Michael Azerrad @michaelazerrad Twitter profile | Pikagi

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

14,624

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92

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828

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Author of _The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana_ and _Our Band Could Be Your Life_. Bylines: @NewYorker , @YaleReview and @NYTimes .

New York City, USA

https://t.co/PpwtcRk7UC

Joined March 2010

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

11 months

My new book _The Amplified Come as You Are_ is out today! It's the original _Come as You Are_ but with a whole new book's worth of annotations, illuminations, emendations, expositions and clarifications. And: first time in hardcover!

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The Amplified Come as You Are

A downright revolutionary 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of the iconic bestselling biography of Nirvana, updated with exclusive new content exploring the personal and cultural forces that inspired...

www.harpercollins.com

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Just heard "Orinoco Flow" in the supermarket, which reminded me of one of my favorite things anyone has ever said to me in an interview: @official_Enya explaining why some people find her music to be spiritual — "It's the amount of reverb we use."

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

Gabba gabba hey! It's the birthday of renowned 20th-century Minimalist composer Joey Ramone.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

RIP Spot. He recorded iconic LPs by Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Descendents, Meat Puppets and the Misfits, among many others. He was also an excellent critic, photographer and musician. But most importantly, a lot of people loved him. (photo: Photobill/Bill Daniel)

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

I don't know what to say about Steve Albini's passing. He had a brilliant mind, was a great artist and underwent the most remarkable and inspiring personal transformation. I can't believe he's gone.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

I wrote a long piece about Kurt Cobain and me for the @NewYorker . Here's a summary in case of TLDR: I'm glad I knew him, but it was tough.

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My Time with Kurt Cobain

Befriending a rock star isn’t necessarily as cool as you’d think—particularly when tragedy happens.

www.newyorker.com

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

By rejecting royalties on _In Utero_ alone, Steve Albini turned down about two million bucks. Putting principle before personal enrichment is one reason why he's one of the extremely few producers (sorry, Steve) whom great numbers of people would mourn. Money isn't everything.

@Nirvana

Nirvana

4 months

Steve Albini.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

Daniel Johnston was a genius. How else to alchemize pain and fear into timeless songs that made people feel not so alone. Drove those demons Out of my head With an organ and a pencil full of lead And when I'm dead I'd like to have it said He drove those demons out of his head

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

And there you have it: the birth of industrial, in 1967.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

8 months

It's so touching that, 23 years after it was first published, people still get something out of that book and are inspired by the bands.

@PeteMcCormick6

Pete McCormick

@PeteMcCormick6

8 months

@JVMonte2 Possibly the best music book I’ve ever read @michaelazerrad

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

RIP Frank Kozik, whose day glo nightmare show posters and album covers were the visual soundtrack of the more brutal precincts of '90s indie/alt-rock. He also founded Man's Ruin Records, releasing Kyuss, Killdozer, Turbonegro, Melvins and many other superb blights on pop culture.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 months

Twenty-three years later and I will never cease to be amazed — well, honored, really — that people continue to find that book relevant and resonant. Thanks, readers!

@PeteMcCormick6

Pete McCormick

@PeteMcCormick6

6 months

@iantheCROAT @robsheff Always this. If you’ve ever loved a band, been in a band, wanted to be in a band but weren’t, loved music, had friends who loved music, seen music as an important part of your life or even if you’ve never loved music & want to understand people who do, read this @michaelazerrad

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

It's the birthday of d. boon of the Minutemen, a most inspiring person. I wonder what he would have thought of this moment. But then I wonder that every year. (photo: Marty Lyon)

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

. @Nirvana 's _In Utero_ starts w/Dave clicking his sticks—something usually edited out of a commercial album. Then a gigantic dissonant guitar chord: a big, gnarly declaration of chaos, uncertainty, and rage, it's the Big Bang that gives birth to a world of ugly beauty. #InUtero30

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Punk's not dead, it just goes to bed at a reasonable hour: the former members of Minor Threat get back together for a photo. And it's heartwarming AF. #SeniorThreat

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

The Bernie meme, _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ edition.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

It just got real. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine in 1993 that, 30 years later, I'd revisit _Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana_. But that's what I did, and I put my heart & soul into it. Thanks to @HarperOneBooks and @HarperCollins for believing. (Pub. date 10/24)

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

Fred Schneider of @theB52s couldn't really sing but he wanted to be in a band. So he invented his own way of being a vocalist. That's how he became one of the most inspiring and beloved rock musicians of the late 20th century. So party out of bounds because today is his birthday.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

Hal was one of a kind. I knew him for many years. I'm devastated.

