Quick Hits: September 25

• Yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Nevermind, the landmark Nirvana album that ushered in the grunge era.

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September 24, 1991 is often named as the best new release day ever (this was when we still went to physical stores to purchase music). Besides Nevermind, notable releases from that day include Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik, A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, the Pixies’ Trompe le Monde, Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger and Van Morrison’s Hymns to the Silence. While researching this piece, I found this delightful article written by Justin Sayles of The Ringer. Sayles and his team used a scientific method to determine the actual best new release date of all time (spoiler alert: it’s September 24, 1991).

The Biggest Album Release Dates in Modern Music History, Ranked – The Ringer

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• On this day in 2018, Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for sexual assault; his conviction was overturned earlier this year when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found that Cosby’s 5th and 14th Amendment Rights had been violated. And Cosby’s 60+ (alleged) victims still wait for justice.

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• Shel Silverstein was born on this day in 1930. A favorite of mine from an early age, Silverstein was a poet, cartoonist, songwriter and playwright. Perhaps best known for his children’s books such as The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends, Silverstein was also a Grammy-winning writer of songs like “A Boy Named Sue”, made famous by Johnny Cash, and “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'”, first recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. He was also a leading cartoonist at Playboy beginning in 1957; over twenty-three installments, the magazine sent him to various locations around the world for a feature titled “Shel Silverstein Visits…” Silverstein died from a heart attack on May 10, 1999.

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• Happy 70th birthday, Mark Hamill! Best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series, Hamill has appeared in more than ninety films and television series and done extensive voice work, including the role of The Joker in several DC Comics properties. Hamill (@HamillHimself) is a god damn delight to follow on Twitter, if you don’t already.

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• On this day in 1954, Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer were married on the shores of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

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• The Beatles, a Saturday morning television series featuring animated versions of the Fab Four, debuted on ABC on this date in 1965.

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• On this day in 1976, Paul Hewson, David Evans (along with his brother Dik) and Adam Clayton responded to an advertisement placed on a school bulletin board by Larry Mullen Jr. Mullen was looking to start a band, and Feedback was born. By 1978, Dik Evans had left the band, and the remaining foursome christened themselves U2. In 1980, when the lads were still teenagers, they recorded their debut album for Island Records, Boy. Over their forty year career, U2 has sold an estimated 150 million albums and won twenty-two Grammy Awards, more than any other band in history. In 2005, U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

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