OK, I’ve got one question and one question only…

Who the F is Ke$ha??

The girl wears glitter. A lot of it.
She totally ripped off my girl Uffie.
She has a dollar sign IN HER NAME.
She has one song out…and it’s about getting wasted.

But girlfriend is everywhere. She’s all over the internet, the radio plays her song religiously and she’s even found a spot on my workout playlist. And my getting ready to go out playlist. And my walk to class playlist…

Now, I know the stars of pop music have been a little ridiculous lately (Exhibit A), but this new-found obsession with Ke$ha has me a little worried; bad romance outfits are one thing, but brushing your teeth with a bottle of Jack? Come on now, girl.

I mean – really, Kesha? – you “wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy”? What does it feel like to be an angry, controlling, egotistical rap mogul with a Twitter obsession? Read More »

Along with books, another obsession of mine is music. I have what one would call “eclectic” taste, in that I like absolutely EVERYTHING. You’re equally as likely to hear me rapping along to Biggie Smalls, belting out a classic from Fleetwood Mac or humming a tune from some little-known indie band about to blow up.

So clearly, I love music biographies.

If you read my list of 5 modern must-reads, you’ll know I encourage everyone to read rockstar biographies. I really love getting inside the brain and life of my favorite musicians; it totally changes the way I see them and gives me a glimpse into their life as a real person.

When I found “I’m With the Band” in the music section of my local bookstore I figured it would be another typical memoir from the music world, but I soon realized it wasn’t your typical music biography.

Pamela Des Barres was a groupie. Not just any groupie – a super groupie. She had flings or relationships with Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Moon and even Don Johnson (yes, Miami Vice Don Johnson) and was Frank Zappa’s babysitter! Needless to say, she had an “in” in the music world. Read More »

What is it about musicians?

As I write this, I’m sitting in a tiny room, surrounded by instruments and coffee cups and crumpled paper a few people practicing for an upcoming show. I’m here because I have to be—an end of the school year stage managing gig—but now that a few of the dudes in this place have opened up their mouths and started singing, I no longer mind the cramped space and the fact that every time someone opens the door they slam me and my chair and my left arm. Really fucking hard.

The boys in question, singing in perfect harmony as I put these words down, are not exactly the hottest things I’ve ever seen. I mean, they’re not bad. One of them is actually a little bit famous, but it’s not because of his slightly nondescript face and strange habit of squinting whenever he hits high notes.

It’s because he’s a musician.

It’s the Musician Factor. Read More »