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Hal Willner, Music Producer and ‘SNL’ Veteran, Dies at 64

Hal Willner, who oversaw sketch music for "Saturday Night Live" and was a celebrated record producer, has died of coronavirus complications.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

Illustration for Eddie van Halen's U.S. patent #4 ,656,917 for a guitar support so he could "explore the instrument as never before." I think we can safely say it worked.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Every OG indie music community you’ve ever heard of had its Spot: Jack Endino, Steve Fisk, Steve Albini, Don Zientara, Rick Harte, et al., people who understood the bands and would record them cheaply. Crucial because back then, it cost money to record — _and there was no money_.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 months

. @TheB52s made great records, were a killer live band, were wildly inventive, helped lead an exciting new chapter in rock, inspired everyone from @JohnLennon to @Nirvana — and staged the greatest, most inspiring comeback in rock history. Why are the B-52s not in the @RockHall ?

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

Only 200 more days of articles about the 50th anniversary of something that happened in the '60s.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 months

When I interviewed #ThankYouSteveAlbini for _Our Band Could Be Your Life_, he gave me a tour of his studio Electrical Audio. His friends did construction, electrical, plumbing. He stopped, spread his arms wide and proudly proclaimed, "This whole place was built by punk rockers!"

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 years

RIP Grant Hart, a cyclonic drummer, soulful singer, epochal songwriter and inspiring autodidact. I hope he has found peace at last.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

I am so very pleased to announce that @JonWurster ( @Superchunk , @mountain_goats , @BobMouldMusic band) is reading the Replacements chapter of the _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ audiobook. It's out May 21 with the Grammy-winning @HachetteAudio . More really great readers tba.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 months

It's Kurt Cobain's 57th birthday. Sadly—and yet boldly—Kurt helped open up a national discussion about mental health: not just of celebrities, but of people in general. Mental health didn't used to be talked about so much. Now it is. That's one of the best parts of his legacy.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Happy birthday Steve Reich Birthday Steve Reich happy Steve Reich happy birthday Reich happy birthday Steve Happy birthday Steve Reich

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

Not gonna lie: hearing @theLouBarlow ’s seven-year-old daughter sing along while her dad covered @pavement_band ’s “Cut Your Hair” on the loading dock of a lamp factory in Bushwick in front of 60 or so lovely people on a beautiful spring evening got me a little choked up.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

RIP longtime Butthole Surfers drummer Teresa Taylor, 60. She was, as her bandmate Paul Leary put it, "such a trooper." Here she is with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad. Photo: @PatBlashill

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

This was a life-changing story for me.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

Let us all celebrate the birthday of renowned Minimalist composer Joseph Ramone.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

Today marks the eight anniversary of this magnificent photo of @DinosaurJr 's J Mascis and friends at the Provincetown carnival. I defy you not to smile.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Why are the '90s hip right now? Because nostalgia runs in 20-year cycles. The '70s-->the '50s: Happy Days, Sha Na Na The '80s-->the '60s: the Doors comeback, paisley underground The '90s-->the '70s: grunge The 2000s-->the '80s: chillwave etc. Look for a Strokes revival in 2022.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Only 300 more days of articles about the 50th anniversary of something that happened in the '60s.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

Forty years ago this month, Mike @WattFromPedro and D. Boon founded the life-changing band the Minutemen in this house in San Pedro, California. Incredible stuff can come from seemingly unlikely places. Always remember that.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

Sometimes you just have to throw on one of the most profound, perfect and visionary rock songs ever recorded and bop around the living room.

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The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner" (1972)

www.youtube.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

Happy birthday to Krist Novoselic! Here's a passage about him from _The Amplified Come as You Are_.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

"Woman Listening to Music" (1945) — Joan Miró

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 month

. @STErlewine is arguably one of the most influential music critics in the world. He's written hundreds, maybe thousands, of authoritative reviews of a staggering variety of music on Allmusic — and we, his colleagues all refer to them. Someone smart will give him a great job.

@sterlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

1 month

After some 32 years, I have been laid off from Xperi, whose music editorial database is featured on Allmusic. I enjoyed working there and will miss having steady work. If you have any leads or opportunities, let me know. I'm open to writing, editing and consulting.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Only 500 more days of articles marking the 50th anniversary of something that happened in the '60s.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

10 months

If you're an _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ type of person you'll enjoy this Q&A with @BobMouldMusic — lots of great stuff about the early days of Hüsker Dü.

