rock & roll — Bunk History

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Bruce Springsteen.

Berlin’s Cold War of Rock

Did music really bring down the Wall?

by Katja Hoyer via Zeitgeist on August 1, 2024

Bruce Springsteen performing at the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut circa 1977-1978.

Springsteen's U.S.A.

Steven Hyden's new book about Bruce Springsteen's iconic "Born in the U.S.A" album is the product of a lifelong passion for the music of "The Boss."

by Matt Hanson via American Purpose on July 1, 2024

Lou Reed playing the guitar in front of an amp

The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed

A new biography examines the enigma of the musician.

by Sasha Frere-Jones via The Nation on January 23, 2024

A turntable and records.

What’s Old is New Again (and Again): On the Cyclical Nature of Nostalgia

Retro was not the antithesis to the sub- and countercultural experiments of the 1960s, it grew directly out of them.

by Tobias Becker via Literary Hub on December 13, 2023

A series of headshots of the members of R.E.M..

Was It Cooler Back Then?

A search for the memory of R.E.M. in Athens, Georgia.

by Benjamin Hedin via Oxford American on December 5, 2023

Sly Stone with daughter Nove, ca. 1980.

On the Sly

A memoir of the Family Stone.

by Carl Wilson via Bookforum on December 4, 2023

Lou Reed in front of a photography setup.

The Canonization of Lou Reed

In a new biography, the Velvet Underground front man embodies a New York that exists only in memory.

by Jeremy Lybarger via The New Republic on October 17, 2023

Lou Reed, January 1, 1970.

Lou Reed Didn't Want to Be King

Will Hermes's new biography, "Lou Reed: The King of New York," tries—and fails—to pin the rocker down.

by Hannah Gold via The Yale Review on October 16, 2023

Why Generational Thinking Isn't Bull

Reflections on Pavement, Nirvana, the very meaning of history, and the end of neoliberalism.

by Charles Petersen via Making History on October 8, 2023

Lou Reed with sunglasses on. A glare reflects off of the sunglasses.

The Least-Known Rock God

A new biography of the Velvet Underground founder, Lou Reed, considers the stark duality of the man and his music.

by Will Hermes via The Atlantic on October 8, 2023

The cover of a book, titled "Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey", written by Robert "Mack" McCormick.

Delta Force

A look at "Biography Of A Phantom", Robert McCormick's book about blues legend Robert Johnson.

by Dominic Green via The Washington Free Beacon on July 30, 2023

Streetview of New York City.

How the 9/11 Attacks Sparked a Never-Ending Wave of Gentrification

The post-9/11 landscape witnessed crackdowns on New York City nightlife amidst efforts to increase tourism.

by Jesse Rifkin via Literary Hub on July 13, 2023

Car interior with Chuck Berry reflected in side view mirror.

An Anthropologist of Filth

On Chuck Berry.

by Ian Penman via Harper’s on May 4, 2023

Google's word occurences tool shows the word "teenager" appear around 1940, with an exponential increase in occurences up through the 2000s.

Teenagers Didn't Always Exist

So where were those angsty kids?

by Chris Dalla Riva via Can't Get Much Higher on March 16, 2023

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform in 2016 in D.C.

Springsteen’s Early Struggles Reveal How the Music Industry Has Changed

The album was once king. Now it’s the live show.

by Jim Cullen via Made By History on January 5, 2023

Scrapbook style image of Bruce Springsteen, washed in red tones, playing guitar in front of a black-and-white background of an empty landscape

Forty Years of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’

Decades after its release, the haunted highways and haunted characters of the Boss’s largely acoustic masterpiece still haunt the American psyche.

by Elizabeth Nelson via The Ringer on December 14, 2022

Ollie Brown holding Rolling Stone magazine.

What Was the Music Critic?

A new book exalts the heyday of music magazines, when electric prose reigned and egos collided.

by John Semley via The New Republic on November 18, 2022

Black and white photo of Elvis Presley in a recording studio.

Was There Anything Real About Elvis Presley?

Presley never wrote a memoir. Nor did he keep a diary. His music could have been a window into his inner life, but he didn’t even write his songs.

by Michael T. Bertrand via The Conversation on June 22, 2022

Bar chart of different musical genres on a timeline of when they were popular.

A Timeline of African American Music: 1600 to the Present

An interactive visualization of the remarkable diversity of African American music, with essays on the characteristics of each genre and style.

by Portia K. Maultsby via Carnegie Hall on May 25, 2022

The Black Record Label That Introduced the Beatles to America

Over its 13-year run, Vee Jay built a roster that left a lasting impact on every genre of music.

by Bryan Greene via Smithsonian on February 23, 2022

Title card of the article styled like a Tina Turner album cover.

Manhattan in East St. Louis

The Club Manhattan could hold about 250 people. They did not know it at the time, but they were the earliest witnesses to the rise of the Queen of Rock & Roll.

by Maureen Mahon via Oxford American on December 7, 2021

Image of B.B. King on stage playing guitar.

When Young Elvis Met the Legendary B.B. King

King recalled: “I liked his voice, though I had no idea he was getting ready to conquer the world.”

by Daniel de Visé via Literary Hub on November 16, 2021

An astronaut on the moon with the MTV flag planted.

Watch the First Two Hours of MTV’s Inaugural Broadcast

MTV's 1981 broadcast was advertised to be as important as the moon landing.

by Ted Mills via Open Culture on August 6, 2021

Hendrix performing at Woodstock

Rewinding Jimi Hendrix’s National Anthem

His blazing rendition at Woodstock still echoes throughout the years, reminding us of what is worth fighting for in the American experiment.

by Paul Grimstad via The New Yorker on January 26, 2021

Frank Zappa.

How Weird Was Frank Zappa?

Alex Winter’s new documentary about the musician fails to capture his deeply conventional streak.

by John Semley via The New Republic on November 26, 2020

An image of Bob Dylan performing with a spotlight on him.

Tangled Up in Bob Stories: A Dylan Reading List

The author reflects on his own journey with Dylan, and shares some of his favorite pieces of Dylanology.

by Aaron Gilbreath via Longreads on June 24, 2020

Sasha Geffen next to their book

Pop Music Has Always Been Queer

Sasha Geffen’s debut book reveals that the history of pop music is a history of gender rebellion.

by Tal Milovina via The Nation on April 8, 2020

Heavy Metal, Year One: The Inside Story of Black Sabbath's Groundbreaking Debut

A look back on the album that kick-started a worldwide movement, half a century since Ozzy Osbourne first bellowed, “What is this that stands before me?”

by Kory Grow via Rolling Stone on February 11, 2020

Afloat with Static

Jenny Turner reviews "Face It" by Debbie Harry.

by Jenny Turner via London Review of Books on December 14, 2019

Photo of a large crowd at the Altamont Festival, 1969.

What Happened to Rock and Roll After Altamont?

On the Grateful Dead's “New Speedway Boogie,” and the true end of the Sixties.

by Buzz Poole via Literary Hub on December 6, 2019

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