A Look at Elton John’s Legendary Career

At 76, Elton John shows no signs of slowing down. This documentary explores his early days in the glam rock era. It highlights his meteoric rise to fame and his reinvention across various musical genres. Elton John: Never Too Late covers his storied career, from creating timeless hits like Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer. It also showcases his ongoing influence in today’s music scene. Gain insight into how he remains a cultural icon after over five decades. This rich exploration sets the stage for an intimate look at his personal and professional journey.

What to Expect from the Documentary

Elton John: Never Too Late hits select theaters on November 15, 2024. It streams on Disney+ starting December 13, 2024. This dual release lets fans watch on the big screen or at home. Expect never-before-seen footage and candid interviews with fellow artists. The documentary highlights his most famous performances and recent farewell tour. It showcases his decision to step back from live performances while continuing to inspire. This film captures the essence of Elton John’s incredible journey and enduring influence.

Why You Should Watch

Elton John: Never Too Late reveals the artist’s extraordinary journey. The documentary showcases his personal and professional highs and lows, featuring exclusive interviews and unseen footage. Witness Elton John’s resilience and impact on the music world. This dazzling musical odyssey celebrates his remarkable career and legacy. Snag your tickets, catch it on the big screen, and feel the magic unfold!

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Have you ever dreamt of joining Taylor Swift’s legion of fans? Well, dream no more! Dive into the heart of Swift’s world with us. And hey, stick around till the end for a shot at winning skybox tickets to her Miami show this October, courtesy of Hollywood.com! Becoming a Taylor Swift Superfan, or “Swiftie,” is an exciting journey! Here are some quick tips to get you started:

LEARN MORE HERE!

Listen to Her Albums

Begin your Swiftie initiation by exploring Taylor’s musical timeline. Start with her self-titled debut album and witness her evolution with each following release. Notice the subtle shifts in melody and the maturing of lyrics. It’s a journey through her life’s work, where each song is a stepping stone to her current icon status. Create playlists for each era to fully immerse in the Swift experience.

Watch Iconic Performances

Taylor’s performances are legendary, and they’re a must-watch for any budding Swiftie. Queue up her award show highlights, from the VMAs to the Grammys. Watch her documentaries, like “Miss Americana,” to understand the person behind the persona. These are the moments that have defined her career and will help you connect with her on a deeper level.

Follow Swiftie Accounts

The Swiftie community is vast and welcoming. Start by following official Taylor Swift accounts for the latest updates. Then, dive into fan accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Engage with the content, participate in discussions, and make connections. It’s a world of support, creativity, and shared passion for all things Taylor Swift.

Learn the Lyrics

Taylor’s lyrics are poetry, each line telling a story. Take the time to learn and understand them. Sing along to her songs, and feel the emotions she conveys. Discuss interpretations with fellow fans, and see how her words resonate differently with each listener. Her lyrics are a gateway to understanding her artistry.

The Live Swiftie Experience

There’s nothing like experiencing Taylor Swift live. If you can, secure tickets to her Eras Tour. Plan your concert day, from the outfit that represents your favorite Taylor era to the pre-concert playlist. At the concert, sing, dance, and let yourself be swept away by the energy. It’s a celebration of her career and a chance to be part of the Swiftie community in person.

Explore FanArt and Memes

The Swiftie fandom is known for its creativity. Share your own fanart and memes, or simply enjoy others’. Each piece is a tribute to Taylor and the impact she’s had on fans. Participate in fan projects, which often involve collective art or messages of appreciation. It’s a way to contribute to the fandom’s culture and express your admiration for Taylor.

The Swift Impact

Understanding Taylor’s impact on music and pop culture is crucial. Read articles, watch interviews, and learn about her advocacy work. Recognize her role as a songwriter and performer, and how she’s influenced the industry. This knowledge will deepen your appreciation for her as an artist and a person.

Fandom Forums

Join online forums dedicated to Taylor Swift. Reddit, for example, has a thriving Swiftie community. Here, you can discuss everything from song meanings to concert tips. It’s a place for in-depth conversations and a way to stay informed about all things Taylor.

Wait, There’s More!

By following these tips, you’ll immerse yourself in the Swiftie community and fully appreciate Taylor Swift’s impact on music and pop culture. Don’t miss out on this cultural experience! Enter Hollywood.com’s Taylor Swift Concert Ticket Giveaway for a chance to win two skybox tickets for her October concert in Miami. Head to Hollywood.com and find out how to enter now, for a night you’ll never forget!

LEARN MORE HERE!

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Swifties, gear up for a chance to win 2 skybox tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Miami this October, courtesy of Hollywood.com.

LEARN MORE HERE!

Fearless Era: Country Roots with Glittering Edges

The Fearless era is a throwback to Taylor’s country origins. Picture sundresses paired with cowboy boots, sparkling with DIY rhinestone magic. Add a homemade floral crown for that dreamy, youthful vibe that defined Taylor’s early days. It’s a blend of rustic charm and starry-eyed wonder, a perfect homage to the album that made us all fall in love with Swift’s storytelling.

Taylor Swift’s Red Revolution

The Red era is all about making a statement. Envision yourself in a bold red dress complemented by a sleek black fedora. To emulate Taylor’s iconic red lips, opt for a long-lasting lipstick that stands out. Accessorize with a DIY glitter clutch, adding sophistication and sparkle to your ensemble. This era is chic, it’s daring, and it’s undeniably Swift.

1989 Era: Pop Sensations and Sequined Statements

Embrace the 1989 era with its synth-pop heartbeat. Crop tops and high-waisted skirts are your canvas, and sequined jackets are your statement piece. Don’t forget the oversized sunglasses and a swipe of bold red lipstick to capture the essence of this transformative time in Swift’s career. It’s a celebration of pop anthems and the vibrant energy that defined the mid-2010s.

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Reimagined

The Reputation era brings an edge to the tour. Think black leather pants paired with a DIY studded jacket. Complement this look with bold eye makeup and statement accessories that exude confidence and attitude. This era is all about embracing your inner strength and showcasing it with a style that’s as fearless as the album itself.

