Welcome To My SubStack

Warning: Expect Loud Noises

I was sitting in my living room, on about minute 6 of a 7-minute speech on Dave Navarro and Flea’s relationship and what they brought out of one another as musicians. My partner looked at me with a glow in her eyes, and it made me miss talking about music in a way I haven’t in a really long time.

In truth, I have taken the last 18 months away from being obsessive about music since my love for it all started when I was 13 years old. I’ve had to accept that the level of obsession I had with music was not good for my health (or those around me). I didn’t know any better until the wheels came off a few years ago, and I had struggled to have the confidence to truly get back on the horse since.

(Just as an aside, I feel myself again and have found a healthier balance with everything. My “I took a year and a half off” doesn’t mean I haven’t listened to Zetra, Speed, and Lowen. It just means I’m not a maniac about it all).

I did some fun stuff, and gave my all to the people who trusted me to represent their properties, but I didn’t feel the love I once had for it. Not really. As someone who only appreciates authentic art, it’s why I stopped creating. If I don’t love it, I won’t give people anything less than my best.

Nobody should accept sub-par art.

So after minute 7 of talking about how Dave and Flea play the guitar and bass on Alanis Morisette’s You Oughtta Know (and once you know that, you can never hear it the same way again), it all came back to me that I can love this on my own terms, in a way that’s not only healthy for me, but is my reason for getting out of bed in the morning and to make people connected with music.

Loud, fucking guitar music because that’s who I am, and that’s what I do.

So here it is. I am putting out commentary videos here on records I like, new music (because that’s what I miss the most), and a new weekly show that is more retro-based but isn’t quite ready yet. The latter will be free and is going to be assisted by everyone who joins me on that journey and on here.

Over the Xmas period, I’m going to talk about the albums I’ve enjoyed the most this year, take your questions for a new mailbag feature (BeezBag? Hmm. Needs work), and talk about any albums you’d like me to that have come out in the last 2/3 years that I have been out of the podcast space.

Because the internet is an unrelenting wall of noise, I’m also offering a weekly email that cuts out all of my fluff (you’d forgotten this started with the ’95 RHCP line-up, right?) and just gives you the new music and links to the videos/audio I’ve put out that week.

If you’re here for it all, there will be regular videos, reactions, lists, deep dives on bands and scenes with a visual component, nonsense (because I know myself at this point), and more as we go.

If you have ever interacted with what I have put out, thank you. I don’t think I appreciated it enough at the time. I had my own demons to take care of. I don’t even ask forgiveness or support. I just think it’s imperative to say it because, of everything I have missed, it’s nonsense tier lists about crisp flavors, laughing about the absurdity of rock music and all of its characters (yours truly included), and sharing Max Cavalera coming in on Killer Be Killed’s Dream Gone Bad with you that I have missed the most.

First post comes this week and is on my fave album since Turnstile’s Glow On and I’ll tell you more about the upcoming videos at that point.

Please put your email in the link below to keep up-to-date.

It’s good to be back.

BEEZ’S SUBSTACK INCLUDES

• New Music Monday - A video/podcast playing you all of the week’s big and under-the-radar releases.

• Instant Reactions - Video commentary on the latest news, song drops and tour/festival announcements.

• Band History Deep Dives - In-Depth YouTube dives on bands, musicians, festivals and scenes at your request.

• Beez’s MailBag - Ask a question and hear me answer your queries. Nothing is off limits.

• Weekly Newsletter - Everything I’ve released in the past week in one handy e-mail.