Matt Trzcinski’s career in journalism began in high school when he started writing for local newspapers. He’s been a film critic since 2012 and joined the Showbiz Cheat Sheet team in 2019 where he specializes in classic rock and pop music. He loves the larger-than-life personalities in both genres, which provide ample fodder in books and interviews for behind-the-scenes information our readers want to know. Matt has expertise in acts such as The Beatles and The Monkees.
Matt is a Tufts University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies. In his free time, he participates in the Boston Horror Society, a group devoted to horror films. He also enjoys reading the work of critics including Roger Ebert and Chuck Klosterman and authors J.D. Salinger, Edgar Allen Poe, and Franz Kafka. See more of Matt’s work on Screen Rant, Cinema Axis, Taste of Cinema, American Songwriter, and his Muck Rack profile.
A pop singer known for Christmas music performed backup on one of Elvis Presley's gospel tracks. She also discussed attending religious services with the "Heartbreak Hotel" singer.
Billie Joe Armstrong said the “paranoia” Donald Trump creates inspired a Green Day song. Armstrong wanted the track to sound different from other Green Day songs.
Billie Joe Armstrong revealed The Who's "Pinball Wizard" was the inspiration for one of Green Day's singles. He feels he made some major missteps on that song's parent album.
Aretha Franklin is one of the few artists who could perform Mariah Carey songs and do them justice. Carey dissed the way Franklin was perceived as a musician.
Mariah Carey shed some light on her Christian faith in a tell-all book. While she's no gospel singer, there's definitely some spiritual overtones to her music.
Madonna's "Open Your Heart" was inspired by a vegetarian restaurant and a server who worked there. The track's prominence was literally a dream come true.
Madonna and Cyndi Lauper are two 1980s divas who will always be associated with one another. Notably, one of Madonna's biggest songs was initially meant for Lauper.