Lover Era: Whimsical Romance in Pastels and Hearts

The Lover era is a whimsical journey through pastel landscapes. Flowy dresses adorned with heart motifs and paired with heart-shaped sunglasses set the tone for this romantic chapter. Enhance the look with pastel hair accessories or stunning shades of pastel highlights to fully immerse yourself in the Lover experience. It’s a celebration of love, in all its soft and dreamy hues.

Take a Chance and Win Big!

Seize the moment and join the spectacle of Taylor’s Eras Tour. Enter Hollywood.com’s giveaway for a chance to make these memories last forever. With two skybox tickets to Taylor’s Miami concert up for grabs, this is your moment. Visit Hollywood.com, enter the sweepstakes, and step into a night of unforgettable music and fashion. So what Era are you going to represent? Enter our giveaway, and start planning your outfit now!

LEARN MORE HERE!

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see Taylor Swift live? If you answered yes, boy do we have a treat for you! Here at Hollywood.com, we’re hosting a giveaway of epic proportions — where YOU can have a chance to win two skybox tickets for her October concert in Miami! Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Fans dress up, celebrating each of her albums. It’s a blend of music, fashion, and art. Together, they relive her musical evolution. Here, fans become part of the narrative, adorning themselves in outfits and accessories that span the spectrum of Swift’s styles.

LEARN MORE HERE!

Fashion in the Spotlight

At a T Swift concert, the crowd becomes a canvas, painted with the vibrant hues of her musical eons. Fans step out in boots and dresses echoing her country beginnings, switch to electric pops of color for her pop anthems, and wrap up in cozy knits…a nod to her indie vibes. These are stories woven into fabric, celebrating Swift’s journey through song.

The Art of Accessorizing

Swifties’ wrists tell tales of friendship and fandom, with bracelets crafted from the heart. Each bead, charm, and knot is a lyric, an album title, a piece of the Swift narrative. These bracelets accessorize and connect fans across venues and vistas, a testament to the community Swift’s music has built.

Reading Between the Signs

In the sea of fans, signs and posters rise like sails, each one a beacon of creativity and affection. Lyrics, drawings, and messages transform these pieces of cardboard into art, capturing the essence of Swift’s influence and the personal stories of her fans.

Together in Harmony

The Eras Tour is a series of concerts — a collective experience that weaves together music, fashion, and friendship. It’s where memories are made, bonds are forged, and the Swiftie spirit comes alive. As Taylor Swift commands the crowd, it’s clear that this tour is a shared journey through a musical legend’s past, present, and future. Don’t miss out on this cultural experience! Enter Hollywood.com’s Taylor Swift Concert Ticket Giveaway for a chance to win two skybox tickets for her October concert in Miami. Head to Hollywood.com and find out how to enter now, for a night you’ll never forget!

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Detroit native Dr. Todd Boyd is a renowned educator, author and media commentator on popular culture who has extensively studied the relationship of music and society. Shining light on the evolution of the rhyming-centered genre that was birthed in New York, his new book, Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip-Hop Made The World, accentuates hip-hop’s colossal influence in and out of the music industry. Thoroughly analyzing the rise of hip-hop’s prominence, the profusely illustrated 281-page hardcover (Phaedon, 2024) fully explores the burgeoning rap game’s ties to the media, fashion, and sports scenes, to name a few.

The book additionally triumphs for the musical form’s 50th anniversary and many of the figures who made unique contributions to its growth. Among those written about here are Cindy Campbell and her brother, Clive Campbell (aka Kool Herc), NBA basketball legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier and heavyweight boxing great and agent-for-social-change Muhammad Ali, along with artists who created music in genres such as R&B and jazz. such as Millie Jackson, whose extended raps gave female MCs like Lil Kim the power to own their sensuality. It furthermore examines how famed East Coast rapper Nas’s performance with the National Symphony (Nas is himself the son of a jazz musician) ignited a merger between genres that many would’ve never thought could cohabit the same sonic and cultural space.

Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip-Hop Made The World details hip-hop’s enormous impact on the fashion industry, showcasing the seminal rap group Run DMC, who defined street culture by donning unique clothing like black leather jackets, fedoras and authentic glasses. Nike would later make a lasting imprint in hip-hop attire after basketball player George Gervin did an Ice Slim-inspired photo shoot with the sneaker brand while sitting on ice. Readers will follow the intersection of historical currents and the genre’s rise from its underground roots to global dominance–the Black Panthers, the black power movement, and Kanye West’s involvement in Donald Trump’s MAGA campaign serve as examples of hip-hop both feeding off and infusing American politics as it grew into a major cultural force. Boyd shows how the music made people more politically conscious with songs like Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y,” which, for example, allowed women’s voices to be heard

Each chapter documents milestones that positively transformed hip-hop’s once-bad reputation from the 1970s to the present. In cinema, Blaxploitation films would redefine what most would interpret as braggadocious lyrics into powerful declarations about hustling, with scenes of aspiring rappers selling their CDs out of the backs of cars. Along these same lines a movie like Scarface, for all the title character’s less-than-admirable and ultimately self-destructive qualities, managed to capture the same relentless go-getter attitude and mentality that passionate artists relate to and often mirror as they try to make it in the world.

The book notes key moments in the progression of hip-hop culture in America’s consciousness—from Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent joining forces for a stellar performance at the 2022 Super Bowl Half Time Show, to Cindy and Herc’s Back to School Jam party, which put hip-hop on the broad mainstream map. The first rapper to earn a Pulitzer Prize for his album, DAMN, Lamar changed how people saw hip-hop with, in the words of journalist and Pulitzer administrator Dana Kennedy, “affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.”

It’s worth noting that book’s title is a deliberate play on The Sugarhill Gang’s first rap single, “Rapper’s Delight.” Debuting amid 1979’s feverish disco craze, the song was created by Grandmaster Caz’s manager Big Bank Hank (who worked in a Bronx pizza parlor before scoring his own record deal) and his two friends, Master Gee and Wonder Mike. But respectful nod to history that it is, the title only hints at the author’s meticulously comprehensive research and nuanced level of cultural observation. Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip-Hop Made The World tells the story of the genre’s lasting and pervasive impact on our culture, with striking visuals and bold fonts that illustrate and speak to hip-hop’s truest nature.

