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Times Flies When You’re Having Fun: SPIN Is 35…
“I hope I die before I get old,” sang Pete Townsend, never meaning that for a second — no right thinking person ever would! But rock magazines — and songs, albums, groups, videos, hairstyles and fashions — do get old, some very old, and, like the inevitably doomed nasties in The Raiders of the Lost Ark series, who age hundreds of years and their fleshless skeletons disintegrate to dust before our eyes, they do disappear into the ether. And rock magazines — both those words so gloriously anachronistic now! — really do age more in dog years than human ones. So, to be 35 years old now, is very old by canine and media measurement, and even by human is quite possibly older than you are. Ha! We’ve never felt better! Forgot to mention that we’re like Peter Pan. I’m not going to say we’re retarded...
The Silly Parties
The 1970 famed Monty Python Flying Circus sketch “Election Night Special” featured political parties ranging in silliness that ran against each other for local elections. The bit had two main parties: the sensible and the silly, but there were also other independents such as the slightly-silly and the very-silly. Full of ridiculously long candidate names and ludicrous costumes, the various parties may have parodied the UK elections, but are just as insightful when looking at the U.S. Over the last 35 years there have been many silly parties and candidates who have run for president of the United States and SPIN is taking you back through some of the absolute silliest! Election of 1988 – Mrs. Foggybottom, Cocktail Party CREDIT: Mrs Foggybottom campaign flyer In 1988, the elegant...
The Most Influential Artists: #35 No Doubt
As part of our 35th-anniversary, we’re naming the most influential artists of the past 35 years. Today, we’re at #35. From Anaheim, California, here’s No Doubt. CREDIT: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images Disneyland, the Angels, NAMM, Orange County — for most people, that’s all that came to mind when thinking of Anaheim, and even that was a stretch. Enter No Doubt. Though they’d been peripherally circling the L.A. major label scene for a few years, Gwen Stefani kicked past the Orange Curtain and picked up where Mike Ness and Social Distortion left off, bringing OC to the masses. Stefani introduced a new type of frontwoman that would be often replicated, but never duplicated, in the years to come. Beginning with their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt set the standard for ska-blending p...
Keep Halloweekend Going With a Roundup of the Best Costumes from EDM Artists
Even though Halloween looked a bit different this year, EDM artists and fans have proved their dedication to spooky season via an outpouring of social media posts featuring everyone’s costumes of choice. From Valentino Khan and Alison Wonderland switching identities to REZZ and Lucii transforming into Edward Scissorhands and Kim Boggs, the creativity was flowing, and so were the laughs. To keep the Halloween spirit going just a bit longer, we’ve rounded up our favorite artist fits for all to enjoy, in no particular order. Beware, all ye who enter here—you might just find next year’s costume inspiration. Alison Wonderland and Valentino Khan REZZ and Lucii Sullivan King Subtronics and Level Up GG Magree and Vanessa Hudgens WHIPPED CREAM CRAY ILLENIUM Dillon Fran...
From the Archives: OG Hummer vs. Six SUV Icons in a 1990s Torture Test!
The reveal of the new GMC Hummer electric pickup had us digging through the archives for more Hummer stories. Here’s one of our favorites, a 1999 Death Valley torture test pitting the AM General Hummer (also known as the Hummer H1) up against the Ford Excursion, GMC Yukon XL, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz ML430, and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Enjoy it; we sure did.—Ed. Our premise for this test is simple: Today’s mega-dollar, leather-swathed, SUVs are as prevalent as BMWs in Beverly Hills, but are they any good when the road turns to rocks and scorpions outnumbering Starbucks a million to none? Simply put, are luxury SUVs merely tarted-up wimps or the vehicular equivalent of James Bond outfitted in his best tux? To put seven pricey SUVs to a thorough ...
How an Engaged Workforce could Make or Break a Business’s AI Strategy
Employees across the world are concerned about the impact automation could have on them, brought into clear focus as the world navigates one of the greatest periods of uncertainty in history. Data shows that AI has the potential to create more jobs than it takes away, augmenting human ingenuity and removing many of the mundane tasks people don’t enjoy. However, organisations still need to be deliberate around how they address change management if they want their staff to embrace it. The question is what does an effective change management strategy look like? According to Microsoft’s AI Maturity in the Middle East and Africa report, regional leaders in AI have achieved success by focusing on three key areas: 1. An open culture reduces uncertainty /* custom css */ .tdi_3_199.td-a-rec-img{ te...
