For The Record- 09. December. 2023
'Round the corner, give it some gas
Welcome to another edition of For The Record, a good old-fashioned link drop and benefit for paid supporters of On Repeat. If you’re ready to become one, we’d be thrilled to have you!
As a reminder, On Repeat is 100% reader-funded. And as always, there are 7-day trials for anyone looking to test the waters.
This week, we’ve got news on Michael Stipe, Kyra Sedgwick, and Belle and Sebastian.
All that and a LOT more, including the ongoing Hall & Oates drama, chaos at Spotify, and a new release from The Eagles.
Let’s get to it!
Note: Tomorrow (12/10) is a sad anniversary for the music world, aviation, and local Madison history. I’m sharing an essay I wrote for Medium last year to mark the day.
Walking down Madison, Wisconsin’s State Street, flyers for upcoming shows are everywhere.
They paper over ones that have recently happened, and those paper over even older ones. It’s part of the fabric of downtown — almost a civic wallpaper. Countless bands have advertised this way, and up until not too long ago, this was how most fans found out about upcoming concerts. Otis Redding’s December 1967 show at The Factory was no exception, and posters for his concert were likely papered up and down the street, too.
Only this show never happened.
It’s been 55 years now.
Five and half decades since Otis Redding and seven others boarded a plane in Cleveland bound for Madison, Wisconsin—a common pairing, and one that is straightforward from an aviating perspective.
Most of us know how this particular story ends. With his backing band, the Bar-Kays, Redding were on their way to a gig in Madison. Another stop in the Midwest.
A quick hop between Rust Belt cities. Again pretty straightforward.
The approach into Madison from the air takes you right over Lake Monona. The city is built on an isthmus, with Lake Mendota on its other side.
On a clear day, the view is spectacular, offering stunning views of the lakes and city. That’s your cue that your flight only has a few miles left- the end of Runway 36 is just minutes from the shore.
But we know how this flight ends. Not with a smooth landing. Not with a short taxi to the terminal. Instead, it ends violently, just short of the airfield in the icy waters of Lake Monona. It ends Redding's life at just 26. The pilot (also 26), his manager, and four Bar-Kays also perish. Only Ben Cauley makes it out that night.
The cause is never determined & the lake never gives back the left engine or propeller.
In an incredibly cruel twist, Redding had recorded “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” just three days prior. Released the following month, the song would go on to be a huge hit. The song that should’ve vaulted him from “rising talent” to bona fide stardom. It’s a sad case of what might’ve been.
Life goes on, of course. In the summer, the lake is packed with boaters. There are waterskiing shows on Fridays. The bay is a great place to be. In the winter, it becomes the domain of ice fishermen. The birds are there year-round.
And so are the airplanes. The approach in 2022 is essentially unchanged from that in 1967. Only the aircraft types have changed. I can see that approach from my kitchen table. There is a plane on descent as I type this. I wasn’t here that night, but Redding’s plane likely flew the same pattern as this one.
1000s of commuters pass the lake daily. I’m one of them. Every once in a while, I wonder if anyone remembers what happened in those waters so many years ago. I’ve yet to hear “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” while driving by, but I have listened to “Merry Christmas Baby” more than once.
A lot can change in five and a half decades. The Factory is long gone. The place that never gets mentioned without breathlessly noting “Jimi Hendrix also played there” was for years a bookstore. There was an office for Kaplan testing above it. How’s that for rock n roll? The bookstore recently moved — over to a different side of the lake.
Today, there is a small memorial for Redding & Co. at The Monona Terrace, a lovely building whose seemingly only real purpose these days is to be the default option for taking homecoming/prom/wedding pics.
It offers a spectacular view of the lake. It’s a vista worthy of life events. And remembrance. The top deck provides beautiful and timeless scenes— much like Redding’s music.
Various Artists:
“Nothing is easy, I just get distracted by everything.” Michael Stipe on his next act.
The Eagles have released a Christmas album (no, not those Eagles. The ones that Taylor Swift’s soon-to-be brother-in-law plays for). Can anything ever top Super Bowl Shuffle, though?
