When artist Ralph Steadman does an impression of his late gonzo co-conspirator Hunter S. Thompsonâas he often doesâthe sound he makes is more canine than human. âRalph! Ralph!â he barks in an irritated monotone, affectionately mimicking the authorâs voice. âWhy don’t you give up writing and stick to your scribbling!â Steadman, who turns 90 on […]
Less than 48 hours after speaking to SPIN, MC Eiht learned his Comptonâs Most Wanted brother, DJ Mike T, had died. As one of its earliest members, Mike T had formed a tight friendship with Eiht that endured decades. Mike T is the first of the CMW clique to die, a sobering blow to Eiht, […]
Chatting with ISTA’s vocalist-guitarist Rex Costello and bassist-vocalist Diona West in their home studio in New Jersey feels like being inside a Mark Rothko exhibition. The colorful acoustic panels in this space—butter yellow, tomato red, cucumber green, and multiple shades of blue—have the effect of the abstract artist’s color field paintings. The panels are inspired...
By this point in her career, Laurie Anderson has become a national treasure of sorts. Her work is the apex of the avant-garde made accessible, high-minded and emotionally charged without being alienating. Anderson has spent her career making albums, visual art, and films that deal with the surrendering of humanity to technology, loss, and even […]