Author Archives: Tony Hicks
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Insert Foot: What’s that sound? Music (but coronavirus is still goin’ round)
Insert Foot vs. music in the park. I heard something the other day so stunning that I nearly went and crashed my car. Well, maybe not that bad. It wasn’t like one of my daughters told me I’m becoming a grandpa, which would certainly run me off the road…
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Insert Foot: Soundgarden’s fight discredits the magic of distant rehearsal rooms
Insert Foot wants Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell to get along. It’s truly awful and terribly ironic what’s going on between the surviving members of Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the widow of late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell. “This column writes itself, right?” Insert Foot. Rendering: Adam Pardee/STAFF. Cornell just sued…
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Mogwai celebrates a quarter-century with powerful ‘As The Love Continues’
Mogwai records are like stumbling through a beautiful, sprawling valley you’ve seen before, yet keep returning with even more enthusiasm. Not only is the basic nature inspiring, but you can barely wait for all the new things you’ll find this time around. As The Love Continues Mogwai Temporary Residence…
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Insert Foot storming the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame if there’s no Iron Maiden
Insert Foot vs. Iron Maiden haters. If you didn’t notice, it’s time to get hysterical again over Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selections. I don’t get a say in the critic’s vote, which I accepted a long time ago. One doesn’t give Metallica’s St. Anger a positive review…
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Insert Foot: Why Morgan Wallen has no excuse anymore
INSERT FOOT vs. Morgan Wallen. I once struggled with the idea of separating artist from art. Not anymore. I will (sort of) give Donald Trump some backhanded credit, this one time. His presidency made a few things so much easier to figure out–things literally connected to black and white.…
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REVIEW: Foo Fighters’ ‘Medicine at Midnight’ offers more of the same
The Foo Fighters should rename themselves The Old Standbys. No band produces as consistently at a decently high level. Dave Grohl and company can’t be accused of not doing their part to keep rock and roll alive. For a quarter century, they’ve waved the flag of uncomplicated guitar rock,…
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Insert Foot: Post-rock, post-apocalyptic Coachella, not over Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly
INSERT FOOT is into the post-apocalypse, post-rock and post-metal, but he’s not over Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly. I wince when someone attaches the word “post” to a noun. Except for maybe “apocalypse,” which is pretty clear, as there’s probably not much margin around an apocalypse. “Post-modern” was…
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Insert Foot: Rx side effects, Bernie Sanders, songs about pickup trucks
INSERT FOOT and Bernie Sanders vs. Jon Bon Jovi and pickup trucks. January and February aren’t usually the best months for the entertainment industry. Even when we’re not dodging explosive murder germs. Spring will be here before we know it. Let’s try to keep things … nice, until then.…
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Obituary: Fairness demands remembering Phil Spector for who he was
Phil Spector photographed in the 1970s, and a recent booking photo. I heard Phil Spector died and immediately thought of the end of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” That’s happened every time I’ve heard Phil Spector’s name since 2003, when he killed Lana Clarkson, the actress who played the…
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Insert Foot: Yes, kids need sports, so let them play—the right way
Insert Foot vs. “Let Them Play.” I involuntarily cringe every time I see something on social media about the “Let Them Play” movement. It seems we’ve become big-picture immune. Perhaps not enough people know someone dead from COVID. Suffering is somehow still an abstract notion that’s someone’s else’s problem.…
