Sign in

Jonathan Lee

@beetlebump.bsky.social
454 followers 427 following 2.6K posts

ocean sky stars earth air fire water music movies books writing friends coffee trees clouds skateboarding painting drawing

PostsRepliesMedia
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(6/6) Fast forward to the waning months of 1980 when we lost John Bonham & John Lennon. So many of the artists responsible for the music that helped shape me began to disappear from the landscape. These live albums take me back to a more hopeful & joyful time that defined the days of my youth.
Newspaper article reporting on the death of John BonhamFans of John & the Beatles gathered in Central Park in New York City mourning his death
000
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(5/6) One More From the Road was our introduction to Steve Gaines, who helped Skynyrd soar to new heights. A little over a year later tragedy struck when their plane went down in a Mississippi swamp just a few days after the release of Street Survivors. #MusicSky #Skynyrd #OneMoreFromTheRoad
Steve Gaines at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GALA Times article reporting on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash
110
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(4/6) ”I sure am glad I don’t wear shoes when I’m out there singing,” he whispered. “I love to feel that stage burn.” #MusicSky #Skynyrd #OneMoreFromTheRoad #RonnieVanZant #LiveAtTheFox
Ronnie Van Zant
110
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(3/6) From One More From the Road: When the last notes of “Free Bird” had faded out on the third night, they had given everything. Euphoric & exhausted, Ronnie Van Zant plopped on a backstage sofa & kicked his bare feet onto a table. His voice was gone. #MusicSky #Skynyrd #OneMoreFromTheRoad
Ronnie Van Zant
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(2/6) At the start of the year Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive! was released. It became a huge part of my summer soundtrack. All three records included liner notes from Cameron Crowe. #MusicSky #Skynyrd #OneMoreFromTheRoad #CameronCrowe
Cameron Crowe
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(1/6) Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More From the Road was released 50 years ago yesterday when I was 14. That Christmas I received that record & Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same as gifts from my parents. #MusicSky #Skynyrd #OneMoreFromTheRoad
One More From the Road gatefold coverOne More From the Road inner gatefold
130
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
night people at the beach #photography
Atlantic Ocean at night
051
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
(4/4) Stations like QDR only come along once in a lifetime. They were not flawless but they did achieve a remarkable merging of music, air personalities, and community. Link below to a segment WPTF did on QDR’s sign off in 1984. #WQDR youtu.be/UWWx48hw22g
WQDR Preferred Listener Card
000
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
(3/3) One of the DJ’s that returned was the late Rockin’ Ron Phillips, who had the honor of the sign off shift. Not everything went according to plan. If you so desire you can listen to the last 20 minutes of his shift courtesy of Tom Guild (link below). #WQDR tinyurl.com/y9mrt2hb
Rockin’ Ron Phillips on the air at WQDR
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
(2/2) QDR had roughly one month to say goodbye to their listeners. They made the best of that time by throwing the rules out the window. Former DJs returned to the roost, album sides were played in the middle of the afternoon, and song constraints were lifted. #WQDR
WQDR billboard circa 1973
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
(1/4) 42 years ago last night I sat in front of my stereo in stunned silence as WQDR, my favorite radio station of all time, faded to black. After 11+ years as an AOR station the decision was made to flip formats to Country. In the current commercial radio environment there would be no notice. #WQDR
Early WQDR Ad
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
(1/2) Jimmy Buffett passed away 3 years ago today at 76. One of my older brothers introduced me to his music in 1974 when I was 12. I immediately went out & purchased the first one of his albums I could find which was A White Sport Coat & A Pink Crustacean, his first for ABC/Dunhill Records.
Jimmy Buffett
110
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
(3/4) This was a different R.E.M. but I didn’t view them as sell outs or anything of the sort. It was a continuing evolution of their sound. I loved them no less. They reached Top 40 radio. They would soon be on the cover of Rolling Stone, who declared them “America’s Best Rock n’ Roll Band.”
R.E.M. Rolling Stone cover, December 3, 1987 issue
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
(1/4) I can’t tell you my shoe size or what I had for breakfast but I can tell you that 39 years ago today I walked into Record Bar/Tracks in Jacksonville Mall in Jacksonville, NC.
R.E.M. Document promotional adR.E.M. Document hype stickerR.E.M. Document cassette J cardR.E.M. Allied t-shirt logo from the 1987 Work tour in support of Document
130
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
sunset #photography
070
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
(1/4) For many of us this is where it began, staying up past our bedtime listening to a transistor radio underneath the covers. I soon graduated to a radio on my bedside table where I would listen all night.
Transistor radio
120
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
(4/6) Also, the subversive quirkiness, which was also as evident in the album packaging as ever. Maybe the last R.E.M. album fully invested with the mythos of the I.R.S. years. #MusicSky #rem #lifesrichpageant
R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant (vinyl)R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant (back cover)R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant (inner sleeve - front)R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant (inner sleeve - back)
110
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Lifes Rich Pageant at 40 (supper side) (1/6) I remember making “Begin the Begin” the lead track on the b-side of the mixtape I made back then. The same older brother who seemed to enjoy listening to Murmur & Reckoning when I would spin them at his house years earlier dove for the eject button. #rem
R.E.M. mixtape circa 1987: Selections from Chronic Town • Murmur • Reckoning • Fables of the Reconstruction • Lifes Rich Pageant  •  Document
130
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
(3/4) It would be several decades later before I’d purchase it on vinyl again when I found a used copy. I own three different versions on CD: the original album, The I.R.S. Years - Vintage 1986 (with six bonus tracks), and the 25th anniversary edition from 2011. #MusicSky #rem #lifesrichpageant
