A little historical perspective never hurt anyone, and we're especially big fans of the photographic kind. more ›

As Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Sex Pistols and others are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight, we’re wondering how important such an institution is in a time when a “Top 100 Fill-In-The-Blank Bands Of All Time” list pops up every time we turn on the television. After all, the best AP writer David Bauder can do is to masquerade this mash note to Debbie Harry as a news story about the ceremony. more ›

No sooner had Chicagoist read this article in NewCity on the art of the celebrity musical side project than we found ourselves at a party on Saturday night arguing the merits of both William Shatner’s cover of Pulp’s “Common People” and Leonard Nimoy’s treatment of “Both Sides Now.” Shatner's ditty was one of our favorite tracks from last year (and revived the spoken-words-as-singing technique popularized by Jack Nicholson in the movie version of Tommy) and it’s hard not to get a little choked up imagining Spock warbling Joni Mitchell’s lament of lost love at the end of that one Trek episode where he gets a girlfriend. (Well, it’s not hard if you’re a raving geek like Chicagoist). more ›

You have been dwelling in karaoke obscurity for long enough, my friend. Chicagoist knows how you’ve spent your nights at Louie’s Pub perfecting your craft with nothing more than canned music and your own flop sweat to support you. We’ve noticed how you rocked the crowds last Sunday night during Stanley’s Kitchen’s live band karaoke. Now you’re ready for the big time and the national spotlight. One question though: you can do a British accent right? more ›