Here is a story told to me lately by a man named John Cronin, who is the director of the Pace Academy for the Environment, at Pace University. Cronin has known Seeger for thirty years. “About two winters ago, on Route 9 outside Beacon, one winter day, it was freezing–rainy and slushy, a miserable winter day–the war in Iraq is just heating up and the country’s in a poor mood,” Cronin said. “I’m driving north, and on the other side of the road I see from the back a tall, slim figure in a hood and coat. I’m looking, and … Continue reading Pete Seeger, 1919 – 2014

I have a special fondness for the music that flooded college radio in the first six months or so of 1989. That’s partially a byproduct of my position at the station at the time, still fresh in my overall tenure and gifted with an atypically early ascension to the director staff level, specifically with responsibilities that related to reviewing new music. (Lorne Michaels has mused that everyone’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast is whichever one was in place when they were in high school. Surely, there’s a corresponding truth to college radio: everyone thinks the music scene was peaking the … Continue reading Lou Reed, 1942-2013

…And last but not least…do I have to say his name? Do I have to speak his name? Do I have to say his name? In this corner: the king of the world, the master of the universe. Weighing in at 260 pounds, the Big Man, Clarence Clemons. That’s how Bruce Springsteen touted the venerable saxophone player during the band introductions that arrived at the midway point of the typically robust performance of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” captured on the majestic Live: 1975-1985 box set. I listened to Springsteen’s music at near-obsessive levels during my high school years, paying special … Continue reading Clarence Clemons, 1942 – 2011