***             

Marking the publication of Rapper’s Deluxe during Black History Month, Hollywood.com was fortunate to discuss its inspiration and evolution with the author, who also offers exclusive insights into his writing process … and teases us with some of his thoughts on future projects: 

HW:   What inspired you to craft Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made the World? 

TB:     I was inspired by the opportunity to tell hip hop’s story, a story that has grown and evolved over such a long period of time. Anything that has been around for 50 years has to have substance. There are no 50-year fads, or 50-year trends. Fads and trends come and go, but hip hop has been around for half a century now. The opportunity to tell such a broad and all-encompassing story in ways that were both public and personal was something that very much inspired me.

HW:    How were you able to connect sports, fashion, media & more into hip-hop culture?

TB:     Hip hop to me has always been about more than just music. The music is of course very important, that’s the frame, but it’s the way in which the music came to influence so many other areas like sports, or film, or fashion, that transformed hip hop into a cultural movement. The ideas, the energy, the circumstances embedded in the music ultimately found expression in a wide variety of other cultural forms. Hip hop is pervasive and its influence is broad. As the subtitle of the book says “hip hop made the world.”

HW:   And the hardest part of curating Rapper’s Deluxe? 

TB:     The book’s third chapter, “It Was All a Dream,” set in the 1990s, was the hardest chapter to write because this is the decade that hip hop really blew up. There is so much happening in the 90s that one has to make some hard choices about to include and what to leave out. I like the balance of what ended up in that chapter, but there’s a lot to consider and you can’t cover everything. But I still think it turned out well.

HW:    What do you hope readers take from the book?

TB      My hope is that people understand hip hop culture is Black culture, and Black culture is American culture. The developments that are highlighted in the book tell a 50-year story of hip hop, but also a 50-year story of America. This is American culture and American history.  It is not marginal, it is not niche, it is American culture writ large. It’s like Drake and J. Cole say on “First Person Shooter” it’s “big as the Super Bowl.” This is epic and I want people to understand just how epic it all is.

HW:    Are there any topics you wish you could’ve expanded on further?

TB:    I feel like the book spends enough time and devotes enough attention to each of its topics. It strikes a delicate balance. You could always go more in depth on certain things, but I feel like the book gives you a representative sample that covers a wide range of topics relative to their importance. The book is like a cultural tasting menu so when you get to the end, you’re full, you’re not walking away hungry for more.

HW: Can you tell us one thing that kept you motivated during the editorial process? 

TB:    Working on the first draft for me is all about getting my ideas written down. It’s about this transfer process of getting the ideas out of my own head and out into the world for the first time. Like the Rakim quote that I reference in the book, “I start to think/and then I sink into the paper/like I was ink.” Editing is the process where you mold and shape those ideas, where you improve upon those raw thoughts and then turn them into nuggets of information that the world will eventually have the opportunity to read. It all comes together in the editing so the motivation is to get it right, so that when people do see it, they are able to absorb it as you intended.

HW:   If you could have dinner with one rapper dead or alive who would it be and why?

TB:    There are a lot of rappers I could have dinner with right now, so that’s not something that I need to speculate on really. The people that I would want to have dinner with would be people like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Miles Davis. Having dinner with rappers is fairly attainable, but having dinner with people such as the ones I’ve mentioned is something that I can only imagine.

HW:    What decade or period in hip-hop did you enjoy researching the most?

TB:      The first chapter, “Right On for the Darkness,” the chapter on the 1970s, was the most fun to write. Hip hop was underground for most of this decade, so being able to write about all the influences that evolved during this era was something that I really enjoyed. Being able to make connections between hip hop and people like Richard Pryor, Angela, Davis, and the Black Panthers, or to establish links to historical circumstances like the Vietnam War and the blackout in New York, this was quite enjoyable to me, because when you normally read about hip hop these are not the type of connections that get made.  People talk about DJ Kool Herc’s legendary party in 1973, but they do not mention that Pam Grier’s Coffy was the number one movie at the box office during that time. Being able to bring all of this cultural history to people’s attention was something that I found really exciting.

HW:   What are your thoughts on hip-hop recently celebrating its 50th anniversary?

TB:    Fifty years is a long time. I love it! Now onto the next fifty!

HW:   And finally, any other book projects you are looking to publish soon?

TB: I’m always in the lab, working on the newest/latest. There’s more to come. The great playwright August Wilson wrote this cycle of plays to cover every decade in the 20th century. I’ve always found that to be an inspiring challenge. I’ve caught the later part of the 20th Century in Rapper’s Deluxe and the early part of the 21st. This book begins in 1973. But how did we get to 1973? What happened before? What’s the prequel? Stay tuned…

You can purchase Dr. Todd Boyd’s book Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip-Hop Made The World everywhere in stores and online.

For 21-year-old Bay City Rollers’ frontman Nobby Clark, the dream was already a reality when he walked into BBC Television Centre to record the vocals for “Remember (Sha-La-La-La)” ahead of that night’s edition of Top Of The Pops. Riding high in the charts, the song was about to be featured on the UK’s most influential music program, ensuring its climb would continue, perhaps even to the coveted No 1 spot.

Nobby, real name Gordon Clark, had first visited TV Centre two years earlier on the 30th of September, 1971. Then he had performed the band’s first Top 10 hit, “Keep On Dancing” and it had been simple; he’d signed in at Reception and a runner had been dispatched to escort him to the studio where he had recorded the vocals the band would mime to “live” on TV the following evening.

This time things weren’t quite going to plan. There was confusion at Reception. The Bay City Rollers, now firmly under the thumb of controversial manager, Tam Paton, had recorded their slot a day earlier … with their new singer, Les McKeown. Nobby was stunned.

Born out of an ambitious school-band called The Ambassadors, formed in the Sixties by brothers Alan and Derek Longmuir, with their cousin Neil Porteous and school pal Nobby, the Bay City Rollers’ path to stardom was a long one. The Ambassadors had become The Saxons and eventually, with a couple of other name changes along the way, the Rollers emerged in 1968. They would go on to be bigger than The Beatles, briefly, sell more 120 million records worldwide and generate an industry worth the equivalent of $6 billion-plus in today’s money.