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"I may not leave the same amount of blood on the floor every night, but I'm still happy to bleed":...

Bob Mould is one of the greatest songwriters ever to strap on a guitar, and share his truth with the world. As he readies a return to the UK and Europe, he talks Hüsker Dü, Sugar, and why every gig...

www.loudersound.com

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

If you're curious about what made Steve Albini a special person and not just a brilliant and influential musician and recording engineer, read this.

The evolution of Steve Albini: ‘If the dumbest person is on your side, you’re on the wrong side’

The long read: Steve Albini was long synonymous with the indie underground, playing in revered bands and recording albums by the Pixies, PJ Harvey and Nirvana. He also often seemed determined to...

www.theguardian.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

He was the acknowledged engine of a band that gave two or three of his bandmates their entire identity, but he didn't care about pop stardom; he really just wanted to play jazz. That's how cool he was. Never has a drummer kicked ass so elegantly. RIP Charlie Watts.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Today marks the tenth anniversary of one of the greatest photographs in human history: J Mascis of @DinosaurJr , his daughter, and a Wookiee at the #Provincetown Carnival.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Happy 62nd birthday, @HenryRollins . This meme w/lifelong pal Ian MacKaye makes fun but both are still punk AF: punk rock might be for the young but *being* punk is for all. No shame in going to bed at a reasonable hour if you wake up the next morning and fight the good fight.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

. @FooFighters Taylor Hawkins was an archetypal rock drummer — I mean, just look at the guy. He lived and played really hard and really well and really joyously, and that was very inspiring. His passing is a shock and a terrible loss. (photo: Amy Harris)

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Greg Norton, bassist for the great Hüsker Dü, has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It's going to be really expensive to deal with. By all means, kick in a few bucks if you can.

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Help Greg Norton cover his medical treatment, organized by Jamie Oliver

Unfortunately, our beloved friend Greg Norton, bass player for the legendary… Jamie Oliver needs your support for Help Greg Norton cover his medical treatment

www.gofundme.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

9 months

Friday night I saw @DinosaurJr and it reminded me of one of my favorite things about music: how a particular group of musicians can make their own magical collective sound, a unique combination of tones, pitches, and rhythmic idiosyncrasies that adds up to something ineffable.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 month

One of the endearing things about the late Martin Phillipps was that he wasn't just a gifted songwriter and musician, he was a big music fan: he was One of Us. He knew the rush we get from hearing a favorite song. In fact, he named his band after that feeling: the Chills. RIP.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 years

"We had one tape we listened to in the van… On one side was the Smithereens… That tape was always getting played, turned over and over again. I think back now and go, 'Yeah, maybe that was an influence.'" — @KristNovoselic RIP Pat DiNizio

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

Mike @WattFromPedro on "jamming econo": "We just could never see mass acceptance of our music... [So] if we were going to do it, we had to make sure the dream fit the tent. A massive bourgeois tent would be too much deadweight. Let’s just carry enough to get us there." #OBCBYL

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

I am so honored to announce that one of the greatest rock journalists ever, @Kurt_Loder , is narrating the audiobook version of my book _Come As You Are: the Story of Nirvana_. It's out April 23rd with Penguin Random House Audio ( @PRHAudio ).

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

RIP longtime Cramps drummer Nick Knox. He was such a great drummer and just the coolest of the cool.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

9 months

Attention must be paid: Screaming Females have called it a day. They made a lot of great, passionate punk rock. They were DIY to the core. And they're just really nice people. Best of luck, @Screamales , and thanks for the tunes and the shows!

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

My Jeff Beck story: Intvwd him for @RollingStone for his @RockHall induction w/Yardbirds. Asked if he'd jam with them. He said, "Maybe if I had a couple of Guinnesses in me." At the show, I brought him two Guinnesses. He drank them. But he didn't jam with the Yardbirds. The end.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 months

Did you know that you can take guitar lessons from Mission of Burma's great Roger Miller? In person — if you're in the southern Vermont area — or via Skype.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

Some of my favorite docs are about bands I'm not that into: Rush, Anvil, Metallica, etc. _Wham!_ is another—a poignant look at intraband dynamics that can apply to many other kinds of partnerships. Worth watching even if you don't want anyone to wake you up before they go-go.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

. @Spotify is giving users the option to mute artists — I'm sure they'll keep charts of who gets muted the most. Realistically, who do you think will be in the Top 5?

