Bob Ruggiero

If you think about it, perhaps no actor in the history of acting has gotten as much of a career and lasting pop culture legacy from one line of dialogue—actually just a single word—as Kristian Nairn. For five seasons on HBO’s massively successful series Game of Thrones, Nairn played Hodor...

In pop culture, “musical mashups” continue to show how surprisingly well songs of two seemingly disparate artists can blend together. Any quick online search can find fan-made blended tracks from, say, Slipknot vs. Justin Bieber, Nirvana vs. Rick Astley, and Metallica vs. the Backstreet Boys.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. And while the topic has definitely produced far more conversation, awareness and treatment options

Robert Hunter was never actually a member of the Grateful Dead. But as the primary writing partner for their singer/guitarist/guru Jerry Garcia (Hunter with the words, Garcia the music), he had a heavy hand in constructing both the lore and the repertoire of this most Cultish of Cult Bands. “Dark...

Consider the Devil. Though he (and it’s usually presumed that it’s a he) goes by different names in different religions and cultures. There’s one thing for sure, though: he’s the No. 1 The Big Bad. The embodiment of pure evil who brings pestilence and plague to the world, inserts murderous...

While it may be less common today that a child follows one of their parents into the exact same line of work, inevitable comparisons do follow. And if that profession happens to be related to the performing arts—and especially music—that microscope can be even more peering. Just ask Julian Lennon, Wolfgang Van Halen, Ziggy Marley or Jakob Dylan.

“Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!” The exhortation is one of the best-known in rock and roll history, even if it appeared at the beginning of the debut album by a group which never rose about cult status in their lifetime. But as the authors of a new book on that...

It’s understandable why the general public’s perception of what music writers do is based on Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical 2000 film Almost Famous. Hanging out with the band for a week! Backstage and hotel parties! Drugs! Groupies! But the reality of profession in 2024 is that for features to advance a...

Of all the genres of historical and popular fiction, the one that probably has the most ingrained archetypes is the Western. You’ve got the strong, good, white hatted (and usually white skinned) hero. The dastardly black hatted or mustachioed villain. The damsel in distress. The old coot/drunk. Settings of stagecoaches,...

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