Ongoing History of New Music

Blink‑182’s story has always been chaotic, inspirational, and a little unbelievable...and the last decade has been no exception.

We thought this would be a good time to revisit the band’s evolving saga since our original 2017 trilogy on their rise, fall, and rise again. A lot has happened: lineup changes, personal crises, UFO hunting, bestselling side projects, a Grammy nomination, a global pandemic, and even a life‑threatening illness that ultimately brought them back together.

We pick up the trail with the Matt Skiba era and the unexpected resurgence brought on by the "California" album. From there, we follow the band through creative experiments, personal struggles...including Mark Hoppus’s battle with stage‑4 lymphoma...and the emotional reunion that brought Tom DeLonge back into the fold.

The result? A renewed Blink‑182, a triumphant Coachella comeback, and their 2023 album "One More Time".

It’s a story of fractures, forgiveness, survival, and one of the most resilient bands in modern punk history.

Blink‑182 is well into their fourth decade...so how much longer can they run? If history is any clue, never count them out.
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The music video didn’t just shape pop culture…it defined it. 

From the glam‑soaked excess of the ’80s and ’90s to the gritty authenticity of the alt‑rock era, and finally to the algorithm‑driven, globally connected internet age, the music video has lived many lives. In part two of this deep dive, we trace the rise, collapse, and surprising rebirth of the music video that once ruled MTV and MuchMusic.

We look at the groundbreaking work of directors like Spike Jonze, the multimillion‑dollar spectacles of superstars like Madonna and Michael Jackson, and the moment YouTube and smartphones permanently rewired how we watch, and make, music videos. From Pearl Jam’s refusal to play the game, to viral sensations like OK Go, to the billion‑view world of K‑pop and global micro‑scenes, we discover that the music video isn’t dead. It escaped television. And it’s thriving.

This is Part 2 of the Rise and Fall and Future of the Music Video.
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For decades, music videos weren’t just promotional add‑ons…they were the beating heart of global pop culture. 

The music video affected the art of movie-making...it affected the way we look at tv, not to mention fashion, language, politics, gender fluidity, LGBTQ issues, and so much more…videos may have altered our attention spans–which kind of concerns me because this program is an hour long and I need you to hang in there with me...

Music videos exported soft power from the West, especially the United States, to the rest of the world. At one point, MTV was one of the most influential creators and disseminators of culture….and by “culture” I mean America.

That was then…music videos are still an art form and still necessary (well, mostly necessary) for promoting music…but things just aren’t what they used to be…

How did we get to this point?...this is the rise and fall and future of the music video…part 1
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Music is not only a powerful motivating tool, but it’s also a way to get a message out to a vast number of people…and when things hit the fan, music can be used to let the powers-that-be know that we see what you’re doing, and we are not happy about it…We wish to protest.

Protest songs help coalesce thoughts and feelings about things like social, political, and labour injustice…they help rally people to a cause and sometimes inspire action against oppressors or those who seek to abrogate rights, keep people down, and try to gain power by spreading lies and propaganda. 

Sometimes they call out specific people, organizations, and issues…in other cases, they’re couched in metaphors and stories…but make no mistake: this music is “us” and “them” and the “them” needs to be addressed. 

This kind of music has never gone away and is still very much with us…despite that, a lot of people ask, “Whatever happened to protest songs?”

Nothing…they’re right here…and they’ve always been right in front of us…let me explain…this is a brief history of protest music, part 2.
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This can be a weird, difficult world, filled with injustice, inequality, and bad people doing bad things…we’re always up against things like racism, women’s rights, labour rights, the plights of marginalized people, class struggle, the disenfranchised, various social movements—the list of righteous causes and grievances is pretty much endless.

And sometimes, you just gotta fight back…but how?... Not all occasions called for armed insurrections and assassinations.

One way is through music…come up with something topical and specific, put it all to music, and you have a chance of getting your message to a lot of people…and because it’s music, you might be able to reach those who might not otherwise be aware of the problem or understand what the problem is.

This music isn’t confined to a specific people or group or genre or era…you can be loud and angry and filled with the greatest moral virtues screamed at the top of your lungs.

But you don’t have to be in-your-face about it…your messaging can be subtle while still maintaining all the necessary effectiveness, rage and authenticity.

Such songs have a long and fascinating history that goes back way further than you might realize…and these songs are everywhere today, although you may not realize it.

This is a brief history of protest music, part 1
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