Dull Biopic With Nothing to Say About Michael Jackson
This one's no thriller.
Afroman on Becoming the 2028 Libertarian Presidential Nominee
Afroman discusses his free speech court victory, why he thinks he could unite America, and whether he feels pressure to always be high.
Jury Finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster To Be Monopolists Over $1.72 Concert Ticket Price Increase
Punishing Live Nation and Ticketmaster for their success won't substantially lower primary ticket prices and will do nothing to address scalping.
Operation Eternal Darkness Threatens Iran Ceasefire Deal
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi play a little war vs. music game before they go back over COVID craziness and the joys of Pokémon.
You Don't Have To Like Kanye West To Hate His Ban From Britain
The British government has stopped the rapper from headlining at the London Wireless music festival. Why is that the British government's business?
Facebook Guilty
Plus: Trump declares victory over Iran again, Afroman trial reflections, and more...
Jury Clears Afroman of Defamation for Mocking Cops Who Raided His House
Ohio sheriff's deputies raided Afroman's house in 2022 based on a bogus tip, then sued the rapper after he released music videos mocking the deputies.
Epstein Files Drama, Bad Bunny Drama, and More A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Drama
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi react to Pam Bondi’s explosive testimony, weigh in on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and argue over which state would be most libertarian if it seceded.
Claiming Bad Bunny Isn't Successful Is as Foolish As Claiming He Isn't American
The Super Bowl is a celebration of excellence, and that includes the halftime show.
Half-Hearted Halftime Outrage
Plus: Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison, endemic fraud in federal welfare, Ghislaine Maxwell won't talk to Congress, and more...
Review: A Hit Country Song Made by AI
Should it matter whether a song was made by a human or a machine?
The Trump Administration's Deportation Reels Keep Getting Copyright Strikes for Using Music Without Permission
Without any real consequences for copyright infringements, the Department of Homeland Security doesn't have much incentive to follow the law.
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 Great Ideas for Apocalypse Preppers, Boozers, Self-Improvers—and More
Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day.
SCOTUS Tackles Illegal File Sharing, Internet Music Piracy, and Copyright Law
Plus: It’s webathon time.
Review: Charting Jerry Garcia's Enormous Cultural Impact
Here Beside the Rising Tide tells the story of the Grateful Dead and the 1960s counterculture.
Review: 'The Greatest Songwriter of All Time' Finally Gets a Biography
Carole King became one of the most influential musicians in the '60s, '70s, and beyond.
Review: KPop Demon Hunters Teaches Us That Harmony Thwarts Evil
A girl group battles a demon boy band in the wildly popular Netflix musical.
Can Eating More Protein Fix Our Digital Malaise?
As digital life overtakes culture, physical bodies are becoming more important than ever.
Review: In Defense of Spotify
Liz Pelly's Mood Machine book bemoans the music giant but overlooks how useful it is for listeners.
Hurricane Katrina Devastated New Orleans. Some of It Came Back Better.
Hurricane Katrina was a chapter in the history of man's struggle both to control nature and to accept what he cannot control.
Streaming Music Isn't a Free Market. It's a Regulated Monopoly.
Rock legend David Lowery draws on his decades in the music industry to explain how government-imposed licensing fees and price controls helped streaming platforms flourish while eroding artist rights and income.
Brian Wilson Was an Exemplary American
The leader of the Beach Boys is dead, but what he did for his country will resound in our history forever.
Kennedy: A Gen X Rebel's Journey From MTV to Fox News
The Fox News personality reflects on her evolution from a contrarian Republican to a libertarian and her belief that personal freedom, humor, and not giving a shit are the keys to a better America.
Are We Still Living in 1999?
A new book argues that late-20th-century lowbrow culture created the modern world.
With Sinners, Ryan Coogler Delivers an Unevenly Excellent Vampire Gothic
After years in the Marvel mines, the Creed director returns with a bloody genre musical.
Can a Pop Song Violate Children's Rights?
In Colombia, a court claims the answer is yes. Could that happen here?
The University of Tennessee Nearly Expelled a Student for Racy Tweets, Now Agrees To Pay Her $250,000
The settlement vindicates Kimberly Diei's First Amendment right to comment on sexually explicit rap songs without suffering government retaliation.
Review: Laura Marling Mixes Songs With Snippets of Life as a Mom
The album Patterns in Repeat portrays motherhood in an almost exclusively positive light.
Review: Cabaret's Broadway Revival
It's a story about vulnerable people, powerless against the rise of a sweeping authoritarian regime, each seeking a way to cope with the unprecedented times in which they live.
Wicked and the Importance of the Public Domain
Movies like Wicked draw on classic works no longer under copyright protection.
Jeffrey Edward Green: Why Bob Dylan's Prophecies Continue To Fascinate
Jeffrey Edward Green, author of Bob Dylan: Prophet Without God, discusses Dylan’s fraught relationship with political activism, Christianity, and self-mythology.
A San Francisco Coder Built a Musical Surveillance System
With a name inspired by a controversial police surveillance technology, Bop Spotter scans the streets for ambient tunes.
