By Steve Newton I did a really dumb thing last week: I went crazy with the Q-tips. There's a jar of them on our bathroom counter, and I thought I'd try one out to see how my earwax situation was. I knew that cleaning the inside of your ears with those cotton swabs was frowned … Continue reading Earwax-induced hearing loss amplifies music lover’s appreciation for sounds
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Trio’s Stephan Remmler on Trio and Error and the creation of the weird worldwide hit “Da Da Da”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 16, 1983 By Steve Newton About this same time last year, creeping up a heat duct from the basement suite below me, would come a tune so queer and bouncy--and sung with such downright foolishness--that I started to wonder if some madman hadn't holed himself up down there and decided to … Continue reading Trio’s Stephan Remmler on Trio and Error and the creation of the weird worldwide hit “Da Da Da”
The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song
By Steve Newton I interviewed one-named German pop singer Nena on the phone from Berlin back in May of 1984. That was one month after her band released its 99 Luftballoons compilation album, which featured both English- and German-language versions of the title track ("99 Red Balloons"), which had been a huge hit in Europe the … Continue reading The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week
king gizzard & the lizard wizard plays the pne forum on wednesday By Steve Newton American garage-rock duo the Black Keys plays Rogers Arena on their Dropout Boogie Tour on Monday, with guests Band of Horses. Australian boogie-rockers Airbourne play the Commodore Ballroom on Monday, with guests the Native Howl and Steel V. MRG Live … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week
Newt’s Top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend
stewart copeland joins the VSO Friday and Saturday By Steve Newton Canadian blues-rocker Colin James plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday, with guests the Ally Venable Band. Japanese psych-rock quintet Kikagaku Moyo plays a SOLD OUT show at the Rickshaw on Friday, with guest Yu Su. The B.C. Lions take on the Ottawa Redblacks in CFL action at … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend
Rock and Roll Damnation: the heavy-metal concert review as post-secondary writing exercise
By Steve Newton There's a comedic reading series running in Vancouver called Teen Angst Night, where people read embarrassing things they wrote as a youth. This is kinda like that. When I was taking English 304 at UBC one of the assignments was to write something where each sentence started with a different letter of … Continue reading Rock and Roll Damnation: the heavy-metal concert review as post-secondary writing exercise
You can tell a book by its covers: The Georgia Straight–A 50th Anniversary Celebration
By Steve Newton FULL DISCLOSURE: I've worked at the Georgia Straight since '82 so, yeah, I could be a little biased. I didn't grow up in Vancouver. I hail from the small Fraser Valley community of Chilliwack, best known for ice storms in the winter, Cultus Lake in the summer, and the rock band Chilliwack … Continue reading You can tell a book by its covers: The Georgia Straight–A 50th Anniversary Celebration
That time I was a total jerk and cheered for Sonny Liston to beat Cassius Clay
By Steve Newton So, one of the greatest men who ever lived dies and CTV News Channel, in its FOX-like rush to be first with the BREAKING NEWS, can’t even get his name right. Not even close. “Muhamed Ali”. That’s bloody embarrassing, I must say. I’ve got my own embarrassing Ali story to tell, mind … Continue reading That time I was a total jerk and cheered for Sonny Liston to beat Cassius Clay
Me and My Colonoscopy: the story of a man and his ass
By Steve Newton Normally I just use this site to write about guitar-rock and horror movies and good stuff like that, but I recently had a colonoscopy, so figured I should write about that too, because, you know--what's more hilarious than the thought of somebody pokin' around in your butt, tryna see stuff? And besides, it's like a … Continue reading Me and My Colonoscopy: the story of a man and his ass
Jaco Pastorius, the wickedest bass player of all time, is everywhere next month
By Steve Newton Fans of Jaco Pastorius, the wickedest bass player of all time, are in for some real treats next month. Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, announced today that it will release a collection of music titled JACO: Original Soundtrack on November 27, aka Record Store Day Black Friday 2015. Produced by … Continue reading Jaco Pastorius, the wickedest bass player of all time, is everywhere next month
’80s rockers Europe and Billy Idol shill for Geico and Bank of America
By Steve Newton Da-da-da-daaa. Da-da-da-da-daaaa. The opening notes of Europe's huge 1986 hit "The Final Countdown" are ingrained in a lot of people's minds--I usually think of how Gob used it in his failed magic act for Arrested Development--and now Geico has copped it for its "It's What You Do" advertising campaign. In the 30-second … Continue reading ’80s rockers Europe and Billy Idol shill for Geico and Bank of America
40 years ago today: Lou Reed releases Metal Machine Music, and my dumbass buddy buys it
By Steve Newton 1975 was a very good year for rock n roll. Maybe even the best. That's the year of Aerosmiith's Toys in the Attic, Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, and Thin Lizzy's Fighting. Not to mention Ian Hunter's solo debut. Unfortunately for my high-school buddy Mike, it was also the year of Lou Reed's Metal … Continue reading 40 years ago today: Lou Reed releases Metal Machine Music, and my dumbass buddy buys it
The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 23, 2003 By Steve Newton In Trailer Park Boys—Showcase TV’s low-budget mockumentary series about dope-smoking, foul-mouthed lowlifes inhabiting a rundown (is there any other kind?) trailer park—it’s the little things that make you laugh. Like Julian’s (John Paul Tremblay’s) ever-present glass of rum ’n’ Coke. Whether he’s hanging … Continue reading The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles