I did a Substack about when Mick Jagger thought it would be really punk to wear a T-shirt with a swastika on it. "For the Rolling Stones, the writing wasn't just on the wall, it was on Mick Jagger's chest."

"Sometimes I can’t stop myself." That was Bob Mould explaining why he was playing a particularly intense, blessedly cathartic solo electric set tonight at Le Poisson Rouge in New York. But there was no need to explain — because that’s why we love musicians like Bob: they can’t stop themselves.

It's John Coltrane's birthday so here's a super-cool 1960 photo of him with a Robert Motherwell painting at the Guggenheim Museum. You can hear Coltrane's life-affirming music all day long on Columbia U.'s beloved WKCR here: www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/wkcr/ (Photo: William Claxton)

You know those 21 little symbols on the back of _In Utero_? They actually mean something. I revealed their fascinating secret in _The Amplified Come as You Are_, the deeply annotated version of _Come as You Are: the Story of Nirvana_.

I did a Beneathstack about the 1979 movie _Over the Edge_ and how punk rock it is and how that's why Kurt Cobain loved it so much.

I did a Substack about the time John Lennon put together a supergroup featuring Eric Clapton for his first show without the Beatles, then had to play right after an earth-scorching set by one of his heroes, Little Richard. Spoiler alert: Yoko Ono blows them all away.

Master electronic musician William Basinski played a scintillating set at the cavernous Knockdown Center last night. Then, when he was done, he had the soundperson crank Counting Crows' "Spaceman in Tulsa." The place cleared out in a trice.

My new Substack is just a long quotation from outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings, from Dave Hickey's book _Air Guitar_. His words apply to Kurt Cobain's experience with fame with such stunning perfection that I thought I'd let them stand on their own. michaelazerrad.substack.com/p/the-straig...

Well, since it's Labor Day, you're probably looking for some funky-kinetic West African music to play at your barbecue. May I recommend _African Scream Contest: Raw and Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin and Togo '70s_. (Note: there is very little actual screaming on this album.)

I did a Substack about how Hollywood usually gets rock stardom wrong, from _Bye, Bye Birdie_ to _Camp Rock_. "Maybe most rock films are so unrealistic because the producers doubt that the public will believe — or, more importantly, be entertained by — the actual truth of a rock star's existence."

Delicate Steve's new album _Luke's Garage_ sounds like instrumentals of fave tunes from a parallel universe. He's a great technical guitarist but better, he's a truly lyrical player — like he's singing. These days, I'll guzzle his sweet melodies like a guy in a desert who's found a full canteen.

New Substack on a 1969 show by Miles Davis and four future giants of jazz fusion. "In the yawning gap between 1967 and 1969, things had changed dramatically. Davis' band was now less like a finely tuned Alfa Romeo and more like a Camaro with no muffler." michaelazerrad.substack.com/p/an-in-betw...

Another thing that struck me about the new doc _It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley_: like Buckley, many overachieving male musicians had a physically or emotionally absent father: Dave Grohl, Biggie, Eric Clapton, Springsteen, Kanye, Eminem, Kurt Cobain, Trent Reznor, Jay-Z, John Lennon, Bono et al.

Another of Kurt Cobain's favorite films: Wim Wenders' _Paris, Texas_ (1984). The penultimate scene powerfully echoes his most personally revealing song, "Sliver," and it surely moved him to his core. Then again, maybe he just thought it was a really good movie. But I doubt it.

A strange thing about the new doc _It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley_: the erasure of guitar maestro Gary Lucas, who a) helped to introduce Buckley to the downtown NYC music scene by inviting him to sing with his band Gods and Monsters and b) co-wrote two of his best-known songs, "Grace" and "Mojo Pin."

Nominate Minutemen singer-guitarist D. Boon for the 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize: it just makes a whole lot of sense.

I did a Substack about a great "lost" album: _Motor-Cycle_, Lotti Golden's brilliant r&b-based concept album about the dark side of the East Village underground community of the late '60s.

Another enlightening part of _It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley_: per the subplot with ace drummer Matt Johnson, the relationship of singers with their drummers can be far more personally and musically intimate than many non-musicians realize. At their best, singing and drumming are deeply entwined.

Bad Company, Run the Jewels, Black Sabbath, Wilco, Iron Maiden, Public Image Ltd., Motorhead What do they have in common?

Why Jeff Buckley had trouble making a follow-up to _Grace_: he'd been touring for two years. Touring is a suspended state of emotional animation — there's not much to make out of it except songs about... touring. Like Buckley himself said, “Without ordinary life, there is no art."

The new doc _It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley_ reveals his fate wasn't due to some romantic cliché of the beautiful doomed artiste but instead undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which can happen to anyone — albeit exacerbated by the unique pressures of fame, which cannot.

RIP Jonathan Kaplan, who directed _Over the Edge_ (1979), which was perhaps Kurt Cobain's favorite movie. If you're a big Nirvana fan, you ought to see it — it explains a lot. And there's a riff about that movie in my book _The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana_.

At the Stone tonight, Vernon Reid led 12-piece Burnt Sugar through rapturous slo-mo takes on 1967: "Are You Experienced," "A Whiter Shade of Pale," "Cold Sweat," "Respect" a la Fela, an inexorable "Happy Together," a "White Rabbit" bolero, "Light My Fire." 'Twas a never-to-be-repeated magical thing.

