Music

I Am Brian Wilson

Tim Riley / Truthdig Mar 17, 2017 The musician we meet in this book looks back on his mid-’70s Beach Boys caricature with sympathy and dread. As his gentle voice emerges from the pages, a more definitive picture takes shape. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘This Land’: The Pro-Immigrant Radicalism of Lady Gaga and Woody Guthrie at the Super Bowl

Juan Cole / Truthdig Feb 6, 2017 By beginning with “God Bless America” and then switching to “This Land Is Your Land,” Lady Gaga offered a subtle but radical critique of the president's policies. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Willie Nelson’s ‘Promiseland’ Celebrates Immigration and Condemns Building Walls

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 27, 2017 In the second installment of a two-part interview, Willie Nelson talks about his Native American roots and defends the contributions of immigrants. Transcript added. Dig deeper ( 21 Min. Read )

Willie Nelson: A Long Story From Franklin Roosevelt to Donald Trump

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 20, 2017 In part one of a two-part conversation at his home in Hawaii, the musician tells Truthdig’s editor in chief that his upbringing during the Depression was an ideal childhood. Dig deeper ( 24 Min. Read )

‘Notes of a Native Song’: Writer James Baldwin’s Work Resonates in the Time of Trump

Jordan Riefe / Truthdig Dec 16, 2016 Musical artist Stew’s ode to the literary icon is particularly welcome now, when Baldwin's words have taken on fresh significance. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Truthdig Wins 2 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards for Book and Film Coverage

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Dec 5, 2016 Stories about the iconic Orson Welles and a rock ’n' roll mastermind took top prizes at the Los Angeles Press Club-sponsored event. Stage and screen legend Angela Lansbury, late-night host Chelsea Handler and songwriter Diane Warren were also honored. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Forty Years Ago, the CIA Had Its Eye on Jamaica—and Bob Marley Got Shot

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2016 The groundbreaking musician sang about revolution against an unfair global system and nearly paid with his life in 1976. In the U.S., the rise of Bernie Sanders gives reason to believe Americans are becoming aware of the changes that Marley envisioned. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Sting and Gandhian Anti-Terrorism: Your Paris Vacation Can Help Cripple Islamic State (Video)

By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Nov 16, 2016 Sting, 65, recently played at the Bataclan Theater in Paris, where Islamic State terrorists killed 90 people last year in one of the worst attacks in the West in recent years. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘The Source’ Delves Deeply Into the Tale of Chelsea Manning

Jordan Riefe / Truthdig Oct 21, 2016 Now playing in Los Angeles, the oratorio by Ted Hearne patches the whistleblower’s story together using songs, video, Twitter feeds, cable news reports, testimony and transcripts. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Dylan, the American Left, and What We Have Lost

By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Oct 14, 2016 Bob Dylan would no doubt be as distressed as the American corporate media to see an ideological interpretation of his 1960s anthems that helped win him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

White House Arts and Humanities Medals Recognize Americans’ Collective Experience

Clara Romeo / Truthdig Sep 28, 2016 As the nation nears the end of a highly divisive political season, President Obama uses the awards ceremony to focus on common ground. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Jay Z Slams America’s Failed ‘War on Drugs,’ Racist Mass Incarceration Racket

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Sep 16, 2016 Today, he notes, "we imprison more people than any other country in the world," and "crack is still talked about as a black problem." Coincidence? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )