I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens.
As part of this effort, I’ve brought on some contributors to review music documentaries in a regular column called Stuff You Gotta Watch. More often than not, the column appears as part of the newsletter, but I’ve also created separate pages for each edition.
- Alice Coltrane on Black Journal [Jesse Locke]
- All Things Must Pass [Ana Leorne]
- All Tomorrow’s Parties [Aaron Gonsher]
- American Juggalo and American Juggalo 2 [Aaron Gonsher]
- Another State of Mind [Jesse Locke]
- Bass Worship [Jesse Locke]
- Bastards: Pathways of the Portuguese Punk 1977-2014 [Ana Leorne]
- Bee Keeper Bands #01 Everground [Ana Leorne]
- Black Music in America: From Then Until Now [Ana Leorne]
- Black Wax [Jesse Locke]
- Break It All [Ana Leorne]
- The Britpop Story [Ana Leorne]
- Boy Howdy: The Story of Creem Magazine [Chal Ravens]
- Brave Dance [Ana Leorne]
- Breadcrumb Trail [Jesse Locke]
- Clash of Cultures [Ana Leorne]
- Crowd [Aaron Gonsher]
- Cunningham [Chal Ravens]
- Curupira, Creature of the Woods [Aaron Gonsher]
- Desert Age [Dave Maher]
- Desi on the Dancefloor [Aaron Gonsher]
- Desolation Center [Jesse Locke]
- The DJ Is Here [Dave Maher]
- DJ Shoulders [Aaron Gonsher]
- The Drums of Winter [Jesse Locke]
- Fear and Loathing and Party in Las Ponta Delgada [Ana Leorne]
- Festival Express [Ana Leorne]
- Festival! [Ana Leorne]
- Flags and Fences [Jesse Locke]
- Full Mantis [Jesse Locke]
- Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On [Jesse Locke]
- Girl Groups - The Story of a Sound [Ana Leorne]
- Heavenly Pop Hits - The Flying Nun Story [Jesse Locke]
- Her Aim Is True [Ana Leorne]
- Hip-Hop Evolution: Season Four, Episode Two [Jesse Locke]
- The Hip-Hop Nucleus [Aaron Gonsher]
- Hotel California: LA from the Byrds to the Eagles [Ana Leorne]
- I Was There When House Took Over the World [Ana Leorne]
- I’m Tryna Tell Ya [Jesse Locke]
- Instrument [Chal Ravens]
- Italo Disco: The Sparkling Sound of the 1980s [Ana Leorne]
- Jesse Jams [Jesse Locke]
- Jobriath AD [Ana Leorne]
- John Was Trying To Contact Aliens [Jesse Locke]
- Just for the Record [Jesse Locke]
- Key Tonic [Ana Leorne]
- Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly-Glenn Copeland Story [Jesse Locke]
- L7: Pretend That We’re Dead [Chal Ravens]
- La Brune Et Moi [Ana Leorne]
- Larry’s Garage [Chal Ravens]
- The Last Angel of History [Chal Ravens]
- Let The Good Times Roll [Aaron Gonsher]
- Los Punks: We Are All We Have [Jesse Locke]
- Madonna: Truth or Dare [Chal Ravens]
- Mamonas Forever [Ana Leorne]
- The Man Named Turtle [Jesse Locke]
- The Man Who Would Be Polka King [Todd L. Burns]
- Meio Metro De Pedra [Ana Leorne]
- My Secret World [Jesse Locke]
- The New Romantics [Ana Leorne]
- The Next Seattle [Jesse Locke]
- A Night in 67 [Ana Leorne]
- The Nomi Song [Ana Leorne]
- Only When I Dance [Jesse Locke]
- Our Hobby Is Depeche Mode [Chal Ravens]
- Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton [Jesse Locke]
- Patrick [Jesse Locke]
- Perpetual Movements: A Tribute to Carlos Paredes [Ana Leorne]
- Picture My Face [Jesse Locke]
- Porto Electronica 1985-2005 [Ana Leorne]
- Psychedelic Britannia [Ana Leorne]
- Quincy [Chal Ravens]
- Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary [Micco Caporale]
- The Rise of Experimental Music in the 1960s [Jesse Locke]
- Rock Brasília [Ana Leorne]
- RP Boo - Bangin’ on King Drive [Aaron Gonsher]
- Rumble [Jesse Locke]
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda [Jesse Locke]
- SHOT! The Psycho Spiritual Mantra of Rock [Ana Leorne]
- Slave to the Grind [Jesse Locke]
- Small Town Ecstasy [Aaron Gonsher]
- The Sound of Belgium [Chal Ravens]
- Speaking in Code [Dave Maher]
- Three films by Bram van Splunteren [Martyn]
- Timeshift: Prog Rock [Ana Leorne]
- Storming Sarajevo [Chal Ravens]
- Strike a Pose [Chal Ravens]
- The Summer of Rave 1989 [Jesse Locke]
- Synth Britainna [Ana Leorne]
- Talkin’ Headz - The Metalheadz Documentary [Aaron Gonsher]
- The Target Shoots First [Dave Maher]
- A Technicolor Dream [Ana Leorne]
- Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey [Ana Leorne]
- These C—sucking Tears [Jesse Locke]
- This Is Bossa Nova [Ana Leorne]
- Til Infinity: The Souls of Mischief [Jesse Locke]
- Tokyo Melody [Jesse Locke]
- Tropicália [Jesse Locke]
- Upside Down: The Creation Records Story [Ana Leorne]
- White Riot [Jesse Locke]
- Who Is Poly Styrene? [Jesse Locke]
- Yo No Soy Guapo [Chal Ravens]
- You Are What You Eat [Ana Leorne]
- Your War (I’m One of You) [Jesse Locke]
- ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas [Jesse Locke]