From Popular Music, Travis D. Stimeling (West Virginia): Narrative, Vocal Staging and Masculinity in the “Outlaw” Country Music of Waylon Jennings; and Anne Desler (Hull): History without Royalty? Queen and the Strata of the Popular Music Canon. Devon Powers (Drexel): Lost in the Shuffle: Technology, History, and the Idea of Musical Randomness. Audra Schroeder on how Spotify helped reinvent mixtape culture. David Daley interviews David Byrne: “Do you really think people are going to keep putting time and effort into this, if no one is making any money?” From The Awl, did the CIA propagate rock 'n' roll? Adam Krause investigates. From Forward, Seth Rogovoy on the secret history of Paul McCartney, the Jewish Beatle: Why Macca is like Fab Four member of tribe; and on the secret Jewish history of Aerosmith: Mel Brooks and Jewish drummer forged hard rock history. And She Was: Lindsay Zoladz on the story of the greatest girl group you've never heard of. Juliet Jacques on The Sex Pistols and the collapse of the consensus: This is the moment at which punk rock moves from the underground to the mainstream. Jessica Hopper on how selling out saved indie rock. Art Edwards on why you actually love Hootie and the Blowfish, Alanis Morissette, Bush and the Dave Matthews Band. Jesus Brotons on how Els Masturbadors Mongolics brought punk to fascist Spain. An interview with members of the Pixies on the perks of being veteran artists, and the downsides of social media. “I’m not some cock-hungry groupie”: Rosemary Lucy Hill on women negotiating the rock groupie stereotype. Elias Isquith on how Supertramp got involved with one of the weirdest 9/11 truther conspiracies ever. Adam Tod Brown on 10 great songs by the worst bands of all time.
