What has always fascinated me about Richard Hell is his reluctance to revisit those days in bands like The Heartbreakers, Television, and especially, The Voidoids. While many of his colleagues from the old CBGB and “77 punk” scene are more than happy to do a few reunions for whatever reason (strapped for cash, revisiting past glory, etc.), Hell keeps on insisting that those days are behind him, and he just wants to concentrate on his writing — something I have […]
Top Ten Documents of Old and Forgotten Sounds in 2009
By Jason Diamond 1. A Fine Romance (Nextbook) takes a look at the very hefty Jewish contribution to the Great American songbook. The work of names like Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and others is explored in this lovingly written book by poet David Lehman. 2. Documenting the generation after the big boom of Mississippi bluesmen making their migration north, Chicago photographer Michael Abramson made his way to his cities South Side, snapping photos from 1975-77 for what would […]