James Hetfield has spent his public life presenting an image of invulnerability — the metal frontman as fortress, physically imposing, vocally aggressive, a man whose relationship with weakness appeared to be one of sustained contempt. This image is not false exactly. It is incomplete in the way that all performed identities are incomplete, and the … Read more
On August 14, 1995, two singles were released simultaneously in Britain: Country House by Blur and Roll With It by Oasis. The music press had manufactured the release date collision into a national event — Britpop’s Battle of the Bands, North versus South, art school versus council estate, Damon Albarn’s Chelsea sophistication against Noel Gallagher’s … Read more
On March 20, 1991, Conor Clapton — Eric Clapton’s four-year-old son — fell from an open window on the 53rd floor of a New York City apartment building. He died instantly. Clapton was not present at the moment of the accident. He arrived at the hospital afterward. He has described, in interviews and in his … Read more
P!nk has built a career on being fearless, outspoken, and unapologetically herself. Over the years, the Grammy-winning singer has become known for speaking her mind and refusing to conform to industry expectations. According to P!nk, much of that confidence was inspired by one music icon she admired as a child—Madonna. The singer has openly credited … Read more
There is a specific kind of terror that precedes greatness when the person experiencing the greatness has enough self-awareness to understand what is happening before it fully arrives. Most musicians discover their success retrospectively — they look back and identify the moment the trajectory changed. Bono, who has never been accused of insufficient self-awareness, experienced … Read more
Pink has never been shy about expressing how proud she is of her daughter, Willow. Recently, the Grammy-winning singer shared heartfelt praise for the 14-year-old, who is quickly making a name for herself in music and entertainment. “She marches to the beat of her own drum, and I’m super proud of her and she’s really … Read more
On September 23, 1977, Yusuf Islam — known to the world as Cat Stevens — threw his gold records into the sea. This is the version of the story that has been told and retold, the symbolic gesture that stands in for a more complicated and more gradual process of spiritual transformation that had been … Read more
David Bowie’s live performances occupy a category separate from his recordings in the assessment of musicians who shared stages with him or watched from the wings. The recordings are extraordinary — documented, available, analyzable. The live performances were something that recordings of them only partially capture, because what Bowie brought to a stage was not … Read more
Singer-songwriter Pink recently shared a funny story about her daughter, Willow, proving once again that kids often see fame very differently than adults do. During a recent conversation, Pink recalled Willow’s reaction after learning that their duet had reached No. 1 on the music charts in the Netherlands. While many artists would celebrate such an … Read more
Some songs are carefully crafted over weeks or even months. Others arrive in a flash of inspiration, seemingly from nowhere. For legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison, one of his most beloved compositions emerged in a single creative burst—and then disappeared from his live performances forever. That song is “Madame George,” the haunting centerpiece of Morrison’s 1968 … Read more