With more than 15 different band members coming and going before Top of the Pops thrust them into the public eye, Nobby may have been the most high profile departure yet, but despite the parting of the ways, sprightly 73-year-old Nobby insists his involvement with the Bay City Rollers didn’t end there. Indeed, he has long claimed that when the Rollers conquered America in 1976, it was his vocals that were heard singing “Saturday Night” in baseball parks and sports stadiums across the US as the Bay City Rollers did the seemingly impossible — “Saturday Night” topped The Billboard Hot 100 Chart on January 3 that year.

Nobby recalls, “I knew nothing about it. It wasn’t until I got a phone call from Alan, who was in the States with the band at the time. He told me, ‘Nobby, you better get your lawyer onto this, they’ve released your original version of ‘Saturday Night’ here and it’s in the charts.’ Alan also testified to this under oath during a court case in New York.

“Every play of that song on the radio was my voice. Every single that was sold was my voice. They chose to deceive the public into believing Les was on that recording but the royalties should have been due to me.”

As Scotland’s famous tartan-clad boyband continued their journey, theirs is a story well documented, but what about the man whose vocals set them on those first steps to global success? What happened to him as the screaming reached new crescendos while fading from his ears. What was Nobby’s story, the man who came so close to being at the heartbeat of the phenomenon called Rollermania but instead chose to walk away?

“I’d given Tam a year’s notice because things between us had become unworkable,” says Nobby, explaining why he had decided to move on. “I was the only one who challenged Tam’s controlling nature, which was about far more than making the band successful; it was a defect of character, an obsession. He had to know where everyone was 24 hours of the day and the rest of the band were terrified of him. He was a bully and an abuser.”

While Nobby is still frustrated by many aspects of how he was treated after ending his years as a Roller, equally he’s more than proud of what came next. In the studio he produced such Scottish pop legends as Billy Mackenzie and The Associates and engineered recording sessions for Simple Minds. Even The Proclaimers recorded early demos in Nobby’s studio. He also composed the soundtracks for a number of films while continuing to release his own material, although his attempts at a solo career were quickly thwarted.

“Because Tam suppressed any songwriting ability I had when I was with the Rollers, leaving released my creative talent, which I suddenly found was in great demand. It was so exciting to be working with these incredibly talented musicians and songwriters and I’m very, very proud of having been there there at the start of those careers, experiencing their musicianship, and being a small part of their story as they went on to achieve great success.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were times when the reality of what was happening around him became too much for Nobby. As Rollermania quickly spread around the globe, Paton was determined there would be no solo success for their former singer. The pressure began to take its toll, sending Nobby in search of solace at the bottom of a bottle.

Liam Rudden is an award-winning playwright, broadcaster and commentator on the arts. With more than 40 years experience working in theater and media, he was for two decades Entertainment and Festivals Editor of the Edinburgh Evening News. For more of his work, check out his website. He is also on X (formerly Twitter) @LiamRudden. 

Asked why it’s taken so long to record a solo album Mastro says, “Well all along I’ve been in bands where I was the main person or the key writer, and one of the good things about being in a band is that when something goes wrong you can blame it on someone else. But this time I manned up and figured yeah, alright, I’ll take the blame for this if anything goes wrong.”

The Covid induced halt in touring allowed Mastro to write the songs for the album before going into the studio, and he is unstinting in his praise for his producer. “A big hand goes to Tony Shanahan who produced the album,” he tells Hollywood.com. “We’ve been friends forever, played in bands forever, and still do. He has a great studio and we see eye to eye on just about everything, and share so many influences. I do love rock’n’roll, and while maybe at this age we should be talking more about mowing the lawn and our ailments, rock seems to keep you going.”

Those influences are there to hear on the album. There’s a Beatles like Mellotron on the deeply affecting “My God,” while “River Runs Forever” sounds like an early ‘70s Dylan outtake. But the most immediate impact is when the needle drops on the opening song, “Right Words, Wrong Song”, a very topical take on the rise of fake news.

“It’s about perceptions,” Mastro reflects. “It seems that these days anyone can find a fact that will back up their argument, whether or not it is a fact. There are so many news and media outlets that cater to a certain viewpoint and it seems that anything like a universal truth has fallen by the wayside. So certainly the song hints at that and the video definitely takes a little piss out of the whole set up.”

That video introduced the album’s lead single late last year, and it finds Mastro, Ian Hunter and Tammy Fay Starlite playing news anchors on a 24 hour rolling news program. “I can’t believe Ian agreed to do it, he hasn’t even been in his own videos recently so when I asked him I was expecting a resounding no but he came along and had a great time. As for Tammy, you should check her out. She’s an amazing performer; she does these fantastic tribute shows to Nico and Marianne Faithfull that are very funny but also very endearing and deadly serious. We’ve been friends a long time and she was the obvious choice to play my co-anchor in the video.”

“Right Words, Wrong Song” is the album’s most energetic song with its propulsive punk thrash and, aside from Mastro’s blistering guitar work, features a tremendously cheesy Farfisa organ which reminds you of Doug Sahm’s Sir Douglas days. “I love Doug Sahm, one of my favourites and truly an unsung hero so yes, that organ sound was influenced by him but we also wanted to add a nod to The Tornados’ Telstar. When you’ve been around as long as I have you can’t help but absorb all this stuff and it comes out in little dribs and drabs.”

Ian Hunter appears on three of the album tracks. “Initially I asked him to sing on ‘Right Words, Wrong Song’ and he came into the studio and did a great Ian Hunter impersonation,” Mastro says wryly. “And then he asked ‘What else you got?’ So we played him a few of the songs and he had a couple of ideas and joined in. I couldn’t get rid of him! He has a great knack of coming up with things that I just wouldn’t have thought of, and I’ve learned a lot of things from over the years. He veers away from the obvious and he came up with some great ideas for the songs. I feel very fortunate and flattered that Ian felt it worthy enough to participate.”

Diary of a Ranter

MASTRO HAS BEEN PLAYING WITH HUNTER IN THE RANT BAND SINCE 2000, a gig he admits he got initially via a lie. “Ian was coming out a kind of semi retirement to do one show in New York in 2000 and my friend Andy York was the musical director for it,” he remembers. “Now, Mott the Hoople was the main reason I started playing guitar. When I was a teen Mott were all over the radio and I was familiar with ‘All the Young Dudes.” But when ‘All The Way To Memphis; came out that was like a hundred volts of electricity going through me. So when I heard that Andy was directing the show I called him up and said, ‘If you need a guitar player then I’m the guy.’ Andy said he’d talk to Ian and called me back the next day saying ‘Ian doesn’t want another guitar player.’

