Vince McMahon and the Damaging Impact of Failing Upward
WWE’s Vincent McMahon has brazenly failed upward over and over again, profoundly impacting (and damaging) American culture along the way, argues Abraham Riesman in the biography Ringmaster.
Jon Langmead
Jon Langmead has been writing about music, film, and pro wrestling for PopMatters since 2003.
Barney Bubbles’ Labours of Love
The brilliant and troubled Barney Bubbles wanted to inspire and did so through his remarkable litany of album covers. A new retrospective tells his tale.
Former Wrens Singer Kevin Whelan Returns to Music as Aeon Station
Former Wrens player Kevin Whelan is ready to emerge as solo project Aeon Station, aware of the shadow the Wrens cast over him.
Ballad of Big Hair: Los Angeles’ Glam Metal Scene Rises from the Ash Heap
The authors of a new and expansive oral history talk with us about Los Angeles’ 1980s glam metal scene and their book, Nöthin’ But a Good Time.
Darren Jessee Marches to His Own Beat on Dynamic New Solo Record
"Starting this new solo thing has reinvigorated me in a way," says former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee, shortly after dropping his best album to date. "To get a fresh start this late in something you've been doing so long is really a great feeling."
While the Sun Shines: An Interview with Composer Joe Wong
Joe Wong, the composer behind Netflix's Russian Doll and Master of None, articulates personal grief and grappling with artistic fulfillment into a sweeping debut album.
Journalist Jonathan Cott’s Interviews, Captured
With his wide-ranging interviews, Jonathan Cott explores "the indispensable and transformative powers of the imagination."
Every Win on The Wrens’ ‘Meadowlands’ Is Hard Won
After suffering through the pressures and losses of years past and laboring on their album in practical anonymity, the Wrens have hit the ground running.
The Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Matters, Dammit! An Interview with Biographer Mike Edison
Mike Edison's biography on the Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts, Sympathy for the Drummer is a full-throated assault on the notion that, in music, more is better, and that perfection is a friggin' virtue.
The Pro-Wrestling Story Collectors: An Interview with Sports Authors Steve Johnson and Greg Oliver
As discussed with sports authors Steve Johnson and Greg Oliver, The Storytellers is a celebration of the strange magic behind professional wrestling matches.
On Warren Zevon, the “Kurt Vonnegut of Rock Music”
Author C. M. Kushins talks with PopMatters about the complicated legacy of Warren Zevon, from crack-up to recovery and back again, and his research for Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon.
So Long to All That: Jeff Tweedy Tells His Story
Wilco founder Jeff Tweedy creates a frank, plain-spoken tale of love, perseverance, and recovery in his memoir, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back).