ESSAYS • MUSIC • WORK • CREATIVITY • LIFE
Alex has been writing online about music and culture for years. This archive began as Blogzilla, a place for essays about albums, songs, artists, and the records that shaped his life.
The subjects are expanding. Along with music, this is where Alex will write about work, creativity, ambition, books, writing, and the other things that continue to hold his attention.
The older pieces remain here as part of the archive—unchanged, searchable, and still very much part of the story.
Recent Writing
- First Album, First SongIf you’ve read my blog, you already know that I am a HUGE fan of Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction. So I won’t bore you… Read more: First Album, First Song
- The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club BandBefore I was a fully formed individual with my own music tastes, I loved the Beatles. It seems less obvious now, because my taste in music has expanded… Read more: The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Alice Cooper – Love It to Death(Album ©1971, Warner Bros. Records) Alice Cooper was a band out of Phoenix that evolved slowly through the mid to late-’60’s, finally settling on a name that they… Read more: Alice Cooper – Love It to Death
- The Most Impressive Debut AlbumsI’ve written about great Third Albums already, but in doing so, I glossed over acts that hit a home run right out of the gates. Given how hard… Read more: The Most Impressive Debut Albums
- The Most Influential Albums of My LifeIn 2018, a “challenge” went around Facebook that I was able to get behind and participate in – the first (and only) one ever. No Ice Bucket Challenges… Read more: The Most Influential Albums of My Life
- Yes – The Yes Album(Album ©1971, Atlantic Records) Yes helped to define the prog rock genre in the early ’70’s, and that started with their third album, 1971’s The Yes Album. After… Read more: Yes – The Yes Album
From the Music Archive
Much of the original Blogzilla archive is devoted to the music Alex has spent a lifetime listening to, arguing about, revisiting, and discovering again.
Most Influential Albums
Records that helped shape Alex’s taste in music.
My Favorite Album Covers
Great records viewed through the art that introduced them.
Third Albums
A look at artists who found another gear the third time around.
First Album, First Song
What happens when a band introduces itself with exactly the right opening track.
More to Come
Additional essays will appear here as they are published, including pieces connected to The Gristmill, music, work, creativity, and the subjects that fall somewhere in between.