Zappagram #7
Remembering Chris Cornell, Eric Clapton cancel shows after catching Covid, The Cure announce new album and tour
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Hey! Ho! Let’s go!
“To me, punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying ‘This is who I am.’”
―Joey Ramone
Recent Essays
The latest music essays by Chris Zappa
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Celebrating World Goth Day
Bela Lugosi may be dead, but goth subculture is alive and well
Remembering Chris Cornell
Five years gone, his loss still stings
The Best Podcasts for Serious Music Lovers
If we're not listening to music, we're listening to people talk about music
"What's in My Bag?" is Great for Discovering New Music
Amoeba Music explores what your favorite artists are listening to
Music News
The latest happenings in the world of music
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Vaccine skeptic Eric Clapton contracts Covid and cancels multiple upcoming shows. ♯ Ricky Gardiner, guitarist for David Bowie and Iggy Pop, died at 73 after a 12-year battle with Parkinsons. ♯ Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter Aimée escaped a recording studio fire that left one person dead. ♯ Robert Smith says that The Cure will tour again in October and that their new album, “Songs of a Lost World” will be released before that. ♯ She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) announced a new album of Brian Wilson covers, Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, out July 22. ♯ Pearl Jam has been forced to cancel the final shows of their West coast tour after both their drummer and bassist contract Covid. ♯ Folk singer-songwriter Bob Neuwirth, a key supporting figure in the ’60s and ’70s folk-rock scene, has died of heart failure in Santa Monica at the age of 82. ♯ Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, better known as Vangelis, the Oscar-winning composer best known for the synth-heavy scores for Chariots Of Fire and Blade Runner, has died in France at the age of 79.
Heavy Rotation
New weekly playlists highlighting great music
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Video Spotlight
See it to believe it
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Fred Armisen does excellent impersonations, and this clip of impressions from each decade of punk/alternative music is pretty spot on. [via YouTube]
New Releases
These albums have recently dropped
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- MAY 20 -
Delta Spirit
One Is One [listen]
Upcoming Releases
These albums are coming soon
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- MAY 27 -
Liam Gallagher
C’mon You Know
patchnotes
”Prose” (new single)
Wilco
Cruel Country
- June 3 -
Andrew Bird
Inside Problems
Angel Olsen
Big Time
The Kills
No Wow
On This Date
Musical happenings of historical significance
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May 17
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania. (1965) ♯ Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age was born in Joshua Tree, California. (1973) ♯ A fire destroyed Tom Petty's house in Los Angeles. (1987) ♯ Daft Punk released Random Access Memories. (2013)
May 18
Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo was born in Akron, Ohio. (1950) ♯ Ian Curtis of Joy Division hung himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England at the age of 23. At the time of his death, Curtis had Iggy Pop’s album The Idiot playing on his stereo. (1980) ♯ Chris Cornell died by suicide in Detroit, Michigan. (2017)
May 19
Joey Ramone was born in Queens, New York. (1951) ♯ Keith Richards crashed his car after falling asleep behind the wheel. (1976) ♯ Ringo Starr was involved in a car crash less than half a mile from where Marc Bolan was killed in a crash three years earlier. (1980) Note: Maybe rock stars should just avoid driving every year on May 19?
May 20
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, UK. (1944) ♯ Jane Wiedlin of The Go Go’s was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. (1958) ♯ Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole was born in Honolulu. (1959) ♯ Dan Wilson of Semisonic was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. (1961) ♯ Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, died in Germany, aged 74. (2013)
May 21
Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. (1941) ♯ Marvin Gaye released his album What's Going On. (1971) ♯ Gotye was born in Belgium. (1980) ♯ Joe Strummer of The Clash was arrested at a gig in Hamburg after smashing his guitar over an audience member’s head. (1980) ♯ David Bowie went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Let's Dance” featuring blues guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughan. (1983)
May 22
Elton John's long-time songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, was born in Lincolnshire, England. (1950) ♯ Morrissey was born in Manchester, England. (1959) ♯ The Beatles went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Ticket To Ride.” (1965) ♯ White Stripes drummer Meg White married Jackson Smith at ex-husband and bandmate Jack White's Nashville home. (2009)
May 23
Robert Moog, inventor of the synthesizer, was born in Asheville, North Carolina. (1934) ♯ Radiohead drummer, Phil Selway, was born in Oxfordshire, England. (1967) ♯ Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 117-show Darkness Tour in Buffalo, New York. (1978)
Tour Dates
Currently on tour
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Aimee Mann ♯ Andrew Bird ♯ Arcade Fire ♯ B-52’s ♯Bob Dylan ♯ Broken Social Scene ♯ Caamp ♯ Chvrches ♯ Dead & Co ♯ Death Cab For Cutie ♯ The Doobie Brothers ♯ Father John Misty ♯ Florence and the Machine ♯ Gorillaz ♯ Interpol ♯ Jackson Browne ♯ James Taylor ♯ Jane’s Addiction ♯ Jenny Lewis ♯ Khruangbin ♯ Local Natives ♯ Lollapalooza ♯ The Melvins ♯ Monophonics ♯ The National ♯ Primus ♯ Ray LaMontagne ♯ Red Hot Chili Peppers ♯ Robert Plant & Alison Krauss ♯ Roger Waters ♯ St. Paul and the Broken Bones ♯ The Shins ♯ Smashing Pumpkins ♯ Soccer Mommy ♯ Spoon ♯ Stevie Nicks ♯ Tears For Fears ♯ Tori Amos ♯ The War on Drugs ♯ The Who ♯ Wilco
Off Topic
May or may not be music-related
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FILED UNDER: SNL SHAKEUP
Several SNL cast members will be departing after this year, including Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson and Michael Che. It’ll be interesting to see who replaces Che on Weekend Update. [via Consequence]
FILED UNDER: CASH FLOW
An Arkansas man has been arrested for (being very funny and) shooting a hole in a water tower painted with a silhouette of Johnny Cash. The carefully placed shot made it look like Johnny was peeing as the tower leaked all over the late singer’s hometown below. [via LA Times]
FILED UNDER: SMELLS LIKE MONEY
The ‘69 Fender Mustang that Kurt Cobain played in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video is up for auction. Before the auction even officially started, bids were already up to $2 million, so it will certainly end up fetching much more. Another of Cobain's guitars (his Martin D-18E, which he played on “MTV’s Unplugged”) holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever auctioned. It sold for $6 million in 2020. [via Stereogum]
Question of the Week
Inquiring minds want to know
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Are you reading these emails all the way to the end? After no reaction to last week’s question, I’d love to know if you’re making it to the end of this email, or if the newsletter is simply too long. Let me know!
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Peace and love,
CZ 🤘🏻
Stoked for the new patchnotes single, and Soccer Mommy coming to town later this fall.
I'm reading all the way to the end, Chris!