FEATURES
The ’80s Music Scene? Mark ‘Weissguy’ Weiss Was There, With His Camera
Go to absolutely any of the near-400 pages of The Decade That Rocked —the new coffee-table-worthy collection—and you’re sure to find one of the most vibrant, iconic images of all time, every time. That’s because Mark “WEISSGUY” Weiss (as he likes to call himself) was the photographer behind some of those legendary moments. From the zaniest Ozzy Circus covers to Van Halen’s electric prime, from Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses to Alice Cooper and Dee Snyder at their most outrageous best. AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. Bon Jovi, Danzig, Whitesnake, KISS. Skid Row, Cinderella, Ratt, Dokken — all that hair! — Peter Frampton, Led Zeppelin, Blondie and everyone else you ever wanted to meet, and those you were happy to admire from afar, all in one place. There will never be ...
Music Video Kids Reflect on Appearances in Iconic Clips: ‘It Was Pure Luck’
Before MTV would be rendered extraneous, record labels would fork over millions for bands and artists to produce memorable music videos that helped build anticipation for an album’s release and propel its sales. The music video became an invaluable promotional tool, and over time, as directors continued to push the limits of what was possible in three to five minutes, the medium evolved into something of its own art form. Today, music videos are largely a lost art, with more skin than substance — more elaborate dance numbers than elaborate storylines. Some of the most memorable videos during the height of the MTV era featured children, and we wanted to know where they are now. SPIN tracked down some of our favorites to see what they’ve been up to since making their marks in some extre...
A United Tribe: How Tony Hsieh’s Relationship With EDM Influenced the Late Zappos Visionary
Tony Hsieh was a visionary whose connection to dance music uniquely shaped many of his guiding principles in the business world. Hsieh tragically died last week at the age of 46 due to health complications following injuries sustained in a house fire. While the revered entrepreneur and former CEO of Zappos is no longer with us, his memory lives on among family and co-workers who remember him fondly for his kindness and strength in fostering community. As a tech executive, Hsieh placed emphasis on the creation of a synergistic culture, which was a pillar of his business strategy. In a July 2015 interview with Quartz, he explained that his foundational principles in this area were developed through his relationship with electronic dance music. Hsieh, who lived in Las Vegas and...
Cheap and Cool ’80s Cars to Buy Now
Let’s take a look at some sweet 1980s cars that could even be purchased with the savings from a part-time job. Mind you, that sort of cash isn’t going to get you into a pristine example of these rad rides but rather for a running, non-basketcase version. Think of it as a driveable project car. While there isn’t anything too obscure in this list, we think it’s a good start in your search for a relatively affordable cool, classic car. Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird The third-generation F-Body provided years of source material for mullet-mocking and hair-metal bashing, but the Camaro and Firebird still remain a great way to get cheap horsepower. With the astonishing number of third-gen cars floating around today and with some patience, you can still find a g...
Picking the Brain of Mike Koval Jr. Head of Ram Brand, After Another MotorTrend Truck of the Year Win
Congratulations on the three-peat win as MotorTrend Truck of the Year for the Ram 1500 TRX. What is your secret for success? First of all, thank you very much. Once again as a brand we find ourselves humbled and honored for the recognition and the secret is great people inventing great product. And I think that since Ram became a standalone brand back in 2009, we’ve had the competitive advantage really of focusing clarity in our mission and that is as the only dedicated truck and commercial van brand we are fully and entirely committed to understanding and delivering on the unique needs of our customers as a truck brand. How do you follow this up? What is next? Well that’s a great question and one certainly we’re not going to rest on our laurels. I think an award of this ...
CERTIFIED FRESH: Australian-American Rap Duo GUMBO Music Talk Debut EP, Expat Life & BLM
Source: Kai Godeck / GUMBO Nate Wade and Kev Hannibal of the Hip-Hop duo GUMBO Music were raised in North Carolina and New York City, respectively, but didn’t even end up meeting until they were both on the other side of the world. Now based in Australia, the two men have forged a friendship rooted in fatherhood, expatriate experiences and Hip-Hop. This ‘rap duo’ idea just happened to work out just as COVID-19 peaked worldwide and global shutdowns were already underway. “With most ex-pats, you just sort of gravitate towards those you assimilate with,” Nate shares. “So it becomes a group of African Americans, a very small group, there aren’t a lot of us, but we’ve known each other for so long, just being homies. The music thing didn’t start for us until six months ago.” Before t...
