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Billet: From Sanctimony to Spectacle: Madonna vs. Marine Le Pen
Znet Article, August, 03 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
This, in a nutshell, is the reality of culture and politics under capitalism. What seems rebellious can be so easily twisted back to bolster the system
Billet: In Defense of El Sistema: The Case For Radical Public Arts
Znet Article, July, 24 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
How many Pavarottis may be left behind because school boards didn’t see them as a worthwhile investment?
Billet: Putin vs. Pussy Riot: Art, Repression and Punk Rock Rebellion
Znet Article, March, 30 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Anyone inspired by punk rock’s most subversive, deliciously irreverent moments will love Pussy Riot
Billet: Rebel Music #1 The Clash -Sandinista!
Znet Article, March, 01 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Sandinista by the Clash is an album that is revolutionary in all senses--politically, socially, artistically
Billet: The Curse of the Boss
Znet Article, February, 07 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Ever since the famed attempt by Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign to use Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the USA,” American conservatives just can’t seem to find their soundtrack
Billet: As Many Roles As People Make It: An Interview With Ani DiFranco
Commentary, January, 24 2012
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Interview with Ani Difranco on her album, the evolution of her own work, and her belief in music as a force for social change
Billet: What Makes the Walk Worth It
Znet Article, April, 04 2010
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
The initial response to The Brutalist Bricks is something akin to coming home after a long trip. It's all familiar, everything is just where you left it, but somehow, it all still feels so strange--comfortable, yet fresh and new at the same time. ...
Billet: A Rebel To the End
Znet Article, March, 12 2010
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
In May of 1962, after a horrific performance at Carnegie Hall, a despondent Cash found himself approached by Ed McCurdy, a socialist and folksinger who had just barely escaped the grip of McCarthyism into the thriving Greenwich Village folk scene....
Billet: The Clash They Represent?
Znet Article, February, 13 2010
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Any band that experiences such a meteoric rise in popularity like that of Vampire Weekend is bound to provoke a backlash. And that's exactly what's happened. Since their new release rocketed to number one last month, a veritable arsenal of pen-ink...
Billet: Between Sounds Faded and Sounds Made
Znet Article, November, 11 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
It's been a year since the world watched at Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. I remember sitting in a Chicago bar and hearing the crowd erupt into cathartic applause when the news was announced. Not only were eight years of ...
Billet: A Heartbeat and a Guitar
Zmag Article, November, 01 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
A new book by Antonino D'Ambrosio on Johnny Cash
Billet: Blue Scholars: Beating Back Boundaries
Znet Article, October, 17 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
“When you hear a song that is written in a way you never heard before, or you see a painting that is done in such a way that makes you go ‘wow, I never thought this shape and this color could go together,’ that opens a space in your mind and...
Billet: Kanye, the VMAs and the Spectacle of Controversy
Znet Article, September, 20 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Over the years, MTV's notion of "controversy" has become about as enticing as a trip to the corner store to pick up toilet paper. That the media can't stop talking about Kanye West's "outburst" is proof that they're really grasping at straws. The ...
Billet: Suicide Onstage
Znet Article, August, 12 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
There is a lot of sound and fury over the upcoming stage version of American Idiot. Unfortunately, it signifies nothing. The recent announcement that Berkeley Repertory had at long last assembled the creative team for the opener of their '09/'10 s...
Billet: With Arms Closed
Znet Article, July, 14 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
WARNING: the following sentence may cause you to vomit a little bit in your mouth. Creed have reunited and are releasing a new album.
Billet: Son of Nun Interview, Part 2
Znet Article, July, 11 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
As the evening continued (and the alcohol flowed), my conversation with Son of Nun drifted into even deeper territory. To SON, one of the underground's most socially active rappers, the correlation between art and politics is never static. It is e...
Billet: Son of Nun interview, Part 1
Znet Article, June, 16 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Call it a hazard of the profession. I’ve interviewed many artists in all different genres, and while all have been more than willing to open up about their music, cracking into their opinions about all the myriad issues that surround us—politi...
Billet: From Fallujah to County Antrim…
Znet Article, March, 16 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
It’s an inescapable truth on March 17th, inevitable as shamrocks and Guinness. Be you Irish or not, you are almost certain to hear the distinct lilt of the Emerald Isle’s music at one time or another this St. Patrick’s Day.
Billet: The Good, The Bad, and the Clueless
Znet Article, February, 12 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
This year's Grammy awards show made it impossible to ignore how utterly clueless today's music industry is. The past year has seen a marked shift in popular music, with a crop of artists both old and new figuring out innovative ways to relate the...
Billet: Kill Your "Idols"
Znet Article, February, 04 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
This may be the make or break year for American Idol. With its eighth season underway, the producers are scrambling for anything they think might inject some fresh blood into the show and pull it out of its three-year slump in viewership. With t...