“Damn! So I thought about it, and got back to Andy saying, ‘I’m sure Ian’s bound to play ‘I Wish I was Your Mother’, so I’ll play mandolin on that,” Mastro continues. “He ran it by Ian, and he said OK, come in tomorrow, which meant I not only had to learn the song but I also had to get a mandolin and learn how to play it in 24 hours.”

As Mastro recalls, they did the rehearsal, and Hunter thought it sounded good, and he was in. “At the end of the actual show I was standing in the wings as they started to play ‘All The Young Dudes,’ and no one was playing acoustic guitar. I’m like, fuck, this song needs an acoustic guitar, so I grabbed one and went onstage. The rest of the band saw me and were OK, but Ian didn’t know until the song ended, and he started to introduce the band and found me standing there. Fortunately he just started laughing and the next day he told Andy I could stay in the band. So I kind of bluffed my way in.”

Years later there was a similar situation when the idea came up of doing a Mott The Hoople ’74 reunion featuring guitarist Ariel Bender (Luthor Grosvenor) and keyboardist Morgan Fisher, both of whom were in the band for its legendary Uris Theater shows. Mastro recalls, “Ian wanted the Rant Band to be the backing group and we were all chuffed, but then it dawned on me we’d have four guitar players on stage which just seemed daft.  So I said to Ian, ‘You know, I play saxophone if you want some sax in the show.'”

He remembers that Hunter “kind of looked at me sideways and he was like, ‘Yeah, sure.'” In twenty years he’d never seen Mastro near a saxophone. “But I had two months to learn it and it worked out well,” Mastro says, adding, “At least I didn’t get fired.”

Aside from his teenage Mott The Hoople fixation, Mastro was fortunate in that he was close enough to witness New York’s punk heyday and eventually become part of it. “I started playing guitar when I was thirteen,” he says.  “It was exciting being around New York in the mid 70s. I was about an hour away, a train ride, and my older brother came home one day raving about seeing Talking Heads at CBGB. I was underage but I could lie my way in so me and my brother started going to these gigs.”

That was how he met Richard Lloyd (a founding member of the groundbreaking Television), which allowed him to start playing in a band. “I moved to Hoboken when I left high school and that was a great time to be here,” Mastro says. “The initial New York buzz around The Ramones and Patti Smith and Television had died down, but in Hoboken we had Maxwell’s which was just an amazing club. Everyone played there and I lived in a flat just above it. The Pogues played there the first time they came over, and I saw bands like The Fall. Hoboken had its own local scene and The Bongos were the first band to play in the back room at Maxwell’s and I knew all the guys.”

At that time Mastro was still playing with Richard Lloyd but he’d occasionally sit in with them. “And then they asked me to join them for their second album. That was an easy decision, a real no brainer actually, and it was a lot of fun. It was kind of like my college education. We had some hits and it was the MTV era so we made some big hair videos,” he says, “which is maybe the reason why I’ve got no hair now.”

They toured for five years nonstop, and he remembers it as a special time. “After The Bongos I had some other bands, I was touring quite a lot. But eventually I came to the realization that I was playing for the wrong reasons. I was trying to get a record deal, trying to appease an A&R man who I’d never met, and the joy was missing.”

Mastro’s next venture was a mix of burnout and happenstance, with Hank Williams proving an unlikely savior. “Me and my friend Vinnie DeNunzio, who was one of the original members of The Feelies, shared a love of Hank Williams songs, and we took to sitting about drinking beer and playing some Hank, and then some other friends started popping in. Folks like Graham Maby from Joe Jackson’s band, he was a neighbor of mine. And I looked around the table one time and realized I had a band there so I booked a show without telling them and just a couple of days before said, ‘If you’re not busy on Friday we’ve got a show to do and they turned up.”

That was the beginning of The Health & Happiness Show, a name they took from Williams’s old radio show. “That got me excited again, playing music for the right reasons and we had a good ten years of that,” Mastro says.

Rock n’ Roll Nuggets

ALONG WITH HIS LENGTHY TENURE IN THE RANT BAND, Mastro has played with and produced numerous acts, most recently performing songs from Lenny Kaye’s influential Nuggets collection celebrating its 50^th anniversary. “I’ve been fortunate to play with some of the people who inspired me to play in the first place, and while I’m not the best guitar player in the world I show up on time.” He’s also reasonably clean, he adds with quiet humor. “Usually it’s through a friend or someone in a band I know who will recommend me. With Patti Smith it was her bass player, Tony Shanahan, who recommended me when they needed a guitarist for some tours. She’s a true force of nature. When you’re on stage with Patti you follow her, her voice, she’s the lead guitar and you let her riff and go. Lenny I’ve known forever and he’s one of the nicest guys you could meet. When he compiled that album Nuggets it changed a lot of lives including mine. It really inspired me, and when the 50^th anniversary of its release came up Lenny did some shows and asked me to be in the band. It’s been so much fun.”

For Mastro trying to replicate the sounds on those records was part of the project’s joy, as was playing with old friends. “We had guest singers, my old band mate from The Bongos, Richard Barone, Steve Wynn from The Dream Syndicate, and Alejandro Escovedo.”

Solidly embedded in Hoboken’s art scene, Mastro has two guitar stores and recently opened a music venue, 503 Social Club.

“Well, this little space came up for rent, which is kind of rare in Hoboken these days, and I thought I could do something with it,” he explains. “It’s kind of a café-cum-art gallery and we have started doing some acoustic shows. We had Jon Langford and Sally Timms play while we displayed some of Jon’s paintings. I’m a huge Mekons fan so that was a special night. I just figure it’s a good place for me and my friends to hang out and for local people to see and hear some good music. As for the guitar stores, I love guitars and, just like Ian Hunter describes in his book Diary Of A Rock’n’Roll Star, when I was touring I always checked out the local pawn shops for guitars. Ian said that Mott would return to England with about fifty guitars they’d bought on tour!” Mastro says he had so many guitars in his house that he thought, “I’d better do something with them before I come home one day and find them all thrown out of the curb.”

