Zappagram #85: RIP Shane MacGowan
Plus, IDLES announce 2024 tour dates
Hey friends,
If you make it to the end of this email, you’ll see that a shitload of musicians were born and died this week in music history.
There’s a reason I’m asking about Paramore in this week’s poll. You guys tell me what you think and I’ll tell you why I’m asking next week.
Follow me on Threads / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok for more nonsense / random shit / fun facts. Okay, enough shameless self-promotion. Let’s do this.
Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on.
This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.
“You need a little bit of insanity to do great things.”
—Henry Rollins
ROCK THE VOTE
:: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
LAST WEEK’S POLL
:: HERE’S THE RESULTS
WEEKLY PLAYLIST
:: NEW MUSIC EVERY WEEK
Featuring: Bluhm, Morning Bear, Tennis, Harp, Noah Kahan & Gracie Abrams, Middle Kids, Mystic Braves, Stay Outside, Nathaniel Rateliff, Wilco
ZAPPAGRAM #85
ZAPPAGRAM PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
:: WHAT’S GOING ON
Shane MacGowan, Pogues Lead Singer and Raspy Voice of Irish Punk Rock, Dead at 65
The Irish songwriter was a one-of-a-kind presence onstage with a poet's flair for lyricism [RollingStone]
Tom Waits Pays Tribute to Shane MacGowan in Rare Public Statement
Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and Bono also honor The Pogues' singer [Consequence]
Idles Add 2024 Tour Dates
The British rock band will play a bunch of shows in support of the new album Tangk [Pitchfork]
The Weeknd Is Sending $2.5 Million Worth of Food to Gaza
"We hope others will follow Abel's example and support our efforts," a director for the UN's World Food Programme says [RollingStone]
Maren Morris Advocates for Being ‘Giant Pain in the Ass’ to Make Change in Industry
The singer addressed “blatant misogyny, racism, and transphobia” in the music industry while accepting her Changemaker Award on Saturday [RollingStone]
Nick Cave Novel The Death of Bunny Munro to Be Adapted for TV by Matt Smith
The star of House of the Dragon and The Crown will produce and star in the limited series based on Cave’s 2009 novel [Pitchfork]
Michael Stipe Assures He’s Still Working on That Solo Album, Very Slowly
In new interview, former R.E.M. singer reveals unsteady progress on new LP, as well as run-ins with Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and the National [RollingStone]
Minor Threat Share New EP of Out of Step Outtakes
Marking the 40th anniversary of their only studio album [Consequence]
Hall and Oates Open Up About Their Dissolution in New Court Filings
Daryl Hall said he was “blindsided” by John Oates’ “ultimate partnership betrayal.” Oates called Hall’s statements “inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate.” [Pitchfork]
KISS to Continue Performing as Avatars Following Final Show
“We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we've never dreamed of before" [Consequence]
Watch “Weird Al” Yankovic Diss Spotify Payouts in His Year-End Wrapped Video for Spotify
“It’s my understanding that I had over 80 million streams on Spotify this year. So, if I’m doing the math right that means I earned $12.” [Pitchfork]
Z-REX
:: ZAPPA’S RECOMMENDATIONS
The Music Industry’s #MeToo Wave Is Just Getting Started
The deadline for the Adult Survivors Act in New York saw a flurry of allegations in the music industry. More suits could hit California in the next few weeks [RollingStone]
Roger Waters Fired His Son. He’s Playing in a Pink Floyd Tribute Band
Harry Waters tells us why he's sitting in with Brit Floyd and brushing off his father’s incendiary political views: “It’s just not true at all that he’s an antisemite” [RollingStone]
NEW RELEASES
:: RECENTLY DROPPED MUSIC
Dillon Francis: This Mixtape Is Fire Too [listen]
Harp (feat. Midlake’s Tim Smith): Albion [listen]
Khruangbin: Live at Sydney Opera House [listen]
Minor Threat: Out of Step Outtakes EP [listen]
Peter Gabriel: I/O [listen]
Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition) [listen]
RELEASE RADAR
:: UPCOMING RELEASES
- DEC 8 -
Arlo Parks: My Soft Machine (Deluxe)
Car Seat Headrest: Faces From the Masquerade
The Killers: Rebel Diamonds
Neil Young: Before and After
Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother (Special Edition)
- DEC 15 -
The Black Crowes: The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion (Super Deluxe Box Set)
EELS: EELS So Good: Essential EELS, Vol.2