2021 Nissan Frontier: Everything We Know About the Midsize Pickup
After more than 15 years on the market with only minor styling tweaks, the Nissan Frontier finally receives a notable revision for the 2021 model year. Despite its age, the midsize pickup‘s mechanical bits are due to carry over largely unchanged. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the Frontier’s frame is a stout piece that affords the Nissan truck class-competitive towing and payload figures . The 2021 Frontier’s new exterior and interior designs ought to fix the current model’s most egregious shortcomings. Adopting modern aesthetics and proven underpinnings is also the same basic strategy adopted by arch-competitor Toyota for its heavy redesign of the Tacoma for the 2016 model year. See all 21 photos 2021 Nissan Frontier: Lookin’ Truckin’ Good...
New Artist Spotlight: Paper Idol Makes a Statement With His Future-Forward Sound
Although Paper Idol may not be a household name yet, he’s a rising talent that needs to be on everyone’s radar. In just two short years, the multifaceted Los Angeles-based artist has released a handful of excellent singles that have touched down on familiar labels like Lowly and Spinnin’ Records. Today, he has returned with his latest track “Clouds,” out via CloudKid. “Clouds” embodies Paper Idol’s feel-good attitude by hooking listeners with a groovy guitar riff and his smooth vocals. Though the build-up mellows the track out for a moment, the drop reels listeners back in with fluttering, raindrop-like plucks and a thick low end. “Clouds” feels like an extension of his previous releases, taking his funky sound design a...
EDM.com Presents “Quarantini Chats” Episode #8: Niiko & SWAE
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. Red-hot dance music duo Niiko x SWAE are joining EDM.com for the eighth episode of “Quarantini Chats.” Fresh off the release of their blistering bass house track “Can’t...
1981-1988 Chevy Monte Carlo: 60% of the Time, Driving One Worked Every Time
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is like your dad. Chances are you think of it in its later years—uncool, unremarkable, and incapable of getting a second look from the hottie that your mom once was. No question, the 1995-2007 front-drive Monte Carlos were about as uptight as a car could possibly be. But the earlier Montes—1970-1988, and particularly the 1980s cars—now those were hot stuff for young Cassanovas like your dad. Birth of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Monte Carlo first appeared for the 1970 model year as a follow-on to Pontiac’s first “personal luxury” car, the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was the brainchild of John Z. DeLorean, who by this time was running Chevrolet, though he wasn’t involved in the Monte’s development. The latter was a response to new tren...
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President Review: A Sharp Look at the First Fan
Few would argue that Jimmy Carter has had the most impressive post-White House career of any President. Although the hostage crisis will always somewhat overshadow Carter’s Presidency, this documentary artfully unpacks how important music was to Carter. The warmly engaging film opens with Carter’s 1976 quotation about his confidence in the American public, riffing on Dylan’s lyric that the country is “busy being born, not busy dying.” A quick cut to present-day Carter dropping the needle on “Mr. Tambourine” sets the stage for a musical journey from the backwoods of Georgia to the White House. Carter grew up steeped in the Southern roots of music. As a kid, frequent visits to church and access to the family’s battery-powered table radio provided Carter an impressionable amount of musi...
Travis Scott Is the Brand to Collaborate With in 2020
In a year that has stilted the release of massive albums and halted the live music industry, Travis Scott is one of the few musicians who seems to be doing better than what he was before — if that’s even possible. At the end of October, he was named as a strategic partner for PlayStation before the release of their latest console, the PlayStation 5. In September, he received his own meal at McDonald’s, becoming the first celebrity to do so since Michael Jordan in 1992. Scott’s ongoing success stems from his music — but in his latest, pandemic-influenced chapter, he’s collaborating with massive companies to touch pop culture in ways his songs probably can’t. He’s becoming an even bigger household name mid-pandemic, at a time when artists are struggling. But the situation is a lit...
