Now this is quite the honor: Mike Watt, one of the most respected musicians ever to lurk in the underground, has anted up – all jazz-style – for the second installment in the Bad Penny’s brand-new series, Revising History. Continue reading
Archive for Nirvana
Revising History: Mike Watt On John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, More
Posted in Features, Revising History with tags Albert Ayler, Anna Waronker, Banyan, Bob Lee, Carla Bozulich, Cibo Matto, Ciccone Youth, Cris Kirkwood, Curt Kirkwood, Dave Grohl, Dos, Dougie Bowne, Eddie Vedder, Evan Dando, Firehose, Floored by Four, Foo Fighters, Hellride, Hellride East, Hovercraft, Iggy Pop, J Mascis, J Mascis and the Fog, John Coltrane, Krist Novoselic, Les McCann, Mike Watt, Miles Davis, Minutemen, Missingmen, Nels Cline, Nirvana, Petra Haden, Porno for Pyros, Rachel Haden, Roland Kirk, Sun Ra, the Stooges, the Unknown Instructors, Thelonious Monk, Wilco, Yuka Honda on 10/08/2010 by kurtorzeckRevising History: Kathryn Williams On Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter, Björk’s Homogenic, More
Posted in Features, Revising History with tags Björk, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Gillian Welch, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell, Kathryn Williams, Laura Veirs, Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Nirvana, Palace, Palace Brothers, Pavement, the Velvet Underground, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Will Oldham on 10/06/2010 by kurtorzeck
On her 2004 covers album, Relations, revered British singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams breathed new life into classics such as Nirvana’s “All Apologies,” the Velvet Underground’s “Candy Says” and Pavement’s “Spit on a Stranger.” In commemoration of the release finally reaching U.S. shores on Tuesday (via One Little Indian), the Bad Penny asked the Mercury Prize nominee to christen a new feature: Revising History. Continue reading
Red House Painters’ Mark Kozelek: ‘There’s A Bad Feeling That Comes With Playing Solo Too Much’
Posted in Interview Transcripts, Interviews with tags Cameron Crowe, Codeine, Low, Mark Kozelek, Nirvana, Red House Painters on 10/04/2010 by kurtorzeck
With former Red House Painters guitarist Phil Carney recently granting the Bad Penny his first-ever interview (and an MP3 premiere), the time seems right to resurrect my long-lost conversation with Mark Kozelek. Conducted August 14, 2001, it is surfacing online for the first time. And, because interview with the indie demigod are hard to come by, the full piece is presented here – all 4,900-plus words, warts and all. Continue reading
Mark Linkous, Forever Sparkling
Posted in Interviews with tags Butthole Surfers, Daniel Johnston, Half Japanese, Jad Fair, Mark Linkous, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Sparklehorse, Tom Waits on 03/08/2010 by kurtorzeck
On January 9, 2003, I had the honor of speaking with Mark Linkous. While I held Sparklehorse in high regard back then – and still do today – I came away from the interview with even more respect for the man behind the songs. Continue reading
Getting To Know Mark Lanegan
Posted in Interviews with tags Afghan Whigs, Greg Dulli, Johnny Cash, Josh Homme, June Carter Cash, Kurt Cobain, Mark Lanegan, Nick Oliveri, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, the Screaming Trees, Twilight Singers on 01/04/2010 by kurtorzeck
Mark Lanegan wears all 40 years of his life on his face. His skin, once puffed in that Tom Waits sort of way, is now ironed out into a smooth sheet. His thin amber eyes pierce his surroundings with a devastating gravity. Even his thick maroon mane, which spikes out beneath a nondescript black hat, seems to be spun by the hands of time, hammered by hard living.
Cover Me: French Miami’s French Miami
Posted in Cover Me, Features, Interviews with tags Brian Eno, Daft Punk, Death, French Miami, Genesis, John Carpenter, Kraftwerk, Minor Threat, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Polvo, the Fucking Champs, the Mae Shi, the Velvet Underground, Trans Am on 01/03/2010 by kurtorzeck
An ongoing series in which musicians reveal the artists they’d most like to hear covering their songs. Continue reading
Best Albums Of The 2000s
Posted in Lists with tags 3 Inches of Blood, David Cross, Electric Six, Isis, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Murder City Devils, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Silversun Pickups, Sweep the Leg Johnny, System of a Down, the Mars Volta, Tomahawk on 12/31/2009 by kurtorzeck
1. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
2. Isis – Oceanic (Ipecac)
• Bad Penny interview: “Isis’ Aaron Turner In ’02: Oceanic Is ‘The Best Material We’ve Ever Written’ ”
• Bad Penny essay: “Isis’ Oceanic: Mystery Revealed?”
Continue reading
Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison: ‘I Can’t Imagine Ever Doing A Reunion Tour’
Posted in Interviews with tags Beck, Big Black, Brainiac, Cargo Cult, David Sims, David Yow, Denison Kimball Trio, Duane Denison, Firehose, Firewater, Girls Against Boys, Hank Williams III, Iggy Pop, Laughing Hyenas, Mac McNeilly, Melvins, Ministry, Nirvana, Phantom 309, Rage Against the Machine, Scratch Acid, Steve Albini, the Butthole Surfers, the Jesus Lizard, Trans Am, Verbena on 12/30/2009 by kurtorzeck
These are three hard-working men. One is bald, diminutive (around 5 feet tall) and brandishes a wrinkled, menacing smirk. This man has been arrested on numerous occasions for public exposure and enjoys his occupation, which involves howling, salivating, urinating and wrestling with complete strangers. Continue reading
Best Albums Of 2000
Posted in Lists with tags At the Drive-In, Blonde Redhead, Bright Eyes, Broadcast, Chicks on Speed, Enon, Grandaddy, Le Tigre, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Quickspace, Sunny Day Real Estate, Sweep the Leg Johnny, the Black Heart Procession, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Fucking Champs, the Murder City Devils, Unida, Yo La Tengo on 12/30/2009 by kurtorzeck
GOLD
1. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (Interscope): Heavyweights in their own right, QOTSA are the closest thing we have to Nirvana right now.
2. PJ Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island): If she goes on for as long and as strong as Tina Turner has, I’ll die a happy man. Continue reading
Nirvana’s In Utero: Un Vínculo Progresivo Entre Los Mundos Del Rock Mainstream Y Rock Independiente
Posted in Essays, Features with tags Black Sabbath, Courtney Love, Dave Grohl, Dinosaur Jr., Germs, Jimi Hendrix, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Smear, Pavement, Scream, Sebadoh, Sonic Youth, Steve Albini, the Beatles, the Velvet Underground on 12/30/2009 by kurtorzeckEleven years ago, I studied for five months in Santiago, Chile. As part of my education regiment, I chose a class on the history of rock and roll. You might think that’s as much as a cop-out as taking a class in bowling or frisbee golf. But as someone who had mostly shunned classic rock till that point, I actually learned a lot. My teacher was obsessed with Deep Purple and Cream, and explained to us how Ozzy Osbourne was rock’s first psicótico.
I like to think I returned him the favor by teaching him a bit about Nirvana, of whom he wasn’t much aware, in my final paper. The self-generated topic: How Nirvana ushered indie-rock, rougher production values and anti-corporate attitudes into the mainstream with In Utero. El profesor told me I worked harder than any of his Chilean students in the class, and that I nailed the exam (70 out of 70), too.
These days, my Spanish is a bit rusty, so I couldn’t tell you what most of the paper means. But here it is for your archival viewing pleasure. PDFs are included in case the images are too taxing on yer eyes:
The Bad Penny (beta) 