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Spotify will soon let you mute and block artists

You’ll be able to block R. Kelly soon

www.theverge.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 months

The outtakes compilation album _VU_ (1985) is my favorite Velvet Underground album. There, I said it, it's out in the open now.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Aw, jeez. Tom Verlaine sure made some magical music. If you don't know it already, give it a listen. And if you do know it, give it a listen anyway.

@nytimes

The New York Times

2 years

Tom Verlaine, whose band Television was one of the most influential to emerge from the New York punk rock scene centered on the nightclub CBGB, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 73.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 months

An entire film series inspired by _Our Band Could Be Your Life_! I am so very chuffed.

@Ryabolique

Ryan Finnigan

6 months

Happy to finally unveil the season that I've been dropping hints about OUR CINEMA COULD BE YOUR LIFE, inspired by the bands of 'Our Band Could Be Your Life' and writing of @michaelazerrad :

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

I'm thoroughly annotating _Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana_: adding amplifications, corrections, illuminations, cultural context, reminiscences, anecdotes, insights from re-reading the book, and a new chapter. Tons of interesting stuff. No publisher yet but I'm on it.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 months

RIP the great comedian, actor, musician and painter Martin Mull (_Fernwood 2 Night_, _Roseanne_, _Arrested Development_). As far as I can tell, Mull is the one who said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" and is thus a giant of rock criticism.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

The _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ audiobook features the voices of: Sharon Van Etten, Fred Armisen, Jonathan Franzen, Merrill Garbus, Colin Meloy, Dave Longstreth, Jon Wurster, Stephin Merritt, Jeff Tweedy and many more luminaries.

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Our Band Could Be Your Life

The definitive chronicle of underground music in the 1980s tells the stories of Black Flag, Sonic Youth, The Replacements, and other seminal bands whose DIY ...

www.hachettebookgroup.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

This is SO great. What Ben didn't know is that Ian MacKaye composed many Minor Threat songs on piano. Ian played a couple for me—on the same piano—when I interviewed him for Our Band Could Be Your Life. I wish he (or Ben) would do an entire album of them.

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@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

Very sad to report that @MarkLanegan has passed. I can believe it. But I can hardly believe it.

@marklanegan

mark lanegan

3 years

Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland. A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley. No other information is available at this time. We ask Please respect the family privacy

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 months

Just looked it up: I've seen @Deerhoof 32 times. But that's only since 2011, when I started my iCal — I first saw them play in 2004. So they're the band I've seen the most times, and every show has been absolutely exhilarating. Bottom line: see Deerhoof play whenever you can.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

It's John Coltrane's birthday, which means you can listen to his passionate, brilliant, and life-affirming music all day long on @Columbia University's beloved @WKCRFM here: (photo: William Claxton)

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

Ocean Child, a @YokoOno tribute album curated by Ben Gibbard, drops on Ono's 89th birthday, Feb. 18 and benefits @WhyHunger . Excellent line-up: @SharonVanEtten , @YouSGirls , @Jbrekkie , my beloved @Deerhoof , @Amber_Coffman , Stephin Merritt, et al.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Kurt Cobain would have been 56 years old today. As good a reason as any to crank some @Nirvana music and rage ecstatically.

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Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupCurmudgeon · NirvanaLithium℗ 1992 Geffen RecordsReleased on: 1992-01-01Producer: Barrett JonesStudio Personnel, ...

www.youtube.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Musician @theVanDykeParks , born January 3rd to be the erudite, droll and preternaturally gifted Zelig of great American popular music.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Happy 35th birthday today to @Mudhoney , who are still incendiary.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Exciting news: out in spring, the #audiobook version of _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ w/Grammy-winning @HachetteAudio . Folks who were inspired by the bands in the book read chapters. First up: @JeffTweedy from @Wilco reads the Minutemen! A buncha other incredible artists tba.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

10 months

Grunge fans will want to read Barrett Martin's _The Greatest Band That Ever Wasn't_, a memoir about his time drumming with Screaming Trees (and Mad Season). There's a moral to his rollicking story: in the words of William Blake, "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

8 years

"Prince's concept is James Brown and Jimi Hendrix and Charlie Chaplin. How can you mess with that?" — Miles Davis

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

I see @Deerhoof and I think, surely this is the greatest band on the planet.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

A timeless sentiment. (photographer unknown)

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Many have speculated about the origin of the musical term "grunge." Well, now we know: this was published in 1985, two years before @SubPop 's @BrucePavitt described Green River's _Dry as a Bone_ EP as "ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation." #YoureWelcome

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

9 months

And now one of the greatest YouTube clips of all time: "It's a Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown."

