Ongoing History
I know I've mentioned this before, but there's a syndicated radio show in Canada, based out of Toronto, called The Ongoing History of New Music that airs on the local station a couple of times a week. If you are a music buff of any stripe, this show is enthralling and absolutely entertaining regardless of the subject, and I thoroughly encourage any of you to check it out. It's hosted by a gent named Alan Cross, who is a fantastic music geek and never ceases to interest.
"But Glenn," you say, "I'm not Canadian, or the show doesn't air in my area!" "That's loser talk!" says I. In this age of the internet, after all, anything is possible.
So, go go see what you've been missing. There are transcripts, steaming audio of past shows, the whole nine yards.
I mention this in part because I recently finished listening to the audio book version of Alan's "The Alan Cross Guide to Alternative Rock Vol. 1", and it's every bit as fascinating as the weekly show; in fact, the format is almost identical, save for the lack of musical interludes to punctuate the dialogue. The book is based on a list Alan compiled which was essentially his attempt to distill the most significant acts to the current rock landscape into a group of 25 performers; Vol. 1 covers the 60s-70s era personalities, and includes David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jonathan Richman, The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, and The Clash.
There's a very interesting introduction that serves as the first track on the disc, where Alan freely admits that the list is by no means intended to be definitive, and that it's meant to encourage discussion and argument. One example that he presents is Radiohead; when he originally compiled the list in the late 90s, they were considered nothing more than a very good British band. Were he making the list today, however, absolutely they'd be included on it, as they've since proven to be a very significant act in rock's development.
There's my sales pitch. Now, go... listen!
"But Glenn," you say, "I'm not Canadian, or the show doesn't air in my area!" "That's loser talk!" says I. In this age of the internet, after all, anything is possible.
So, go go see what you've been missing. There are transcripts, steaming audio of past shows, the whole nine yards.
I mention this in part because I recently finished listening to the audio book version of Alan's "The Alan Cross Guide to Alternative Rock Vol. 1", and it's every bit as fascinating as the weekly show; in fact, the format is almost identical, save for the lack of musical interludes to punctuate the dialogue. The book is based on a list Alan compiled which was essentially his attempt to distill the most significant acts to the current rock landscape into a group of 25 performers; Vol. 1 covers the 60s-70s era personalities, and includes David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jonathan Richman, The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, and The Clash.
There's a very interesting introduction that serves as the first track on the disc, where Alan freely admits that the list is by no means intended to be definitive, and that it's meant to encourage discussion and argument. One example that he presents is Radiohead; when he originally compiled the list in the late 90s, they were considered nothing more than a very good British band. Were he making the list today, however, absolutely they'd be included on it, as they've since proven to be a very significant act in rock's development.
There's my sales pitch. Now, go... listen!