Tribute

(DJ Liza Richardson dedicated her Saturday show to music mogul Gil Friesen. You can hear it here and read more below.)
Gil Friesen is a great man I feel lucky to have known. Aged 75, he passed away on Thursday after heroically fighting a battle with leukemia. As president and partner of the legendary independent record label A&M, he was considered the ampersand in A&M …

My day was meant to start with a couple of hours of work on my new website, continue with the usual routine of dog walks and errands, then end around 8 P.M. in an entirely unspectacular fashion.
Instead, I’m still sitting in my office, writing this.
I saw first saw the tweet from Stereogum: “Bill Doss of the Olivia Tremor Control Has Passed Away.”
I’m still having …

From KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence:
I’m a sucker for a good internet meme, and the source of one of the best of all time has sadly passed.  Eduard Khil, the award-winner Russian singer known as “Mr. Trololo,” died this past weekend after suffering a major stroke last month at the age of 77.
Although a major figure in the mysterious world of Soviet-era pop of …

When the emails starting circulating about the loss of Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch last week, it wasn’t long before we knew we’d have a collection of tributes to share. But Anthony Valadez took it to another level with his personally mixed session. He says:
Last night I did a mix in tribute to MCA. I took clips of his speech at the MTV awards and did this …

Friday night shows pay tribute to the late member of The Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch.
Garth Trinidad

Raul Campos

This is difficult.
Not because I can’t think of things to say but because there is so much to say.
How to express both the crushing sadness and endless gratitude for a life?
Adam Yauch, aka MCA (aka Nathanial Hornblower aka Nathan Wind) was our modern manhood’s infinitely cooler older brother. And like an older brother, whether he intended to do so or not, he taught us …

Perhaps his absence at the Beasties’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past month should have been a serious warning. A whole album, Hot Sauce Committee, Part One, was delayed in 2009, ostensibly due to Yauch’s illness. It would be a sad and seemingly unfair conclusion to the career of one of the most innovative and consistently reliable hip-hop crews.
The …

I must confess growing up I was never a fan of the electric guitar in rap music. I never really gave the Beastie Boys a chance. They were loud, obnoxious, and having too much fun and not taking the craft of “rap” seriously.
As I got older I began to have more fun in my life and I began to understand the Beastie’s a bit …

Adam Yauch, aka MCA, of the Beastie Boys has been battling cancer since a 2009 diagnosis. The basement filled with heartbreak as the sad news of his passing came to us this morning. We grew up with him. It sucks getting old and seeing the icons of our youth meeting their end. The phones rang, a listener even requested a full hour tribute to …