Rock

Tom Waits' music is changing, incorporating new styles like tango and Tin Pan Alley. He has a new performance film called Big Time, which features Waits singing different personas, and an album of the same name.

Rock historian Ed Ward considers the influence of early Mexican American rock bands. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were a goofy novelty act; the Question Marks incorporated the sounds of traditional Mexican music into their songs.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the black rock band Fishbone takes African American stereotypes and stretches them until they break. The band deserves more attention for their insightful social commentary and screaming live shows.

Don Glen Vilet is a painter who recorded experimental, blues-inflected music under under the name Captain Beefheart. Rock historian Ed Ward says that, while Beefheart was never a commercial success, his influence can be heard in everything from pop to heavy metal.

After leaving art school, Malcolm McLaren started a clothing store called Sex, and later helped assemble the punk band the Sex Pistols. McLaren says the group's talent was secondary to its subversiveness.

Rufus Thomas was a Memphis-based disc jockey who helped promote black music throughout the south. He also became a recording artist and producer who wrote dozens of dance hits. Rock historian Ed Ward has this profile.

Darlene Love sang with the 1960s girl group The Blossoms, and recorded hits with producer Phil Spector. Their professional relationship was rocky; Love later severed ties with him. Her first solo album, Paint Another Picture, has just been released.

The Queens-based punk band has a new disc compiling some of their best tracks. Frontman Joey Ramone joins Fresh Air to discuss how the group formed, the punk attitude, and the changing sounds of popular music.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles singer-songwriter Alex Chilton, an American musician whose career began when he was still a teenager. His band Big Star was critically-lauded but short-lived.

Rock critic Ken Tucker remembers the songs that defined the season. Standouts for him were Steve Winwood's beer commercial anthem, Public Enemy's new album, and an edgy ballad by Crowded House.

Rock historian Ed Ward says "scrunch" is that romantic longing you feel as summer races toward its end. He talks about the songs that typified this phenomenon for him over the decades.

The punk band X returns with a live album recorded at the legendary L.A. rock venue. Rock critic Ken Tucker says it's a fitting testament to the group's decade-long career -- which, rumor has it, may soon come to an end.

Brian Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and spent years in seclusion. Now he's back with a new solo album. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how he approached songwriting early in his career, the influence of drugs on his music, and the role the controversial Dr. Eugene Landy plays in Wilson's personal and professional life.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the talented musician often subverts his often good music to make dumb, dirty jokes. Whether you think Zappa is a genius or a jerk will determine whether you'll invest in Rykodisc's new collections of his live performances.

The record label, led by producer Sam Phillips, launched the careers of legends like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Rock historian Ed Ward remembers several of the other, lesser-known acts Phillips signed during Sun's heyday.

Cleveland-based rock band Pere Ubu captured the raucous sound of punk years before the rise of the Sex Pistols. Rock critic Ken Tucker says singer and songwriter David Thomas's warbling vocals capture emotions not often featured in the genre: distraction, confusion and pure bliss. Pere Ubu's newest album is called The Tenement Years.

The luthier got his start making acoustic guitars for country and folk musicians. He later built instruments for rockers more accustomed to the feel of an electric guitar. Ferrington's custom designs are often asymmetrical, and incorporate the wants and needs of his clients.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the 1950s singer and guitarist, who was best known for his hit "Summertime Blues." Cochran died of injuries sustained during a limo accident while touring in England.

Temple spent more time making his first feature -- The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, featuring the Sex Pistols -- than he did in film school. He's since made his name making music videos for rock bands. He joins Fresh Air guest host about the controversy surrounding Neil Young's video for "This Note's for You," which MTV has decided not to air.