CONVO EX NIHILO is a very cool podcast:
“Robert Wagner is a musician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His band The Little Wretches is a folk act with a punk rock spirit. Their 2020 album Undesirables and Anarchists gives soulful life to the stories of the songs' protagonists. They are the down-trodden and destitute, the forgotten wretches of society and Robert joins Billy via zoom to…
Read moreClick this link to go to THE ARTISTS CENTRAL
Honestly, this looks like the work of our publicist. Propaganda, as they say. Then again, propaganda usually blends a lot of truth with some crucial lies. I don't think this piece contains any falsehoods, but it does feel like a gratuitous piece of self-promotion. Oh, go ahead. Keep that flattery coming!
Click here to go to the episode of CRASH! BANG! WALLOP! The Podcast featuring The Little Wretches
Hi, this is Robert Andrew Wagner of The Little Wretches, and this is CRASH BANG WALLOP, the podcast.
Anyone who’s familiar with our band knows that THE LITTLE WRETCHES is the perfect name for us. I got the idea for the name when I watching a movie with subtitles. The movie was THE 400 BLOWS by Francois Truffaut, a movie about kids—you know, petty delinquency, oblivious and oppressive adults. Right around the…
Read moreTHE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN was a hit on the radio, Joan Baez was the singer, and I wanted to buy the 45 rpm disc. I may have been a kid but recognized a good song. (At that age, I probably would not have appreciated hearing The Band’s version.) Catchy melody. Interesting story. Good singalong part. A hit. Something that should be part of my growing collection, right?
What would the record have cost, a dollar or thereabouts? Would my mom give me a dollar to buy THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN?
…Read moreMike Madden, John Carson, Rosa and I have been trying to learn the batch of songs I call RED BEETS & HORSERADISH. We've rehearsed in-person five times and via Zoom meetings once or twice a week. We made a commitment to each other to spend an hour a day practicing the songs on our own. I can't speak for the other guys, but I've missed a day or two but made up for it by playing twice as long on other days.
It looks like we'll be committing this stuff to tape (imaginary tape, zeroes and ones in digital…
Read moreCLICK THESE WORDS TO VISIT PLANET SINGER DOT NET TO READ THE INTERVIEW
I managed to squeeze in some references to Henry Miller, the Muses of Greek Mythology, William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET, and the vows of marriage. Every now and then, I say something I'm proud to have said, and that happens a couple of times in this interview.
Robert Wagner – The Little Wretches and Much More! Exclusive Interview!
Artists like Robert Wagner make our job as music editors worth it. Strong of a long and exciting…
Read moreOne fateful night while I was in college, I got into a fistfight with my dad. I stuffed a few clothes into a backpack, and disappeared into the night. Surely, I could have called upon a friend for a temporary place to stay, but I'm a pretty stubborn dude and didn't think I should have to ask for a place to stay. If I couldn't stay in my own home, then f### it all--I'd be homeless.
As it turned out, I'd been awarded a work-study job as a janitor at McKee Place School (an alternative school in the tradition…
Read moreFunny. I see artists who get like 1.6 million views the day they release something. We got about a thousand views. Not bad. But here's the part that hurts. I get these analytics and statistics from YouTube. The song is about four minutes in length. Guess what is the average view-time for the video?
Twenty-eight seconds.
I guess that means people click on the song, listen for the first half-minute, then click on.
Reminds me of Elliott Murphy's liner-notes for 1969 THE VELVET UNDERGROUND LIVE WITH Lou Reed:
…Read moreClick here to see the story about the debut of the lyric-video for ALL OF MY FRIENDS
by Skope • February 18, 2021
The seminal 80s/90s indie rock band from Pittsburgh received am/fm airplay on more than 125 North American radio stations in 2020.
All of my friends are on somebody’s list
of Undesirables and Anarchists
It’s not even safe to admit that you’re one of my friends.
–Robert Wagner, “All Of My Friends”
In a year that was not kind to so many, 2020 proved to be somewhat of a resurgence for one of the…
Read moreClick Here to read the interview with Robert at BEHIND THE SONG
Behind the Song
9 min read
The Little Wretches
As Front-man and chief songwriter and lyricist for 80s/90s seminal Pittsburgh rock band, Little Wretches, Robert Wagner rode a wave of local notoriety that led the band to the forefront of the underground music scene. The Little Wretches were founded as a folk/punk band by Robert (guitar) and his brother, Chuckie (violin). The band had various lineups. Little Wrenches recorded two albums, with…
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