Six Perfect Songs for Getting People to Leave

It has happened to me a million times. I walk into a bar with the intention of sitting down for a relaxing beverage, and in between the time that I’ve paid and my first sip of beer, I realize that some 22-year-old asshole is having a birthday party. And that…

Grading the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014

Artwork by Tatiana Craine A few weeks have passed since we found out who will be officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. Which means enough time has passed for the migraines and projectile vomiting to have subsided. Here’s a scorecard for the inductees of…

Immigrants Are People Too

Dear Mexican: How do we humanize the illegals in this country? I’ve been in this country illegally for 16 years, y ya chole no? For 16 years I lived my life like anyone else: going to school and working. Eventually I became a teacher for the public schools. It is…

Pitbull’s “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha: Why This Video Sucks

Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. Right now, Pitbull’s “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha, is number two on Billboard and number one on my GTFOH chart…

What Miley Cyrus and Kanye West Can Teach Your Noise Band

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

36 New Year’s Resolutions for an Awful Music Journalist

Lori Ann / FlickrWill music journalism always suck? Probably. MTV will always feature at least three Justin Bieber articles on its news page, and NME will continue their 1:4 ratio of articles about members of Oasis. And of course, people like me will still write articles about botching interviews and…

In Defense of Schwag Weed

This is a big week for weed, with Colorado becoming the first state in the nation to have legal recreational marijuana. All across the Centennial State, fluffy buds twinkling with crystals are being loaded into swirled glass pipes and sparked in celebration. There is no pretense of medicine. People are…

What To Do When A Label Approaches Your Band

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

Outkast Reunion, No More Blackface and Other Requests for 2014

Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. Dear 2013, Oh, man. So you’re officially over. That’s kind of sad. You were mostly a very…

Should Latinos Who Mispronounce Their Own Names Be Corrected?

Dear Mexican: One of my pet peeves is Latinos who pronounce their last names with Anglo accents. For example, Rod-driguez instead of Roh-driguez. Would love it if you address this. Personally, I believe we Latinos should educate Anglos on correct pronunciation. Gomez the Groper Dear Wab: Before you start correcting…

A Totally Not-Depressing Look at Downtown

The arrival of a New Year always brings about in me a strange and unaccustomed desire to be un-depressing. And I don’t even drink. I don’t know what does it. This year I’m blaming it on Dallas City Council member Philip Kingston. He and I had an interesting chat about…

I Pretended to Be a Jimmy Buffett Fan for a Day

Tony Nelson for City Pages: Slideshow. Beginning the night of December 2, 2013, the day before a Jimmy Buffett show, I embarked upon a foolhardy and ill-fated mission to spend 24 hours straight converting myself into the biggest Jimmy Buffett fan imaginable. For the uninitiated, Jimmy Buffett is the undisputed…