Reading this interview between The Guardian and George Michael, one comes away with the impression that Michael is kind of a paranoid loon. And not just your typically famous, crazy-person-musician-type loon, either. This goes beyond most self-absorbed celebrities and their notoriously dysfunctional behavior. I mean, I knew Michael was a bit off, having repeatedly seen [...]

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In an interview set in Warp Records’ New York City offices, Battles multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton discusses his debut solo record, Central Market, in depth with a track by track analysis. Reference points veer from Brian Eno to Ghostbusters. [via Spinner]

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To celebrate Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary re-issue of Nirvana’s Bleach, bassist Krist Novaselic has interviewed two key players in that album’s creation, drummers Dale Crover and Chad Channing. Crover is, perhaps, better known as the drummer for the Melvins, one of the bands that inspired Kurt Cobain to start Nirvana. Chad Channing’s tenure ended with [...]

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Turns out the buzz about a Jawbox reunion begins and ends with the bands appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on November 23rd. The seminal DC post-hardcore quartet will celebrate the re-release of its major label debut, For Your Own Special Sweetheart, with a one-off appearance on Fallon’s chat show, bizarrely enough. But there [...]

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In this interview with NME, Graham Coxon discusses his newest record, The Spinning Top, in his typically unsure and self-deprecating way. He also admits that Blur has no plans beyond this past summer’s run of celebratory shows, which means absolutely zilch, especially considering the way these guys danced around the whole idea of reforming FOR [...]

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Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is putting together an odd assortment of musicians to help bring his solo album, The Eraser, to life. The band consists of a few recognizable names, including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and Beck sidekick Joey Waronker. To say that many Radiohead fans will be [...]

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Pretty amazing early days interview with Duran Duran. A film crew just randomly spotted the then unknown band in the midst of a photo shoot promoting its debut LP and stopped for a quick interview. The band sounds very earnest about its quest for mainstream dominance. Andy Taylor even goes so far as to proclaim [...]

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Good interview with Cursive’s Tim Kasher over at the A.V. Club. He talks about his band’s sporadic output, living in a constant state of suspended adolescence, and not being able to listen to some of his own songs. I’ve always found Kasher an enigmatic songwriter. My first impression of him was as sort of a [...]

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The Guardian chats with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon about his forthcoming solo record, The Spinning Top. He also acknowledges some of the awkwardness Blur is having at rehearsals, as the guys have trouble “looking each other in the eye” as they run through 80 old songs. Graham can be difficult in an interview setting, but [...]

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Part 3 of Filter’s interview with Peter Hook focuses on Joy Division’s enduring legacy. Hook seems remarkably grounded, especially considering his former band’s utter ubiquity as of late. I suppose he’s had 30 years to reconcile that whole experience, which must seem surreal now that’s it’s been immortalized on film.
Hook on how Ian Curtis’ [...]

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Of course, after his multiple Grammy wins with Alison Krauss, Robert Plant was asked about that badly beaten horse, the Led Zeppelin reunion rumors. His response was classic: "How old are you, man?" Plant responded. "Because you look older than me. You try to do ‘Communication Breakdown’ in these pants." I take that as a [...]

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Wired has posted an interview with Volker Bertleman on how he mods his piano with “tacks, tape, felt, plastic wrap and other materials to alter its sound for his compositions.” The Listening Post blog also has the full story behind his experimental piano work. Appealing to fans of both modern composition and those of a [...]

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Excerpt from an interview with Sammy Hagar on classicrockrevisited.com:
Jeb: Last one: I heard that Eddie and you got into a fight in an airplane, while in the air, and Eddie actually tried to smash out a window in the plane. Is that true?
Sammy: Yes, it is true. He tried to smash the window [...]

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Erstwhile Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has written a book, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran, about his meteoric rise to stardom and the ensuing debauchery that took place at the height of 1980’s Duran Duran pandemonium as well as his return to the fold 15 years later. His take on the action [...]

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Good Walkmen interview over at Brooklynvegan. I haven’t had a chance to absorb the band’s latest, You & Me, fully quite yet, but they’re one of my favorite bands. I’m not sure why it took me so long to order the record; I’ve just been slow to buy music this year.  But even with [...]

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To try to make up for missing his show at the “Fabulous” Fox in Atlanta last weekend, I just got around to reading this interview Tom Waits conducted with himself. And it’s exactly the amount of crazy and cool I thought it would be. Highlights:
Q: What’s the most curious record in your collection?A: In [...]

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“Just as we were about to go live on the air, Thao Nguyen and the three guys in her band The Get Down Stay Down started swearing. They ran through all the words you can’t say on the radio, some of which would make a longshoreman blush. It turns out that this was strategic — [...]

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A tech-savvy Interpol fan created this unofficial-now-official video for Interpol’s “Rest My Chemistry” off the band’s third record, Our Love to Admire. Bewilderingly described in its own press as “a bit like a screen saver”, Blip Boutique’s programmed data mapping wasn’t exactly intended for formal broadcast, but the band got wind of it and endorsed [...]

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Dwindling record sales of artists big and small doesn’t elicit a lot of sympathy from consumers these days. In an age when typing in your favorite artist into your favorite Bit Torrent engine is the de facto response to having to pay actual money for music, being in a band is more of a gamble [...]

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Having whisked its only credible source off to the doldrums of online movie reviews, MTV lost its last semblance of legitimacy in hiding Kurt Loder from the camera. His caustic wit and unflappable charm made MTV palatable throughout its awkward teen years, but with the channel hell-bent on erasing the music video from its [...]

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