Fall Out Boy: Take This to Your Grave (20th Anniversary Edition)
- JAN 12 -
Kali Uchis: Orquídeas
Lou Reed: Hudson River Wind Meditations
The Vaccines: Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations
- JAN 19 -
Green Day: Saviors
Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope
- JAN 26 -
Future Islands: People Who Aren’t There Anymore
Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free
The Smile: Wall of Eyes
Ty Segall: Three Bells
ON THIS DATE
:: MUSICAL HAPPENINGS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
- DEC 4 -
Birthdays: Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys & Chris Hillman of The Byrds (1944) • Southside Johnny (1948) • Danny Weinkauf of They Might Be Giants (1963) • The Montreux Casino in Switzerland burnt to the ground during a gig by Frank Zappa. (1971) • Frank Zappa died of prostate cancer, aged 52. (1993)
- DEC 5 -
Birthdays: Sonny Boy Williamson (1912) • Little Richard (1932) • JJ Cale (1938) • Jim Messina (1947) • Johnny Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls (1965) • Paul McCartney and Wings released Band On The Run, his fifth album since his departure from The Beatles. (1973)
- DEC 6 -
Birthdays: Dave Brubeck (1920) • Robb Royer of Bread (1942) • Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Randy Rhoads (1956) • Dave Lovering of The Pixies (1961) • Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl (1962) • American blues artist, Leadbelly died (1949) • American singer-songwriter Roy Orbison died of a heart attack aged 52. (1988) • Elvis Costello married jazz artist Diana Krall in a ceremony at Elton John's UK mansion. About 150 guests, including Paul McCartney, attended the wedding. (2003) • Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks died of a suspected heart attack aged 63. (2018)
- DEC 7 -
Birthdays: Harry Chapin (1942) • Tom Waits (1949) • Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs (1958) • Damien Rice (1973) • Sara Bareilles (1979) • Otis Redding entered Stax Records’ Memphis studios to lay down vocal tracks for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay.” It would turn out to be his final session, taking place just three days before a plane crash claimed his life. (1967) • The MBE medal that John Lennon returned to the Queen was found in a royal vault at St James' Palace. Lennon returned his medal in November 1969 with a letter accompanying saying, "Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against “Cold Turkey” slipping down the charts. With Love, John Lennon.” (2005)
- DEC 8 -
Birthdays: Sammy Davis Jr (1925) • Toots Hibbert (1942) • Jim Morrison (1943) • Mike Botts of Bread (1944) • Gregg Allman (1947) • Dan Hartman (1951) • Bass player/vocalist Nathan East (1955) • Paul Rutherford of Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1959) • Marty Friedman of Megadeth (1962) • Sinead O’Connor (1966) • Corey Taylor of Slipknot (1973) • Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs (1974) • John Lennon was shot and killed outside of the Dakota building in New York City, where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, and youngest son, Sean. (1980)
- DEC 9 -
Birthdays: Junior Wells (1932) • Sam Strain of The O'Jays (1941) • Walter 'Clyde' Orange of The Commodores (1946) • Joan Armatrading (1950) • Donny Osmond (1957) • Nick Seymour of Crowded House (1958) • Jakob Dylan (1969) • Geoff Barrow of Portishead (1971) • Tre Cool of Green Day (1972) • The Doors appeared at the New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut. Before the show a policeman found singer Jim Morrison making out with an 18-year-old girl in a backstage shower and after an argument the policeman sprays mace in Morrison’s face. Once on stage, Morrison tells the story of the backstage episode and starts taunting the police, who drag him off the stage and arrest him. The crowd riots, leaving the venue in disarray, and many are arrested. Later over 100 protestors gathered at the police station in demonstration, and more arrests were made. (1967)
- DEC 10 -
Birthdays: Garth Smith of Buzzcocks (1955) • J Mascis (1965) • Meg White (1974) • 26-year-old soul star Otis Redding and nearly every member of his young backing band, the Bar-Kays, were killed in a plane crash. (1967) • Rick Danko of The Band died in his sleep, aged 55. (1999) • Mike Nesmith of The Monkees died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California age 78. (2021)
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Until next week, friends…
🤘🏻🖤
