Zappagram #80: All billionaires are evil...except one

(Hint: It's Taylor Swift)

Zappagram #80: All billionaires are evil...except one

Hey friends,

There’s a lot going on right now—in the world, in my own life—and because of this, the Zappagram podcast is going on hiatus for a while. The newsletter will continue to be published weekly—no changes there.

As a matter of fact, I’m considering starting another newsletter—one that will focus entirely on current events, news, politics, international affairs, etc. Is this something you might be interested in? Please hit the poll below and let me know.

Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on.

This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
—Berthold Auerbach

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WEEKLY PLAYLIST

:: NEW MUSIC EVERY WEEK

Featuring: Sudan Archives, Cleo Sol, Dylan Chambers, Cautious Clay, Busty and the Bass, Fleetwood Mac, The New Pornographers & Aimee Mann, Black Pumas, Lenny Kravitz, The Kills

ZAPPAGRAM #80

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ZAPPAGRAM PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)

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MUSIC NEWS

:: WHAT’S GOING ON

Kurt Cobain’s Daughter Frances Bean Weds Son of Pro Skater Tony Hawk
The bride and groom tied the knot in Southern California with R.E.M frontman Michael Stipe acting as officiant [RollingStone]

PJ Harvey Sets First U.S. Live Appearance in Six Years
Artist plans "I Inside the Old Year Dying: Poetry, Conversation, Music" event in Brooklyn for next month, she’ll also participate in a conversation with The New Yorker’s Amanda Petrusich [RollingStone]

Dua Lipa, Caroline Polachek, Michael Stipe, Killer Mike, and More Urge Biden to Call for Ceasefire in Gaza
Devonté Hynes, Cate Blanchett, Jeremy Strong, David Cross, John Cusack, and Joaquin Phoenix also signed the open letter [Pitchfork]

Massive Attack’s Longtime Guitarist Angelo Bruschini Dead From Lung Cancer
The musician toured with the trip-hop legends and played a crucial role on their celebrated 1998 LP Mezzanine [RollingStone]

Steve Riley, Drummer for W.A.S.P. and L.A. Guns, Dead at 67
The veteran rocker passed away after a severe battle with pneumonia [Consequence]

Jeff Schroeder Leaves the Smashing Pumpkins After More Than 15 Years With the Band
Schroeder joined the Smashing Pumpkins when the band reunited in the mid-2000s [Pitchfork]

The Kills Announce 2024 Tour, Share Video for New Song “Wasterpiece”
Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince have dates across the United States and Canada beginning in February [Pitchfork]

Feist Announces 2024 North American Tour
The 10-show jaunt kicks off in February [Consequence]

Spotify Plots Change to Royalties Structure, With a Minimum Streams per Song Requirement for Payout
The company is also reportedly changing how royalties are generated for white noise and nature sounds [Pitchfork]

Eminem Is Selling Jars of “Mom’s Spaghetti Pasta Sauce”
You no longer have to venture to Detroit to get the taste of mom’s spaghetti [Consequence]

Metallica’s Robert Trujillo Recalls Hiding Out from Manson Family Shootout as a Child
The bassist was 6 years old when members of the Manson Family robbed a surplus store in Hawthorne, California [Consequence]


Z-REX

:: ZAPPA’S RECOMMENDATIONS


ASSHOLE OF THE WEEK

:: BECAUSE THERE’S ALWAYS ONE

If he were my friend, I’d drop him, too: System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Says He’s Lost “Friends” and “Hundreds of Thousands of Fans” Due to Political Beliefs [Consequence]


NEW RELEASES

:: RECENTLY DROPPED MUSIC

Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond [listen]
DJ Shadow: Action Adventure [listen]
The Gaslight Anthem: History Books [listen]
José González: Veneer (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [listen]
The Kills: God Games [listen]
Nirvana: In Utero (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe) [listen]
Prince: Diamonds and Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition) [listen]
Taylor Swift: 1989 (Taylor’s Version) [listen]


