I’m obsessed with the history of recorded music. Many nights are spent sitting in bed, reading biographies of musicians and recordists that I admire. Sometimes they are about the people that changed history on a massive scale, like Peter Guralnick’s Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ’n’ Roll. Other reads might be about obscure yet groundbreaking artists, like Cosey Fanni Tutti’s Art Sex Music on her life and experiences in the group Throbbing Gristle. While creating this issue, I had the pleasure of reading Bill Schnee’s book, Chairman at the Board: Recording the Soundtrack of a Generation as I was also editing his interview. It’s a fascinating and even-keeled account of a golden era of classic albums and big studio budgets, a time even its author admits we will never see again. See my review of David W. Hewitt’s book, On the Road, in this issue for more insight into this era. On a wholly different front, I also read through some of Sandy Stone’s writings on transgender studies, a field and discourse she entered into after attacks against her were made as she was recording groundbreaking albums for the women’s label, Olivia Records.
In all this reading I learn a lot about music, recording, culture, and society. Everything is interconnected in so many ways; by looking at the whole world and taking it in, this understanding only enriches the art we are all are lucky to help create.
— Larry Crane, editor & Founder
PS: My End Rant this issue has even more thoughts on music history.