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Issue Articles — BackTalk

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George Clinton

Over the years since 1967 when his barbershop-based do-wop group the Parliaments (named after the members’ favorite cigarette) had a Top Ten hit with “Testify,” George Clinton has worn many […]

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Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders, a titan of the saxophone, has been an influential force in jazz for over three decades. Widely known for his work and recordings with the late great John […]

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Dave Alvin talks back

Dave Alvin’s songwriting talent first emerged a little over two decades ago when he formed the Blasters with his brother Phil and several lifelong buddies from the Los Angeles suburb […]

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John Prine

It was only in retrospect I realized I talked to John Prine on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. While President George W. Bush spent […]

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John Stirratt of Wilco Talks Back

When a rock band loses two of its members and is dropped by a major record label, chances are its days are numbered. With alt.country turned avant-rockers Wilco, these rules don’t seem to apply. With the release of the critically fawned over Yankee Hotel Foxtrot last April, Wilco is enjoying its most commercially successful year yet. Founded by chief songwriter and guitarist Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt in 1994, Wilco descended from the seminal country punk band Uncle Tupelo and has steadily emerged as one of the most “important” rock bands in popular music. Wilco’s blend of heartfelt country rock and ambient, sonic textures have touched a nerve in both critics and fans alike, creating a massive cult following that is threatening to explode into the mainstream consciousness.

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BackTalk: Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis’ musical career has been anything but humdrum. At 42, the saxophonist initially became renowned as a jazz artist before shocking fans when in the mid-1980s he quit his […]

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Dave Pirner

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Thurston Moore

Sonic Youth have been around for 21 years—god knows how long that is in dog years. A generation of music listeners have grown up never knowing a world without Sonic […]

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Robert Randolph

If you’ve always thought that the pedal steel guitar was only a feature of tearjerking country-western music, meet Robert Randolph. From the House of God Church to your home stereo, […]

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Snooks Eaglin talks back

Interviewers have always had a tough time capturing the thoughts and meditations of guitarist Snooks Eaglin. Out-of-town journalists have scheduled interviews with Snooks, flown to town and upon arrival, discovered […]

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