Sometime in 1985, Tipper Gore rounded up some of her best friends, popped open a bottle of Dom Perignon, and spent the night listening to Twisted Sister, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath. At least I hope this is what happened.
Backstreet's Back: Thoughts on Adele's "Hello"
Like many women my age, I spent much of my freshman and sophomore year of college crying to Adele. I was all about Adele. I’m not sure why, as it’s not like I had any dramatic relationships or star-cross’d lovers by 19, but Adele songs are sort of like the horoscopes in the newspaper: you can convince yourself they apply perfectly to any situation you are in-- like they were written just for you.
From Fans to Frontmen: The Piano Men at The Sutler
None of the musicians in The Piano Men: The Music of Elton John and Billy Joel wear oversized glitter glasses. They have never played a sold-out concert in Russia at the height of the Cold War. What they offer are the songs of two musical geniuses played with the esteem and reverence that exists only among fans.
5 Things I Learned From An Old Issue of "Backstreets"
I recently got my hands on a near-mint copy of the Summer 1985 issue of Backstreets. Backstreets, for the uninitiated, is the Bruce Springsteen fan publication. I follow Backstreets’ online presence every day on social media, but it is a whole other experience to have a vintage copy in hand. Now, fans are spoiled with multiple Springsteen news outlets-- Backstreets, Blogness on the Edge of Town, Blog it All Night, Burgers and Bruce, and the list goes on. This magazine was like opening a time capsule to a very specific era of Springsteen-- in the midst of the mega Born in the USA tour and just following his first marriage to model Julianne Phillips. This was a time when Born to Run was a relatively recent event, many were still scratching their heads over Nebraska, and the Tunnel of Love era band dismantling was unheard of. Here are some things I learned:
