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John Paul Meyers

@johnpaulmeyers.bsky.social

Ethnomusicologist. Associate Prof. of Af-Am Studies at UIUC. Midwestern repatriate. My book, "Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music," is out now! https://www.amazon.com/Same-Old-Song-Enduring-American/dp/1496850874/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8

756 Followers  |  896 Following  |  275 Posts  |  Joined: 09.08.2023  |  2.1844

Latest posts by johnpaulmeyers.bsky.social on Bluesky

"Casablanca 3: The Search for Sam" took me out.

06.12.2025 20:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Just make Honda sell the Fit again in the US and we'll be good.

05.12.2025 15:12 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

As I have said before, our conviction that "November Rain" by GNR rules is the only thing Trump and I have in common.

04.12.2025 17:45 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Not the point, but when was this post written by Mek? Jacob Frey just got re-elected as mayor of Minneapolis a few weeks ago.

01.12.2025 20:40 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I'm the person with a middle income salary and a modicum of job security. I should be the one to deal with this.

01.12.2025 16:05 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I thought the grad student handled it very professionally, but they shouldn't have been in a position to bear the brunt of this manufactured outrage. I'm tenured, and I'm telling all of my TAs that if they get an assignment like this, "LET ME HANDLE IT."

01.12.2025 16:05 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Same Old Song Popular music and its listeners are strongly associated with newness and youth. Young people can stay up late dancing to the latest hits and use cutting-edge technology for listening to and sharing fr...

Look, I'm not big on self-promotion, but my book "Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music" is 50% off today for Cyber Monday, with free shipping. In fact, everything from @upmississippi.bsky.social is 50% off! www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/S/Same...

01.12.2025 15:53 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
75 years after Fargo show, recording keeps Duke Ellington's music alive FARGO - It was 75 years ago Saturday that Duke Ellington taught Fargo how to swing. Four decades later, an amateur recording from that cold night shared Fargo's lesson with the world.

Legendary recording, done in my hometown of Fargo, ND. I don't think my grandparents were at this performance, but they would have gone to others at the Crystal Ballroom. www.inforum.com/lifestyle/ar...

29.11.2025 19:46 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

We're getting ours put in on Wednesday, apparently the last scheduled spot this calendar year for our installer (before the federal incentives end). Hopefully the next Dem president will reinstate the federal tax credit for these. Seems like a no-brainer.

29.11.2025 00:32 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I went to the Virgin Megastore in Times Square on the afternoon of 9/11. It was closed.

25.11.2025 03:14 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I am deeply troubled . . . by Cindy's misuse of "your."

16.11.2025 01:10 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Intertia from, I don't know, 10+ years ago has kept me with Tidal. At some point it was the only service that had Prince's music. I've found it pretty good to navigate, though obviously less useful for sharing than Spotify, since all my students use that.

15.11.2025 22:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I mean, Gayle seems fine? Unless I'm missing something.

13.11.2025 03:58 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

Hey man, I'm trying to eat lunch over here!

12.11.2025 20:10 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Me neither, but if we're not talking about her (good, bad, or otherwise) she doesn't make money.

11.11.2025 17:20 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Two women's home basketball games at my employer. $12 GA tickets, pep band, t-shirt canon, silly promotions and games on the scoreboard.

03.11.2025 00:07 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

This looks fantastic! Looking forward to reading everything here! I hope the journal gets the kind of durable institutional support that has sometimes been lacking from Black art-focused journals, such as BMRJ and Callaloo.

29.10.2025 19:30 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Saw him last week in Urbana. I thought the drummer was amazing. Could have done without the 10 minute vocoder solo. :)

26.10.2025 03:36 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Should definitely do it! I loved teaching adult beginner students. You can really make a lot of progress, if you're motivated to practice a bit every day (or most days).

22.10.2025 13:52 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh no, that means I have to grade midterms now!

21.10.2025 00:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Looks like cursed AI. Why are there two basses, one of which seems to have the bell of a brass instrument growing out of it? Why does one of the f-holes of the bassist on the edge go out all the way to edge of the instrument's body, creating a chunk of wood susended in mid-air?

16.10.2025 21:19 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Here are the last two pages on D'Angelo from my book. Not trying to self-promote here, but @upmississippi.bsky.social and Craig Gill did a great job with this book. So if you found this writing about D'Angelo interesting, you'd probably like the rest of it. www.amazon.com/Same-Old-Son...

14.10.2025 19:39 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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I wrote 6 pages on D'Angelo for my book, and I titled its last chapter after a line from his song "Back to the Future." To my ears, he was one of the most important artists, musically and politically, of the past 30 years.

14.10.2025 19:28 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Jimi Hendrix and Joe Biden are almost exactly the same age. Hendrix is 7 days younger.

08.10.2025 00:20 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

Literally, wtf does he mean by this: β€œBut the military of the 2020s has been as overburdened by the imperatives of progressivism as schools were by the duties of racial integration in the 1970s.”

07.10.2025 13:42 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

oh jfc. the chick fil a guy?

07.10.2025 02:38 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Marijuana possession? Weed has been legal in Illinois for 5 years.

04.10.2025 16:47 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

If you make t-shirts with this, I will buy one!

02.10.2025 18:43 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Not the point, but uh, what 91 year old wants to live in a row house? They're going up and down stairs all day?

02.10.2025 17:09 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"You can still get a big cheap McMansion but your neighbors will want a race war and think knowing calculus is a sin." Damn.

01.10.2025 02:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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