Tag: Guest Blog

Working For the Skin Trade: Post-Imperial Funk

As a massive fan of the Notorious era, last week’s resurrection of “Skin Trade” had me feeling chills thanks to fans sharing their concert clips. So, this week, I’m sharing this Notorious piece I wrote a few years back. Velvet Rebel In 2010, Pitchfork contributor Tom Ewing helped define the concept of imperial phases as… Continue reading Working For the Skin Trade: Post-Imperial Funk

Video Classics: Shadows Of the Night

Last week, Rhonda was lucky enough to see Pat Benatar live in concert. Any concert sounds amazing now but I’ve never seen Benatar so that one sounds extra incredible. Her voice is timeless and her track record of hit singles is formidable. As a fan of MTV, though, it was her videos that burned themselves… Continue reading Video Classics: Shadows Of the Night

The Love’s Taking Over Tour 1990

Written and recorded shortly after Duran Duran’s Big Live Thing tour, the general consensus has always been that Liberty is the most uneven of the Duran Duran albums. The good songs are very good but the not-so-wonderful songs smell a little too much like hash oil and steroid sweat. However, what makes for an uneven… Continue reading The Love’s Taking Over Tour 1990

Fatale Electric – Ellen von Unwerth

Director, photographer, and fashion model Ellen von Unwerth has been a key contributor to the Duran Duran story starting with the Liberty artwork in 1990. Her work as director on the “Electric Barbarella” video might have caused some ripples but the video is undeniably beautiful with an intoxicating use of color. While some might find… Continue reading Fatale Electric – Ellen von Unwerth

(More) Girls On Film – The Lost Vignette

Recently, I shared a blog I wrote while watching MTV footage from March if 1984 in honor of the channel’s forty years of music. During the broadcast, I saw a commercial for an MTV book called Who’s Who In Rock Video – A Guide To Video Music Artists and I knew I needed to get… Continue reading (More) Girls On Film – The Lost Vignette

Classic Albums: Exposure by Exposé

Growing up in South Florida, local radio station Power 96 (WPOW) was spinning artists such as Debbie Deb, Stevie B, Will To Power, and Linear. It wasn’t called freestyle at the time. For a kid listening to the radio and loving the rhythms, it was simply dance music. In fact, I never heard the term… Continue reading Classic Albums: Exposure by Exposé

Dance Into the Fire With Terry de Castro

At the end of 2020, The Wedding Present & Friends released Not From Where I’m Standing, a compilation of James Bond theme songs. Helmed by the legendary David Gedge, the project brings together covers done by members past and present from The Wedding Present. All proceeds from the project are being donated to CALM –… Continue reading Dance Into the Fire With Terry de Castro

John Mayer: Sob Rock

From the moment I saw the album cover, I was anticipating John Mayer’s new album with an unjustifiable zeal. Apart from briefly owning Room For Squares twenty years ago, my only exposure to Mayer was seeing him perform, quite impressively, as a member of The Dead. His guitar chops are well-documented but his solo material… Continue reading John Mayer: Sob Rock