Empire Cake bakery in the West Village once again proves it has its finger on the pulse of pop culture (I saw that LabubuCake in the window) with a batch of sugar cookies celebrating the release of Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl album. When I stopped in over the weekend, they were offering two designs: one features the album cover art with Taylor decked out in an alluring, bejeweled showgirl costume, and another is shaped like a vinyl record, frosted in swirls of bright orange icing with the album’s label in the center. Whether you’re a Swiftie or just someone who appreciates a well-dressed cookie, these sweet treats are pure pop-star perfection.
In the span of my previous professional incarnation as a music journalist, I was privileged to meet and interview many music legends. But perhaps the greatest meeting I had with any musician had nothing to do with an interview, but rather an art exhibit of his abstract sculptures, and that musician/artist was Herb Alpert. I grew up in the ’60s, listening to my parents’ now-classic albums by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, which are full of so many pop songs I grew to love. To meet Alpert in person was, for me, like meeting one of the Beatles. I still love Herb’s music and I’m very excited to be attending his concert at Lincoln Center on April 1, but here’s more exciting news. Continue reading Herb Alpert Announces 60th Anniversary Edition Release of His Seminal Album Whipped Cream & Other Delights→
Wow, here’s some unexpected news that should give a little thrill especially to old-school Queen fans out there (i.e. up to and including 1978’sJazz). There’s a wee bit of music that Freddie MercuryandBrian May had a hand in that US fans have likely not heard before, but are about to get the chance to. Continue reading Eddie Howell’s Man From Manhattan LP Featuring Freddie Mercury Gets US Release→
This quote by the late great David Bowie — “Tomorrow Belongs to Those Who Can Hear it Coming” — gets a vibrant new life when printed on the spines of horizontally stacked book that have been wrapped in pink paper or vinyl. According to this source, “Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming” was the slogan David Bowie coined to promote Heroes, the second installment of his great Berlin album trilogy. It neatly captures one of his most important talents: to intuit the future and draw it forward into the popular culture of the present. Continue reading Pink Thing of the Day: David Bowie Quote on Book Spines→