You know who’s not a Swiftie? Kyra Sedgwick.
The Paranoid Style’s Elizabeth Nelson recently sat down for a chat with Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers to talk about songwriting, and it is every bit as fantastic as you think it might be.
I’d been writing songs since I was eight, and at some point I got really bored with my own life, or at least writing about it. My personal life was in a fairly stable place for a minute there, and I just kind of felt like I’d written too many songs about myself. Also, I think it was a reaction to the ’90s, all of the self-pity songs. It’s like, well, I’m going to write about something that’s more interesting to me than me.
Mom and Dad are still fighting, but at least now we know more about why.
Belle and Sebastian had a cameo on The Simpsons. Years ago, I read an article where one of the writers was interviewed. In it, he mentioned that they try to work in a few references/ jokes they expect only a small percentage of people will get but that they know will surprise and delight those that do. I have to think this was one of them. And, hey, it worked!
Spotify & related:
A good read on Spotify Wrapped and why we love it.
We all love a mirror, don't we? Show me my habits. Show me my favorites. Tell me which artist I loved the most. We want to see ourselves, and in many ways that is the purpose of art. When you watch a great movie or see an incredible painting, or put on an album, that is also a kind of searching. We use art to help us understand the world. The art is itself a mirror that we crave. We want to understand ourselves, our place in the world, and our desires. We want to see what our friends like, what they listen to, and what kind of mirrors they are looking in.
But this is the magic trick the Spotify Wrapped pulls every year. Nobody thinks about the mirror. How often have you been doing chores, and realized that the mirror you check your reflection in every day is covered in little toothpaste globlets? It's hard to notice the mirror when you are looking so intently at yourself.
Meanwhile, Spotify will cut 17% of its workforce, and CFO Paul Vogel is stepping down.
Tidal is also cutting 10% of its workforce.
Here’s a 30+ year music veteran addressing some of the criticisms of Spotify. (h/t to Glenn Cook for this one!)
Speaking of Best Ofs, here are a few:
Pitchfork’s (‘Best, Worst, and most surprising’)
Don’t forget to vote in our own Reader’s Choice Poll!
We lost Denny Laine this week. Laine was a founding member of The Moody Blues and Wings.
Over on Medium, Karla Clifton took on the project of reviewing all 500 Rolling Stones Top Albums in order. She’s almost done. Here’s her take on #482, The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde.
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong on why they’ve largely backed away from political songs.
A limited-run TV series based on Feminist collective/band Pussy Riot is in the works.
“It’s Too much for me.” Damon Albarn says Blur is going back on hiatus while also teasing a new opera (not a typo) coming next year and getting back to work with Jamie Hewlett on a new Gorillaz record.
‘Hudson River Wind Meditations, Lou Reed’s final solo record, is set to be reissued.
Hovvdy has dropped a new single.
The Riff has a monthly Album of the Month discussion. December’s online meeting is tomorrow (12/10) at 4 PM Eastern/9 PM GMT. Wanna talk about Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories record? Here’s how to join in!
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On The Road:
Fire up the Trans Am! New tour dates have been announced for Def Leppard & Journey, The Dandy Warholsd, Sampha, Adam Ant, and Alvvays. Resellers have already grabbed most of the tickets for Alvvays’ Madison date, with prices north of $90. Hopefully, more will be released to the general public soon.
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AV CLUB:
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One Last Thing:
Did anyone who asked for stickers not receive them? For those of you who might’ve missed the original email, would you like some? If so, please reply directly to this email with where you want me to send ’em, and I’ll get them to you!
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Enjoy your weekend!
Drive South,
Kevin—
Great read, thanks for sharing the Otis Redding story, I had no idea he was so young.
World Class Fad- what a great one. Now listening to 14 songs.
Crazy to think you live so close to the site where Redding's plane crashed. Your tribute was beautiful because it was original, heartfelt and frank.
The Hall and Oates saga is exhausting and sad. I wish they could make amends, albeit for the sake of old times, but I know it's wishful thinking.
Thanks for another great Saturday digest, and happy weekend!