All Authors >

DAVID THORPE

Latest Articles

The Big Hurt: Devil music

sgurd fo stros lla od ot su slepmoc nataS
When I was around 10 years old, I wandered into a rural flea market and found one of the greatest pieces of music journalism ever written: a forgotten crank masterpiece called Backward Masking Unmasked that had been written in 1983 by Texan minister Jacob Aranza.

By: DAVID THORPE | May 05, 2009

The Big Hurt: Jacko solvent! Boyle swelling! Lupus dissed!

MJ's ranch, Hoppus and Wentz on Twitter, and Susan Boyle
If you had your heart set on picking up a gently used chimp tuxedo or a suspicious child skeleton, you're outta luck

By: DAVID THORPE | April 28, 2009

The Big Hurt: The week in beef (in brief)

Ross at a loss; Weezy throws hissy
A recessed economy means fewer chains to go around, so it's been a fine week for a-fussin'-and-a-feudin'.

By: DAVID THORPE | April 21, 2009

The Big Hurt: Crashing Pumpkins

Plus Lynched Beatles, and a misleading Baby
I recently had the "was that real, or did I dream that?" feeling about the upcoming Spider-Man musical featuring songs by U2, and I happily concluded that it was a dream.

By: DAVID THORPE | April 13, 2009

Say what?

The Big Hurt: A chat with Bill Buckholz of UnderstandRap.com
Good news for perplexed suburbanites: a new site called UnderstandRap.com lets experienced rap interpreters explain difficult urban slang to hip-hop neophytes.

By: DAVID THORPE | April 13, 2009

The Big Hurt: Hootie goes country, Roses stay in denial, Spector gets 'demonic'

Music news in brief
I’m still not used to the idea that Darius Rucker (“Hootie” to you and me) is a chart-topping country superstar now.

By: DAVID THORPE | March 31, 2009

'Who Charted'

Billboard's Hot Adult Top 40
Having paid my dues by wading through the alt-rock and godawful-country charts, I've earned the right to tackle the steamy stuff.

By: DAVID THORPE | March 24, 2009

The Big Hurt: Weezy goes free, Miley turns bitter, Martin still lame

Music news in brief
The good news: the 2006 drug charges against Lil Wayne have been dropped after a judge ruled that the search leading to his arrest wasn't proper.

By: DAVID THORPE | March 19, 2009

The Big Hurt: We floss econo

Cleaning up rap's act could equal big savings
You might recall a slew of ominous articles in 2007 proclaiming that hip-hop was through. Sales were way down, and the culprits were clear: jewelry, violence, and naughty dancing.

By: DAVID THORPE | March 11, 2009

The Big Hurt: Sub-super supergroups, INXS excess, and unsaved unsavories

Music news in brief
I think we can agree that "supergroups" have a history of underperforming in the superness department.

By: DAVID THORPE | March 06, 2009

The Big Hurt: Clench and release

Smooth jazz, revenge fantasies, and . . . wangs
For your edifying consumption, another stroll through the wasteland of godawful publicity.

By: DAVID THORPE | February 25, 2009

The Big Hurt: Marley pimped, Miley sorry, Kanye secure

Music news in brief
This goes to print a week after I write it because of the damnable pre-Web technology of the printed page, but I swear to God that I was the first son of a bitch to think of it: Jackson Browne, James Brown, Bobby Brown, Chris Brown .

By: DAVID THORPE | February 19, 2009