Reading Time: 5 minutes Since its initial release in 1971, there’s arguably been no song more run into the ground than John Lennon’s “Imagine.” To some, it is a vague ode to world peace and humanism, to others a vague attack on religion and capitalism. Either way, it has kept Yoko Ono more than comfortable these last 50 years […]
music
Posted inArts
Is the Pussy Riot ‘Punish’ music video calling out Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church?
Reading Time: 3 minutes I don’t typically write about music, but the Satantic references (along with some interesting commentary on Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church) in the latest Pussy Riot music video, definitely caught my attention. While it’s certainly not the first time a band has used its platform to spotlight current issues, whether social or political, and […]
Posted inArts
Interview: Rogiérs Fibby on the demonization of African culture in the West Indies
Reading Time: < 1 minute International artist, singer-songwriter Rogiérs Fibby grew up on St. Croix before moving to Washington D.C., where he is a member of Black Non-believers DC. We talked with Rogiérs about attempts by Christian slavers to suppress the indigenous culture and music of slaves, and how African traditions persisted and evolved for those living under slavery in […]
Posted inMusic
My moment with Meat Loaf, rock god and sweetheart
Reading Time: 4 minutes I once met Meat Loaf, the rock god who died last week. It was a fleeting encounter, no more than a minute or two, but it left an impression on me. I was a massive theater kid, always acting and singing in school productions, and when I was 11, a casting agent visited my middle […]
Posted inMemes
Lounge11: One of the first internet viruses
Reading Time: 2 minutes This is the story of “Lounge11.au,” an audio file that is a long-forgotten example of one of the first internet viruses. Remember when this was what we meant by “viral”? The music in this video is a loop of a track called “lounge11.au” Lounge11.au used to play in a continuous loop on the Hormell Food’s […]
Posted inMusic
Music is made of time
Reading Time: 3 minutes Music is a hard thing to study or even talk about because it can’t stop moving. Aside from film, visual art tends to stand still, giving the viewer some control over the experience. But music moves forward relentlessly, thwarting any attempts to get a firm grip. Say you tell a friend that you went to a Frida Kahlo exhibit […]
Posted inSpirituality & Ritual
Why popular Christmas songs don’t mention Jesus
Reading Time: 6 minutes I can understand why Christians try so hard to claim a monopoly over Christmas: nothing about the holiday really speaks to Christianity. No, Christmas speaks to something much, much better.
Posted inGeneral
Context is Everything in Spookiness (LSP #216)
Reading Time: 5 minutes We humans are extremely context-sensitive creatures, and when something runs out of context, it can be a spooky experience for us.
Posted inGeneral
Friday Night Music: Turntables
Reading Time: < 1 minute The networks still haven’t called it, but a victory for Joe Biden is reaching the point of inevitability. It’s time to start celebrating, and I can’t think of a better anthem than this one from Janelle Monáe: What’s your favorite celebratory song?
Posted inOff-Topic, Religion
The New Mo-RAL Pa-NIC: Syncopation! (LSP #164)
Reading Time: 8 minutes Back in 2011, a Christian salesman tried his best, bless his cotton socks, to start a(nother) moral panic over syncopation. He thought that if you put your em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LA-ble, then you’re opening the door of your frontal moral lobe to Satan himself. But he wasn’t warning his tribe out of the goodness of his heart. Today, Lord Snow Presides over ridiculous Christian hucksters and the dishonest tactics they use to make sales.