Rock Talks

You’ve heard of TEDTalks? Same thing but for music! It’s a new way to learn, think, and talk about music incorporating history, science, literature, pop culture, and humor! Music-enthusiast, Erik Selinger will infuse his passion and love for music and pop-culture with you in this 4-week series. 

• Week 1 (June 5th): A Big Bowl of Cereal and Saturday Morning Cartoons: Calling Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and all other pop culture fanatics! As a kid growing up in the 1970s, one of Erik's fondest memories is watching Saturday morning cartoons, fueled by a big bowl of sugar-coated cereal. And he's not the only one. In the mid-1990s some alternative rock bands put out a couple of tribute albums, Saturday Morning: Cartoons Greatest Hits and School House Rock! Rocks. Hear artists like The Ramones, Skee-Lo, Liz Phair, Blind Melon, Matthew Sweet, and Sublime perform versions of childhood favorites. So grab your spoon and get ready for a big serving of nostalgia. Actual sugary cereal and milk will be available! Reminisce and Rock On!
• Week 2 (June 19th): Actually Disco Didn't Suck: What do you get if you mix soul, funk, R & B and pop with “four-on-the-floor” rhythms? Only the most maligned music genre ever! Disco spoke of female empowerment and the burgeoning gay rights movement. From “I Will Survive” to the “Last Dance”, grab your boogie shoes and set the time machine for 1976. Turn the Beat Around and Rock On!
• Week 3 (June 26th): I Want My Mtv: The 80s: Where were you on August 1, 1981? Because something revolutionary happened. The launch (literally) of Music Television, better known as Mtv. It changed music forever. And we’re going back to big hair and bigger stars. Madge, Jacko, and more. Be Rad and Rock On!
• Week 4 (July 17th):  The 90s: a Rock Mixtape: The 90s saw great diversity in the music scene. Hip-hop entered the mainstream with boy bands and pop divas ruling the airwaves. In rock, grunge and alternative were supplanting hair metal. Enter the mixtape. You were the DJ, the curator, with one song flowing into the next based upon your likes, your choices. If someone made you one, that meant something. Well, Erik made you a mixtape! Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, Alanis Morissette, Meat Puppets and more. Hit Rewind and Rock On!

Erik Selinger has more than 30 years experience in secondary education. He's taught Chemistry, Advanced Placement Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Forensic Science. He retired from the Franklin Regional School District in 2020. He's a life-long fan of rock music and his personal preferences tend toward heavy metal, punk, classic, and indie rock, but he's knowledgeable about most types of rock. He loves reading history, science, biographies, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. and he's lectured all around the county. Find out more about his inspiration for Rock Talks here.