Most works of art fail to come out exactly the way they were conceived. A true artist doesn't just accept this apparent shortcoming but embraces it. Animal Collective surely does — as demonstrated in their trippy 2010 "visual album" _ODDSAC_.

RIP Hitman Howie Tee, who helped create this 1986 godlike colossus of next-level hip-hop genius. A few of the samples: John McLaughlin, the Isley Bros., "Buffalo Gals," Funk Inc., Billy Squier's "Big Beat" (natch) and... Bugs Bunny. Can I get a hit, Howie? Thank you.

I wrote a Substack about a really great 27-minute film made out of outtakes from the canonical Rolling Stones doc _Gimme Shelter_. One of the coolest parts of the movie is the _Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out_ cover photo shoot. And then there's the heliport scene.

"Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses Evil minds that plot destruction Sorcerer of death's construction" RIP Ozzy Osbourne, who could be very life-affirming.

I've got a Substack and I (think I) know how to use it. So far: Devo, Miles Davis, Deerhoof, Sly Stone, Creedence, "Peter and the Wolf," _Einstein on the Beach_, Dirty Projectors & more. Soon: John & Yoko, Animal Collective, the Rolling Stones, fictional rock movies. michaelazerrad.substack.com

One of the more aptly titled albums in pop music history.

I did a Substack about how an obscure 1984 short film by alt-rock demigod Robyn Hitchcock — in which nothing much happens — makes a dandy metaphor for the conditions that lead to creative breakthroughs.

I did a Substack about my weird relationship to lyrics. Or is it actually weird? Maybe there are more of us than I realize.

2004's _Postcards from the Boys_ features postcards sent to Ringo Starr by the other three Beatles. I bet he was the only one in the band who got postcards from the other three. That's just one demonstration of how crucial Ringo was to the Beatles. Today is his birthday. ☮️❤️

RIP Bar/None Records CEO Mark Lipsitz. Mark's evangelical enthusiasm for his bands reminded that music can inspire a powerful joy. Music is an integral part of our existence, so Mark's teenager-level passion was inspiring beyond just music — it was inspiring about life. That's a great legacy.

In my latest Substack, I definitively answer the immortal and yet timely question, who was the Great American Band? You're welcome.

From my beloved Deerhoof: "We’re taking Deerhoof off Spotify. 'Daniel Ek Uses $700 Million of His Spotify Fortune to Become Chairman of AI Battle Tech Company' was not a headline we enjoyed reading this week. We don’t want our music killing people."

I hereby plug _Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wondrous Tale of Joey Ramone_ (Drag City), a children's book about the trials and tribulations of young Joey and the lessons punk can teach about being your own person. Charming text: Jay Ruttenberg, lovely illustrations: Lucinda Schreiber.

I did a Substack about how the whole ethos of punk is embodied the cover of Deerhoof's 2012 album _Breakup Song_.

Sly Stone actually had the sensitivity and artistry to assimilate the spirit of the late '60s and express it as music. But that might also have been his undoing: when you're that deeply tapped into the zeitgeist, you're also at its mercy.

Brian Wilson was one of those virtuosic artists who miraculously alchemized great art out of personal pain. One of the best aspects of his legacy is the affirmation that human beings have the ability — or at least the will — to transcend suffering.

I did one of those Substack things about the legendary bluesman Skip James and why he was so glad.

Brian Wilson, 1965: “Those in their early 20s turn to a more discreet type of rock & roll. They lose some of the rebelliousness of youth. But the beat has become so ingrained in their lives that they’ll never forsake it altogether. At least, that’s what we believe." And then we got _Pet Sounds_.

Listen to Brian Wilson's "One for the Boys" from his 1988 self-titled solo album. The guy made some very exquisite music.

Sly Stone has passed. What a brilliant songwriter, musician and bandleader. And a problematic human. But, beyond all those things, a cultural visionary. That was all a very heavy burden to bear. Rest in peace, maestro.

I actually saw the band Metz play a Brooklyn DIY venue called Shea Stadium. I count this as one of the high points of my life.

Last night, saw one of the best Meredith Monk concerts I've ever seen — and I've seen many since 1982. One big reason: an enthusiastic crowd. Sometimes we forget that shows are a two-way street and performers vibe off the audience. So, at shows: give a little, get a lot.

RIYL Nick Drake, John Fahey: Sleepy Doug Shaw. Last night at the excellent Union Pool in Williamsburg, Shaw played beautiful songs and spellbinding fingerpicked open-tuned acoustic guitar with a little tasteful electronic wizardry. If you ever get a chance to see him play, do it.

I did a Substack about a couple of incredible sets by the Miles Davis Quintet in 1967. michaelazerrad.substack.com/p/a-state-of...

I am watching Bob Dylan's 2003 movie _Masked and Anonymous_ on Bob Dylan's birthday. I only mention this because I feel I deserve a medal for it.

I did a Substack about goofball postmodern pioneer Dickie Goodman, the auteur behind the 1975 #4 hit "Mr. Jaws."

One writes stupid things when one is young. Early in my career, reviewing a Joey Ramone memorial show, I wrote, "Joey looked like how we felt." Which wasn't just mean but missed the point: he *sounded* like we *wished* we felt. And that's why he was great. Happy birthday, Joey.