Writer. "BACKBEATS: A History of Rock and Roll in 15 Drummers" is one of Rolling Stone’s Best Music Books of 2025. Also: "Homeplace," about Patsy Cline's hometown. "A Song for Everyone," about Creedence. johnlingan.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvvbsyc6us2lGreat record, but more importantly it inspired the greatest cover of all time. [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Sep 2026 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvvbsyc6us2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvsotxztb22jYep! [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Sep 2026 17:26 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvsotxztb22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvsimvnits2dDuncan Sheik played a solo show at my college freshman orientation, just him on guitar on the patio of my dorm while a few hundred distracted 18 yr olds ignored him. For some reason I was a huge fan of this Nick Drake-inspired record so it was funny to go inside and see him alone in the lounge.18 Sep 2026 15:35 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvsimvnits2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvqbpfzj2c2rPreorder! Now! [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Sep 2026 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvqbpfzj2c2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvptpwji422pThis is the most full-bore rock album Costello ever made and it contains two of his deepest ballads for good measure. “I Want You” is classic nasty-sarcastic mode but “Battered Old Bird” is simply one of the greatest things he ever recorded. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Sep 2026 14:15 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvptpwji422phttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mviqtkguds2zMacklemore and Bob Mackie in the news. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1D9wWxd2w14 Sep 2026 18:35 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mviqtkguds2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mviak3wyo22zJust one man's opinion but the version of Shelter From the Storm on Hard Rain is a top 10 all-time Dylan performance, and the stage outfits here only improve it. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Sep 2026 13:43 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mviak3wyo22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mvaxfxgyxs24The new Tubs album is out today and if you like guitars and joy, you can’t beat em. The singer sounds less like Richard Thompson on every album and the guitarist sounds more like Johnny Marr. They are a pure good. https://youtu.be/nqyxUkQ-H6M?is=G70Wl_FHTo1w7xXN11 Sep 2026 16:11 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvaxfxgyxs24https://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mv6mz2jyk22tThe headline would be the worst thing that most people would do in public in their lifetime, but i promise by paragraph 4 you’ll be ready to file your own restraining order against this fella. https://playbill.com/article/man-sentenced-to-2-year-jail-sentence-after-strangling-fellow-theatregoer-for-singing-along-during-we-will-rock-you10 Sep 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6mz2jyk22thttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muxajs55x22aThis is one of most “real heads know” novels on earth. Nothing better than The End of Vandalism. [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Sep 2026 19:28 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muxajs55x22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muwslr37os2r“Hitsville USA” was a great way for a 90s adolescent to get all the Motown greatest hits and discover the depth of their B- and C-level singles. “Back to Mono” totally reconfigured my sense of “60s Music” and gave me songs I still consider favorites, like “Long Way to Be Happy.” [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Sep 2026 15:19 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwslr37os2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mupjrhx6es2kHold my calls.04 Sep 2026 17:52 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupjrhx6es2khttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3munpvrkyzk2hMe to announce Gov. Moore is an idiot. [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Sep 2026 00:37 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3munpvrkyzk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mun4nrbgik2gRead this in tribute to the departed and it’s psychotically well researched, though Marsh was blustery even by the standards of first-gen rock writing. Can’t ever resist easy, unnecessary swipes at Sammy Hagar, Boy George, etc. But as an argument for the importance of trash, it’s a powerful delight.03 Sep 2026 18:52 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mun4nrbgik2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mukhxpctc222This is shocking and awful. Saw her multiple times, including at the Blue Note and the Apollo. An incredible talent that I didn't fully grasp til seeing her perform. Her breathy, quiet voice overtook every room. In her tone and expansive approach to covers, she struck me as the vocal Bill Frisell. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Sep 2026 17:36 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukhxpctc222https://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muk5bebke222I love all the better-known New Hollywood directors, Altman most of all, but this run is flawless. No one did more, more successfully, in the decade. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Sep 2026 14:25 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muk5bebke222https://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muiirmpmp22aI read the book about…the bear…and the lady…ahem… And it’s amazing. 140 pages, exactly what it needs to be, an unavoidably lurid premise given utmost gravity and symbolic/descriptive weight. Similar to Annie Dillard or Gretel Erlich, but about things only fiction can reach. In every sense, wild.01 Sep 2026 22:46 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muiirmpmp22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mui5tseqs22dIn the future everyone will collaborate with Mike Patton for 15 minutes. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Sep 2026 19:30 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui5tseqs22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muhoyfwa2k25Great idea for an essay, and happy to see the great @peoplesbooktakoma.com speaking about their success. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Sep 2026 15:04 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhoyfwa2k25https://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muf4tpgttk2uGuess I’ll have to make do with positive reviews from the New Yorker, WSJ, Variety, Tom Scharpling, and Richard Thompson. [contains quote post or other embedded content]31 Aug 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf4tpgttk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3muf4k34i7c2uGreil Marcus saw my CCR bio & summarily dismissed it because “this story, not that expansive or emblematic of that much outside of itself in the first place, had been pushed, mined, or exploited as far as it would go.” Didn’t even mention the title or my name. It’s A SONG FOT EVERYONE btw.31 Aug 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf4k34i7c2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mu7wbh56gk2tNow here’s a thread. And here’s my #1, awesome-inspiring. [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Aug 2026 12:53 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu7wbh56gk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/johnlingan.bsky.social/post/3mu3ev2cgkc2nRewatched RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Still marvelous, possibly the best Demme. Anne Hathway & (esp) Bill Irwin never better, plus a rare & regal Debra Winger. A harrowing sobriety drama featuring appearances by Tunde Adebimpe, Robyn Hitchcock, Fab Five Freddy, Sister Carol & Cyro Baptista. Masterpiece.27 Aug 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:vqnmqsaa3izkhob7bopcxus2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3ev2cgkc2n