Charles Hughes
@charleshughes2.bsky.social
Writer. Teacher. Musician. Country Soul. Why Bushwick Bill Matters. Pro wrestling coming soon. No Fences Review. Wisconsin and Southern. Disabled and disorderly. He/him.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Really great thread here celebrating the brilliance of Neil Innes, with a lot of clips from his underseen series _Rutland Weekend Television_.
From @ericidle.bsky.social & Neil Innes' brilliant & criminally overlooked/unavailable RUTLAND WEEKEND TELEVISION, here's a truncated glimpse of George Harrison's Christmas 1975 guest appearance runner, where he didn't want to perform a song - He really just wanted to play a pirate...
November 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Really great thread here celebrating the brilliance of Neil Innes, with a lot of clips from his underseen series _Rutland Weekend Television_.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I went to an NBA YOUNGBOY show to see what the fuss is about and I was reminded that Black joy comes in many forms.
It was one of the best rap concerts I’ve ever been to. For real.
andscape.com/features/nba...
It was one of the best rap concerts I’ve ever been to. For real.
andscape.com/features/nba...
What people get wrong about NBA Youngboy - Andscape
Despite fears about potential violence, NBA Youngboy's fans find community and connection at his shows
andscape.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I went to an NBA YOUNGBOY show to see what the fuss is about and I was reminded that Black joy comes in many forms.
It was one of the best rap concerts I’ve ever been to. For real.
andscape.com/features/nba...
It was one of the best rap concerts I’ve ever been to. For real.
andscape.com/features/nba...
This is the first song I went to after I heard the news, as well.
Gut-punched by news of Todd Snider's death. I can't do justice to the vernacular power of his voice, his writing, and maybe above all his persona.
So now I shall listen to "Looking for a Job" four or five times, one of the greatest, funniest songs ever about worker power.
So now I shall listen to "Looking for a Job" four or five times, one of the greatest, funniest songs ever about worker power.
November 15, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is the first song I went to after I heard the news, as well.
Absolutely getting. What a tremendous artist.
November 15, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Absolutely getting. What a tremendous artist.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
This is one of the most recent things Alice did. It was, as ever, a clear, trenchant, messy, and powerful exploration of not just her own experiences but also society's expectations around disability.
November 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
This is one of the most recent things Alice did. It was, as ever, a clear, trenchant, messy, and powerful exploration of not just her own experiences but also society's expectations around disability.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
One way I have found to mourn someone is to set up a monthly sustaining donation to a mutual aid effort they cared about. If you can join me in honoring Alice Wong, @sfdirewolf.bsky.social with a sustaining donation today, please do. Thank you Alice, and I will not let the bastards grind me down.
November 15, 2025 at 12:34 PM
One way I have found to mourn someone is to set up a monthly sustaining donation to a mutual aid effort they cared about. If you can join me in honoring Alice Wong, @sfdirewolf.bsky.social with a sustaining donation today, please do. Thank you Alice, and I will not let the bastards grind me down.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 AM
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
The mighty Alice Wong has left us. A writer, editor, teacher, organizer, mentor, activist, creator, curator, podcaster, and oracle, her commitment to justice for disabled people and to centering disability in justice for all people is a call and challenge those who remain here. Praise and gratitude.
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
November 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The mighty Alice Wong has left us. A writer, editor, teacher, organizer, mentor, activist, creator, curator, podcaster, and oracle, her commitment to justice for disabled people and to centering disability in justice for all people is a call and challenge those who remain here. Praise and gratitude.
This is a great book - don’t miss it!
First review of Living in a DAISY Age is in! Amazing. I also did not anticipate all of the feelings I'd have after seeing the first response.
(Also, can't lie--I breathed a sigh of relief. haha)
From Publisher's Weekly.
Scan the QR code or follow the links below to preorder the book! Out 1/27/26
(Also, can't lie--I breathed a sigh of relief. haha)
From Publisher's Weekly.
Scan the QR code or follow the links below to preorder the book! Out 1/27/26
November 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
This is a great book - don’t miss it!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
“Eugenic policies & laws return time & time again like poison ivy.”
America’s legacy of eugenics is alive & well in Trump’s White House, @seemiaroll.bsky.social writes in an op-ed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ableist rhetoric & dangerous policy proposals lead the U.S. down a deadly, yet familiar path.
America’s legacy of eugenics is alive & well in Trump’s White House, @seemiaroll.bsky.social writes in an op-ed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ableist rhetoric & dangerous policy proposals lead the U.S. down a deadly, yet familiar path.
