Bryan Wawzenek is a freelance journalist who writes for Diffuser.fm and Ultimate Classic Rock. He learned more from a three-minute record than he ever learned in school. His mind is racing, as it always will. Don't start him talking, he could talk all night. The sunshine bores the daylights out of him. Don't touch him, he's a real live wire. Most things he worries about never happen anyway. But he's been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come.
Bryan Wawzenek
10 Years Ago: MGMT Go From College Goofs to Rock Stars on ‘Oracular Spectacular’
MGMT weren't even a band anymore when the duo were offered a record deal. Less than two years later, they were being celebrated as pop hitmakers.
35 Years Ago: Nena Soars to Pop Stardom with ’99 Luftballons’
When German new wave band Nena released their debut album in 1983, they had little idea of the worldwide success they would score with one of the LP's tracks.
35 Years Ago: Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ Become Reality
The second LP from Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart's duo, and its blockbuster single, made the duo instant synthpop stars.
25 Years Ago: R.E.M.’s ‘Man on the Moon’ Video Finds Deliverance in a Truck Stop
For the second 'Automatic for the People' single, R.E.M. teamed with director Peter Care to film the dusty, iconic video for 'Man on the Moon.'
In Defense of… R.E.M.’s ‘Shiny Happy People’
For years, R.E.M. has been dragged through the M.U.D. over this pop hit. We defend the song's place in the band's rich catalog.
15 Years Ago: Jam Master Jay Murdered by Unnamed Gunman
The Run-D.M.C. DJ was shot dead in his New York sound studio in October 2002. Although there were witnesses, the attacker has never been charged.
35 Years Ago: Prince Combines Sex, Synths and Doomsday on ‘1999’
The multi-talented artist's fifth album was largely created via sonic experimentations in his home studio. His 1982 LP would become his breakthrough release.
Michael Stipe Wrestles with Writer’s Block to Complete ‘Man on the Moon’
The song was ready. Everything was there: Bass, drums, guitars. There was only one slight problem. It didn’t have a title, or lyrics, or vocals.
Meg Ryan, Miami and 10cc Make an Impact on ‘Star Me Kitten’: The Story Behind Every ‘Automatic for the People’ Song
The famous actress Meg Ryan convinced R.E.M. to alter the title of the lusty 'Automatic' ballad, so they turned it into an in-joke.
R.E.M. Show Some Soul on ‘Everybody Hurts’: The Story Behind Every ‘Automatic for the People’ Song
R.E.M.'s R&B-influenced ballad took an uncharacteristically direct approach to the subject of suicide.