Honk Journal

17/08/2024

NEW HONK MEMBERS-ONLY PIECE IS LIVE NOW! "Fifty Ways to Leave Wherever" is the story of my life as a gearhead, as told via a catalog of all FIFTY vehicles I have owned since my teens in the 1980s. This is only the first half, the second will drop ASAP. Honk Plus suscribers check it out now — and the rest of you, sign up today! There are many other memoir pieces there, only accessible to paid members, and your subscription literally keeps the lights on in our house. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING HONK!

honkjournal.com/fifty-ways-to-leave-wherever

14/06/2024

It's a whole other world of flavor.

My life as a supertaster

10/05/2024

Influential musician and recording engineer Steve Albini died unexpectedly of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 61. His sonic legacy is vast and deep, and just barely scraping the surface of his work, Honk Journal has put together a playlist of songs he recorded — 140 tunes in all, every single one by a different artist.

Indie rock's resident grouch changed the sound of modern music

29/02/2024

New piece up now at Honk Journal! It's called "Hey! Let's Go Bowling!" and it's only available to paid Honk Plus subscribers. Check it out! https://honkjournal.com/hey-lets-go-bowling

16/12/2023

SERVER SHUFFLE ALERT! Hey, Honkerinos, just a heads up. Our internet host is migrating content to a brand new set of servers so there *might* be temporary interruptions of service at HonkJournal.com over the next 24-48 hours. Chances are minimal but I wanted to let y’all know. Thanks very much for reading Honk!

A magazine of popular (and unpopular) culture.

14/12/2023

New memoir piece up now! Set in the early 1980s, "A Long Slow Season: Recovery In a Vacuum" bridges the gap between the "F**kboy" and "Cherokee Strip Club" narratives. Honk Plus subscribers can read it right now! https://honkjournal.com/a-long-slow-season

11/12/2023

New HONK PLUS piece coming this week...and news on the music project, too! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here is a 50-plus-song playlist of some of the music that will be included in the compilation:

MC's finest jams from 1989-today

30/10/2023

RAMBLE ON! Hey hey, kids, it's a brand new memoir piece from my teenage years, focusing this time on the special relationship I had with the first car I bought for myself, a 1963 Rambler American station wagon. That little machine saw me through a lot of fire and rain in the scant three years I owned it — and losing it left a mark on me that has never healed.

The article is up now at honkjournal.com/ramble-on for all Honk Plus subscribers to read! (SPECIAL BONUS PLAYLIST TOO!) Subscribe today and have full access to this and dozens of other stories across the whole site!

27/09/2023

It's 2023 and The Lawrence Welk Show is still on television. Take a look back to the humble beginnings — and unique legacy — of this timeless titan of old-timey TV.

The enduring charm of Lawrence Welk

11/09/2023

9/11 was a rude awakening for America in many ways — and a personal one for me, too, in one very specific way. Honk Plus members read "I’ll Fly Away: 9/11, Psych Meds and Me" here: https://honkjournal.com/2021/09/11/ill-fly-away

16/08/2023

The king is dead... Long live the king!

Reconsidering the King of Rock & Roll at 85

03/08/2023

New Honk Plus piece up now! "Vacation! All I Ever Wanted: The Story of My Happiest Happy Place" is available to subscribers now right here: https://honkjournal.com/.../08/03/vacation-all-i-ever-wanted

23/07/2023

My grandmother Florence Genevieve Tally was born 100 years ago today. It's impossible for me to imagine what would have become of me had she not been there for me all along the way.

This is a long memoir piece I wrote after she passed away here in our home on May Day 2022; it was previously available only to Honk Plus members, but in honor of her life I have made it free today for everyone. Thanks for reading. ❤

Remembering the great matriarch who saved my life

04/07/2023

On this day 53 years ago, Casey Kasem started counting down the American Top 40 on coast-to-coast radio. Check out the Honk playlist of the hits of July 4, 1970! And Happy Independence Day!

Casey Kasem's hit parade raised a generation on radio

27/06/2023

NEW ARTICLE AT HONK PLUS: ACID TEST '89! Come along for the ride as your humble narrator experiences psychedelics for the first time at the tail end of the Reagan Era. Subscribers can read it here: https://honkjournal.com/2023/06/27/acid-test-89

06/06/2023

A pair of new Honk pieces are in the pipe and coming soon... Watch this space!

06/05/2023

It was a long time coming, I know, but it's finally here! Honk Plus subscribers can read "The Loud Sucking of Adulthood" right here, right now! https://honkjournal.com/the-loud-sucking-of-adulthood

03/05/2023

Still working on what I thought would be a straightforward memoir piece about the summer I spent after high school in 1987 selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door in Kansas. Up to 6,000 words so far and still sprawling. Thanks for your patience, Honkerinos!

This is the owner's video for the Kirby Heritage II and Kirby Legend models. The original Heritage II video was given updated packaging when the Legend was i...

25/03/2023

Spring is in the air... Here's a playlist of choice jams to fill your heart with sunshine! Bonus: Both Spotify AND YouTube format! Crank it up!

Choice springtime jams for the vernal equinox

15/03/2023

NEW HONK PLUS IS UP! Read part one of this two-part story about a memorable road trip I took with a friend in 1991. It's called White Knuckle Ride and it's only available to Honk Plus subscribers. Sign up today and see what you've been missing!
https://honkjournal.com/white-knuckle-express

28/02/2023

New Honk pieces are in the works and coming soon... In the meantime, check out this Honk classic, complete with a four-hour/70-song Spotify playlist of Beatles covers! Thank you for your support of Honk Journal and Honk Plus!

From 1963 to today, covering the Fabs has never gone out of style

09/02/2023

Burt Bacharach has left the building. Check out our 40-track playlist covering 40+ years of his music. Truly the soundtrack of our lives!

The King of Pop Sophistication is dead — long live the King!

30/01/2023

Another new memoir chapter — "Ready for the '80s" — is available now for all Honk Plus members. https://honkjournal.com/2023/01/30/ready-for-the-80s

19/01/2023

New memoir piece brewing for Honk Plus! Stay tuned, will most likely drop this weekend. Until then, enjoy a trip back to one of the earliest — and still most popular — free Honk pieces!

A look back at the golden age of cartoon bands

07/01/2023

"Schoolhouse Rock!" debuted 50 years ago today! Here's a look back on the show that singlehandedly taught Gen X their multiplication tables — and all the words to the Preamble.

Schoolhouse Rock! used the power of music to teach Generation X

31/12/2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just in time to celebrate, here's a year-end playlist of musicians who passed away in 2022 — with a total of 437 songs, nearly 26 hours long!

THANKS VERY MUCH to everybody who supported Honk Journal this year. Looking forward to lots of choice new material, coming to you in 2022!

An epic playlist of the recently departed

14/12/2022

Some thoughts on watching your popular culture get old with you.

Gen X and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

21/11/2022

NEW HONK PLUS CONTENT UP NOW! The story of my summer of 1979, when we move into a public housing project, my mother dabbles in polyamory, I learn about wasps — and a local bad kid inspires me in unexpected ways. Check it out right here: https://honkjournal.com/2022/11/20/summer-of-scotty

01/11/2022

A look back at the compact disc on its 40th birthday!

The compact disc at 40

14/10/2022

NEW HONK FOR YOU!

J.C. Whitney's ultimate gearhead wishbook