Ongoing History Daily: The Dancing Plague of 1518, part 2
Last time, we started on the story of the Dancing Plague of 1518 when dozens and dozens of German peasants suddenly took to the streets and silently dancing for days
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Ongoing History Daily: The Dancing Plague of 1518, part 1
Seven hundred years ago, life was (as English philosopher Thomas Hobbes said in the 1600s) “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” But 100 years earlier, things were even weirder. Just
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The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1052: Explaining Krautrock
After World War II, Germany was destroyed. The country was divided. The East was under the control of the USSR. The western part was part of democratic Europe. And then
Read MoreOngoing History Daily: Concert stress
Back in the 1990s, German doctors identified a new malady they kept seeing among people who went to concerts. They called it “concert stress.” They studied cases of people who
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Germany has an interesting program for keeping live music alive
When we emerged from the pandemic, the live music industry was in dire straits. After bringing in zero revenue for almost two years, it was in need of help. Germany
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How bad does the mud have to be before the world’s biggest metal festival closes its gates? This bad.
Each year, metal fans from across the planet descend on Wacken, a town of about 2,000, the biggest music festival of its kind in the world. Even Motorhead’s Lemmy will
Read MoreOngoing History Daily: The longest song in the world
What is the longest song ever written? The answer is a piece entitled “As Slow As Possible” by avant-garde composer John Cage. A group in eastern Germany has taken Cage’s
Read MoreOngoing History Daily: A dumb U2 move
U2 didn’t become one of the richest bands in the world without managing their money. But they haven’t always been smart. Like many bands, U2 tried to establish a record
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The official German Paralympic Games team anthem is from Rammstein
The main event Olympics may be done, but now it’s time for the Paralympic Games. And the Germans have come to play. The official team anthem was provided by Rammstein.
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Random music news for Saturday, May 29, 2021
It’s the American Memorial Day long weekend yet there’s still music news to report. Here’s what’s happening for May 29, 2021. TikTok is becoming even more of a priority when
Read MoreRandom music news for Saturday, August 22, 2020
This explains EXACTLY how I’ve been feeling the last few weeks! I’m so glad I’m not alone. Read that article and then join me back here for music news for
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