It was probably no surprise to Mastro–or anyone else–that he became “the shop’s best customer.”

“The guitar I play on the video is a recent acquisition, a 1970’s Ibanez Flying V,” he muses. “Folks ask if Ian’s still got his Maltese Cross guitar, but he’s not sure where the original is. However, he’s got a replica which Joe Elliott from Def Lepard made for him.”

To this Mastro can’t resist adding, “The original is out there somewhere, so keep an eye out.”

— With thanks to Jill Richmond Johnson of MPress Records

Click here to pre-save James’s new single, “Someday Somebody Will Turn Your Head Around,” out January 17, 2024.

Click here to pre-order a copy of Dawn of A New Error, out Feb 21, 2024.

James Mastro’s upcoming tour dates and other information can be found here at his website.

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Paul Kerr is based in Scotland and has been writing about music, in particular Americana, for a number of online sites and various music magazines for a couple of decades. If you’re interested in learning more about Americana, check out his great site at Blabber ‘n’ Smoke at www.paulkerr.wordpress.com. 

Other notable winners also included the talented siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, who captivated audiences with their Best Original Song, “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie soundtrack. Lily Gladstone‘s exceptional portrayal in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon earned her the title of Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. The Holdovers saw numerous awards as well with Paul Giamatti being honored with Male Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph kicked off the night with a well-deserved win for Female Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture from the same film.

This year’s Golden Globes introduced two new categories: Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television, with the first being awarded to Barbie and the latter going to Ricky Gervais: Armageddon. Alongside these additions, the awards show underwent significant changes as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) dissolved due to scrutiny over its lack of diversity and questionable practices. Taking the helm, Dick Clark Productions, well-known for their annual New Year’s Eve broadcast in New York City, purchased the awards intending to transform them into a for-profit enterprise, effectively ending the HFPA’s involvement.

In terms of the voting body, this year’s demographics reflect a commitment to diversity. Golden Globes chief Helen Hoehne stressed their unwavering dedication to maintaining diversity within the voting body. She emphasized that the voters represent 76 countries, showcasing the global nature of their perspective and contributing to a rich and diverse selection of the best in motion pictures and television.

When are the 2024 Golden Globes and where to watch?

The 2024 Golden Globes took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, January 7th, 2024 at 8 p.m. EST/ 5 p.m. PST and aired simultaneously on CBS and Paramount+.

Who is this year’s Golden Globes host?

Renowned comedian Jo Koy took the stage as the host of the highly anticipated 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Known for his numerous Netflix stand-up specials, Koy has also showcased his talent in notable productions such as the 2022 film Easter Sunday and the 2023 remake of Disney’s The Haunted Mansion. During his monologue, he revealed that he had only 10 days to prepare for the event, which suggests that the delay in finding a host may have been due to previous boycotts and issues with the HFPA.

Alongside Koy’s hosting, the event showcased a remarkable array of presenters. The star-studded lineup included luminaries such as Oprah Winfrey, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Daniel Kaluuya, Michelle Yeoh, and Florence Pugh. To discover the complete list of winners and nominees, read below:

81st Golden Globes Award Nominations & Winners

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Anatomy of a Fall

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer — WINNER

Past Lives

The Zone of Interest

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Air

American Fiction

Barbie

The Holdovers

May December

Poor Things — WINNER

Best Motion Picture – Animated

The Boy and the Heron — WINNER

Elemental

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Suzume

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Wish

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

Barbie — WINNER

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

John Wick: Chapter 4

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

Oppenheimer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language

Anatomy of a Fall — WINNER

Fallen Leaves

Io Capitano

Past Lives

Society of the Snow

The Zone of Interest

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Annette Bening (Nyad)

Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla)

Carey Mulligan (Maestro)

Greta Lee (Past Lives)

Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) — WINNER

Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)

Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)

Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) — WINNER

Colman Domingo (Rustin)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves)

Emma Stone (Poor Things) — WINNER

Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple (2023))

Jennifer Lawrence (No Hard Feelings)

Margot Robbie (Barbie)

Natalie Portman (May December)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Joaquin Phoenix (Beau is Afraid)

Matt Damon (Air)

Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario)

Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) — WINNER

Timothée Chalamet (Wonka)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple (2023))

Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) — WINNER

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)

Jodie Foster (Nyad)

Julianne Moore (May December)

Rosamund Pike (Saltburn)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

Charles Melton (May December)

Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) — WINNER

Ryan Gosling (Barbie)

Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

Celine Song (Past Lives)

Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) — WINNER

Greta Gerwig (Barbie)

Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Celine Song (Past Lives)

Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach (Barbie)

Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall) — WINNER

Tony McNamara (Poor Things)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)

Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things)

Joe Hisaishi (The Boy and the Heron)

Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer) — WINNER

Mica Levi (The Zone of Interest)

Robbie Robertson (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

Addicted to Romance (Bruce Springsteen) from She Came to Me

Dance the Night (Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin) from Barbie

I’m Just Ken (Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt) from Barbie

Peaches (Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, John Spiker) from The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Road to Freedom (Lenny Kravitz) from Rustin

What Was I Made For? (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell) from Barbie — WINNER

Best Television Series – Drama

1923

The Crown

The Diplomat

The Last of Us

The Morning Show

Succession — WINNER

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Abbott Elementary

Barry

The Bear — WINNER

Jury Duty

Only Murders in the Building

Ted Lasso

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television

All the Light We Cannot See

Beef — WINNER

Daisy Jones and the Six

Fargo

Fellow Travelers

Lessons in Chemistry

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)

Emma Stone (The Curse)

Helen Mirren (1923)

Imelda Staunton (The Crown)

Keri Russell (The Diplomat)

Sarah Snook (Succession) — WINNER

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Brian Cox (Succession)

Dominic West (The Crown)

Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)

Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Kieran Culkin (Succession) — WINNER

Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) — WINNER

Elle Fanning (The Great)

Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Bill Hader (Barry)

Jason Segel (Shrinking)

Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) — WINNER

Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)

Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Ali Wong (Beef) — WINNER

Brie Larson (Lessons in Chemistry)

Elizabeth Olsen (Love & Death)

Juno Temple (Fargo)

Rachel Weisz (Dead Ringers)