Lifes Rich Pageant The I.R.S. Years - Vintage 1986Lifes Rich Pageant Lifes Rich Pageant 25th Anniversary Edition (2011)
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@remhq.bsky.social Lifes Rich Pageant at 40 (dinner side) (1/4) I was 23, almost 24 when Lifes Rich Pageant was released 40 years ago this month. I don’t remember where I bought it but most likely Camelot Music at Berkeley Mall in Goldsboro, NC. #MusicSky #rem #lifesrichpageant
Lifes Rich Pageant promo poster Lifes Rich Pageant promo posterPageantry tour - Grand Old Opry Nashville, TN September 10, 1986
Callie Hill of The Tennessean Pageantry tour - Grand Old Opry Nashville, TN September 10, 1986
Callie Hill of The Tennessean
100
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
beach #photography
pine knoll shores, nc 6.29.26
041
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Thank you. This all happened almost 3 years to the day of my car wreck in 2023 which was followed by bankruptcy, unemployment, potential homelessness, & deep depression. I have to wonder if it was somehow meant to prepare me for this. On the day I got the recent news a barista friend gave me this.
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Today I found out the car everyone was so kind to help me raise money for after my wreck in 2023 is beyond repair. Unfortunately, I’m still in the same financial situation I was back then. I put a link to my Venmo in my bio but certainly understand if no one is able to help out again. Thanks.
000
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Virgin vinyl from @ratboysband.bsky.social to kick off Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at Carolina Home & Garden. #MusicSky #Vinyl
030
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
@ratboysband.bsky.social indie exclusive green vinyl of Singin’ to an Empty Chair arrived today from @ziarecords.bsky.social signed by the band. Side 4 includes an etching that you can’t really see in this photograph. #MusicSky #Vinyl
030
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
2/2 In a feat of strength I’m not sure I knew I had in me I somehow managed to walk out of Volume Hillsborough last week without a copy of @ratboysband.bsky.social’s latest which has been calling my name ever since I first heard it. #MusicSky #Vinyl
Ratboys - Singin’ to an Empty Chair on black vinyl at Volume Hillsborough in Hillsborough, NC.
120
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
2/4 My essay is dedicated to the memory of Jon Griffin Hinson who would have turned 67 this month.
Jon Hinson on the end of our pier in Cedar Point, NC sometime in the early 90s when we remodeled our cottage.
110
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings performing an evening of acoustic Grateful Dead tunes at @hawriverballroom.com . #MusicSky
140
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Downtown sunset this evening. #Swansboro #Photography
050
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Started this one yesterday. #BookSky #MusicSky #AmandaPetrusich
040
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Started this this morning and am already over halfway through it. A most enjoyable and informative read so far. @peterblackstocksd.bsky.social @natalieweiner.bsky.social @tsaviano.bsky.social #MusicSky #BookSky #GuyClark
080
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
There was even a protest just on the outskirts of ultra conservative Swansboro this afternoon. A first for this area.
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
#NoKings protest on the outskirts of Swansboro, NC this afternoon.
030
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Not a gif and maybe not Major Matt Mason but perhaps just an astronaut in general. Or maybe, Alice Cooper. It was the space age. Astronauts were in, firemen & policemen were out. From the first time I saw him on ABC’s In Concert, Alice Cooper captivated my imagination.
000
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
We lost my Dad (Jim) 32 years ago today at the age of 68. My Mom (Janet) passed away 5 years later at the age of 73. Of the four surviving siblings (out of six) we have one dealing with some serious health struggles at the moment. Be sure to always let your loved ones know you love them.
My Dad (on the right) with his identical twin brother John who we lost in 1973 at the age of 48.Daddy when he was in the Navy.My Mom and Dad on their wedding day.
020
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Rainbow from downtown on Monday as winter did battle with spring.
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
stormy weather #Swansboro #OnslowCounty #IntracoastalWaterway #WhiteOakRiver #Clouds #Rainbow #Sunset #Photography
0140
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
From @postsecret.com today.
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
#NowPlaying #MaryGauthier #MusicSky
000
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
A fucking idiot on Tik Tok (not hard to find) comparing opening acts at concerts to ads you have to watch on YouTube before watching a video. #MusicSky
210
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
#SleepyCreek #WayneCounty #GradysGrocery
Our former home at Sleepy Creek.The former Grady’s Grocery country store just outside of Sleepy Creek where we’d take our old drink bottles to deposit so we could buy more drinks and candy.The original Sleepy Creek on Arrington Bridge Road as it feeds into the community known as Sleepy Creek.The original Sleepy Creek on Arrington Bridge Road as it feeds into the community known as Sleepy Creek.
020
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Circumstances took me home today. A lot has been written about what home is & what it means to us. I drove down roads today I hadn’t been on in decades & was often overwhelmed by the memories that came flooding back. Once sorted, they’ll become a story I’ll share. Maybe here. Maybe on my blog.
My Dad’s former dental practice in Goldsboro.My Dad’s former dental practice in Goldsboro.Coming into Sleepy Creek, where I grew up.Sleepy Creek
121
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Come for the BBQ, stay for the end of the world answers.
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
winter in repose #trees #moonlight #sky #photograhy
030
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
winter is waning. warmer temps. time change is Sunday. the first day of spring is imminent. positives to hang on to while the world is on fire. #sunset #photography #gravitypullsonthepowerlines
0123
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
serenity now
Pine Knoll Shores, NC
010
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
#CedarPoint #DudleysMarina #CarteretCounty #Swansboro #OnslowCounty
030
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Today. #PineKnollShores #CedarPoint #DudleysMarina #CarteretCounty
191
Jonathan Lee @beetlebump.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
010