On letting go of potential and other myths of greatness.
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Link Wray’s Rustic Masterpieces
Link Wray is best known for his rock instrumentals, but in the early 1970s, he and his brothers recorded three albums in a chicken shack that sound like nothing else in his massive oeuvre.
Beyond “Rumble”: Talking with John O’Connor About the Other Link Wray
Journalist John O’Connor talks about writing his epic Oxford American magazine feature on musician Link Wray.
Notes for a Post-apocalyptic Novel
When things get hard, we look to our most fundamental relationships. This is the story of a son, a father, a camper van, a pandemic, and the ties that bind.
What Has Everyone Got Against Dave Matthews?
What’s not to like about Dave Matthews, asks Allison Williams.
An Oral History of Detroit Punk Rock
In Detroit’s empty buildings and troubled streets, restless kids squatted, ran punk clubs, pressed their own records, and made their own magazine. They mostly stayed out of trouble.
The Meaning of “Aquemini”
OutKast’s masterful 1998 album “Aquemini” defined a bold and Black South and predicted today’s pop music landscape.
For the Love of Phish: ‘The Art of Letting Go’
“This is the other thing about Phish: you can be just as earnest and dorky as you want to be.”
He Always Hated Women. Then He Decided to Kill Them.
“Within hours of Beierle’s suicide, hate-site habitues had dubbed him “St. Yogacel” and were scrambling to copy and share the online caches of his music and videos that so perfectly reflected their own worldview.”
Longreads Best of 2020: Essays
A small sampling of standout essays published this year.
