The Grateful Dead Audio

In an age when famous rock groups can charge $100 or more for a concert ticket, their tribute band imitators offer an accessible outlet for hardcore fans. In his aptly-titled book Like A Rolling Stone: The Strange Life of A Tribute Band, New York Times reporter Steven Kurutz chronicles one of the most-established acts, Sticky Fingers. He joins us to talk about the ongoing popularity of bands like Lez Zeppelin, Van Heineken, and Mini Kiss. Also joining us is Kevin Gleason , from the Stony Rollers, a Rolling Stones tribute band; and Lesley Wolf , a bassist with Slayer tribute group Slaywhore. Weigh in : Do you attend tribute band concerts? Are you in a tribute band? Tell us why you do or don't like them. 
 
 Our blog : John Schaefer offers his ambivalent view of the tribute band phenomenon

Carl Wilson of Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper did what other music critics might find unfathomable: He listened to Celine Dion. A lot. In the book Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste , Wilson explores the idea of a "guilty displeasure": something we're quick to dismiss because, well, "it's just not me." We find out what Wilson learned from his ordeal -- and if he changed his mind about Dion. Tell us : What's your "guilty displeasure?" Do you have a music-snob sin to confess?

While walking on Prince Street, culture critic John Rockwell begins to hear voices emanating from the ether, leading him to ponder the rise of the ambient soundscapes of such artists as Brian Eno and John Cage. Browse the Rockwell Matters archives Subscribe at I-Tunes

Carl Wilson of Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper did what other music critics might find unfathomable: He listened to Celine Dion. A lot. In the book Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste , Wilson explores the idea of a "guilty displeasure": something we're quick to dismiss because, well, "it's just not me." We find out what Wilson learned from his ordeal -- and if he changed his mind about Dion. Tell us : What's your "guilty displeasure?" Do you have a music-snob sin to confess?

At first, jamming alongside members of The Who and Cheap Trick was not exactly Katherine Lanpher 's idea of a fantasy. But after five days at a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles, the author and radio host did just that -- and it changed her forever. We talk with Lanpher about her experience, which she wrote about in More magazine. Weigh in: Who would be your dream camp counselor at a rock 'n' roll fantasy camp? What would you want to learn from them?