patti smith

The Ledge #550: 1978

The Ledge #550: 1978

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been hinting that I’ll be starting 2023 with a big announcement. Well, tonight’s the night!In my eyes, “Teenage Kicks” is a perfect pop song; the greatest punk-inspired single of all time. Two minutes and 27 seconds of rock and roll at its finest. The sentiments are the same youthful expressions of the original rock and roll explosion of the 1950s. Instead of Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis boogie woogie piano, it’s buzzsaw guitars that accompany Undertones vocalist Fergal Sharkey’s desire for that “girl in the neighborhood” that he wishes “was mine she looks so good”. It’s the musical template later utilized by Husker Du, Pixies, Green Day, and hundreds of other pop-punkers for decades to come (for better or worse).Since I love the song so much, I have found myself collecting all kinds of versions over the years. In fact, a little glance at my master iTunes library a few months ago showed that I owned over 30 covers of this tune. Just two weeks ago, I discovered that a Minneapolis band I loved in the 90s had released a remake as a now rare b-side (more on that next week). With […]

Live Ledge #219: Thank You Friends

Live Ledge #219: Thank You Friends

A post-Thanksgiving episode celebrating just a few of the artists I’m thankful to have in my life.

Live Ledge #191: More Three In a Row

Live Ledge #191: More Three In a Row

The second part of three episodes where host Hudson highlights albums that featured three classic tunes in a row.

Live Ledge #151: Record Company Weasels

Live Ledge #151: Record Company Weasels

An entire show dedicated to those evil folks who control the record industry.

Live Ledge #142: 1979

Live Ledge #142: 1979

A trip down memory lane – nothing but tunes from that magical year of 1979.

Live Ledge #112: Love Is The Law

Live Ledge #112: Love Is The Law

Tonight we celebrate the passage of the Marriage Equality Law in Minnesota.

Live Ledge #74: London’s Burning!

A show dedicated to our fine comrades across the pond, along with a celebration of one of their prime exports, Sir Michael Phillip “Mick” Jagger!

Live Ledge #72: Jukebox Hero

A new jukebox and a pile of new releases inspires this week’s show!

Live Ledge #61: Silly Rock News

This was one strange week in rock news, and host Scott Hudson covered them all!

Rural Ledge-ucation #44: Punkish Songwriters

What started out as a collection of punk-era singer/songwriters turned into something completely different.

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