LEGENDARY LADIES WHO ROCK

Marianne Faithfull first came to our attention with her 1964 hit recording of "As Tears Go By", composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. She later began a high-profile romance with Jagger and became one of the symbols of the Swinging London scene. But she fell on hard times due to a deep descent in to drug addiction. Faithfull managed to survive and returned to music in 1979 but her sweet melodic voice had changed to a raspy croak yet that made her singing even more intriguing and dynamic.

After performing with a number of punk bands and traveling Europe, Courtney Love returned home to the States after deciding she wanted to act. But music would call her back and in 1989, she formed the rock band, Hole in Los Angeles. With their second album, "Live Through This", Love and her band became very successful, selling million of albums. She became romantically involved with Kurt Cobain, front man of the band, Nirvana who Love married in 1992 and they had a daughter, Frances Bean. But both were using heroin and the troubled Cobain sadly ended his life in 1994. Love was able to get clean and decided to once again pursue acting, appearing in the 1996 film, "The People vs. Larry Flynt" where she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

And while it shouldn't be completely surprising, Faithfull and Love have been good friends for many years. The Los Angeles Times brought these two rock icons together to discuss their careers, poetry (Faithfull has released a new album, "She Walks In Beauty" that features her favorite 19th century poems) and survival skills with Faithfull nearly dying from complications of COVID-19 last year.

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Marianne Faithfull and Courtney Love talk romantic poetry, cheating death and the joys of sober sex

Another great band is Heart. Formed in the early 1970's and lead by the sisters, Ann (who was the lead vocalist) and Nancy Wilson (who played lead guitar and provided backing vocals), this was the rare rock group that had two women calling the shots. And they were incredibly successful with several best selling albums and singles and over thirty-five million records sold worldwide. Vulture interviewed Nancy Wilson, who has just released her very first solo album, "You and Me", and asked her what she thought were her band's best, underrated and balliest songs.

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The Greatest and Ballsiest of Heart, According to Nancy Wilson

And here are a couple of my all-time favorite songs from Heart performed live:

50 SONGS FOR A NEW LOS ANGELES

Since I have lived here longer than any other city in my life, Los Angeles is now what I consider home. It has changed quite a bit since I moved here and nothing has been more noticeable than the Hollywood and Downtown areas. When I first arrived, I had visions of a Los Angeles that I had seen in the movies and television. But the city had fallen on rough times by the time I got here with Hollywood filled with dilapidated buildings and hookers standing where movie stars once strolled. And just like what happened with New York City, developers eventually pounced on these rundown areas and have rebuilt them into livable neighborhoods and exciting destinations with new massive buildings continuously rising everyday.

Musicians have always been inspired by the City of Angels, writing songs that would help the world understand the beauty of Los Angeles yet also reveal the darkness that lurks behind the sunshine. The LA Times have put together a playlist of fifty songs which best represents the sound of 21st century Los Angeles. Some are familiar tunes from well-known artists while others are musical musings by more obscure performers. Each song is presented with key lyrics and a little background of the song.

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50 Songs For a New L.A.

And here is a small selection from this list that are my favorites: