Laughing Matters — Julie Brown, “I Like ‘Em Big and Stupid”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Back in my college … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Julie Brown, “I Like ‘Em Big and Stupid”
Outside Reading — Fellowship edition
Guess Who’s Coming to Mordor by James Poniewozik When considering the flood of sewage deliberately pumped into the public discourse by right-wing cads, it’s practically impossible to determine which infraction against basic decency is most egregious. That, too, is part … Continue reading Outside Reading — Fellowship edition
Then Playing — Girlfriends; Johnny Eager; Chain Lightning
Girlfriends (Claudia Weill, 1978). This agreeably scrappy independent feature is an ancestor of Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha in its wry astuteness as it considers the complications of holding on to female friendship as romantic … Continue reading Then Playing — Girlfriends; Johnny Eager; Chain Lightning
Beers I Have Known — Central Waters Brewing Company Octoberfest Lager
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. It’s a fine, fine time of year. Previous entries in this series can … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Central Waters Brewing Company Octoberfest Lager
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #140 to #138
140. Nick Lowe, Nick the Knife (1982) On the official ledger, Nick the Knife is Nick Lowe’s third solo album. Considered in a more nuanced way, it’s his first outing on his own. The album’s two predecessors on Lowe’s solo … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #140 to #138
Outside Reading — They’ve All Come to Look for America edition
Bus Ticket Out of Texas Was a Ticket to Stability by Miriam Jordan As a pair of Southern governors continue their base-stroking competition to see who can be more cruel to human beings in need, the reporting on the hateful … Continue reading Outside Reading — They’ve All Come to Look for America edition
This Week’s Model — Meat Wave, “10k”
The new single from Meat Wave is exactly what I want, and indeed expect, rock music from Chicago to sound like. “10k” moves with a steady intensity and an obvious, inherent power, like an el train coming at full speed. … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Meat Wave, “10k”
Now Playing — Pearl
Director Ti West’s new film, Pearl, is a prequel, but that hardly matters. Yes, it is narratively connected to X, the springtime release, written and directed by West, that paid tribute to most sordid cinema of the nineteen-seventies with its … Continue reading Now Playing — Pearl
Radio Days — Anton Fier
Part of my process in becoming a proper part of my college radio station was learning the musicians who made stealthier contributions to the records that stirred the most awe for their resolute coolness. My previous music knowledge, shaped by … Continue reading Radio Days — Anton Fier
Now Playing — The Woman King
I am neither oblivious nor immune to the pleasure to be had in watching Viola Davis absolutely kick ass on screen. Usually that description is more metaphorical, referring to her ability to take charge of a dramatic scene and command … Continue reading Now Playing — The Woman King
Coffee for Two 