#712: F is for Future Islands

In 2014 Future Islands appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. Imagine your nerdy high school math teacher as the lead singer in a rock band. We all had one, mostly, not in rock bands, but maybe sometimes. I think of a colleague of mine, a mathteacher, one who will, for the purposeof thisContinue reading “#712: F is for Future Islands”

#613: B is for the B-52s

One of the greatestnerd-rock bands ever, The B-52s arrived in 1979with this gem of a debut.They were not accomplished musicians, but these spirited performances completely overshadowed what they may have lacked in precision, or what the serious musicians might have called “chops.”I might have been one of those dismissive listeners. I can imagine myself sayingContinue reading “#613: B is for the B-52s”

#338: A Wannabe Nerd

He says, Do you remember that song by M.? That was 1979, I say, and I was fifteen. Talk about, he said, pop music. That’s the only thing I remember. Yeah, the only other thing I can remember is shooby dooby doo wop. It was a kind of, I say, spoken word thing, a nonsensicalContinue reading “#338: A Wannabe Nerd”