America’s legacy of eugenics is alive and well under Trump
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ableist rhetoric and dangerous policy proposals lead the U.S. down a deadly, yet familiar path
prismreports.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:19 PM
“Eugenic policies & laws return time & time again like poison ivy.”
America’s legacy of eugenics is alive & well in Trump’s White House, @seemiaroll.bsky.social writes in an op-ed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ableist rhetoric & dangerous policy proposals lead the U.S. down a deadly, yet familiar path.
America’s legacy of eugenics is alive & well in Trump’s White House, @seemiaroll.bsky.social writes in an op-ed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ableist rhetoric & dangerous policy proposals lead the U.S. down a deadly, yet familiar path.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I interviewed Jake Owen about his new album, the wonderful and surprising "Dreams to Dream." He had a LOT to say about authenticity, bro country ("I invented that shit!") and that little dustup he had with Jason Isbell over artists writing their own songs thebluegrasssituation.com/read/jake-ow...
Jake Owen Started Bro Country. His New Album is Anything But – Good Country
'Dreams to Dream,' produced by Shooter Jennings, is a sonic left turn for an artist who epitomizes 2000s mainstream country.
thebluegrasssituation.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I interviewed Jake Owen about his new album, the wonderful and surprising "Dreams to Dream." He had a LOT to say about authenticity, bro country ("I invented that shit!") and that little dustup he had with Jason Isbell over artists writing their own songs thebluegrasssituation.com/read/jake-ow...
Happy 80th birthday to Neil Young. Here’s something I wrote last year about 5 of his best albums, all of which were celebrating big birthdays of their own.
Anniversary Edition - Neil Young
Charles considers 5 albums from Neil Young that are celebrating birthdays this year
nofencesreview.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Happy 80th birthday to Neil Young. Here’s something I wrote last year about 5 of his best albums, all of which were celebrating big birthdays of their own.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Dave Marsh’s THE HEART OF ROCK AND SOUL age 16 was captivating, educational, infuriating, inspiring - songs matter, popular songs matter, you can just…write about them!
performative reading, lack of reading skills, nobody's reading anymore -- NO!
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
November 11, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Dave Marsh’s THE HEART OF ROCK AND SOUL age 16 was captivating, educational, infuriating, inspiring - songs matter, popular songs matter, you can just…write about them!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
We built a team of young Black, Asian, queer, and trans staffers at Teen Vogue, and they deserve the world. They are passionate, whip smart, and incredibly talented. Many of them are now without jobs — please consider donating to their GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-laido...
Donate to Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover, organized by Lex McMenamin
More than half the team at Teen Vogue was laid off this week by our parent com… Lex McMenamin needs your support for Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover
www.gofundme.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
We built a team of young Black, Asian, queer, and trans staffers at Teen Vogue, and they deserve the world. They are passionate, whip smart, and incredibly talented. Many of them are now without jobs — please consider donating to their GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-laido...
New at No Fences Review: fresh Turn It Up recs from @cantkill.bsky.social & me. New stuff from Rissi Palmer and Cat Power, the 40th anniversary of the last great Clash song, a country call-and-response between Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples, and more! Plus reading recs. Please share & subscribe!
Turn It Up - 11/11/2025
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
New at No Fences Review: fresh Turn It Up recs from @cantkill.bsky.social & me. New stuff from Rissi Palmer and Cat Power, the 40th anniversary of the last great Clash song, a country call-and-response between Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples, and more! Plus reading recs. Please share & subscribe!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I wrote, as expected, about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in my newsletter. Also about the time I spilled coffee on myself in a drive-thru, and how that wasn't the worst thing to happen to me that day.
www.anxietyshark.ca/the-gales-of...
www.anxietyshark.ca/the-gales-of...
The Gales of November remembered
This is the beauty of the song, the heart of it in those who lost their lives in service of building a world many believed they never belonged to, as if they are men out of time.
www.anxietyshark.ca
November 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I wrote, as expected, about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in my newsletter. Also about the time I spilled coffee on myself in a drive-thru, and how that wasn't the worst thing to happen to me that day.
www.anxietyshark.ca/the-gales-of...
www.anxietyshark.ca/the-gales-of...
Congrats to @johnlingan.bsky.social on the release of this great book. Don't miss it!
BACKBEATS is out today!
Come see me & @andreapitzer.bsky.social at Kramers in DC tonight at 7: kramers.com/events/36367...
DM me a receipt if you’d like a signed book plate in the mail.
And read an excerpt in @rollingstone.com: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Come see me & @andreapitzer.bsky.social at Kramers in DC tonight at 7: kramers.com/events/36367...
DM me a receipt if you’d like a signed book plate in the mail.
