Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we’ll honor our lord and savior, Joan Jett, who turned 68 on Tuesday. It was a slow news week, so I’ll dive into that weird time in the ’80s when rock musicians tried rapping. Plus, a Macklemore update, a new book from Michelle Zauner, and some much-needed wisdom from Laurie Anderson.
This Week in Music:
Happy birthday, Joan Jett! Seriously, she’s probably the reason I care about music at all. My Joan Jett obsession began sometime in middle school, when I saved up my babysitting money to buy Cherie Currie’s memoir Neon Angel at the Westwood Village Barnes & Noble. I, who otherwise hated reading, devoured that book. It catapulted me into an obsession with the Runaways, David Bowie, Suzi Quatro, and Jett’s own solo career. As time went on, I found her to be unexpectedly attached to any and all newfound obsessions, like The Gits (Jett fronted the band Evil Stig with members of the Gits to raise money to investigate former frontwoman Mia Zapata’s murder) and Bikini Kill (Jett produced their single “Rebel Girl.” (Also see: Kathleen wearing the iconic W.W.J.J.D? shirt.) All roads worth travelling lead to Joan Jett.
Remember that time Joan Jett tried rapping? I am slightly embarrassed to say that at one point in my life, my favorite Joan Jett song was her 1986 venture into hip-hop, “Black Leather,” which I unironically adored. She raps, “Late at night while the normals rest / I feel real wicked when I start to dress / my clothes, they stare at me, like they want to make love to my body.” At that point, I knew two things: I never wanted to be one of the “normals,” and that I needed a leather jacket stat.
Jett wasn’t the only rock icon who tried rapping in the ’80s…It’s a phenomenon I think about often. There’s the good (Blondie’s “Rapture”), the so-bad-it’s-good (Lou Reed’s “The Original Wrapper”), and the ugly (Dee Dee Ramone’s solo career as Dee Dee King). As much as I hate to admit it, Aerosmith actually had the right idea by collaborating with Run-DMC for “Walk This Way,” instead of trying to take on the emerging genre themselves.
CD revenue is up by nearly 60% in the first half of 2026. According to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America, CD sales have increased by 58.6% during the first six months of the year, reaching $171 million. By comparison, vinyl sales climbed a more modest 2.4%.
Macklemore makes a compelling case for separating the artist from the art—because the artist is good, but the art is bad. This week, our hometown hero announced he will be donating his earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to Palestinian aid, writing, “I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.”
Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran has proven himself to have zero redeeming qualities. Sheeran launched into his Philadelphia show on Saturday by attempting to clarify his stance on the genocide in Gaza and Macklemore’s removal from the tour. He read the speech off a teleprompter: “I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics.” In other words, a long-winded way of whining, “Please don’t be mad at me!”
If you found yourself Googling Billy Joel on Thursday, don’t worry—he’s alive! Fans were concerned after a glitch in the search engine listed the Piano Man’s date of death as September 17, 2026. “Billy’s not dead,” the singer’s publicist, Claire Mercuri, confirmed. “I was just emailing with him.” (I’ll admit, that last part wasn’t exactly convincing.)
Michelle Zauner (aka Japanese Breakfast) announced her new memoir, Thank You for Your Suffering. The follow-up to the acclaimed debut Crying in H Mart comes out April 27, and documents the year Zauner lived abroad in South Korea, immersing herself in the language and culture to connect with her late mother’s family.
Now, take a deep breath and enjoy…Laurie Anderson shares her and her late husband Lou Reed’s three rules to live by.
Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week:
Dolly Parton Tribute Show Sept 23, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, all ages
Lily Allen Performs West End Girl Sept 24, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Seattle Open Orchestra at the Wayward Music Series Sept 24, Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm, all ages
Big Thief: Somersault Slide 360 Tour Sept 25, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages
The B-52s & DEVO: Cosmic De-Evolution Tour Sept 25, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages
Peter Hook & The Light Sept 25, The Showbox, 8:30 pm, 21+
Kremfest 2026 Sept 25–26, Kremwerk, 10 pm, 21+
A Conversation with Questlove Sept 26, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm, all ages
Aldous Harding Sept 26, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Zookraught, Happy Death Men, Fatal Femmes, Mussel Sept 26, Black Lodge, 7 pm, all ages
JPEGMAFIA: The Experimental Rap Tour Sept 27, Showbox SoDo, 7:30 pm, 18+
Kehlani Sept 27, Climate Pledge Arena, 6:30 pm, all ages
Michelle Branch: Everywhere And Back Again Tour Sept 27, The Showbox, 8 pm, all ages
Soda Blonde Sept 27, Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+
Poison Girl Friend Sept 28, The Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages
ADÉLA: The Red Bottoms Tour Sept 29, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages
The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night:
“Party” by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan’s new song has the key element of a great song: a Madonna sample (the track samples her 2000 hit “Music”).
Every Song by Fiona Apple
I’m doing great, can’t you tell? Fiona Apple’s songwriting does the most compelling thing songwriting can do: putting words to seemingly indescribable feelings. Her music is something I return to when I’m looking for emotional clarity. Lately, my favorites are “Oh Well,” “Get Gone,” and “Valentine.”
