Lana del Rey performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2016. Adrian Jusue/STAFF, I used to do Worst of the Year in Music columns as a jokey little counterpoint to all the best of the year lists floating around. Then 2020 happened and I did the worst…

Jake from State Farm, you deserved so much better than Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers, man. It’s amazing how fast and efficiently that dude burned down his image and legacy. If you missed the beginning of the story: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, that guy who hangs out with…

Mike Richards, courtesy Wikicommons. Arguably the most important skill in journalism is the ability to adapt. When your entire job revolves around what’s happening in the world, you need the ability to quickly shift gears when the world shifts gears. If you’re the type to set a firm schedule…

It’s “love and hate” week at RIFF. We’ve taken on the theme of Valentine’s Day to talk about breakups, both sides of it. We’re finishing off with my Top 10 breakup songs, but there are some caveats: These are only since 1980. So, there’s a whole bunch of old really good soul,…

Lily Allen performs at The Fox in Oakland on Oct. 8 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Lily Allen was “retiring,” said the English press, ever excited to exaggerate. She was “burnt out on the rock and roll lifestyle.” She was “being domesticated.” While there was some truth to those stories, fat…

Lily Allen, courtesy. Lily Allen was “retiring,” said the English press, ever excited to exaggerate. She was “burnt out on the rock and roll lifestyle.” She was “being domesticated.” Lily Allen, Lolawolf 7 p.m., Oct. 8 Fox Theater in Oakland Tickets: $20-$50. While there was some truth to those…

Lily Allen performs at The Fox in Oakland on Oct. 8 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Lily Allen went from being a “buzz” artist to having some widely talked about public issues with alcohol, to “wardrobe malfunctions,” and was even accused of having some racist imagery in a song meant to…