Noah Lennox, otherwise known as Panda Bear in the band Animal Collective — and as a solo artist — plays art rock and experimental pop music. But it’s still pop,…
Robert Cass
197 Articles
Robert Cass lives in Chicago. For Popdose he's written under the Sugar Water, Bootleg City, and Box Office Flashback banners and collaborated on the series 'Face Time with Jeff Giles and Mike Heyliger.
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
Remember last week when I was duped into thinking I’d been sent that Air Supply bootleg by a guy named “R. Murdoch”? It never crossed my mind that “R.” might…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
For the Bootleg City before Mother’s Day, what could be more appropriate than an Air Supply concert from 1982? If you answered “God, no, anything but that,” you would be incorrect, as Robert Cass is happy to prove with some vintage Australian balladry.
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
In a 2004 interview with music writer Casey Fundaro (a.k.a. “David Fufkin”), former Marah singer-guitarist Serge Bielanko said, “My brother [Dave, the leader of Marah] and I grew up listening…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
My high school girlfriend received a 16th-birthday mix tape in 1992 from a friend of ours named Tai. There were no artists or song titles listed on the cassette label,…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
Late last summer a DVD of August, which features David Bowie in a cameo, showed up at the office where I used to work. If you haven’t heard of this…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
Near the beginning of The Woman in Red, a 1984 comedy written and directed by and starring Gene Wilder (it’s a remake of a French film whose title translates to “An Elephant Can…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
One of my favorite pebbles of pop-culture minutiae is that Curtis Armstrong, the actor who played Herbert Viola on Moonlighting in the late ’80s and “Booger” in four Revenge of…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
The first six months after 9/11 were a confusing time, and America wasn’t sure when it would be okay to laugh again. Then on March 5, 2002, some well-funded foreigners…
Robert Cass
8 Min Read
Actor Bruce Willis turned 54 on March 19, the same day famous friend David Letterman married Regina Lasko, his girlfriend of 23 years. Two days later Willis married Emma Heming,…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
For all those Sheryl Crow fans who were disappointed when they found out she wouldn’t be filling in for Christine McVie on Fleetwood Mac’s current reunion tour, I’ve replaced McVie’s…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
I don’t know much about this Bob Marley character, but if his performance on the “Welcome to New York” bootleg is any indication, he was a real hack: a quarter…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
Stevie truly is a wonder, but did you know his music has the power to generate profits not only for his record label but also his fans? When a friend…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
As mayor of Bootleg City, I’ve decided to make some changes around these parts. You see, recently I noticed that our fair city really is fair. In fact it’s downright…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
I feel like Heather Browne from I Am Fuel, You Are Friends today. Sure, I feel pretty and witty and bright (thank you for noticing!), but I’m talking about her…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
According to an article I found on Magnet magazine’s website, Jellyfish’s lead singer, Andy Sturmer, wasn’t afraid to sting people. “I was told that Jellyfish would be an equal three-piece,…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
As I mentioned last week, an anonymous donor sent me disc two of Patty Griffin’s “Love From My Lips” bootleg after I whined on January 16 about not having a…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
Talking Heads spent less time talking, more time singing and playing, so in that spirit I’m going to keep my introduction brief this week. Below you’ll find disc two of…
Robert Cass
9 Min Read
The Associated Press reported last Tuesday that the bicycles of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, were stolen from inside the Carter Center in Atlanta earlier this…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
It’s taken me a few weeks to find my way back to Bootleg City — I made an unscheduled stop in Layoff Land, an increasingly popular destination these days —…
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
The tagline for Matthew McConaughey’s latest film is “Love and waves, that’s what we need in these dark days.” A movie star who isn’t afraid to tackle the worst financial crisis…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
By “2,” I mean “3,” of course. But if you’re having trouble following my byzantine internal logic, then allow me to explain. I was going to give you discs two…
Robert Cass
18 Min Read
On November 5, the morning after Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States of America, Oprah Winfrey appeared on her talk show with an American…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
If you live in Las Vegas, be sure to catch either of Kathy Griffin’s two shows tonight at Mandalay Bay Casino, where I presume she’ll be talking about her crazy…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
It’s a little disgusting when you think about how much talent these guys had. But I’ve come up with a surefire way to make myself feel less envious: I repeat…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
You get what you deserve, Big Star fans, so here are the rest of the tracks from the 2000 bootleg “What’s Goin’ Ahn.” The “rough mixes” of songs from Radio…