Billy Heller
The Archive
Singer Lucinda Williams reveals plenty of dark secrets: Family, abuse, and mental illness
A singer and songwriter with deep Southern roots — born in the Louisiana city of Lake Charles — her songs tell tales of love, lust and loss, God and the...
King Curtis was the greatest musician you’ve never heard of
King Curtis was at the peak of his career when he died, at 37, in 1971. He had backed Aretha Franklin at her landmark shows at the Fillmore West, and...
How Bob Dylan talked his way into his first recording session 60 years ago
After being rejected by two record labels, the aspiring folk singer from Minnesota worked his few NYC connections to land a contract.
The hidden history behind 'booty calls' and other slang words
This one's for the word nerds.
Loretta Lynn remembers her bestie Patsy Cline
One is a coal miner’s daughter. The other was the daughter of a blacksmith. One was a newcomer to Nashville. The other was already a country-music star. Loretta Lynn and...
Super Bowl 2020: What to do in NYC if you don't care about football
Here are some Super Bowl 2020 alternative activities for New Yorkers, whose Jets and Giants got nowhere near the Super Bowl this season.
Mets star Brandon Nimmo: New York was 'sensory overload' at first
Earlier this month, Mets star Brandon Nimmo played Santa Claus at the team's annual Kids Holiday Party at Citi Field, where he helped give out gifts to local schoolchildren. And...
Booker T. Jones says Obama preferred 'Green Onions' over 'Hail to the Chief'
Memphis, Tenn.-born and raised Booker T. Jones was just 16 when he started writing the soul-rocker instrumental tune “Green Onions,” which would become a huge hit for Booker T. &...
Bruce Springsteen heads west in SoCal-inspired, 'Hello Sunshine'
The first thing you need to know about Bruce Springsteen’s newest song, “Hello Sunshine,” is that it’s all Bruce and no E Street Band. There’s no signature wailing sax or...
Lucinda Williams revisits album that jump-started her career
Before Lucinda Williams signed off on her 1998 Grammy-winning album “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” there were just a couple of finishing touches she needed to get done. One...
Where Gayle takes Oprah to eat in NYC
Gayle King was born in Tennessee, but thanks to her father’s job, spent first grade to sixth grade in Ankara, Turkey. From there it was on to Washington, DC, California,...
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were torn apart by women
Former Yankee stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had a famously frosty relationship when they played together. Now, as the 2018 baseball season gets underway, another clash of Bronx Bomber...
How to spend a weekend in NYC like a Mets player
Mets outfielder Jay Bruce spent his first eight full years in the big leagues playing for Cincinnati before being traded to New York a couple of seasons back, and though...
The most thrilling and fascinating books of 2017
NONFICTION Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America Nancy MacLean (Viking) A fascinating academic look at the 60-year campaign to make libertarianism mainstream and...
The final days of Otis Redding
Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” spent four weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 starting in March 1968, but Redding never knew it: He died in a plane...
Roz Chast is obsessed with this bargain shoe spot
The New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, famous for her neurotic characters, grew up in Flatbush. “I think real estate agents call it Kensington now,” she says. She and her husband...
Bruce Springsteen's memoir reveals a troubled man
When fans experience one of Bruce Springsteen’s epic, four-hour concerts, it’s a joyous occasion. And as far as they can tell, Springsteen himself is having a grand old time telling...
Brian Wilson on 'Pet Sounds,' drugs, and why he doesn't surf
Brian Wilson, on his first trip to Israel, was given a key to the city of Tel Aviv, where a radio station played a Hebrew version of “Good Vibrations.” He...
How you (yes, you!) can take Noah Syndergaard home
Strapping young Mets star Noah Syndergaard isn’t pitching in Saturday’s game at Citi Field. But fans can still get a good look at the blond, tousled, 6-foot-6 hurler who goes...
This artist's ideal date: Sketching with her boyfriend at the Met
Tel Aviv-born Maira Kalman has lived in New York City for 61 years. “So far, it’s OK,” the artist quips, “but I’m still checking it out.” Known for her 2001...