A music-heavy list of interesting pieces this time.<\/p>\n
Since the Milli Vanilli scandal came in the prime of my music listening years, it will always resonate. While reading this piece, it struck me that a lot of younger people have no idea what it was about, just that it is a cultural punchline.<\/p>\n
In this review, the author makes some great points about how what was scandalous 30 years ago can be the norm today.<\/p>\n
If I were in a particularly cynical mood, I might claim that Milli Vanilli anticipated the future of the music industry better than any other new act from that era\u2026True, they put more faith in technology than authenticity, but couldn\u2019t you say the same for the algorithm-crazed music business of the current moment? By the same token, they knew how to act the part of celebrities, with the right attitudes and moves, while relying on a team of helpers to fill in the gaps\u2014much like most superstars do today. Most important of all, they had more skills as influencers than vocalists, but that too shows how much they were ahead of their time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
How the Record Industry Ruthlessly Punished Milli Vanilli for Anticipating the Future of Music<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAt first I just scrolled through this list of Bill Wyman\u2019s rankings of the current Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll Hall of Fame members. As I read a few passages here and there, I noticed he was throwing a lot of shade. So I spent a few hours while watching football working through the entire piece. It\u2019s amazing. Here are a few of my favorites. There are plenty more.<\/p>\n
On the Clash\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026the Clash brought a high intelligence, a rigid but for the most part warmhearted politics, and songs songs songs (to be specific: as many great songs as the Rolling Stones<\/em>) in a tumultuous, too-short career. They wanted to tear down everything that came before and build a better world, and destroyed themselves trying.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He had thoughts on Milli Vanilli,<\/p>\n
Shouldn\u2019t the award have then gone to whoever did<\/em> sing on the record? Weren\u2019t they<\/em> still the Best New Artist?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On Van Halen\u2026<\/p>\n
But the idea of Hagar \u2014 who came in after the Van Halen brothers had had enough of Roth \u2014 having anything to do with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame outside of sweeping the parking lot is comical in an entirely different way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Steve Miller\u2026<\/p>\n
Steve Miller songs, a friend of mine says, \u201cliterally sound like he\u2019s making the lyrics up as he goes along.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Depeche Mode\u2026<\/p>\n
The nomination feels like the product of an organization that doesn\u2019t quite understand the music it thinks it\u2019s honoring.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On one of my all-time favorite acts\u2026<\/p>\n
All you can do is throw up your hands.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I totally agree with him on RHCP\u2026<\/p>\n
Few things in rock irritate me more than how these critically unacclaimed frat-boy funksters with a palpable zombcontempt for women cleaned up their image and started sucking up to the rock Establishment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He applies this criticism to several acts\u2026<\/p>\n
Another band with two-and-a-half decent songs and many decades of pointless recording and touring.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And on Chicago\u2026<\/p>\n
So appropriate the band was inducted by Rob Thomas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
All 240 Artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ranked From Best to Worst<\/a><\/p>\n
\nOoooh, this looks cool for us children of the \u201880s.<\/p>\n
Atari 50 is an incredible playable tour through video game history<\/a><\/p>\n
\nJohn McLendon\u2019s name has long been included in the list of what makes Kansas Basketball, in its broadest definition, so special. However, I, like I think most KU fans, knew little of his story. I knew he was a groundbreaking African American coach, but I didn\u2019t know the details of how he ended up at KU, his experience there while a student, and how he went about tearing down barriers once he became a coach. This is a wonderful piece about a man whose influence far outweighs his name recognition.<\/p>\n
The elder McLendon instructed his young Black son \u2026 in the 1930s \u2026 in segregated Kansas\u2026 to just walk into Naismith\u2019s office, introduce himself and tell the father of basketball that he would be McLendon\u2019s mentor. Surprisingly, Naismith agreed to do it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
John McLendon is a historical connection between Duke and Kansas<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAlways a fun list to read.<\/p>\n
52 things I learned in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n
\nChris Molanphy on the Billboard Holiday music chart, and how difficult it is for new holiday songs to crack the playlists of radio stations and streaming services.<\/p>\n
What the Holiday 100 Reveals About Our Love of Christmas Music It\u2019s Mariah\u2019s world (obviously) \u2014 but Ariana and Kelly are settling into it<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI watch plenty of holiday movies and shows each year, but I do not dip into the original, romantic flicks that pollute the airwaves in December. Doesn\u2019t stop me from making fun of them.<\/p>\n
Jodi Walker decided to watch one of these new movies – there are 99 this year! – each day for the next month, and post a quick review on The Ringer. They won\u2019t get me to watch any of these movies, but I will read her hilarious breakdowns every day.<\/p>\n