... c'est le blog des chroniques rock impressionnistes (presque) hebdomadaires, ouvertes à tous les commentaires, ajouts et désaccords... Du factuel et du subjectif pour les novices ou les connaisseurs, par l'équipe de Crosstown Traffic et un seul objectif : prêcher une espèce d'Evangile rock n' rollesque sans verser dans les querelles de chapelles...

Bonne lecture et à vos commentaires !

"We didn't start off trying to be a band. We were just looking for a guitar player and a drummer. We were just playing like someone playing basketball. The analogy is like when someone is 4 years old and 5 foot tall playing basketball. Someone might say, "You'll never be in the NBA." "Well, I don't care. I'm having fun." Our situation, we never set out to be in a band. When we first started, there wasn't a lot of opportunities to be in a band. Everybody started going to punk rock shows. We didn't dress to go to the shows, we dressed how we dressed every day of the week. That's where we grew up. ..." (Mike Muir)

Le Rock pour les Nuls vous présente son petit frangin, tout aussi indispensable naturellement (mais moins obèse quand même) : le Petit Livre des Cent Meilleurs Albums de rock !

Un vrai livre de poche pour le coup - littéralement, puisqu'il tient dans la main - qui se cogne toute l'histoire du rock à travers ses albums historiques, d'Elvis Presley aux White Stripes en passant par Metallica, Noir Désir, les Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, les Sex Pistols, Joe Satriani, Oasis ou encore Frank Zappa, Yes, Police, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, les Dead Kennedys, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jefferson Airplane ou les Rita Mitsouko - et tout ça, même pas pour le prix d'une bière encore...

"I don't believe you have to be completely dogmatic in your language to think reasonably. Certainly none of us are sexist in the traditional sexist notions, or have sexist leanings, right? But because that's understood, we don't have to keep haranguing on it, to keep reaffirming to ourselves that we believe what we believe. So once that's given, once you know what you think, there's no reason to be ginger about what you say, as long as you know what you mean. I think that's a really important thing. A lot of people, they're very careful not to say things that might offend certain people or do anything that might be misinterpreted. But what they don't realize is that the point of all this is to change the way you live your life, not the way you speak. I have less respect for the man who bullies his girlfriend and calls her "Ms." than a guy who treats women reasonably and respectfully and calls them "Yo! Bitch!" The substance is what matters. ..." (Steve Albini)

Un grand merci aux radios ci-contre et à leurs animateurs et animatrices - Jean Zeid, Charlotte, Alexis Trégarot et Aline Afanoukoe - qui m'ont permis de papoter à l'antenne avec eux ces dernières semaines autour du Rock pour les Nuls !

... vous croyez tout connaître sur le rock ? Vous ne connaissez rien au rock ? Ladies and gentlemen, voici Le Rock pour les Nuls, enfin le livre qui retrace et explique en détails toute l'« hénaurme » aventure du genre musical populaire le plus... populaire, ses artistes, ses styles et sa culture, des premiers cris d’Elvis Presley en 1954 à ses dernières révélations. Dans l'esprit de la collection Pour les Nuls, qui a fait son succès d'un bout à l'autre de la planète, le livre allie expertise et humour (celle et celui de l'auteur en tout cas !) et s'adresse aussi bien aux initiés qu'aux néophytes.

"We were small-town boys: Steve and Ian came from Macclesfield; Hooky and I were from Salford. We'd spent two years playing dives and dumps, and we were finally on the cusp of becoming really big with a tour of America. Nowadays, people fly to New York every day to go shopping. In those days it was a big thing. We were all so excited about it. But, for Ian, there was the thought of going over there and having fits in front of people during a gig. Sometimes a drumbeat would set him off. He'd go off in a trance for a bit, then he'd lose it and have a fit..." (Bernard Sumner)