Blog

The guys are gone. The empties are lined up like dead soldiers. The instruments are tucked away. The cables are bundled and hung. I’m watching the sun set. Chris, Tony, and Ryan left a few minutes ago, and with them a kick drum, hi-hat, cymbals, upright bass, electric bass, and acoustic guitar — all of…

“Do you remember Allie Kershner?” Samantha asked. I looked skyward, struggling to remember. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You didn’t date her.” I met my friend Samantha in August of 1989 — the very first day of our freshman year at Syracuse University. Our dorm, Lehman Hall, was a ratty, seven-story walk up on the northern…

I called Abbi as I stepped from the fluorescent hum of the office into the neon buzz of Times Square. It was nearly nine o’clock. “I just don’t think I can make it over tonight. I’m plum exhausted. Plus, the guys are delivering a new fridge at eight tomorrow morning.” The MTV was a blur.…

My father recently asked me how The Nadas were doing. “You don’t write about them so much anymore,” he said. True enough. Six months ago, a friend emailed me, “If you blog one more time about The Nadas, I’m never visiting your site again.” She was kidding, I assume. But it’s true; six months ago…

“Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Benjamin found the moon!” It was Family Weekend here at Benjamin Wagner Dot Com. Abbi and I hopped an an early Amtrak out of the city Friday. One frosty cold Sam Adams and a bag of pretzels later, we pulled into Wilmington, where we were greeted by her parents, and whisked away…

“Don’t feel guilty,” he said. “Feel motivated.” It’s January. I’m in Park City, Utah, covering the Sundance Film Festival for MTV News. I interview three Iraq War veterans on a snowy rooftop in the center of town. One, Paul Rieckhoff, is clearly more of a media-savvy sound bite generator than the others. This becomes especially…