And read an excerpt in @rollingstone.com: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
![PRAISE FOR
BACKBEATS
"[Exhibits] passion and deep knowledge... The only moments I put this book down were to pause and listen to the perfect examples that Lingan, a drummer himself, cites as crucial.... Here we see and hear the music of our lives."
-BILL JANOVITZ, author of Leon Russell: The Master of Space
and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History
"A thrilling ride... In exquisite detail and deft prose, John Lingan relates the creative insights and technical mastery of fifteen of rock's most influential groove merchants-many still unsung. In doing so, he reclaims the rock narrative from all those frontmen and guitarists, showing how the wizards at the back of the stage were moving the music all along."
-IAN S. PORT, author of The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll
"An intelligent, heartfelt, and long-overdue tribute to the unsung heroes of modern music. Because, let's face it—if it ain't got that swing, it don't mean a thing."
-BRAD TOLINSKI, coauthor of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar
"Backbeats glows with enthusiasm and delivers an insightful glimpse into the sultans of swing who create fire by rubbing two sticks together."
—BOB SPITZ, author of The Beatles:
The Biography and Led Zeppelin: The Biography
"Sitting ten feet from stardom, drummers have had a central but slightly removed view of rock 'n' roll. A drummer himself, John Lingan captures that unique perspective.... Backbeats delivers to the reader something fresh and different. It's a hit."
-PRESTON LAUTERBACH, author of The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road to Rock](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/bafkreifwmo4y4cy7rnpvycg35dhm654zd4bze7fuuul2ndyrt2zmpqzurm@jpeg)
November 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Congrats to @johnlingan.bsky.social on the release of this great book. Don't miss it!
You know what would’ve been funny? If, when Paul McCartney formed Wings, Ringo Starr had started a band called Drumsticks.
I’ll see myself out.
I’ll see myself out.
November 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM
You know what would’ve been funny? If, when Paul McCartney formed Wings, Ringo Starr had started a band called Drumsticks.
I’ll see myself out.
I’ll see myself out.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Last night, the Trump Administration sent a letter suggesting Wisconsin should return our FoodShare payments.
My response ⬇️
My response ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Last night, the Trump Administration sent a letter suggesting Wisconsin should return our FoodShare payments.
My response ⬇️
My response ⬇️
Reposted by Charles Hughes
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
Families on SNAP worry about not just feeding themselves but also their pets
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
bit.ly
November 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.
Great album, great artist, great interview.
while i was in 21 hours of labor on tuesday (...) the posts kept coming :) got the chance to speak with the inimitable and kind James Talley for Don't Rock The Inbox about the 50th anniversary of 'Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money But We Sure Got A Lot Of Love' www.dontrocktheinbox.com/james-talley...
James Talley On 50 Years of 'Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got A Lot Of Love'
The veteran singer-songwriter talks with DRTI about his timeless debut, and the half-century since.
www.dontrocktheinbox.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Great album, great artist, great interview.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
& a good counterpart, David Cantwell's look at the great country records of '75: nofencesreview.substack.com/p/the-best-c...
The Best Country Albums of 1975
David picks his 22 favorite country albums from a half century ago.
nofencesreview.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
& a good counterpart, David Cantwell's look at the great country records of '75: nofencesreview.substack.com/p/the-best-c...
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I see James Watson has died.
What did Watson discover?
Rosalind Franklin's lab notes.
Only we spell it 'S-T-E-A-L' these days.
What did Watson discover?
Rosalind Franklin's lab notes.
Only we spell it 'S-T-E-A-L' these days.
November 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I see James Watson has died.
What did Watson discover?
Rosalind Franklin's lab notes.
Only we spell it 'S-T-E-A-L' these days.
What did Watson discover?
Rosalind Franklin's lab notes.
Only we spell it 'S-T-E-A-L' these days.
Now listening to Mavis Staples' new album, and it is glorious.
Eagerly awaiting tomorrow's new Mavis Staples album, playing the remarkably good new album from Dion, and feeling grateful that there are still folks whose careers started in the 1950s who are making great and vital records all the way over here in 2025.
November 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Now listening to Mavis Staples' new album, and it is glorious.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
On that note: this one doesn't *really* count because it was recorded in 1990, but the newly-released Carl Perkins album is also a really lovely surprise. sunrecords.com/new-carl-per...
New Carl Perkins Album - Some Things Never Change
Carl Perkins returns to Sun Records just in time to celebrate 70 years of “Blue Suede Shoes” with the landmark, never-before-heard album, Some Things Never Change.
sunrecords.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
On that note: this one doesn't *really* count because it was recorded in 1990, but the newly-released Carl Perkins album is also a really lovely surprise. sunrecords.com/new-carl-per...