Posts Tagged ‘Rock & Roll’
The End Is The Beginning
The annual musical during my first year at Conestoga Senior High School was ‘Pippin.’ I played Pippin. My mother said then, and has said since, that ‘Pippin’ is the story of my life. I think, in its way, it’s the story of all of our lives. Basically, it’s about the kid, Pippin, who’s the only…
Read MoreSmells Like Teen Spirit
I passed a teenager on my street this morning wearing a ‘Corporate Magazines Still Suck’ shirt. His homage to Kurt Cobain was, ironically, handmade with a Sharpie and a Planet Hollywood T-shirt. I had to laugh. This is a kid who was about 8-years-old when Cobain stuck a shotgun barrel in his mouth and ended…
Read MoreKill Your Idols
In the waning moments of the LSD trip that marks the emotional climax of the film ‘Almost Famous,’ Sweetwater frontman Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) threatens to jump from a suburban rooftop high above a swimming pool. Arms outstretched, Hammond shouts out to a throng of adoring teenage fans below, “I am a golden god!” The…
Read MoreDemographics
I have a yellow file folder in my bag that says “TO DO” in big, black Sharpie letters, as not to be confused with the purple on that says “GRAMMY ’04” or the green one that reads “BWD, LLC.” Its very existence makes me laugh. But don’t take my word for it. Have a look…
Read MoreProTools, Day One
This Daily Journal was born in the fall of 2000 as a document of my creative endeavors. It often veers into the personal, and rightly so: my songs, stories, screenplays, and paintings are all personal. But let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming, at least for a minute… Truth is, I was blogging before…
Read MoreNew York “Livingroom Tour” Report
The 2003 Benjamin Wagner Livingroom Tour has begun. I will be the Johnny Appleseed of acoustic pop, rockin’ the folk from coast to coast. As long as I end up back here, back home with you. If last night is any indication, I’m in for three weeks of mad fun, followed by three weeks of…
Read MoreRecording “Shiver”
I started the day at Food Emporium’s Coin Star. Being in financial dire straits, as I am, I finally dragged my bag of quarters, dimes, and such down there for redemption. I was hoping for enough cash to make it through Tuesday (pay day). Instead, I found myself with… $63.74. In New York, that’ll get…
Read MoreMixing ‘Almost Home’
It’s ten o’clock. I’m sitting here in boxers. My eyeballs ache from contact lenses. I haven’t eaten dinner yet, and I’m considering skipping it alltogether. It’s raining out. Queens of the Stone Age are wailing in melodic dischord on iTunes (aka WBEN), “It’s just another love song.” Indeed. I just came in from the livingroom…
Read MoreWriting “Shiver”
I was born to David Wagner and Mary Catherine Bolster 31-years-ago today in Iowa City, Iowa. They were 25. I was induced on a Friday, and born on a Saturday morning at 12:51 a.m. Sunday afternoon, my father left for Waldorf, Maryland, to begin teaching chemistry at the local community college. My mother, brother and…
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