Sort of a full-circle moment for me to write about the SoCal Sound (KCSN) in the L.A. Times. I'm a CSUN, KCSN, and Times Calendar section intern alum...The SoCal Sound is still rocking amid federal cuts to public radio www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Something different I felt compelled to write. RIP Vicki, John & Warren... parade.com/news/after-t...

File this under strange coincidences...https://parade.com/news/how-an-acclaimed-indie-rock-musician-played-a-house-gig-in-the-childhood-home-of-r-e-m-s-drummer-and-slept-in-his-old-bedroom

Recommended listening…

RIP Diane Keaton....Who knew this? parade.com/news/iconic-...

Did you know there’s an actual #OneHitWonderDay ? September 25! We’re celebrating it with friend-of-the-show Craig Rosen, and we’ve chosen one one-hit-wonder from each year of the #80s. Any guesses? @pantheonpodcasts.bsky.social @craigrosen.bsky.social #onehitwonder #onehitwonders #80smusic

Some light in the darkness. ultimateclassicrock.com/steven-tyler...

Sharing some news. parade.com/news/marc-ma...

Trump limits National Guard assignments to 29 days at a time to keep the called up service members from getting healthcare and housing benefits while on duty. And the NG troops are catching on. Stereotypical Trump. Don't give those losers and suckers an extra dime. www.rawstory.com/trump-infuri...

No. 1 this week in 1991, @Metallica's Black Album. @larsulrich told me, "Everyone has one album when everything comes together. This was ours.” More at the link. number1albums.com/metallica__m...

Has anyone ever had a lyft driver no show and charge them? Recently happened to us. Not only did we have to scramble to book another ride to the airport, we were charged. Tried to dispute with lyft and no luck. Had to go to credit card co. @asklyft.bsky.social what's up with that?

New band name alert (as heard on ABC's World News Tonight): Crypto Torture Townhouse

No. 1 this week in 1970, Paul McCartney's "McCartney." While it was displaced from the pole position, ironically, by "Let It Be," it did accomplish what McCartney set out to do: establish the former Beatle as a solo force. More at the link. number1albums.com/mccartney-pa...

It’s our Gen X Summer Song classic episode! With friend of the podcast, Craig Rosen, we share some of our favorite #summersongs …songs with summer in the title, songs that evoke summer, songs released in the summer. @craigrosen.bsky.social @pantheonpodcasts.bsky.social #80s #80smusic #80spodcast

Foo Fighters fans? parade.com/news/taylor-...

RIP George Wendt. Long live the music of the 'Mats. parade.com/news/george-...

Bravo, Bruce! An American hero! parade.com/news/bruce-s...

Who remembers seeing PIL on "American Bandstand"? You can find the YouTube link to the performance in the article. parade.com/news/notorio...

No. 1 this week in 1964, "The Beatles' Second Album" by The Beatles. “We always objected terribly to what the Americans did to our recordings, but we had no say in it,” said George Martin, the group’s producer. “They just did what they wanted to do.” number1albums.com/the-beatles-...

No. 1 this week in 1976, "Presence" by Led Zeppelin. “It was just after Robert’s car accident,” John Paul Jones told me. “We were in Los Angeles and nobody seemed to want to turn up for rehearsals and for writing sessions.” More at the link. number1albums.com/presence-led...

Paid tribute to the late, great Mike Peters of the Alarm with my friends Jim, Bud and Joe. Have a listen if you can. I talked a bit about things that might even be more important than music. The Alarm's Mike Peters - Rest in Power audioboom.com/posts/871425... via @Audioboom

RIP Mike Peters. parade.com/news/alarm-f...

Have to admit, after all these years, it’s still a thrill to see something I wrote in print, especially if it’s about an artist I’ve follow for years.

No. 1 this week in 1987, "The Joshua Tree"by U2. “There was always someone playing an instrument, and everyone else just kind of joined in as they saw fit, including Danny [Lanois] and Brian [Eno],” Adam Clayton told me. More at the link. number1albums.com/the-joshua-t...

No. 1 this week in 1992, "Adrenalize" by Def Leppard. Joe Elliott told me, "After about six weeks, we sat around a coffee table and looked at each other and said, ‘This is bullshit. There’s no soul in what we’re doing. He’s not coming back, he’s dead...'" number1albums.com/adrenalize-d...

Always a pleasure to speak with Stewart Copeland. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

No. 1 this week in 1977, "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac. Mick Fleetwood told me, "John McVie had the best phrase. He said it was literally like living through a musical soap opera, and that’s why we called the album Rumours." More at the link. number1albums.com/rumours_-_fl...

It was a pleasure to interview all five of the Go-Go’s for the L.A. Times. They were the first band I saw in clubs that went on to huge mainstream success (The other was R.E.M.) I first saw the Go-Go’s opening for X at UCLA in 1980, back when they were punk rock! www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

RIP Clem Burke. parade.com/news/blondie...

