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Defector

Books

Defector At The Movies

Music

Arts And Culture

Kelsey McKinney

artist's rendering of Caravaggio's painting of Narcissus with a spotify logo for a head

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who’s The Prettiest Spotify Wrapped Of Them All?

David Roth

Aaron Barrett and Derek Gibbs of Reel Big Fish perform at Southampton University on March 5, 2011.

Podcasts

When Ska Was King, With Rob Harvilla

Israel Daramola

PinkPantheress performing on stage at Mala Vida during South by Southwest on March 14, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Local Man In His 30s Gets Really Into PinkPantheress

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Luis Paez-Pumar

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage during Taylor Swift The 1989 World Tour Live In Los Angeles at Staples Center on August 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

Meet Us At Midnight For ‘1989’ (Defector’s Version)

Dave McKenna

George Harrison and Eric Clapton, playing their guitars, in a black-and-white concert photo from the 1970s

You Too Can Score Cheap On The Open Market For Dead People’s (Hammond) Organs

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

Charles Bissell Has Finally Moved On From The Wrens

Samer Kalaf

Taylor Swift gives the thumbs-up while watching the Chiefs.

Football Game Played Near Taylor Swift


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: Peter Gabriel performs at Madison Square Garden on September 18, 2023 in New York City.

Shut Up And Play The New Stuff

Lauren Theisen

Giri Nathan

Patrick Redford

Outkast, winner of 6 Grammys during The 46th Annual Grammy Awards - Press Room at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Defector Music Club

Defector Music Club Takes On The Expansive ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’ As It Turns 20

Felix Kent

CANADA - JULY 24: Leonard Cohen (Photo by Andrew Stawicki/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

How Do You Reconcile A Part You Hate In A Work You Love?

Jason England

Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter attend Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

50 Years Later, Is There Anything Left Of Hip Hop?

Kathryn Xu

Screenshot from tripleS LOVElution's "Girls' Capitalism" music video, with text reading, "Rule No. 1 Don't Cry Be Rich."

TripleS And The Rise Of K-Pop Girls’ Crypto-Capitalism

A July 17 photo of Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, during the 'Fearless' set.

You Must Understand That Taylor Swift Knows Me Better Than Anyone Else On Earth

Ray Ratto

UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 03: ROYAL ALBERT HALL Photo of BAND, L-R: Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm (playing guitar), Rick Danko, Richard Manuel (on drums), Garth Hudson - performing live onstage (Photo by Mick Gold/Redferns)

The Last Of The Band

Sinead O'Connor singing at a recent UFC fight

Sinead O’Connor Was A Rebel With A Cause

<p>Adlan Jackson is a writer-editor at Hell Gate. He has written for <em>The New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>The New Yorker</em>, Pitchfork, Study Hall and more.</p>


Adlan Jackson

The central branch of Brooklyn Public Library, wrapped in Jay-Z lyrics.

Is ‘The Book Of Hov’ Really For Anyone But Jay-Z?

Taylor Swift performing, with some help from a video projection of herself and some other smaller video versions of herself, during her show in Kansas City.

What Does Taylor’s Version Of The Past Look Like?

Soraya Roberts

Crowds are seen in front of the stage as Lost Frequencies gives a DJ Performance concert on the second day of the Champions Festival, which is being prepared for the UEFA Champions League final to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 9, 2023.

I Just Want To Go To A Concert

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

(MANDATORY CREDIT Ebet Roberts/Getty Images) UNITED STATES - AUGUST 01: LOLAPOLOOZA Photo of Eddie VEDDER and PEARL JAM and Stone GOSSARD, L-R: Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder performing live onstage (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)

Funbag

Who Is Our Least Intelligible Singer?

Sometimes The Best Bands In The World Play Right In Front Of The Toilets

I Recommend Seeing Your Favorite Band Live 14 Times

Tina Turner Did Nothing Nice And Easy

A story in the Wright State Daily Guardian about Robert Pollard's no-hitter for Wright State University on March 11, 1978.

Celebrating Robert Pollard’s No-Hitter And The Rock-Jock Nexus

The guitar as it appeared on Craigslist and the guitar as it's being repaired, split screen

Elder Wisdom

Happiness Is Fixing A Guitar

Vincent Mason aka P.A. Pasemaster Mase aka Maseo aka Plug Three, David Jude Jolicoeur aka Trugoy the Dove aka Dave aka Plug Two and Kevin Mercer aka Posdnuos aka Mercenary aka Plug Wonder Why aka Plug One of the hip hop trio De La Soul pose for a portrait in 1990.