Riley Keough (Daisy Jones and the Six)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television

David Oyelowo (Lawmen: Bass Reeves)

Jon Hamm (Fargo)

Matt Bomer (Fellow Travelers)

Sam Claflin (Daisy Jones and the Six)

Steven Yeun (Beef) — WINNER

Woody Harrelson (White House Plumbers)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

Abby Elliott (The Bear)

Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets)

Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown) — WINNER

Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)

Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

Alan Ruck (Succession)

Alexander Skarsgård (Succession)

Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)

Ebon Moss–Bachrach (The Bear)

James Marsden (Jury Duty)

Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) — WINNER

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage

Ricky Gervais: Armageddon — WINNER

Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love

Trevor Noah: Where Was I

Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer

The 81st Golden Globe Awards celebrate the latest achievements in film and television

The 81st Golden Globe Awards in 2024 honored the most brilliant stars of the entertainment industry. From captivating breakthrough performances to beloved favorites, this year’s winners embody the finest that Hollywood presently has to offer. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners for their remarkable accomplishments!

Feeling inspired to go to the movies now? Be sure to check out the latest releases and get your tickets now through the button below!

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TIDAL is a breezy, dreamy album, a collection of psychedelic chamber pop unfurling like the wings of a newly hatched butterfly. If this album is especially vivid, it may be because it represents a new start for the singer-songwriter. It was written and recorded during the early days of the pandemic. The great pause that the pandemic brought gave Lopez the opportunity to re-evaluate the basic assumptions of his life as he knew it. Over zoom on a recent morning, he explained: “COVID is kind of when I had time to reflect on my relationship with music in general, and if I even like doing it. I had just been doing it for so long and never really sat down and took stock of where I’m at.” 

Lopez might be the hardest working man in Tucson’s music scene. In addition to his solo work, his desert rock band XIXA (pronounced: shee-shah) keeps him fairly busy, as does the band’s studio Dust & Stone, where many local musicians also come to cut their records. He’s also toured across Europe as a member of Tucson bands Calexico, Orkesta Mendoza, and Giant Sand. Then there was his earlier life with indie rock band Mostly Bears, which released an album and toured in the 2000s. A global pandemic is probably the only thing that could have gotten him to take a step back. Once he did, he made a conscious choice to start fresh. 

“I decided that I would fall in love with the process of writing and recording again, and have more intention when I do it. That’s how TIDAL came to be. I just started demoing again. I was really motivated, really inspired, demoed, went to the studio,” he recalls. The studio in question was Dust & Stone and his main collaborator and sole producer was Gabriel Sullivan, who is also guitarist and co-frontman of XIXA. In order to follow CDC guidelines, only four people could be in the studio at a time, so the in-house skeleton crew was of necessity. Sullivan is a multi-instrumentalist and played bass, drums and other percussion, while Lopez played all the guitar parts and synthesizers. 

At first the duo thought the project would be relatively quiet and lo-fi, as the previous solo albums had been, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own. “As we kept building, it was sounding bigger and bigger, especially after we discovered that we can just send audio files across the world to any of our music friends and have them contribute to the songs,” Lopez remembers. 

Tucson’s music community is close knit, but far from insular, with links spread far and wide. Lopez has toured with Tucson-based French singer-songwriter Marianne Dissard and Scottish singer and songwriter KT Tunstall. Those relationships would prove vital to creating the multi-layered sound of TIDAL in the isolation of quarantine. Calexico’s John Convertino contributed drums from his basement in El Paso, Texas. KT Tunstall added airy vocals to the swelling psych waltz “Road to Avalon.” Lauren Cervantes of the Austin soul band Black Pumas sang on “Black Mountain.” 

“TIDAL is very much a collaborative effort, like a transatlantic, multinational Frankenstein album, for sure,” the musician says with pride. Happily, the stitches don’t show, though the love and intention that went into the record are apparent. 

The earlier solo albums, 2012’s Ultra, 2014’s Static Noise, and 2018’s Prelude are linked together by a stylish darkness and the world building tendencies of songwriters like Nick Cave and Tom Waits, with a distinct sense of place that sets them apart from anything else, except other bands from Tucson. As a classically trained guitarist, Lopez’s compositions are built around delicate fingerpicking that suggests various threads of music heard in the Southwest, be it Tejano or country and western, without ever committing to any one. Then there’s his famous croon, a controlled falsetto laden with shivering vibrato that has drawn comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Devendra Banhart. 

On TIDAL, the guitar and voice are unchanged, maybe refined. In spirit and mood, the album leans away from the desert noir that characterizes Lopez’s first three albums and his work with XIXA to borrow instead from the pixie-led psychedelia of British folkies like Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, and Donovan. As with the aforementioned Brits, the shadows are never far away; still, this record has a comparatively light heart. TIDAL is the mature, baroque, sunlight-and-shade album that a few lucky artists get to make in their careers: Beck’s Sea Change, The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, Pet Sounds.

In truth, the shadow of death glides quietly throughout TIDAL. Maybe that befits an album born during a worldwide plague. Album opener “3000 Stories,” has a light tone, with hints of Tropicália, but it’s a mournful remembrance of the thousands who have died in the desert along the Southern border, looking for safe passage. Still, it’s a song that prays for better.

Though heartbreaking, “3000 Stories” sets the tone for an album that rings more personal and honest than ever, still rooted in fertile Sonoran soil. “Black Mountain,” for example, is a bittersweet ode to childhood that could soften the crustiest grown-person’s heart. 

“It’s about growing up in Barrio Savaco in the ’80s and early ’90s. Just simple, simple times, something that’s very foreign to me and most adults. As you age and put on more responsibility and the world gets a little bit more chaotic, it’s hard to tether yourself to just being a bright eyed, young child without a care in the world, other than playing G.I. Joes or riding bikes or playing basketball with your friends,” Lopez says of that song. Barrio Savaco is a neighborhood on Tucson’s west side.

He finds room for more oddball moments as well. “Margot Kidder” is a tribute to the actor and progressive activist best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve. Kidder also suffered from mental illness and died by suicide. Lopez had been reading about her by chance. “I found the duality of her life to be very sad, but interesting, and, frankly, relatable to a lot of us. On the surface, we’re projecting one thing, but behind closed doors is just a completely different thing. The song kind of follows. There’s a part that’s in major mode, which is one side and then it goes to a minor mode,” he offers. 

