Music
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?
Eddie Van Halen, Melting-Pot Virtuoso
We don't normally talk about how rock's late, great lead guitarist was an immigrant success story and inspiration to early hip hop, but that's only because he (and America!) were too busy getting rad.
Rocker Nick Cave: Cancel Culture Is 'Bad Religion Run Amuck'
'Political correctness has grown to become the unhappiest religion in the world.'
COVID Concerts
As bans on mass gatherings persist, musicians are increasingly turning to livestreamed shows as a substitute for traditional performances.
'Music City' Finally Legalizes Home Studio Businesses
Nashville's Metro Council repeals the city's blanket ban on home businesses servicing customers onsite.
Kanye West Tweets That He's Running for President
He does not appear to have told the Federal Elections Commission yet.
Wild Rock Doc Laurel Canyon Travels Back to L.A.'s Stellar '60s Scene
In the winding hills above Hollywood, musical history was made.
Remy: Surfin' USA (Beach Boys Lockdown Parody)
Remy hangs ten but could be out in five with good behavior.
Little Richard, the King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll
Little Richard helped make the United States a little more black, a little more queer, and a little more free.
Rocker Nick Cave Defends Old Songs From 'Perpetually Pissed Off Coterie of Pearl-Clutchers'
"I would rather be remembered for writing something that was...offensive, than to be forgotten for writing something bloodless."
'Til Wrong Feels Right
Iggy Pop's new book documents the life of a great individualist who, even more than Sinatra, did things his way.
Kesha Defamed Former Producer in Private Text to Lady Gaga About Rape, Says Judge
Plus: Maybe Buttigieg didn't win Iowa? Vermont considers decriminalizing prostitution. Customs and Border Protection gets a status change. And more...
The Press Coverage of Pinegrove's Comeback Proves That Discredited #MeToo Allegations Don't Wash Off
Evan Stevens Hall was essentially blackmailed by a would-be therapist. The media has hardly forgiven him.
Sibling Grammy Winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell Praise Homeschooling
"I've never been to school. I grew up homeschooled, stayed homeschooled, never was not homeschooled."
Eminem's Latest Music Video Mixes a Graphic Reenactment of Las Vegas Shooting With a Sappy Call for Gun Control
The song and music video amount to grotesque, self-obsessed celebrity activism.
Musician Sues Houston For His Right To Play His Accordion In Public
The city limits busking to its tiny Theater District, and it makes you jump through hoops even to play there.
Neil Peart, Champion of Individualism
The late drummer left behind a legacy of unparalleled musicianship and freedom-celebrating lyrics.
Rapper Drakeo the Ruler Was Accused of Murder. Prosecutors Used His Music as Proof of His Guilt.
Prof. Erik Nielson says in Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America rappers everywhere are not getting a fair shake in the courtroom.
Remy: The First Noel (Ballot Access Parody)
Because the world needs another ballot access Christmas carol.
Greg Gutfeld Is Done With Politics and Ready To Drop Acid
The Fox News star talks about Donald Trump, the 2020 election, the end of politics, and why he's ready for a whole new reality.
The Apollo Documents the Making (and Breaking) of Many an Entertainer
Harlem’s famous incubator of black performers gets a closer look on HBO.
Billy Bragg Wants Three-Dimensional Freedom. But Can We Afford That?
In his new manifesto The Three Dimensions of Freedom, the veteran punk rocker calls out libertarians for focusing solely on economic freedom. Is his case worth buying?
Nick Cave Slams 'Woke' Culture as 'Self-Righteous' and Suppressive
"Antifa and the Far Right," he adds, are "good for nothing."
The Possibly Pending Death of a Legendary Radio Station
Friday A/V Club: When Timothy Leary, Ayn Rand, and Big Mama Thornton shared a microphone
Watch 'The March of History: Mises vs. Marx'
"The Definitive Capitalism vs. Socialism Rap Battle" is live!
Tennessee Court Says Music City Can Keep Cracking Down on Home Recording Studios
A Davidson County judge ruled Tuesday that Nashville's ban on home businesses servicing clients on site is constitutional.
Robert Hunter, R.I.P.
The Grateful Dead lyricist filled a generation with a sense of amused, loving, liberatory patriotism.
