SPIN Cover: Mr. Grohl’s Cabinet of Wonder

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Posterity Post: I wrote thousands of articles while on staff at SPIN and blogged none of them.

In early 2013, I flew to the snowy wilds of Utah in order to track, capture, and question Dave Grohl, the Nirvana drummer, Foo Fighters boss, and Sound City filmmaker notorious for his avoidance of the press… Okay, Grohl loves a camera and a microphone, but still. This is a special story about a special dude making a special movie about a special piece of studio equipment. With photos by my shutterbug brother from another mother, Nathaniel Wood. We combined forces to capture Grohl’s Park City gig with Stevie Nicks too. Also, Slipknot.

Take Two: Bleachers and Madlib

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Here’s me on Bleachers’ Strange Desire and Madlib’s Rock Konducta. Co-critic Steve Hochman gets jazz-punk. Listen to us bridge public radio’s generational gap. Har har. Hear here:

Remember the Coachella Cruise?

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Posterity Post: I wrote thousands of articles while on staff at SPIN, and blogged none of them.

Well, do you? This guy does. He was there and it was awesome. On the first day, Pulp performed in the boat’s massive internal ballroom, while Broaters on the top deck got gross in the hot tubs. On the second day, Father John Misty played to a bunch of rich, unappreciative assholes, and Grimes hosted a game of bingo. On the third day, James Murphy poured rare wine and Black Lips convinced me to eat escargot. I documented the weirdness for SPIN. Continue reading →

Sundancing With Aaron Paul and Josh Wiggins

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I made it back to Sundance with SPIN again this year and instead of merely reviewing a snow bank’s worth of films (although, I did that, so scroll down), I also knocked out two interviews. Here’s my favorite: a sit-down with Aaron Paul (!) who talked about touring with Radiohead. His Hellion co-star Josh Wiggins was there too, and each shared his go-to karaoke jam.

The Lost SPIN Film Reviews: Frank, Memphis, Look of Love, Milkshake, and Escape From Tomorrow

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I caught a lot of great movies at Sundance 2014, but Frank grabbed me like no other. It was strange and beautiful and hilarious, plus cast Michael Fassbender (a noted looker) as a freaky music savant who wears a giant papier-mâché head at all times. Oh, and Carla Azar from Autolux is the drummer in the band. Go ahead and read the review before I rewrite it all. You’ll find a few other flicks below too, reviewed over the course of two Sundance trips. Continue reading →