Four Thousand.

Today represents a landmark of sorts. I’ve recounted the story elsewhere, but in the mid ‘00s I was Editor in Chief of a (then) quality monthly national print magazine that covered the music scene. When it went belly up – for reasons having nothing to do with its content – I found myself with the creative winds at my back, a (virtual) Rolodex full of record label and publicist contacts, and a stead flow of CDs arriving in my mailbox most every day.

Now it’s early 2022. Musoscribe has been around for more than a decade and a half. And as I wrote at the outset, today’s a landmark. This particular thing you’re reading is blog post #4000.

Four thousand.

Plus, I had some strong ideas for books. But at that point I felt I might still be perceived as little more than Some Guy From North Carolina Who Wants a Book Deal™. So I launched something called Musoscribe as (a) an archive for my published writing about music and (b) a place for new content. (Aside: I hate that word used in this context: content.)

For many years that followed, I posted something every business day. Each weekday, I’d publish a new review, essay, feature or interview. I started freelancing for other publications, and after rights on the pieces reverted to me (as they should do), I posted those works on Musoscribe as well. I continued, and my modest profile in the world of music journalism rose a bit, while remaining firmly entrenched in the “modest” category. Readership grew steadily, and a Google search of my name turned up a lot – a lot – of words about music.

Fast forward a whole bunch of years – I finally landed that elusive book contract. Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published in 2018. I started making public appearances, doing book signings, readings, presentations (I’d hesitate to call them lectures, as I’m no academic).

Around that time, Musoscribe went to seven-days-a-week. I never missed a day: on the relatively rare occasions when I would be away on vacation, I’d write ahead of time, so whenever anyone visited the site, they’d find something new every day. And it was nearly always the length of this essay you’re reading; sometimes longer.

By any measure, that’s a lot. And I’m in no danger of slowing my pace. My second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave rolled off the presses mere days ago. And as you might guess, I have plenty more book ideas.

I appreciate every one of you, my readers. And I hope that my writing-about-music adds to your understanding, appreciation, enjoyment and knowledge of the music you hear. Maybe something I write will turn you on to heretofore unheard music. Maybe it will lead you to reconsider something you’ve previously passed by. You might even disagree with some of my critical assessment. It’s all good.

So on the occasion of my four thousandth entry here at Musoscribe, I’d like to say (a) thank you for reading and (b) stay tuned. There’s much more to come.