Chris Nelson
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chrisnelson.bsky.social
Chris Nelson
@chrisnelson.bsky.social
1.5K followers 1.2K following 1.7K posts
Award-winning writer, bylines @ NY Times, MOJO, MTV, more. Music 🤓. Dylan, Dead, DC punk rock.

📍PNW
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chrisnelson.bsky.social
Tis the season
A T-shirt memorializing the Turkey Drop episode of WKRP in Cincinnati
November 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Sheets of sound. Also sheets of sound.
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” known for his “sheets of sound” approach on the tenor saxophone Hüsker Dü’s newly released live album, “1985: The Miracle Year,” marked by waves of melodic guitar noise from Bob Mould
November 9, 2025 at 6:10 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Assorted Crisis Events #6, by @denizcamp.bsky.social & @ericxyz.bsky.social, hits harder for me than any other so far. John suffers from Temporal Diminishment, but with my dad, we called it dementia. This whole series has touched me more than any art I’ve encountered all year. Maybe all decade.
The cover of the comic Assorted Crisis Events #6, written by Deniz Camp and illustrated by Eric Zawadzki, colored by Jordie Belaire and lettered Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It depicts a wife, Sasha, complete, and her husband John, who is illustrated partially as an array of puzzle pieces.
November 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
I’m working on a mix of 1/4 Verve and 3/4 Kuma. (First two cups of the day were all Verve ☺️)
A travel mug from the Woody Guthrie Center in front of a small bag of Grateful Dead Morning Brew beans from Verve Coffee Roasters, and a large bag of Nyamyumba decaf beans from Kuma coffee
November 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
This was my fave of late — awesome music theme outside of the actually solving categories. Wonder how many times they’ve done that and it just goes over my head?
A New York Times Connections puzzle that includes the words BIG, STAR, THIRD, SISTER, LOVER
October 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
TIL, in The Essential Peanuts, that Schulz hit on the idea of The Little Red Haired Girl (aside from his own unrequited experience) after listening one night to Hank Williams.

Shoulda been obvs all along
A panel from Peanuts with Charlie Brown saying, “I’d give anything in the world if that little girl with the red hair would come over and sit with me.”
October 21, 2025 at 1:20 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Can we judge a book a little by its cover? Or at least our excitement for said book? For all these hopeful leaning albums, I could use some more bright invitations
Wilco’s Ode to Joy album cover, a study in white The cover of Jeff Tweedy’s Warm, a black and white photo of him raising his arms The black and white cover of Jeff Tweedy’s Twilight Overrider, featuring him in front of w white circle
October 16, 2025 at 1:40 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
I was stoked that Connections last week had so much Alex Chilton outside of the designated themes
A New York Times Connections puzzle including the words BIG and STAR and THIRD and SISTER and LOVERS
October 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Fantastic arrangement of Desolation Row
September 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Lunch before last weekend’s Outlaw Festival tour in MD. Total ingredients: 10 oz crab, mayo, Old Bay
A 10 oz Maryland crab cake
September 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
And here you go…
A Republican happily quoting a bigot
September 19, 2025 at 4:51 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
I really love #BobDylan ‘s current arrangement of Desolation Row. Clip from Merriweather Post Pavilion, 9/14/25
September 15, 2025 at 12:06 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Paging @skoisirius.bsky.social and #Pinball Sky
A photo of the Music Pinball Hall of Fame mini arcade at Merriweather Post Pavilion
September 14, 2025 at 8:36 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
It makes me a bit sad to hear folks refer to the emblem on Batman's chest as a "logo," rather than a symbol. #comics
The cover of Batman #1, newly renumbered, from September 2025, showing Batman in a redesigned costume swinging in front of a yellow circle
September 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
The Nov 85 Kaiser shows are some of my faves from the Enjoying the Ride box. From 11/21, a Playing in the Band that loses and finds its way, then uncovers a path to She Belongs to Me. On 11/22, Estimated, Dew, and Lovelight all blow the roof off. Close with Brokedown? Please.
The cover of the November 21 and 22, 1985 recordings of the Grateful Dead at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland California, from the 2025 box set, Enjoying the Ride
September 3, 2025 at 2:21 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
What can @mojomagazine.bsky.social do for you? I was having a godawful day contemplating the state of this godforsaken nation, when I opened MOJO to find Jonathan Richman has a new LP and @johnmulvey.bsky.social elsewhere mentioning bass that calls to mind Phil Lesh & Mike Watt at once. Day saved!
The cover of MOJO Magazine 383 featuring Robert Plant
September 3, 2025 at 1:56 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Last night in Everett, I was thinking these venues are getting big! It wasn’t sold out, but it was packed. Holds 10k!
Billy Strings performing in Everett, Washington, Aug 22, 2025
August 24, 2025 at 2:37 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
This lumber company loves it some Stax
A billboard for Dunn Lumber in Seattle that reads “Deck? Dunn”
August 18, 2025 at 3:31 AM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
I enjoy this goodness by the 5-lb
A freshly opened bag of Seattle roaster Kuma Coffee’s Nyamyumba beans from Rwanda. Decaf version. Grown by the Tuvembukene Women’s Co-op
August 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
They make a dang comfy T as well!
The back of a gray T-shirt from Henlopen City Oyster House in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, showing the anatomy of an oyster
August 11, 2025 at 9:31 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Ack, forgot the roll call pic 🙄
A coffee mug from Akamai Coffee in Maui
August 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
So happy I’ve returned to comics this year, after, I dunno, decades away. These three books in particular continually hit my head and heart in profound ways
@juniba.bsky.social
@ericxyz.bsky.social
@javierrodriguez.bsky.social
@denizcamp.bsky.social
The latest covers from three of 2025’s best comics: Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC), Assorted Crisis Events (Image) and Monkey Meat (Image)
August 10, 2025 at 2:59 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
This ish (no 382, Sept, Brian Wilson cover in US) also has @steviechick.bsky.social ‘s beginner’s guide to the Gizz for those perhaps overwhelmed by the bands mammoth discography. Buy a paper copy, wherever paper copies are sold
The feature “How to Buy…King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard” by Stevie Chick in Mojo magazine no 382
August 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Y’know that @mojomagazine.bsky.social feature where they ask artists stock Qs? I’ve been reading it for decades, and Stephen Malkmus just served up the best one I’ve ever read
A snapshot of Tthe MOJO magazine feature, “All Back to My Place,” in which singer, songwriter, guitarist, etc Stephen Malkmus offers very Stephen Malkmus-y answers to stock questions. Droll? Sincere? Chose your own adventure
August 6, 2025 at 4:26 PM
chrisnelson.bsky.social
Wished they’d made a shirt from the Seattle 73 show
Cover of the 6/26/73 show in Seattle from the Grateful Dead’s Pacific Northwest box set. Featuring a bright blue sky, mountains, and indigenous art
August 2, 2025 at 6:13 PM