Phil Ochs, one of America’s greatest protest singers, died 50 years ago this past Thursday. With Bruce Springsteen out on the road right now, rallying fans to political action every night, this seemed like a good time to revisit his life and music. Any Phil Ochs fans out there? Let's discuss.
Great album!
A Romani guitar virtuoso lands in Charlotte, North Carolina — and winds up touring the world with Madonna. One of my favorite stories from my years at Creative Loafing, this one’s packed with video, audio, and a Gypsy music primer. #LocalJournalism #MusicJournalism #Storytelling
In 1987, I wrote a seven-part investigative series about pollution in North Carolina’s Haw River. Nearly four decades later, the river is still struggling — though some progress has been made. Today on my Substack, I’m revisiting that reporting. #environmentaljournalism #hawriver #NCwater
I was reading Pitchfork last week and saw that Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, one of my Charlotte “kids” — the young musicians we featured at Creative Loafing during my last stint at the paper — was doing well. So I wrote about it in my Substack this week. #charlottehiphop #charlottemusic #ncmusic #hiphop
For the pioneering DJs and producers of hip-hop’s Golden Age, the accusation of “stealing” music was a high-stakes fight against an industry that had long profited from the actual theft of Black art. For Black History Month, I’m looking back at my 1989 ‘Option’ story on the sampling wars.
Good on you. I love how easy it is to piss off the psycho fans with even a fleeting mention of Yoko’s brilliance. Drives ‘em nuts.
Omg, I just listened to “The Americans.” It is awesome in its hideousness! Thank you for introducing it to me, Alfred. Now can I have my time back?
A few thoughts on songs in different languages and music performances by other cultures, and why saying you “hate everything” about them says a lot about you. #commonthreads #badbunny #superbowlhalftimeshow2026
David Bowie died a decade ago last week. This Sunday at ‘Common Threads’: a little story about Bowie’s 50th birthday party at a small English cafe in New York — the day after his huge birthday concert at Madison Square Garden. Join me.
Rest in Power to James Bernard, a true architect of hip-hop culture. From his groundbreaking work at The Source to co-founding XXL, he shaped the way we talk about hip-hop today. Read my latest remembrance and a look back at his essential 1992 L.A. uprising roundtable. 🕊️
Every time “All I Want for Christmas is You” drifts through the grocery store, my partner, Tandra, groans.
When “Jingle Bells” comes on, the 17-year-old chimes in: “Doesn’t that song have racist roots?”
If your family is "all jingled out," this is the soundtrack for your holiday festivities.
The second edition of my new Common Threads Substack is on how I learned to stop worrying and love the K-pop. Join our family for a Stray Kids concert in Atlanta.
In some ways, I’m afraid we are. I’m not sure we’ll have much choice unless we disconnect completely.
How much A.I. is involved in the stories we repost on social media? The heartwarming celebrity fables are obvious. But are some of the “brilliant” pieces of political commentary also largely the work of A.I.? I looked at the case of one viral writer. #bricefanger #ai
Looks like "free speech" advocate Mark Zuckerberg is now in the "extreme censorship" business. #freespeech #censorship #facebook #meta #socialmedia #hipocrisy
What time is it? Time to get tix for Rhiannon Giddens’ DC show.
Rep Tom Suozzi: “Very simple. Putin is a dictator. Zelenskyy is not.” What’s so hard to understand about that?
Think of this man as you close your eyes. Not DJT. Goodnight 🌙💙
Today, honor a King, not a Felon. #mlkday2025
Today is *not* a “peaceful transfer of power.” It’s the completion of a violent coup attempt that began this morning four years ago. Yes, Trump won the ‘24 election; but he was only able to run because we failed to fully confront the fact of that violent coup attempt.
That time Bob Dylan quoted Lynyrd Skynyrd in describing President Jimmy Carter’s character. #simpleman #ripjimmycarter
Check out the video supplement to my January 2025 “Storytellers” column in Our State magazine on an eastern North Carolina gospel music dynasty. #gospelmusic #ncgospel #ncmusic #faithandharmony #ourstatemagazine
HOW TO READ A NORTH CAROLINA BEACH author Orrin H. Pilkey, Warrior in a Fight to Save Imperiled Beaches, Dies at 90—via @nytimes.com
My top 10 favorite albums of 2024 (without commentary).
