It’s all set; the fix is in–I’m going to heaven for sure, and here’s why: Last week I went to see Rush, but know this–I hate Rush. Some label person had sent me two free tickets, so I figured, why not? Why not give prog-rock one more chance? I grabbed…
Writing this is not going to be easy. On the way down to the New Times command center this past, glorious Super Bowl Sunday, I drove through the drive-through at Omega Burger. Bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, soda; an American meal. Now here’s the ugly part: As I made my way…
I ain’t fraid uh no ghosts, and I proved it a few days ago in Bisbee, where the lovely Bettie and I spent the night in a bed and breakfast called the Oliver House. That’s right, I’m gonna tell you about my weekend vacation. We’ll get to music later, don’t…
I ain’t fraid uh no ghosts, and I proved it a few days ago in Bisbee, where the lovely Bettie and I spent the night in a bed and breakfast called the Oliver House. That’s right, I’m gonna tell you about my weekend vacation. We’ll get to music later, don’t…
I ain’t fraid uh no ghosts, and I proved it a few days ago in Bisbee, where the lovely Bettie and I spent the night in a bed and breakfast called the Oliver House. That’s right, I’m gonna tell you about my weekend vacation. We’ll get to music later, don’t…
At last Thursday’s grand-opening gala, the Diamondback Theater in Scottsdale served up shrimp, lobster, prime rib, squid-ink pasta in an Alfredo sauce, teriyaki chicken, rivers of booze and Waylon Jennings, but these are things the Rules of Ethical Journalism prohibit me from indulging in. Like I would go out there…
It starts in the parking lot. Drive in behind the wheel of something small, some damn Japanese car, and you feel like a fish out of water. But it’s more than that; you feel almost unpatriotic. The lot of Phoenix Civic Plaza is filled with four-wheel-drive monsters, many of which…
Last Thursday, my telephone rang and on the other end was Yoko Ono. Some of you out there may be scoffing, maybe you don’t think that’s a big deal. Scoff all you want; she used to be married to my hero–Tony Cox. Only kidding! Mrs. Lennon was on the horn…
This is how an interview with Howe Gelb begins. Question: How are you doing? Gelb: (17 seconds of silence.) Q: Did I wake you up? Gelb: No. I thought you were talking. Then you just stopped. Q: I was. I said, ‘How are you doing?’ Gelb: Oh. You needed a…
Three tiers of exotic plants, two fish in a big aquarium and a bright green bird are the things that greet you upon entering the home of King Karl. Karl is a soul singer from Opelousas, Louisiana, moved up here to Mesa a few months ago for his health. He…
Good things come in small packages, as the saying goes, but at Christmastime, big packages look a whole lot better under a tree than little ones do. Back in the old days, when Santa left a 12×12 LP, it was a mouth-watering sight the next morning. Sure, CDs may sound…
I first came to Phoenix in late September, and I had three days to find a place to live before returning back East to get my stuff and move out here permanently. I stayed with my friend, Wes, the only person in town I knew, in his apartment on University…
So you think rock n’ roll has fostered some pretty rough characters, eh? Some real wicked mothers, huh? Forget about it. Frank Sinatra did it bigger, badder, more atrociously and with more inspired outrage than any mere rock upstart. And he did it first, blazing a trail for the wanton…
There is a 77-year-old man onstage dressed in a tuxedo. He wears a toupee and sings songs that were hits for him decades ago. He may forget a line or two, might miss a cue, his voice may be slightly ragged. But he’s still the best singer this country ever…
The artistry of Don Rickles has spanned not only the decades, but virtually all mediums of entertainment. From the seminal years of the Hello Dummy album, to the film work (Kelly’s Heroes, Beach Blanket Bingo), to television’s lauded C.P.O. Sharkey and Kibbee Hates Fitch–the 1965 sitcom pilot that is now…
Jim Rose was born and raised in Phoenix. Now he hammers nails into his nose and eats light bulbs for a living. Simple coincidence? Cause and effect? Maybe a little of both. Rose is the ringleader, the boss, the master of scarimonies of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, a group…
God is in everything, as the good book says, and He’s especially in the conversation of Bad Brains’ bassist, Darryl Jenifer. Strange as it may seem, the group that essentially created the punk/funk/ethno-metal/reggae sound 16 years ago has something in common with gleaming-white vocalist Pat Boone: an unfailing belief in…
