| Back | Search Results - New Search |
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: 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: 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...
Billet: Respect For All, Not Just Some
Znet Article, January, 15 2009
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
First thing's first: much respect to the Queen of Soul! To be even writing a letter addressed to you is something of an honor. I remember the sounds of your songs wafting through my house as long as I've had a memory. My parents were children o...
Billet: Pop is Dead! Long Live Pop!
Znet Article, December, 30 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
In many ways, 2008 was a predictable year in music...
Billet: Rock and Roll and Revolution!
Znet Article, December, 11 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
The (International) Noise Conspiracy's moment in the sun should have come a long time ago. One would think that a group who sought to be "a cross between Elvis Presley and Che Guevara" would have rule of the roost in the garage rock revival circa...
Billet: Collisions Ahead
Znet Article, November, 13 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
If there's one word that can sum up what happened last Tuesday, it would have to be "catharsis." The election of Barack Obama set off a mass of spontaneous celebrations; dancing in the street from Harlem to the Castro.
Billet: It's About All Artists"
Znet Article, October, 21 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
The image of the pampered pop-star is an insidious one. But for every artist living the high-life, for every Madonna, U2 and Metallica out there, there are hundreds, if not thousands living hand-to-mouth, paying their touring expenses out of pock...
Billet: “I’m a Human Being, Y’all”
Znet Article, October, 03 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
On their new release All Rebel Rockers, Michael Franti and Spearhead have done their best to channel the insurgent spirit of that most insurgent style of music: reggae. To be sure, Franti has always let the inspiration of Marley, Brown and Toots ...
Billet: Militant Entertainment
Znet Article, September, 24 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Watching the Democratic and Republican National Conventions each election year is a lot like sitting through a festival of Elvis impersonators. There is guaranteed to be plenty of flash, plenty of slick moves and smooth voices, plenty of nostalgi...
Billet: A Different Brand of Humor at the VMAs
Znet Article, September, 11 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
If MTV is the massive, monolithic bastion of music's lowest common denominator, then their yearly Video Music Awards are the hulking, empty-headed sentinel standing outside the gates. This year's show was, for the most part, no exception. Between ...
Billet: We The Fire Next Time!
Znet Article, August, 06 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
In the five years since the release of his searing debut Blood and Fire, Baltimore-based MC Son of Nun has gone from playing small fundraisers and local open mic nights to sharing stages with the likes of Wayne Kramer, The Coup and Tom Morello. Hi...
Billet: Nas, the N-word, and the Changing Face of Hip-Hop
Znet Article, July, 28 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Expectations have run high for Nas' new album Untitled. It seems impossible to read a review of it without references to his previous album Hip-Hop is Dead. Ultimately, the question on people's minds seems to be "If hip-hop is dead, why is Nas sti...
Billet: The Struggle of Rebel Diaz
Znet Article, June, 26 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
We live in a society that makes scapegoats of people: immigrants, women, people of color, gays and lesbians or anyone else who can be conveniently labeled "the other." We also live in a society where anyone who questions such labels, from activist...
Billet: The Groundbreaking Beat of Bo Diddley
Znet Article, June, 05 2008
Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page
Bo Diddley was known for many things; his rectangular home-made guitars, his dark sunglasses, the energetic performances he was able to conduct even when age and diabetes dictated he do so sitting down. Diddley was much more than a unique performe...