RELEASE RADAR

:: UPCOMING RELEASES

- NOV 3 -

Bob Marley and The Wailers: Catch a Fire (50th Anniversary Edition)
Christine McVie: Christine McVie (Reissue)
Christine McVie: In the Meantime (Reissue)
Cold War Kids: Cold War Kids
Dave Matthews Band: Before These Crowded Streets (Vinyl Reissue)
Frank Zappa: Over-Nite Sensation (50th Anniversary Edition)
Jimmy Buffett: Equal Strain on All Parts
Neil Young: Time Fades Away 50 (Vinyl Reissue)
Semisonic: Little Bit of Sun
The Struts: Pretty Vicious

- NOV 10 -

Beirut: Hadsel
Cannons: Heartbeat Highway
Cat Power: Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
New Order: Substance (2023 Expanded Reissue)
Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Vinyl Reissue)
Pure Bathing Culture: Chalice
R.E.M.: Up (25th Anniversary Edition)

- NOV 17 -

Bob Dylan: The Complete Budokan 1978
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)
Deafheaven: Sunbather (10th Anniversary Remix) (Remaster)
Dolly Parton: Rockstar
Iron & Wine: Who Can See Forever Soundtrack
Kurt Vile: Back to Moon Beach EP
Pearl Jam: Vs. (30th Anniversary Edition)
The Polyphonic Spree: Salvage Enterprise
Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana (10th Anniversary Edition)

- NOV 24 -

Busta Rhymes: BLOCKBUSTA
De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising (Vinyl Box Set)
Guided By Voices: Nowhere to Go But Up
John Prine: The Oh Boy Singles
Margo Price: Strays (Live at Grimey’s)
My Morning Jacket: Happy Holiday!
Noah Kahan: Cape Elizabeth EP (Vinyl Reissue)
Rilo Kiley: Under the Blacklight (Vinyl Reissue)
Screaming Trees: Live at Egg Studios
Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle (30th Anniversary Edition)

- DEC 1 -

Dillon Francis: This Mixtape Is Fire Too
Harp (feat. Midlake’s Tim Smith): Albion
Khruangbin: Live at Sydney Opera House
Peter Gabriel: I/O
Steely Dan: Gaucho (Vinyl Reissue)
Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition)


ON THIS DATE

:: MUSICAL HAPPENINGS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

- OCT 30 -

Birthdays: Grace Slick and Eddie Holland (1939) • Timothy B Schmit (1947) • Gavin Rossdale (1967) • Jim Morrison of The Doors was fined and sentenced to six months in jail after being found guilty of exposing himself during a gig in Miami. (1970)

- OCT 31 -

Birthdays: Tom Paxton (1937) • Larry Mullen Jr. (1961) • Johnny Marr (1963) • Ad-Rock a.k.a. Adam Horovitz (1966) • Adam Schlesinger (1967) • Isabella Summers of Florence and the Machine (1980) • During a gig in Seattle, Washington, Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish in Faith No More's dressing room. They responded by walking on stage, naked during Idol's set. (1990)

- NOV 1 -

Birthdays: Jim Steinman (1947) • David Foster (1949) • Lyle Lovett (1957) • Anthony Kiedis (1962) • Rick Allen of Def Leppard (1963) • The Beatles scored their 13th #1 album in the U.S. with Abbey Road. (1969)

- NOV 2 -

Birthdays: J.D. Souther (1945) • Carter Beauford (1957) • kd Lang (1961) • Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie (1975) • American vocalist and guitarist Eva Cassidy, died of skin cancer aged 33. (1996)

- NOV 3 -

Birthdays: Stuart Goddard a.k.a. Adam Ant (1954) • Courtney Barnett (1987) • James Taylor and Carly Simon were married by a judge in Simon's Manhattan apartment, beginning their eleven year marriage. (1972) • Russian inventor Leon Theremin died. (1993)

- NOV 4 -

Birthdays: Delbert McClinton (1940) • Chris Difford of Squeeze (1954) • The Last Waltz, the movie of The Bands final concert premiered in New York. The Martin Scorsese movie also featured Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Neil Diamond. (1977)

- NOV 5 -

Birthdays: Roy Rogers (1911) • Ike Turner (1931) • Art Garfunkel (1941) • Gram Parsons (1946) • Bryan Adams (1959) • Jonny Greenwood (1971) • Ryan Adams (1974) • Link Wray died aged 76. (2005)


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Until next week, friends…

🤘🏻🖤