Writer, actress and photographer Lisa Jane Persky is surely the only participant in the early CBGB punk scene who also appeared in When Harry Met Sally. After moving to Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, she met several colorful characters — from Divine and Debbie Harry to Lance Loud and Yoko Ono (the latter of […]
Prairie Pop
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Prairie Pop: Looking back on David Bowie’s love affair with experimental theater
The weekend after David Bowie’s death, the Starman’s spirit descended on Iowa City, sprinkling magical fairy dust during The Mill’s David Bowie Karaoke Party and Glam Costume Contest. A benefit for a local homeless shelter that raised $1,700, this lively event embodied what made Bowie such an enduring artist: spectacle. It’s no secret that David […]
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Interview: Richard Hell on his new collection of essays, ‘Massive Pissed Love’
“Fuck Rock and Roll (I’d Rather Read a Book),” Richard Hell sang in 1974, back when he played in the band Television. He also co-founded two other influential New York punk groups—The Heartbreakers and The Voidoids—something that tends to overshadow Hell’s half-century involvement in the publishing world. “I’ve always loved books,” he told me over […]
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The Pioneers of Disruption: Negativland members open up about deceased member Don Joyce, future projects
Negativland’s Don Joyce lived and breathed sound collage—’til his heart stopped beating on July 22, 2015 at the age of 71. “I’ve been more interested in what’s already out there than creating some new, so-called ‘original,’” Joyce told me in a 2003 interview at his home studio in a seedy part of Oakland, California. “I […]
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Interview: Questions for Laurie Anderson from a Two-Year-Old
When my son, Alasdair, was two, he embraced an unlikely children’s entertainer: Laurie Anderson. It began when he found her 1982 debut album, Big Science, in my vinyl collection and asked about it. After watching the “O Superman (For Massenet)” music video on YouTube, he moved on to her “Sharkey’s Day” video and then the […]
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The Yes Men bring anarchy, comedy and political activism to Iowa City
Film Screening and Q&A: The Yes Men Are Revolting FilmScene (via The Bijou Theatre) — Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 3 p.m. (Free) Using humorous deceptions to get their political points across, the Yes Men have regularly made headlines since they joined forces in 1999. Today, Mike Bonanno and his partner in crime, Andy Bichlbaum, bring […]
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Interview: El-P talks sampling and making peace with his musical life of crime
“I have nothing planned for the future. Right now I’m just letting the universe decide,” Run the Jewels’ MC and producer El-P told me last …
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Interview: Jessica Hopper of The Pitchfork Review talks feminism and her new collection of music criticism
Over the last two decades, Jessica Hopper has established herself as a leading music critic with her sharp, fierce writing. She has also helped make room for more…
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Interview: Simeon Coxe of Silver Apples discusses his beginnings in oddball musicals and the lawsuit that changed his carreer
Sometimes rock and roll is stranger than fiction, and when you add experimental…
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Prairie Pop: Behind the door of Studio 54
Studio 54 was more than just a nightclub — it was a pop culture supernova. “To me, the best room in the city has always been Studio 54,” says Jim Fouratt, who ran the disco in the late 1970s. “I mean, just the physical space, and the way that they used screens and just how […]
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Prairie Pop: How the Village People conquered the mainstream
Performance artists and matrimonial ceremonies usually don’t mix, but the Village People have nonetheless been a wedding party staple for years…
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Prairie Pop: The secret history of Craig Leon, punk’s electronic-music innovator
Craig Leon made a name for himself producing the first New York punk records by The Ramones, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Blondie and Suicide. But who knew…
