@michaelazerrad.bsky.social
Author of _The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana_ and _Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991_. Bylines: the New Yorker, the Yale Review, the New York Times, etc.
Civics class should be a requirement for graduating from high school. That would solve a lot of problems.
Tōth's new _And the Voice Said_ is wall-to-wall great songs: beautiful melodies, lyrics that touch on things one has felt but never been able to articulate, cool parts that you can’t believe how perfect they are. I played it four times today. It’s on my best of 2026 list.
I'm guessing that a diner doesn't serve wine very often, so she was seeing if the surely already opened bottle had gone bad.
"When things get so big, I don't trust them at all
You want some control, you've got to keep it small
D.I.Y., D.I.Y"
— Peter Gabriel, "D.I.Y."
They could do it at the Performance Works Factory Theatre at 15 School Street in Nuremberg.
My old friend, the excellent singer-songwiter Paul Foglino, wrote a song called "Our Band Could Be Your Life." He got the title from my book, which got its title from the Minutemen, but it's not about either one — it's about being in a band.
Sometimes, I look on my CD shelves for something to play and I think to myself, "Nah, that's too good to play right now." Which is so dumb.
n.p.: John Cale — _Paris 1919_
#yolo
Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss it at this time.
Exo-Tech is a semi-rotating all-star NYC band. One plants a kernel of music, the rest explode it into a spontaneous composition — nocturnal tropicalia, misty watercolor ballads, full-on Miles ‘70 etc. Last night's spellbinding show channeled the zeitgeist with fury, contemplation and joy.
Ha, no, but good to know about Kroger’s!
Just heard "Elected" in the supermarket (!) and was reminded that, for teens of my generation, it was but a short leap from Alice Cooper to the Sex Pistols.
Au revoir, Eliane Radigue. If you ever want to have a peak (musical) experience, start playing her three-hour _Trilogie de la Mort_ maybe an hour before dusk and just look out the window, preferably with a view of the sky.
It's Kurt Cobain's birthday today — he would have been 59. Here's something I wrote about his deep connection with Lead Belly, and why I think of Kurt as a high-flying goose.
A very happy 55th birthday to one of the more perfect albums, Carole King's _Tapestry_. Such great songs, such impeccable musicianship. And what a fitting title for a collection of music that's woven itself so deeply into the fabric of popular music.
You don’t want to know.
Thanks, that explains how they're so unbelievably tight on such complex music and clearly on the same page with their entire aesthetic. I hope I get to see them live someday.
Oh. My. God.
Angine de Poitrine rules.
Congratulations to Nardwuar, one of the greatest popular music journalists ever, on receiving one of Canada's highest honors, an appointment to the Order of Canada.
Not sure how long I would’ve gone not knowing about Minutemen if not for OBCBYL. And for sure it’s the only reason I ventured outside of “Pepper” with Butthole Surfers. Just an unbelievably well-written, fun book!
Wow, thank you!
Horn toot! For _The Wall Street Journal_, author George Newman chose my book _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ as one of "Five Best: Books on the Creative Spark."
In there with Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Patti Smith, and Alice Flaherty.
Three of the five nominees for this year's Grammy for Best African Music Performance came from Nigeria. ALL of the 2025 nominees came from Nigeria. Four of the five nominees in the first year of the award were from Nigeria. Virtually the same artists have reappeared every year.
What's up with that?
It's unfortunate that the Grammys didn't see fit to do a full-on tribute to Grateful Dead singer-songwriter-guitarist Bob Weir. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Dead were one of the most iconic American bands, the locus of an entire culture, and Weir was a key member. Respect should have been paid.
It was funny to look at what some people wore to the Grammys last night and think about how, 25 years ago, Bjork was mocked for the beautiful, now iconic swan dress she wore to the 2001 Oscars. Lest we forget, it can be hard to be a visionary.
Happy birthday, Philip Glass
Hap-py birth-day, Phil-ip Glass
HappybirthdayPhilipGlass
Gustav Holst's 1918 orchestral suite "The Planets" is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it inspired this all-synth version, a certified '70s stoner classic. Best heard on big, bulky headphones in total darkness.
"Pants Prince"! 😂
I wrote a Substack about Kurt Cobain and Lead Belly — and a song that Kurt never sang.
tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...
Sad news: Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died. Wow, he was great: played with immense flair and power, a sonic embodiment of the band's righteousness. Also co-wrote many MO songs, was archivist, art director, political researcher, spokesperson and internal cheerleader. Like I say, he was great.
They would do well to have you involved.