Author Archives: Joe Nolan
After Gene Clark
Over the weekend my assistant discovered this great Irish radio documentary about singer/songwriter and former Byrd, Gene Clark. The program recounts Clark’s role as The Byrds’ greatest songwriter, and his troubled solo career which resulted in genius works like the austere White Light and the sprawling, incandescent No Other. We lost Clark 25 years ago [...]
Hobo Visions
John T. Davis’s 1992 documentary, Hobo, finds the BBC filmmaker tagging along with a modern day train-hopper — a Vietnam vet who goes by the hobo handle of “Beargrease.” On their travels we learn about the century old symbol system that American itinerant workers still use to communicate important information to their travelling brothers and [...]
Foucault on Sex
This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality. Among other ideas this study of sex in the West posited that the notion that every person possessed their own unique sexuality was a relatively new one. Of course it’s a notion that couldn’t [...]
Dennis Hopper’s Chainsaw
This year we celebrate the release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. You read that right. The first film is the best horror movie of all time for some, but if it seems odd to be celebrating the sequel, you obviously haven’t seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Did I mention it stars Dennis Hopper [...]
The Intercepting Post
This year The Big Boss turns 45, and next year we’ll celebrate the birthday of Bruce Lee’s fighting philosophy, Jeet Kune Do. In 1967, during his first season of The Green Hornet, Lee was inspired to create his own martial arts system. The action star and Kung Fu sensei felt that his traditional style of [...]
40 Years of Assault
After spending nearly a week lounging in the Gulf of Mexico I spent Sunday afternoon lounging on the rocks in the water at Dale Hollow reservoir. All this warm weather resting has reminded me what a sun worshiper I’ve always been — I think most summer babies are. I brought two songs back from the [...]
Memento Macho
Today we remember the surprise passing of professional wrestler Randy “Macho Man” Savage five years ago. Here’s the word from Wiki… Randy Mario Poffo was born in Columbus, Ohio,[5][6] the elder son of Judy and Angelo Poffo. His father was Italian American and his mother was Jewish; Poffo was raised Roman Catholic.[12] Angelo was a [...]
Greil on Blonde
Continuing our celebration of 50 years of Blonde on Blonde here’s an expansive interview with Greil Marcus looking back on all of the ink he’s spilled on the troubadour. Greil is followed by Al Kooper interviewed at Belmont University in Nashville talking about the making of Blonde on Blonde… Stay Awake! Please subscribe to my YouTube [...]
Dylan Country
Continuing our celebration of Blonde on Blonde at 50 here’s a segment from The Other Side of Nashville illuminating Dylan’s recording career on Music Row… Stay Awake! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel where I archive all of the videos I curate at Insomnia. Click here to check out more Music posts.
Blonde on Blonde at 50
A quick Google search finds Blonde on Blonde on most every top rock albums shortlist and it always places high in rankings of Dylan’s best. I take Highway 61 Revisited over Blonde, but Blonde is probably in any Dylanologist’s top three. Blonde‘s epic poetics in songs like “Visions of Johanna” and “Sad-Eyed Lady of the [...]
