Mr. Moderator

Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

Mar 022010
 

The following questions are meant to elicit a sense of your rock ‘n roll values and experiences. Your gut answers are requested – don’t think too hard! For newcomers to the Halls of Rock, this is an occasional exercise we conduct to get to know each other better and to open possible new avenues of exploration. There’s not always a unifying theme, but today’s theme is Formative Musical Experiences. Let’s get to it, shall we?

When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

I look forward to your your responses.

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Mar 012010
 

Owing to the recent influx of new subscribers to our Rock Town Hall Facebook page as well as other new visitors to the Halls of Rock who’ve been drawn here by a couple of recent features I’m running this brief public service announcement closer to our last such reminder than I usually do. I hope newer visitors take a second to read this before registering and becoming participants in our daily threads. It’s pretty painless, and your participation is sure to liven our days. If you think you know this drill, feel free to move on at the risk of missing the All-Star Jam that follows the jump. Here goes! Continue reading »

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Mar 012010
 


I’ve never seen Paul McCartney’s vanity film Give My Regards to Broad Street, not a lick of it if you don’t count any segments that were broadcast on MTV in the day as his video single. From the little I’ve seen on YouTube this morning and the little I’ve read about it – hell, from nothing more than still photographs from the shoot – I’m thankful for not having seen it. Although the video clip that kicks off this thread is of a surprisingly half-decent song (and features friend of Rock Town Hall Chris Spedding front and center), I suspect this film would be included in the Great Beatles Refuse Removal Truck that’s coming to your town.

Simple question: What Beatles-related debris would you chuck once and for all?

Specific songs you don’t like, be it “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” or “She’s a Woman,” will not be accepted. Nor will blanket tosses, such as the entire solo career of your least-favorite solo Beatle. This psychedelic dumptruck is looking to collect the offshoot stuff, the vanity projects and collectibles, that are truly not necessary and that will possibly threaten the band’s legacy – and your own rock nerd reputation – through this millenium. For instance, George’s limited-edition autobiography, I Me Mine, may be another example of Beatles debris that’s ready to be tossed, but I wouldn’t know, because I wasn’t one of the suckers lucky 2000 to pay some exorbitant price for this tome.

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Mar 012010
 

Mad props from one Danko fan to another!

T-Bone Wolk, longtime Hall & Oates collaborator and bassist for the G.E. Smith (another H&O alum)-led Saturday Night Live house, died Saturday, February 27, of a heart attack. Known as the third (or sometime fourth, behind Oates’ mustache) member of Hall & Oates, Wolk first made his professional mark as a bassist on Kurtis Blow’s “These Are the Breaks.” Along with being the cool, hat-wearing, occasionally Rick Danko-style bass-playing foil to the ponytailed, grimacing Smith (who in fairness may be as fantastic a human being as they come), Wolk played with Elvis Costello, Roseanne Cash, and many more.

In recent years Wolk was often seen playing guitar alongside Hall & Oates, which taking nothing away from his 6-string chops just wasn’t right.

NEXT: Rock Town Hall’s Official Eulogy…
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Feb 282010
 

The Rolling Stones are set to reissue Exile on Main Street in expanded bonus-track – even unfinished-leftover-track-completed-years-later-by-surviving-members-a la-The Beatles’ “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” (but with neither Mick nor Keef having to die first) bonus track – format! This will surely be their best album since Exile…!

One name in particular stood out for me from this report:
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Feb 272010
 

When I was young I could reel off a list of working rock critics whose opinions I couldn’t wait to read. Most of the names wouldn’t shock you. Back then, if they weren’t publishing in a nationally distributed rock magazine or fanzine, be it Rolling Stone, Trouser Press, The Big Takeover, or Option, chances are I wouldn’t have been able to read them. By the early ’90s perhaps their work was collected in a book and I’d have a chance to catch up. There were no URLs to take me to any newspaper or blog imaginable.

Today, with a billion outlets to read rock reviews, I have difficulty naming a favorite working rock critic. In part this is because I’m old and petrifying. How could I judge a rock critic by his or her opinions on a new artist whose work I can’t imagine liking that much? In part it may be because I have too many options, and I can read reviews willy-nilly without ever having to pay attention to the byline. It’s a bit like my difficulty learning song titles in the age of digital downloads. It takes work to squint and comprehend the 3-pt type scrolling across my iPod.

I’m not asking this question to blow smoke up anyone’s ass. I’m curious to know who your favorite working rock critics are – and what makes them so appealing to you. If you can post a link to a favorite piece, that would be much appreciated.
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