The 73rd most populous city in the United States, with a population of 291,247 according to the 2020 census, but also the fourth-largest by area. I think it’s fair to say that Anchorage is not your atypical location in the USA. Archaeological evidence suggests the area was first populated some 5,000 years ago by the Alutiiq people who arrived by kayak, but it wasn’t until 1914,thanks to it being chosen as a site for railroad construction, that Anchorage began to take shape. Its unique location has resulted in its international airport being ranked as the fourth-busiest in thw world for cargo traffic, surpassed only by Memphis, Hong Kong, and Shanghai Pudong. Musically, there’s not much I can pick out that would be of huge interest to TVV readers albeit the city’s 6,000 capacity Sullivan Arena, has been a location where a number of renowned rock bands have played over the decades.
mp3: Michelle Shocked – Anchorage
The Texas-based singer-songwriter’s debut single back in 1988, which reached #60 here in the UK, while the album it appeared on, Short Sharp Shocked, got to #33. It’s the story of Michelle making time to write to an old friend in Dallas, only to find in due course that the reply comes back from Anchorage. The lyrics are inspired by what was written in the reply, as Michelle learns that her friend had moved to Alaska as a result of her husband, Leroy, getting a new job, and in the interim period a second child had come along. The sort of song that wouldn’t really happen nowadays with the growth and development of e-mail etc.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 