Substacker Chris Dalla Riva Without Tears
the riley rock questionnaire: The Tiny Random Adjures the Big Rizz
Chris Dalla Riva at Can’t Get Much Higher published a list of favorite music books from the new century, and we sent in reinforcements. This led to a series of scrapes where he ran my Led Zeppelin piece and readers balked. Then my astrological chart (so cuspy) triggered me to invite him to answer a series of rando questions I keep in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch. Note: that Jelly Bowl reference required a reluctant, last-minute waiver…
Any pre-rock heroes you still listen to?
I once heard Bruce Springsteen describe the songs of Billy Joel as being "built like the Rock of Gibraltar." That's an accurate quote. Even Billy Joel songs that I hate are perfectly constructed. But that quote also applies to Hank Williams for me. Decades later, his songs feel as fresh as ever and make him totally deserving of his moniker "The Hillbilly Shakespeare." The man could distill the most complex emotions down to three chords and a simple phrase. Most people couldn't do that in 100 pages.
Favorite duet or guest appearance
I've always loved that Mick Jagger sings back-up vocals on the chorus of "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon. They certainly don't make or break the song, but Mick's faux-twang brings the song some extra life.
Favorite segue? bass line? handclaps? Tiny detail that colors the whole?
About 2 minutes into the song "You Can't Hurry Love," The Supremes shout "Now break" right as the bass and drums groove for a few seconds before the vocals return. I wish I could inject that moment into my veins because it illustrates the energy and musicianship that it takes to make a song like that work. I would love it if there were an extended cut where the Funk Brothers just jammed on that for a few minutes.
How did you hear about Prince's death? Bowie’s? Presley's? Lennon's? Do you have any pre-cooked obits?
I was born in 1995. I think the first celebrity death I can recall vividly was Michael Jackson dying in 2009. Jackson's music didn't mean much to me at that time, but I recall that my family and I were in Cooperstown, New York when it happened. Tom Petty's death was similar for me in that I remember that I was at my first post-college job. That said, I had a much deeper relationship with Petty and his music, so I was pretty upset. I was doubly upset that I'd somehow never gone to see the Heartbreakers.
If you could puncture the single most unhelpful myth about writing, what would it be?
Writing is like most other skills in that it just takes practice. If you do it enough, I can't promise that you'll become Faulkner, but you will at least be decent.
Spotify or Apple? Tidal or Qobuz? Most [annoying/surprising] thing about streaming?
As someone who works for the streaming service Audiomack, I of course use our product. And, through my job, I've probably tried every streaming service at least once. But because I'm in the weeds of music streaming, I get upset that people think that if they change streaming services artists will suddenly be getting paid differently. The payout model on most major streaming services works exactly the same. I've written extensively about issues with that model, but there are better things you can do to support artists than switching from Deezer to Qobuz.
Favorite interaction with a record/CD store clerk?
After college, I lived around the corner from a record store in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Cheapo Records. I stopped in one day and the clerk was listening to the remixed version of The White Album. He told me that it was like listening to it for the first time again. I'm happy to report that he was correct. It might be the best remixing I've ever heard.
[See also: That Other Hamilton, 2018]
Favorite celebrity interview story?
In 2018, Quincy Jones gave a wild interview to Vulture where he told wild stories about everything from the JFK assassination to The Beatles. Given his track record, he can sort of make whatever claims he wants, but it remains the craziest interview I've ever read.
Favorite non-musical book/recent article
I'm a big fan of Moby Dick. I read it for the second time in 2024. Of course, the language is beautiful and Melville captures human interiors better than most anybody else, but I also just love big, sprawling pieces of writing that you can glean something new from during each reading.
behind enemy lines
Kendrick Lamar’s Multilayered Halftime Show Was About Far More Than Just a Rap Beef, by Soraya Nadia McDonald
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was a Love Letter to Compton, by Julian Kimble
Kendrick Lamar’s Meta-Performance at the Super Bowl, by Doreen St. Félix
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was a Masterclass in Black Art, by Shamira Ibrahim
Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Was Radically Political, if You Knew Where to Look, by Tiana Clark
Special: Kendrick, by Amaya Lim
noises off
#resist #socmed handles: @timrileyauthor.bsky.social, linkedin, pinterest
Raid the archives for more on Liz Pelly’s spotify reporting, Randy Newman through the Black Mirror, Otis Redding, the unlikely “Day Tripper,” and Garth Hudson, honored before he passed.
riley rock index: obits, bylines, youtube finds, reference sites, pinterest, beacons.ai, random deep link
 | A guest post by
|
Fair point about streaming services, though I'd gently pushback and note that while you likely won't change the world moving to somewhere like Qobuz, you can at least get higher fidelity for your money.