Michael Azerrad
@michaelazerrad.bsky.social
Author of _The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana_ and _Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991_.
Bylines: the New Yorker, the Yale Review, the New York Times, etc.
Bylines: the New Yorker, the Yale Review, the New York Times, etc.
Pinned
The Amplified “Come As You Are” Book Revisits Nirvana’s Legend with New Depth and Devastation - That Eric Alper
When Michael Azerrad first published Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana in 1993, he captured lightning in a bottle. It was the only biography written with full access to Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoseli...
www.thatericalper.com
"For those too young to remember MTV Unplugged or zines or mixtapes, this book is a roadmap to the 1990s: the rage, the disaffection, the way music could crack open a kid’s worldview. For those who were there, it’s a chance to relive it all with the benefit of hindsight — and heartbreak."
A very happy 55th birthday to one of the more perfect albums, Carole King's _Tapestry_. Such great songs, such impeccable musicianship. And what a fitting title for a collection of music that's woven itself so deeply into the fabric of popular music.
February 10, 2026 at 10:13 PM
A very happy 55th birthday to one of the more perfect albums, Carole King's _Tapestry_. Such great songs, such impeccable musicianship. And what a fitting title for a collection of music that's woven itself so deeply into the fabric of popular music.
Oh. My. God.
Angine de Poitrine rules.
Angine de Poitrine rules.
Angine de Poitrine - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)
YouTube video by KEXP
youtu.be
February 7, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Oh. My. God.
Angine de Poitrine rules.
Angine de Poitrine rules.
Congratulations to Nardwuar, one of the greatest popular music journalists ever, on receiving one of Canada's highest honors, an appointment to the Order of Canada.
February 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Congratulations to Nardwuar, one of the greatest popular music journalists ever, on receiving one of Canada's highest honors, an appointment to the Order of Canada.
Reposted by Michael Azerrad
Not sure how long I would’ve gone not knowing about Minutemen if not for OBCBYL. And for sure it’s the only reason I ventured outside of “Pepper” with Butthole Surfers. Just an unbelievably well-written, fun book!
February 6, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Not sure how long I would’ve gone not knowing about Minutemen if not for OBCBYL. And for sure it’s the only reason I ventured outside of “Pepper” with Butthole Surfers. Just an unbelievably well-written, fun book!
Wow, thank you!
I’ve read over 100 books about popular music. Yours is my favorite. yeah, I was a big fan of most of those bands in the 1980s, but your writing and research locked in why it all mattered. if the Huskers, Sonic Youth, et al are remembered 100 years from now, OBCBYL will be a big part of why.
February 6, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Wow, thank you!
Horn toot! For _The Wall Street Journal_, author George Newman chose my book _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ as one of "Five Best: Books on the Creative Spark."
In there with Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Patti Smith, and Alice Flaherty.
In there with Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Patti Smith, and Alice Flaherty.
Five Best: Books on the Creative Spark
Selected by George Newman, the author of “How Great Ideas Happen.”
www.wsj.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Horn toot! For _The Wall Street Journal_, author George Newman chose my book _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ as one of "Five Best: Books on the Creative Spark."
In there with Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Patti Smith, and Alice Flaherty.
In there with Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Patti Smith, and Alice Flaherty.
Three of the five nominees for this year's Grammy for Best African Music Performance came from Nigeria. ALL of the 2025 nominees came from Nigeria. Four of the five nominees in the first year of the award were from Nigeria. Virtually the same artists have reappeared every year.
What's up with that?
What's up with that?
February 4, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Three of the five nominees for this year's Grammy for Best African Music Performance came from Nigeria. ALL of the 2025 nominees came from Nigeria. Four of the five nominees in the first year of the award were from Nigeria. Virtually the same artists have reappeared every year.
What's up with that?
What's up with that?
It's unfortunate that the Grammys didn't see fit to do a full-on tribute to Grateful Dead singer-songwriter-guitarist Bob Weir. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Dead were one of the most iconic American bands, the locus of an entire culture, and Weir was a key member. Respect should have been paid.
February 4, 2026 at 1:53 PM
It's unfortunate that the Grammys didn't see fit to do a full-on tribute to Grateful Dead singer-songwriter-guitarist Bob Weir. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Dead were one of the most iconic American bands, the locus of an entire culture, and Weir was a key member. Respect should have been paid.
It was funny to look at what some people wore to the Grammys last night and think about how, 25 years ago, Bjork was mocked for the beautiful, now iconic swan dress she wore to the 2001 Oscars. Lest we forget, it can be hard to be a visionary.
February 2, 2026 at 4:58 PM
It was funny to look at what some people wore to the Grammys last night and think about how, 25 years ago, Bjork was mocked for the beautiful, now iconic swan dress she wore to the 2001 Oscars. Lest we forget, it can be hard to be a visionary.
Happy birthday, Philip Glass
Hap-py birth-day, Phil-ip Glass
HappybirthdayPhilipGlass
Hap-py birth-day, Phil-ip Glass
HappybirthdayPhilipGlass
January 31, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Happy birthday, Philip Glass
Hap-py birth-day, Phil-ip Glass
HappybirthdayPhilipGlass
Hap-py birth-day, Phil-ip Glass
HappybirthdayPhilipGlass
Gustav Holst's 1918 orchestral suite "The Planets" is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it inspired this all-synth version, a certified '70s stoner classic. Best heard on big, bulky headphones in total darkness.
