Who doesn’t remember the first time they heard Nirvana, specifically “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? For a certain group of us, we had just survived a childhood overrun with L.A. bands that had huge hair, lots of spandex, and inundated us with sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. It was fun and slightly naughty music that made you want to party on the Sunset Strip, or maybe try your hand at exotic dancing. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that popular music made a drastic change, like a pendulum swinging all the way back the other way. The music coming out of Seattle made the flashy style of 80’s hair bands downright vulgar. This new music, grunge as it was called,Read more.

The John Lennon Wall is one of Prague’s top sights. Even in the dead of winter, tourists flock to it to photograph themselves standing in front of the colorful graffiti. In the summer, everyone wants to add their own contribution to the wall, which has led to it being repainted white periodically. This is oddly reminiscent of the communist era. Originally, the wall was an important protest against the regime. The music of John Lennon and of The Beatles was forbidden in communist Czechoslovakia, but it was smuggled into the country (along with other Western music) and made a huge impact. The Beatles were very popular in Czechoslovakia, as indeed they still are, and the fact that their music wasRead more.