The day was Sunday, August 26th, 2001. Me and the person I was dating at the time were returning from a trip to the Cape. It was my first visit to the state that, in a few years, would become my home. We were fairly near New York, because I remember that we’d switched the radio dial to Z-100, NYC’s Top 40 station. They were playing “Back & Forth” or “One In A Million” or one of those Aaliyah songs […]
R.I.P.
R.I.P. Amy Winehouse
As soon as I heard the news of Amy Winehouse’s passing at about noon yesterday, there was no doubt in my mind that I would write and post something about it on this blog. The question I had to ask myself was whether I should make this a news piece with very little opinion, stick to the music only, or talk about how her image, issues and passing affected me. I’m self-aware enough to realize that we live in a […]
Blerd Radio Episode 8: MTV in Middle Age
Blerd Radio / movies / music / New Releases / news / Podcasts / pop culture / Pop Music / R.I.P. / TV
Welcome to yet another episode of Blerd Radio! In this episode, your hosts Mike & Jesse pay tribute to a cultural phenomenon by acknowledging the thirtieth (!) anniversary of MTV. Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t deny that the advent of Music Television changed the industry as well as pop culture. Over the course of this episode, we discuss our favorite classic videos, shout out some iconic VJs, and bemoan the constant “16 & Pregnant” marathon the […]
Moonlighting: Why the Hell Should I Like…Michael Jackson (Post-“Thriller”)
Today marks the second anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. It’s only right that we turn the site over to an appreciation of the King of Pop today. Michael Jackson is the single most important entertainment figure to emerge in my lifetime, and while his death was certainly a tragic event, lone fortunate thing you can take away from it is that it once again focused people’s attention on his talent and not his eccentricities. There are quite a few people […]
Somethin’ Stupid: An Appreciation of Ryan Dunn
The death of Jackass co-star Ryan Dunn may not have packed the kind of shock and grief that Clarence Clemons’ passing certainly did. But the news that Dunn, the guy best known for driving a golf cart into a pig statue in the first Jackass film, was killed earlier this morning after crashing his car in Pennsylvania is rather tragic. Dunn, a longtime associate of pro skater Bam Margera and a great presence on MTV’s Viva La Bam and the underrated Homewrecker, probably deserves a lot more credit […]
Blerd Appreciation: Clarence Clemons
I may not be as big a Bruce Springsteen fan as, say, my buddy Dave Lifton . But over the years, I’ve become as big a fan of The Boss as anyone else-it’s kinda hard to avoid if you grow up in the tri-state area. Even if I wasn’t a Springsteen fan, though, I think I’d understand why people are so devoted to The E Street Band. Even with bands that have been around for decades, you don’t always get the feeling […]
R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron
Poet, singer, activist and proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron passed away yesterday in New York City. He was 62. Best known for the track “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, Scott-Heron’s booming, authoritative voice often decried the struggles of black people as we advanced through the Civil Rights movement in the Seventies and Eighties. His recitative style has been imitated by everyone from (name your person at a poetry slam here) to Kool Moe Dee, Chuck D and 2Pac. Also blessed with […]
Macho Man Randy Savage: 1952-2011
The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, funky like monkey, ooooooh YEAH!” Randall Poffo, better known as “Macho Man” Randy Savage, passed away early Friday (May 20, 2011), while driving. It’s believed that he had a heart attack while driving and he may have passed away as the result of the heart attack, preceding the actual car wreck. His wife of one year was also in the car and is believed to be fine. Savage was one of […]
Blerd Appreciation: Nate Dogg
Who was the go-to hook singer for just about anyone who made a rap record for about a decade starting in 1994? Nate Dogg. Born Nathaniel Hale, the monotone crooner with the most expressionless face in pop music history went from being a classmate and groupmate of Snoop Dogg and Warren G. in 213 to a man that was capable of challenging Mary J. Blige for most appearances singing the chorus of rap records. Starting with his first truly memorable […]