As 2012 comes to an end, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite posts of the year by our guest editors.
The complex math rock/angular indie/krautrock mix as embarked upon by New York’s Turing Machine since 1998 came to an abruptly tragic end in November 2009. On the eighth of that month, 34-year-old drummer Gerhardt “Jerry” Fuchs was killed in a freak elevator-shaft accident in a building where he was attending a fundraiser. Understandably, surviving members Justin Chearno (guitar) and Scott DeSimon (bass) put the band to rest after losing an integral piece of their musical puzzle and close friend. So, it was to everyone’s surprise when, earlier this year, Turing Machine announced its return with a new album, What Is The Meaning Of What (Temporary Residence Ltd.). Chearno and DeSimon will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on them.
DeSimon: Will Hermes‘ book, set in mid-’70s NYC and named after the first Talking Heads single, traces the evolution of the rock, dance, DJ/hip-hop and Latin music scenes as the city crumbles. This was the New York that you thought you were moving to if you played music and moved here anytime before 2000. Of course, by they time we showed up at the end of 1994, most of this was long gone, but you could still find remnants of the loft culture, and CBGB was still a thriving, if disgusting venue with Hilly sitting by the door. The book’s a little too Patti Smith-heavy for me (I get it, she was a rock ‘n’ roll poet), but scenes like Brian Eno hanging out at the Talking Heads’ loft in Long Island City talking about working together more than make up for hearing about the live versions of “Piss Factory.” The website for the book is incredible, too, with links to rare video (an early Television rehearsal, for instance) and documentary footage of a time when New York may have been a mess, but at least it was a vibrant, affordable mess.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rekw4N8W2aE
