Author Archives: jnagle4

Superman Need Not Apply

  John Cena has everything wrestling promoters revere.  He’s well-built, good-looking, has a ton of charisma, and delivers in big match situations.   He sells a ton of merchandise, is an ambassador for the business, and goes out of his way … Continue reading

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My Top 10 of 2011 (and other fun lists!)

Remember when I used to be a writer?  That was awesome, right?  2011 was a really intense year for me, so my “career,” unfortunately fell by the wayside.  However, I never stopped listening, so here are my favorite records of … Continue reading

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What’s His Signature?

  Freak of the Week at Ram\’s Head Live In 1999, Butch Walker’s power pop band, The Marvelous 3, scored a top five hit with “Freak of the Week,” a song about an indie band getting a taste of fame.  … Continue reading

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Sebastian Bach: Kicking and Screaming

  Sebastian Bach is one of heavy metal’s great interpreters.  Dave “The Snake” Sabo and Rachael Bolan were good songwriters, and Skid Row would have probably been successful with another singer, but Bach took their songs and shaped them into … Continue reading

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Farewell, Big Man

Clarence Clemons is dead.  I never thought I’d type that sentence.  Clemons’ enormous personality made him seem immortal.  When the notes poured out of his saxophone, he was no longer a person, but a force of nature.  When I saw … Continue reading

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Elvis is Back! (50th Anniversary Edition)

  The career of Elvis Presley is usually broken into two arcs.  The first is Young Elvis, the greasy haired hillbilly with a dangerous sneer and gyrating pelvis.  The second is Gilded Elvis, the overweight drug addict in a white … Continue reading

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Goodbye, Jani

  There comes a time in every rock critic’s career where you have an Almost Famous moment. A moment when your naïve vision of what rock journalism is like comes true.  Mine occurred at the inaugural M3 Rock Fest in … Continue reading

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The White Stripes: 1997-2011

I was the bearer of bad news at WTMD today: Oh well, 13 years is a damn good run.

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Interview: Steve Riley of L.A. Guns

Photo credit: Rock Eyez.com Author’s note: I conducted this interview at last year’s M3 Fest. For over two decades, Steve Riley has provided the backbeat for L.A. Guns, one of the sleaziest bands to emerge from L.A.’s Sunset Strip.  Before … Continue reading

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The Best of 2010

2010 has come and gone, so that means it’s time for me to pare down the hundreds of records I’ve listened to this year to ten.  I don’t feel like writing a fancy introduction, so let’s boogie.   1. Superchunk: … Continue reading

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