Music
Review: Marta Kubišová Challenged Czechoslovak Communism
Her 1969 Songy a Balady (Songs and Ballads) was yanked from shelves, only to reappear after the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
"He Is Right Who Is Defending His Home"
"Our generation always understood each other without borders and passports / There, where we sang about friendship, today people dream only of complete revenge / All that normal people built over the years—all is obliterated."
NPR Tries To Cancel Stoner Metal Legend Matt Pike
An exhaustive profile of the Sleep and High on Fire frontman focuses almost entirely on his "dangerous" affinity for David Icke's lizard people conspiracy theories.
Revenge at All Costs
The Iranian metal band Confess was charged with blasphemy and anti-government propaganda in 2015, before fleeing to Norway. Their latest album documents this experience.
Canceling an Artist Because He's Russian Is Nothing Short of Bigotry
And it will only drive people further into the arms of President Vladimir Putin.
Tchaikovsky Is Canceled
The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra scrubbed the famed composer from an upcoming program, calling his music "inappropriate at this time."
Ukraine's Glory and Freedom Have Not Yet Perished
That happens to be the opening line of Ukraine's national anthem.
How Anti-Smut Activists Made 'Louie, Louie' Famous
Censors wore out their welcome during the 20th century's indecency wars.
Coachella Drops All COVID-19 Restrictions
For the first time in two years, Coachella will return. Festival attendees will be able to enjoy themselves without having to abide by nonsensical mandates.
From Halftime Show to Social Media, Calls To Ban Rap
Plus: Texas voting law likely unconstitutional, remote workers and rural towns, and more...
My My, Hey Hey, Neil Young's Songs Are Here To Stay (Just Not on Spotify)
Three and a half lessons about Neil Young, Joe Rogan, Spotify, and our age of cultural plenitude
The Tennessee Supreme Court Could Decide the Fate of Nashville's Home Recording Studios
The city's restrictions threaten one of the world's most vibrant music scenes.
Why Does Kenny G Drive Critics Crazy?
Penny Lane’s new film explores the gap between diehard fans and critical elites.
Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Is a Dazzling Bit of Americana
It’s a moving story about immigration and assimilation, and one of the best movies of the year.
Penny Lane: Can 75 Million Kenny G Fans Be Wrong?
The HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G brilliantly explores the gulf between market success and critical acclaim.
The Cuban Heavy Metal Band That Joined the Communist Regime
The members of Zeus fought for the freedom to be frikis. Then they joined the Castro government's official Agency of Rock.
The Best of Cold War Culture
Books, films, and more related to the dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Kinks vs. the People in Grey
Happy 50th birthday to Muswell Hillbillies, a concept album about nostalgia, conformity, and the evils of urban renewal programs.
How the Government Seized a Rare Wu-Tang Clan Album (and a DAO Bought It Back)
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, formerly owned by Martin Shkreli, was auctioned off by the government and bought by the blockchain/art enthusiasts at PleasrDAO.
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Unearthed relics tell the story of the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival, which featured the likes of Nina Simone, B.B. King, and Stevie Wonder.
Donda Is a Portal Into Kanye West's Exquisite Mania
He may have taken off the MAGA cap. But he's still finding a way to push people's buttons.
Chloe Valdary: How Kendrick Lamar and The Lion King Can Help Close the Racial Divide
Forget Robin DiAngelo and White Fragility. Theory of Enchantment uses popular culture to make workplaces more inclusive and welcoming.
Diversity Seminars Don't Have To Be Maoist Struggle Sessions
Chloe Valdary's Theory of Enchantment program uses Kendrick Lamar, Cheryl Strayed, and The Lion King to ease workplace racial tensions.
Lil Nas X Uses Chart-Topping 'Industry Baby' To Stump for Bail Reform
Around half a million Americans are stuck at any given time in pretrial detention, often because they can’t afford freedom.
Louis Menand: 'Freedom Was the Slogan of the Times'
Why postwar culture from Jack Kerouac to Andy Warhol to James Baldwin to Susan Sontag to Yoko Ono battled boundaries hemming them in.
A Composer Condemned Arson. Now No One Will Hire Him.
"I chose to be that guy who didn't issue the apology," says Daniel Elder. "Things went from there and it wasn't good."
The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
Art Tavana: What Guns N' Roses Tells Us About the American Dream
How Axl Rose reflected a country desperate but unwilling to move on from a worn-out postwar consensus on national identity, gender roles, and global hegemony.
A D.C. Blues Bar Ran a Mini-Vaccine Drive for Employees and Performers. Now Its Owner Wants the Right To Reopen.
Madam's Organ owner Bill Duggan says opening venues for the vaccinated would be a "win-win-win." Artists could perform, businesses could make money, and people would have one more reason to get their shot.
Donald Trump's Presidency Is Over. MAGA Rap Is Keeping His Legacy Alive.
Songs like "Gun Totin' Patriot" and "We Outside" might be ridiculous, Trump-worshiping schlock, but their embrace of controversial themes breathes some rebelliousness back into rap.
D.C. City Council Considers Soundproofing Requirement for Residential Construction To Appease NIMBYs
The Harmonious Living Amendment Act improves on past proposals to fine street musicians. It still suffers from all the typical problems that come with top-down regulation.
Tina Turner's Powerhouse Career Recounted in HBO Documentary
Also: Cancel culture knives are out for The United States of Al. It doesn’t deserve them.
Andra Day Shines in a Confused Interpretation of The United States vs. Billie Holiday
What we know about Holiday’s mistreatment is compelling enough without muddling her history.
Metal Musician Adam 'Nergal' Darski Fined by Polish Court for 'Offending Religious Feelings'
Behemoth frontman Adam 'Nergal' Darski was fined $5,000 for a 2019 social media post that showed him stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary.
Rock Legend Frank Zappa Battles Censorship, Communism, and Conformity in a New Documentary
Alex Winter's new film celebrates the Rock Hall of Famer's individualism, anti-authoritarianism, and entrepreneurship.
Alex Winter: Frank Zappa's Ultra-Individualist Legacy
The rock legend fought for free speech and self-expression in ways that appealed to dissidents in America and communist countries alike.
Sound of Metal Creates an Entire World Out of Sound
For a small production, it's a remarkable technical achievement.
The Weird Beauty of Suburbia
How can a place that we're intimately familiar with—more than half of America lives in the suburbs—be so unknowable?