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It's A Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown

All credit for this video goes to "Tad Was Here" on Vimeo. I downloaded it from him so that I could upload it here simply because Youtube embeds into Facebo...

www.youtube.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

Let us all take a moment to celebrate the ninth anniversary of this brilliant photo of @DinosaurJr 's J Mascis and friends.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

11 months

Jason is very kind. And his former band Verböten, punk rockers from the early '80s, plays a small but important part in the Nirvana story!

@SplitSingleband

Jason Narducy

@SplitSingleband

11 months

One of rock’s best writers has done it again. @michaelazerrad goes deeper and further into the Nirvana story with more than double the background of the original Come As You are. Humbled to be included in this along with my first band, Verböten.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

1 year

When "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the first single from Nirvana's _Nevermind_, was released, people were mystified by the lyrics—in particular, “A mulatto, an albino/A mosquito, my libido.” But it’s just two pairs of opposites, a funny way of saying the narrator is very horny.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

With most articles, you think, hey, that was a cool experience to interview that musician. And then some articles are life-altering. That's what this one was for me, published 30 years ago to the day. Thank you, @Nirvana and @RollingStone .

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Nirvana: Inside the Heart and Mind of Kurt Cobain

How is Kurt Cobain enjoying success as the leader of the world's first triple-platunim punk-rock band? David Fricke interviews the band.

www.rollingstone.com

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

@sad13 For me (NYC), believing that I am the only person who is allowed to complain about New York City.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

_Our Band Could Be Your Life_ turns 20 this year — and somehow it's still a part of the conversation, as in @MarkRichardson 's thoughtful Wall Street Journal ( @WSJ ) review of @DinosaurJr 's blazingly poignant new album _Sweep It Into Space_.

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‘Sweep It Into Space’ by Dinosaur Jr. Review: An ’80s Group Keeps Roaring

The band’s new release does more than stave off extinction, maintaining its signature sound with extra poignancy.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

Young lovers Erick Purkhiser and Kristy Wallace: together they would go on to found the Cramps. It's the 50th anniversary of this photo. I just find it incredibly moving.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

2 years

RIP Van Conner, bassist and cofounder of the mighty Screaming Trees of Ellensburg, Washington.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

10 months

" @TheSonicYouth came to embody for many musicians and music fans an aspirational ideal of creative freedom — and, by extension, freedom in general." On the occasion of @NowJazzNow 's fine new memoir, I pontificated on a very inspiring band for @YaleReview .

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Michael Azerrad: "The Legacy of Sonic Youth"

How the band reached beyond music to define a scene.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 months

The way I know I'm an adult is, I like side two of _Exile on Main Street_.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

Fan mail: "'Our Band Could Be Your Life' literally got me through the last 30 days at Oregon State Correctional Facility... I have to honestly admit I felt somewhat privileged being probably the only motherfucker in the whole institution being able to read about Big Black."

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 months

I should probably have noted that all three of these songs begin with a lone dissonant chord. The second one is probably a tribute to the first. And the third one is probably a tribute to the first and the second.

@michaelazerrad

Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

7 months

"A Hard Day's Night" — @theBeatles "Here Comes Your Man" — @Pixies "Serve the Servants" — @Nirvana

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

3 years

Fascinating that @BobDylan chose this photo of Little Richard, Alis Lesley & Eddie Cochran for his upcoming book. It's from the 1957 Australian tour when Little Richard saw Sputnik 1 streaking skyward after launch, had a religious epiphany and dropped out of pop music for years.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

Bless them, @Radiohead is posting really nicely shot and recorded full concerts. Here's their July 29th, 2016 Lollapalooza show in Chicago.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Interviewer: What is the most the important thing about rock & roll you've learnt in your life? David Thomas (Pere Ubu): Rock music is about moving big black boxes from one side of town to the other in the back of your car.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

6 years

Really stoked to announce that @SharonVanEtten is reading the @DinosaurJr chapter of the _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ audiobook. Out May 21 w/the Grammy-winning @HachetteAudio . More readers tba. p.s.: Sharon's LP _Remind Me Tomorrow_ is out 1/18 and it's intensely beautiful.

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

4 years

I nominate the Washington Dukes. Jazz icon Duke Ellington grew up in DC. And just think of the mileage they could get out of "Put up your Dukes."

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Michael Azerrad

@michaelazerrad

5 years

It's difficult not to see the stunning Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit "Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll" as a materialistic tomb for the rock & roll era. And yet I had to stop myself from genuflecting before Keith Moon's drum set.

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