Johnny Rotten

Five Other Musicians We'd Like to See Take on Historical Fiction

This past week Downtown Abbey fans got a hell of a shock when Diddy announced via Twitter that he was going to be starring on the show, his purported favorite. Producers were quick to deny it, but no doubt fans of the PBS period drama were a little hesitant to even imagine Diddy, a rapper with exact ... More >>

Transcribing Is a Bitch: The Collected Craig Hlavaty Interviews

My last official day at the Houston Press is tomorrow, so these past two weeks I have been sifting through my body of work here at Rocks Off, almost seven years of words. I've been gleefully overdosing on nostalgia here at my desk, and I have (almost) no regrets. I'll have some more words on my depa ... More >>

Billy Joel: Still Kicking Ass (First Leg)

One Sunday morning a few weeks ago, my wife and I watched the Billy Joel concert documentary The Last Play at Shea. When my daughter stumbled into the den to ask about breakfast, we were soiling Kleenexes and wiping tears from our eyes. "Did you take your meds this morning, Dad?" she asked. I trie ... More >>

The Disco Experiment: Why It Worked For Pink Floyd, But Not KISS

In 1979, disco was all the rage. For all the kids who had never bothered to pay attention when their parents would talk about it, it was sort of like dubstep. It was ubiquitous on the radio and even rock bands were vying to get in on the action so they didn't get left behind in the new revolution. S ... More >>

How Billy Corgan Won at Life and Won My Heart

I've previously been critical of Billy Corgan for a lot of the ridiculousness he has engaged in. But folks, I'm here to tell you, all of that changed for me last week when I saw this video of good old Billy and his wrassling federation shilling furniture. Now I get it. Billy Corgan is not Generatio ... More >>

Today's Top 5 Female Punk Rockers

Understanding the Rock Hall's 2013 Nominees: Chic? Kraftwerk? Butterfield?

Wednesday night The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced their 2013 nominees for induction next year. These names will be voted on by a committee of guys in bad weaves, rich people who know the right people, and tenured music writers with axes to grind. The names are as follows: The Pa ... More >>

Keith Morris Talks OFF!, Politics & Touring In 2012

Next Thursday night, punk legend Keith Morris comes to Warehouse Live for his second Houston visit in a year with his group OFF!. The band is made up of Morris, Steven McDonald of Redd Kross, drummer Mario Rubalcaba, and guitarist Dimitri Coats, also front man of Burning Brides. OFF! was birthed o ... More >>

HPMA Showcase: Sunday's 12 Best Random Moments

Besides all the music, Rocks Off asked our writers to keep an eye out for the unusual at Sunday's HPMA showcase -- because it's everywhere -- and let us know if they found anything especially offbeat or otherwise noteworthy. HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 HPMA Showcase: Rocks Off's Top ... More >>

Doug Stanhope's Big Stink Comedy Tour

Gothic Council Debates Possible Sandman TV Series

​Now that we've finally seen something as difficult as Alan Moore's Watchmen turned into a decent, if not groundbreaking, film, the question on many comic fans' minds is whether or not the long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Sandman may finally happen. The past month has been a slew of c ... More >>

Bankrobbers: The Clash Family Tree

​Rocks Off cried the night he heard Joe Strummer died. It was December 2002, and we sat on our family couch and let it all out. That fabled Clash reunion that seemed just months away would never happen. Strummer died of a heart attack at 50, just three days before Christmas, leaving behind a w ... More >>

Last Night: Billy Idol At House Of Blues

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Billy Idol House of Blues August 25, 2010 See a slideshow of snarls and sweat from last night's show. Hot in the city. Tonight. Billy Idol, that ever-grinning Dorian Gray of rock and roll, didn't really need to yell "Sweat! Sweat! Sweat!" during "Dancing With Myself" ... More >>

FAIL: Kings Of Leon, Pigeons, Bush

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Kings of Leon Respond Poorly to Mother Nature's Criticism: Last weekend, bro-rock champions Kings of Leon were three songs into a set when a pigeon in the rafters of St. Louis' Verizon Wireless Amphitheater made its opinion known by taking a dump direct ... More >>

Last Night: Hole At House Of Blues

Photos by Groovehouse / Click here for a slideshow​Hole House of Blues July 6, 2010 It wasn't a train wreck. And we all had such high hopes. Courtney Love and the four-man retinue she calls Hole these days - mostly distinguishable by their wardrobe (dreadlocked drummer, Scally-capped keyboar ... More >>

Aftermath: Flogging Molly's Celtic-Punk Puppet Show at House of Blues

Photos by Marco Torres / Click here for a slideshow​Aftermath tuned up for Flogging Molly Wednesday night with a Jameson on the rocks and Steve Earle's "The Galway Girl" on our iPod. One of those should be obvious. As for the other, we needed the whiskey because it was kind of a long day at ... More >>

He Said She Said: Songs for Your New Year's Eve Party, Part 2

​ When it comes time for He Said to make a party mix, you would think he would go for some classic metal or punk rock. But you would be totally wrong. When it's time for single boys and single girls to drink, mingle and start making questionable choices, we can leave the Motorhead and AC/DC for th ... More >>

Oregon Trail

Art Brut taps ex-Pixie Black Francis for the down-and-dirty Art Brut vs. Satan.

Barack Obama's past

The Reporter and the Politician

RIP, Syd. And RIP, 'Cid.

A psychedelic pioneer and the drug that helped do him in are both sorely missed

Riot Girl

Kitchen-sink revolutionary M.I.A. has the beats to make you bang

¿Niño A?

¡No! Café Tacuba is more than the Mexican Radiohead.

Rock and Role Model

The timeless Jonathan Richman comes to the Continental

Jam Session

Sevendust and Ima Robot

Saturday, April 17

Drat!

Racket proposes a rock radio revolution. Clear Channel beats him to the punch.

Racket

Great moments at the Press's Music Awards Showcase

Big John and Little Joe

Space City's tallest and shortest musicians rule the 2002 Houston Press Music Awards

Finding Her Voice

Onetime Texan Heather Bennett roams freely in the Big Apple

The Artist Formerly Known as Nigel

More Johnny Rotten than Jascha Heifetz

Is the Mac Truly Back?

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac's demise are exaggerated -- for the time being

Young Punks

Peach-fuzzed trashers Pure Rubbish are Houston's anti-Hanson

Rotation

Punk Parents

With the "No Future" generation deciding to breed, are we headed for anarchy in the pre-K?

Sour Success

Radiohead wants to prove it's more than just a "Creep"

King of the Mild Frontier

Adam Ant is still dressed up, and now has somewhere to go

Elvis and Other Attractions

Pink Pigs and Scarred Psyches

One man's triumphant journey through Pink Floyd obsession