The Million-Mile 2007 Toyota Tundra Pickup: The Teardown
Four and a half years ago, the odometer in owner Victor Sheppard’s 2007 Toyota Tundra pickup passed one million miles, with the truck still on its original engine, transmission, and paint—an impressive feat for a vehicle just nine years old. Toyota thought so, too, swapping the heavily used rig for a brand-new model and sending the Million-Mile Tundra on a months-long tour of various company facilities. Once that was complete, the Million-Mile Tundra’s body, interior, and mechanicals were torn down to examine how well its constituent parts held up during its high-mileage duty cycle. The plan was to identify any defects and work with engineering to increase future quality. Here’s what Toyota found: It was the night shift on March 28, 2007, at Toyota’s Huntsville, Ala...
EDM.com Presents “Quarantini Chats” Episode #11: Anna Lunoe
Whether they’re bedazzling eggs with rhinestones, baking their own sourdough from scratch, or concocting absurd cocktails, those in the social media community at large have embraced their creativity during their time in quarantine. Harnessing that creativity and manifesting it into the dance music community, EDM.com’s Instagram Live interview series “Quarantini Chats” invites the brightest music producers and DJs in the game to join our platform and craft a custom cocktail as they sip and dive into a wide range of topics with our special guest hosts, The Hotel Lobby. Dance music vet Anna Lunoe is joining EDM.com for the 11th episode of “Quarantini Chats.” Fresh off the release of her honeyed Mad Decent house track “Ice Cream,” she&#...
The White Stripes’ Archivist Ben Blackwell Reveals the Stories Behind Their Greatest Hits
If anyone knows the White Stripes, it’s Ben Blackwell. The Third Man Records co-owner/co-founder, and proclaimed lover of all things Archer Record Pressing, has been with Jack [who is also his uncle] and Meg White from their humble beginnings in Detroit in 1997 to international stardom to their demise in 2011. Blackwell still runs Third Man Records, which he co-founded with Jack White, and continues to preserve the White Stripes’ legacy, as cemented on their first greatest hits collection that’s out on Friday, Dec. 4. Blackwell, who remains the band’s official archivist, gave us the stories behind his favorite songs on the album, most of which you probably don’t know. Jack and Meg with John Peel at the time of the live recording of their first Peel Session CREDIT: Ben Blackwell “The B...
Paul Scheer on Psilocybin-Fueled Weezer Walks, DJ-Sparring With His Wife
One can never accuse Paul Scheer of laziness. Hell, just in this publication window, he has his guest-directed episode of Marvel 616 out, a new live-streamed Christmas episode of his award-winning podcast How Did This Get Made on Dec. 11 and a role in the indie superhero flick Archenemy, out the same day. Starting in improv at comedy breeding ground Upright Citizens Brigade, Scheer got his first break in 2007, creating the brilliantly bizarre, MTV sketch show Human Giant with Aziz Ansari and Rob Huebel. From there, along with a ton of roles on more cult shows like Party Down and The Life & Times of Tim, Paul created Adult Swim’s NTSF: SD: SUV in 2011. Spoofing MacGyver-styled ‘80s machismo and the glut of Law and Order spin-offs, the show gave Scheer his first confident spot in t...
Mercedes-Benz C-Class: History, Generations, FAQs
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Essential History: Generation One The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, also known by its internal code name, W202, rolled onto the American car scene in late 1993 as a 1994 model, replacing the 190E (W201) as the brand’s compact offering. The rear-drive C-Class was initially offered in four-cylinder C 220 (147-hp) and six-cylinder C 280 (194-hp) variants, with the numbers denoting engine displacement (i.e. 2.2 and 2.8 liters). The 268-hp C 36 AMG model joined the lineup for 1995; at the time, the C 36 was converted—engine and all—from a factory-built C 280. The year 1997 saw a torquier 2.3-liter engine for the entry model, now called C 230, while the C 36 was bumped to 276 hp and added a fifth cog to its automatic transmission. The AMG model was cut for ’98, but the...
Jerky Boys Creator Johnny Brennan on First Album in 21 Years
Listening to the first new Jerky Boys album in two decades, I was nearly in tears. But not from laughter. I was sad in that mopey Generation X way where it suddenly hits you that 1990 was 30 years ago, even though it seems like yesterday. But you can’t stop the ‘90s nostalgia juggernaut. And so we now find the Jerky Boys, those most notorious of merry pranksters who raised crank phone calls to an art form during the Clinton years, back after a 21-year hiatus. The good news: The new, self-titled Jerky Boys album is funny. But the kind of telephone theater that Jerky Boys creator Johnny Brennan perfected decades ago sounds dated in today’s mad world dominated by call centers, airtight phone scripts and people getting pissed when you call instead of text. In 2020, the human element has almost...