The Planets - Isao Tomita
YouTube video by Charclem Charcleme
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Gustav Holst's 1918 orchestral suite "The Planets" is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it inspired this all-synth version, a certified '70s stoner classic. Best heard on big, bulky headphones in total darkness.
I wrote a Substack about Kurt Cobain and Lead Belly — and a song that Kurt never sang.
tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...
tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...
Kurt Cobain, Lead Belly and "Grey Goose"
The greatest song that Cobain never sang
tinyurl.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:27 PM
I wrote a Substack about Kurt Cobain and Lead Belly — and a song that Kurt never sang.
tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...
tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...
Sad news: Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died. Wow, he was great: played with immense flair and power, a sonic embodiment of the band's righteousness. Also co-wrote many MO songs, was archivist, art director, political researcher, spokesperson and internal cheerleader. Like I say, he was great.
January 20, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Sad news: Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died. Wow, he was great: played with immense flair and power, a sonic embodiment of the band's righteousness. Also co-wrote many MO songs, was archivist, art director, political researcher, spokesperson and internal cheerleader. Like I say, he was great.
Al Green has done some great covers of great songs, uncovered new depths in them, both made them his own and everyone else's. When he does a cover, it's a kind of benediction. Here's his beautiful new take on Lou Reed's "I Found a Reason," from the Velvets' _Loaded_.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSf...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSf...
Al Green - I Found A Reason (Official Lyric Video)
YouTube video by Al Green
www.youtube.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Al Green has done some great covers of great songs, uncovered new depths in them, both made them his own and everyone else's. When he does a cover, it's a kind of benediction. Here's his beautiful new take on Lou Reed's "I Found a Reason," from the Velvets' _Loaded_.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSf...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSf...
I've always been fascinated by what makes music swing. It's kind of an elusive thing, but sometimes one can better understand something by observing its absence. This robot playing John Coltrane's solo on "Giant Steps" is a case in point.
Giants steps solo by a Robot!
YouTube video by Nicolas Farrugia
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:40 PM
I've always been fascinated by what makes music swing. It's kind of an elusive thing, but sometimes one can better understand something by observing its absence. This robot playing John Coltrane's solo on "Giant Steps" is a case in point.
"Early British jazz appreciation shared with so many forms of left-wing culture an eschewal of the popular, a comradeship of the elect, which was the secret at once of its richness and its marginality."
— Kevin Morgan, "King Street blues: jazz and the left in the 1930s-1940s," 1998
— Kevin Morgan, "King Street blues: jazz and the left in the 1930s-1940s," 1998
January 13, 2026 at 3:13 AM
"Early British jazz appreciation shared with so many forms of left-wing culture an eschewal of the popular, a comradeship of the elect, which was the secret at once of its richness and its marginality."
— Kevin Morgan, "King Street blues: jazz and the left in the 1930s-1940s," 1998
— Kevin Morgan, "King Street blues: jazz and the left in the 1930s-1940s," 1998
I did a Substack about composer Phil Kline's magical classic "Unsilent Night," flash mobs, self-checkout registers and benevolent conspiracies.
Silver Bells: Communing with Phil Kline's "Unsilent Night"
"Unsilent Night" is perhaps noted new music composer Phil Kline's greatest hit.
michaelazerrad.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:19 PM
I did a Substack about composer Phil Kline's magical classic "Unsilent Night," flash mobs, self-checkout registers and benevolent conspiracies.
Perhaps you love late-'50s South African pop vocal music. In that case, I recommend _The Very Best of the Skylarks, 1956-1959_, vol. I and II. Yep, that's Miriam Makeba's group. RIYL: the Andrews Sisters and mbaqanga
December 30, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Perhaps you love late-'50s South African pop vocal music. In that case, I recommend _The Very Best of the Skylarks, 1956-1959_, vol. I and II. Yep, that's Miriam Makeba's group. RIYL: the Andrews Sisters and mbaqanga
If you're interested in the craft of songwriting, I recommend listening to this "Democracy Now" episode about lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who wrote the words to classics like "Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" etc.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
December 26, 2025 at 2:27 PM
If you're interested in the craft of songwriting, I recommend listening to this "Democracy Now" episode about lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who wrote the words to classics like "Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" etc.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
I did an UnderPile about the story behind Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and why the music touches us so deeply. There are also some words of wisdom from the record's potty-mouthed drummer.
On Vince Guaraldi's Immortal Soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas
This Peanuts stuff was a little more sophisticated than it appeared
michaelazerrad.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I did an UnderPile about the story behind Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and why the music touches us so deeply. There are also some words of wisdom from the record's potty-mouthed drummer.
As yesterday's _New York Times_ "Connection" puzzle so compellingly demonstrates, the B-52s' legacy is deep and abiding.
December 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
As yesterday's _New York Times_ "Connection" puzzle so compellingly demonstrates, the B-52s' legacy is deep and abiding.
I did a Beneathpile on the enduring relevance of the classic _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ — with a Fugazi reference thrown in.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: You Are Not What You Own
Commercialism meets the Gospel of St. Luke
michaelazerrad.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I did a Beneathpile on the enduring relevance of the classic _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ — with a Fugazi reference thrown in.
Happy 82nd birthday to Keith Richards, who has been struggling to be free ever since.
December 18, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Happy 82nd birthday to Keith Richards, who has been struggling to be free ever since.
Life is short. Just throw on that desert island disc that you've been waiting for the absolutely perfect moment to listen to again. You won't regret it.
December 12, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Life is short. Just throw on that desert island disc that you've been waiting for the absolutely perfect moment to listen to again. You won't regret it.