Category: Everything Else

Everything Else26 Comments

Beers I Have Known: Rolling Rock

Dan Seeger

This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. I’m fairly certain that the first time I heard of Rolling Rock, the pale lager issued by Pennsylvania’s Latrobe Brewing Company, was in Ed Haynes song “Splash.” Haynes describes encountering a drunk at a Blue Movie concert at San Francisco’s Haight Street Fair. Heavily inebriated on Mickey’s Big Mouth, the drunk winds up vomiting in the midst of the crowd, causing all around to “give him a lot of elbow room.” This causes … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Rolling Rock

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

As I noted last week, I had several more pieces go up at Spectrum Culture in my second full week back, in part because of some backlogged music releases. That effectively describes the first thing I had go up this week, a review of the sophomore effort from the U.K. band the Vaccines. My unimpressed assessment proved to be the appropriate kick-off to a week of bad reviews. On the film side, I offered an evaluation of the new documentary about the late Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame. Especially given the life being drawn upon, the film is shockingly … Continue reading Spectrum Check

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College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 30 and 29

Dan Seeger

30. “Alex Chilton” by the Replacements I rarely pass up an opportunity to expound on my immense appreciation for Pleased to Meet Me, the fifth full-length album from the Replacements and their second for major label Sire Records. The first, Tim from two years earlier, had a false start that must have especially pained the band’s frontman, Paul Westerberg. The glum genius songwriter felt a clear, special kinship with Alex Chilton, whose own self-defeating legend was assured by his time as one of the key creative forces behind the early nineteen-seventies rock ‘n’ roll cult heroes Big Star. Chilton was … Continue reading College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 30 and 29

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A Week of Fridays: Midi, Maxi & Efti, “Bad Bad Boys”

Dan Seeger

The simplest way for me to express how important my friend Rhienna is to my life is to include a link to a picture of the little dog we wouldn’t have if not for her. I’m endlessly impressed by the exuberant passion she brings to the things she enjoys. She doesn’t just love, she adores, and it’s wonderful to watch in action. I truly wish I could borrow some of her ambition, energy and fearlessness, especially around Sundance Film Festival time. She’s also the only one of this week’s contributors who can claim to have seen me struggle to recapture … Continue reading A Week of Fridays: Midi, Maxi & Efti, “Bad Bad Boys”

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College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 34 and 33

Dan Seeger

34. “Love Removal Machine” by the Cult There were few bands that were as big, bombastic and frankly ludicrous as the Cult, bringing to college radio a jolting dose of the long-haired quasi-metal that dominated the commercial charts at the time. Leaning heavily on influences such as the Doors and Led Zeppelin, Ian Astbury and crew seemingly wanted nothing less than hard rock domination. If there was then (and now) and foot-dragging aversion to courting fame among most left of the dial artists, the Cult provided the counter to that, building albums that seemed designed to only really work in … Continue reading College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 34 and 33