“All Souls” is another brush with the next world, in tribute to a friend who passed away, which takes inspiration from Tucson’s Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. Further on there’s plenty of sunlight: “Magic” and “Face to Face” are full-stop love songs of a kind that aren’t made much anymore. Finally, the muted epic “Psilocybin Dream” finds a balance between this world and the next, or collapses the duality. It’s an Ennio Morricone score for ego death. 

Psilocybin is the only specific influence on the album that Lopez will really cop to, however, he cites Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as ever-present inspirations. “Lyrically, these are people that I look up to more than anything. I found my own voice kind of mimicking them and then, finally, slipping into what my thing was. It takes a long time, obviously,” he shares. His time has been well spent and reflects his passion for songwriting.

There’s another XIXA album underway and Lopez has at least one side project going just for fun, plus songwriting for other artists. Currently, he’s working on an album with Mélanie Pain, the singer of French indie pop phenomenon Nouvelle Vague, with whom he has toured as a guitarist. The privations of the pandemic have eased. These days, there’s a lot going on, but he says he’s focused on his solo music, affirming, “It’s my most authentic, true self musically. I’m always gonna do solo stuff.” Indeed, time is only making his songs ring truer and bringing them closer to home.

Brian Lopez will be playing album release shows January 5 at Valley Bar, 130 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ and January 6 at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress

Beverly Bryan is a journalist, music curator, and critic. Her writing about music can be found in SPIN, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and many other places. There’s a chance she made that playlist you like.

By Kimmy Everman

I‘m writing this on a voice memo as I drive to pick up my kid from school. Playing in the background is blink-182, very different from how I used to listen to blink in their heyday– blasting in my car at max volume right after I got my driver’s license. Circa 2003, my homemade burned CD would skip from “Feeling This” to “Swing, Swing” by The All American Rejects or “My Friends Over You” by New Found Glory. Fast forward twenty years and, wow, how things have changed. All while my music taste has stayed pretty much the same.

Now, I play blink (right, lowercase “b,” I checked) and NFG on Spotify via Bluetooth not because their songs are edgy and new … just the opposite. They’re old… I’m old! But punk, which was so painfully uncool for the last two decades, is finally cool again. Thank the punk gods, I’m finally free to listen to Yellowcard, The Starting Line and Bowling for Soup in peace, without being judged as the biggest stuck-in-the-past dork ever. I’m thirty-six going sixteen on my way to get my kid. Wait, what’s my age again?

Last year Avril Lavigne came out with new music and simultaneously band tees and checkered Vans came back in style with a vengeance. Heck, even a good old-fashioned Converse, which was once the signature of the emo crowd in the early 2000s, is now considered in. What was once a fringe group of punk outcasts, the emotive subculture in black has somehow made a comeback as a cool, mainstream way of being.

Above: See Avril Lavigne and All Time Low kicking it before a huge crowd at this year’s When We Were Young Festival. 

You used to have to earn band tees by going to live shows. And you bet my Green Day tee from 2000 is real and not some cheap printout from an Amazon shop. Being punk used to require major effort (remember Hot Topic?). But now it’s just that easy to buy a tee from your favorite band and rep that nostalgic punk style, recreating this look on an aesthetic whim for when you feel like channeling your inner Ashlee Simpson. My go-to band tee is a blink-182 tee from the brand Furst of a Kind (They make repurposed, vintage band and sports tees). Except these days I style it with bike shorts, Cloud sneakers and a messy mom bun as I chase my two kids. A far cry from the Abercrombie flares, Rocket Dogs and perfectly ironed hair from the band’s (and my) prime.

You can take the girl out of the punk-rock era, but you can’t take the punk outta the girl.

New musicians like Olivia Rodigo, KennyHoopla, and Machine Gun Kelly are bringing back the poppy blink-esque punk that Millennials know and love–but with a fresh modern-day edge. (For those new to Rodrigo, checkout all-american bitch. For KennyHoopla, listen to hollywood sucks//. And if you don’t know Machine Gun Kelly, then get with it already because he’s awesome and his music is seriously addictive.

I knew punk was back when Machine Gun Kelly came out with his debut punk album Tickets To My Downfall in 2020 — an album produced by blink’s Travis Barker, who also plays the drums on it. But it wasn’t until I was dutifully scrolling Instagram — as any good Millennial does most hours of most days — and came across the IG @whenwewereyoungfest that I knew there was a major movement going on. And that I wasn’t alone. Hundreds of thousands of likeminded emos — 774 thou to be exact – were craving for pop punk to make a return too! This is greater than MGK. Dare I say, this is even greater than Travis Barker.

When We Were Young Fest is an annual music festival in Vegas featuring awesome punk pop bands of the early aughts like Green Day, The Offspring, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Something Corporate, The Ataris … the list goes on. Avril Lavigne and blink even made an appearance in WWYF ’23. It took place last weekend with lots sideshows all over Las Vegas all weekend long.

Below: Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker of blink-182

Even cooler is how the festival’s Instagram page has formed a community of punk rock fans to share posts of our beloved bands who are still out there performing in small venues all over the country. Who knew Good Charlotte still harmonizes to “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” at weddings (well, at Sophia Richie’s wedding. But a wedding nonetheless)? Who seriously knew Yellowcard and Sum 41 still play sold-out shows — mosh pits and all?

I think the takeaway is that punk isn’t dead — nor was it ever. Nowadays with social media us emo freaks don’t have to wax nostalgic our punk days alone. We can dust off that studded belt and wristband. A huge community has finally come out of the woodwork who loves this genre just as much as we do. We don’t have to feel like lonely weirdos anymore … well, speaking for myself, singular, not as much of a lonely weirdo, at least. And the best part is that the community’s expanding. With new acts like Rodrigo, the fanbase for this undeniably catchy genre only continues to grow.

Not only isn’t punk dead, it’s here to stay this time.

Kimmy Everman is a mom of two young girls and lives in Miami. She’s into fashion, recycling, pop culture and mom stuff. Check out her third baby @poptalkbaby on Instagram, and her slime loving 7-year-old’s slime videos @valsslimeworld.