No. 1 this week in 1985, "No Jacket Required" by Phil Collins. Phil told me, "There was something about ‘1999’ that I liked, but Prince is a Black American and I’m a white Englishman, so it’s going to sound very different." More at the link. number1albums.com/no_jacket_re...

No. 1 this week in 1972, "America" by America. Dewey Bunnell told me, "We had these songs worked out to perfection, three-part harmonies, and we all had our guitar parts. We could play them in our sleep.” More at the link. number1albums.com/america_amer...

No. 1 this week in 1965, the "Goldfinger" soundtrack. John Barry told me, "Anthony [Newley] wanted to know what the hell 'Goldfinger' was. So I told him, 'It's very simple, it's like "Mack the Knife." It's a song about a villain.'" More at the link. number1albums.com/goldfinger-s...

No. 1 this week in 1974, "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand. "It was a nightmare putting the thing together,” producer Tommy LiPuma told me, “because there were numerous performances. I had to listen to all of them to find the right take.” More at the link. number1albums.com/the_way_we_w...

No. 1 this week in 1975, Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti." John Paul Jones told me, "It was recorded at a house, so there was a pretty relaxed vibe about the whole thing. It wasn’t like we went in the studio every-day — we kind of lived in the studio." More number1albums.com/physical-gra...

Took a deep dive into the catalogs of Hüsker Dü, Sugar and Bob Mould for qobuz. www.qobuz.com/us-en/magazi...

No. 1 this week in 1961, "Calcutta" by Lawrence Welk. “Instead of the ‘champagne music’ we decided that we would do something a little different,” musical supervisor George Cates told me. “We decided to use a harpsichord.” number1albums.com/calcutta_-_l...

No. 1 this week in 1965, the "Mary Poppins" soundtrack. “We had to have a reason for telling the audience about this magical word, ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,’ or for the wonderful things about being a chimney sweep," Richard Sherman told me. number1albums.com/mary_poppins...

No. 1 this week in 1975, “Have You Never Been Mellow” by Olivia Newton-John. She told me, “I created a controversy in Nashville, because I was an Australian girl, produced by an Englishman and an Australian, singing country music that wasn’t written by me.” number1albums.com/have-you-nev...

No. 1 this week in 1993, "Unplugged" by Eric Clapton. “I want to thank a lot of people, but the one person I want to thank is my son, for the love he gave me and the song he gave me,” Clapton said as he accepted his sixth award of the night at the Grammys. number1albums.com/unplugged_-_...

Racists. That's the bottom line.

No. 1 this week in 1976, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" by Eagles. "We thought it would be good to bridge the time between albums,” Don Henley told me. “We knew it was going to take a while to make the next one.” More at the link. number1albums.com/eagles-their...

No. 1 this week in 1963, "Jazz Samba" by Stan Getz / Charlie Byrd. “We just talked about it a little bit in a hotel room and then went and recorded the album,” Byrd told me. number1albums.com/jazz-samba-s...

No. 1 this week in 1986, "Whitney Houston" by Whitney Houston. “I was hearing this song that I loved and it was sung by this voice," producer/songwriter Michael Masser told me. "I knew that this was one of the greatest talents I have heard in my life.” number1albums.com/whitney-hous...

No. 1 this week in 1970, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. "It was a tough album to make, but tough is one of the words that leads to great results,” Art Garfunkel told me. More at the link. number1albums.com/bridge_over_...

No. 1 this week in 1987, "Licensed to Ill" by the Beastie Boys. “If you’re not gonna have as much equipment as AC/DC, you really shouldn’t play instruments,” Mike D. told me. More at the link. number1albums.com/licensed_to_...

No. 1 this week in 1966, "Going Places" by @HerbAlpert & the Tijuana Brass. "I never listened to mariachi music,” Alpert told me. “I was just trying to make the music, for the most part, which was just coming out of me." More at the link. number1albums.com/going-places...

No. 1 this week in 1991, @MariahCarey's self-titled album. "I had a lot of the songs before I got my record deal,” she told me, “so the songs remind me of different things in my life while I was growing up." More at the link. number1albums.com/mariah_carey...

No. 1 this week in 1985, "Make It Big" by Wham! Engineer Chris Porter told me, "Andrew was still involved in being a pop star and thinking about other ways he wanted to enjoy himself, while George had his head down in the music." More at the link. number1albums.com/make_it_big_...

RIP Brian James, one of my first rock star interviews back in college, and I believe he approved of my liner notes for a reissue of the first Lords of the New Church album (thanks Dan Perloff for the hookup for that). parade.com/news/brian-j...

No. 1 this week in 1968, "Blooming Hits" by Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra. “Paul only had moderate success in France up to that point, but then ‘Love Is Blue’ caught on,” label exec Lou Simon told me. More at the link. number1albums.com/blooming_hit...