The first thing of mine that went up on Spectrum Culture this week was an attempt to write on a new music release that was outside of my normal wheelhouse. Punk music speaks to the inner part of me that still craves the opportunity to descend into a basement somewhere and turn the stereo playing the angriest music I can find with the volume turned up as loud as it will go. Another challenge: the whole EP is less than ten minutes long. Writing a full-length review about something like that is a challenge. I think I did all right. A guy who used to host 90FM’s Skank Pit liked the review on Facebook, so that was a welcome vote of confidence.

On the movie side, I wrote on a documentary about Irish bare-knuckle boxing. This is a prime example of the writing process helping me to crystallize my thoughts about the movie. My initial reaction was a little more positive than the final review wound up being, but as I started working through my impressions of the film, it was clear that the problems were sticking with me a little more than the positives. That’s a big part of the reason why I adopted the practice of writing about films gain a few years ago. I realized I wasn’t wrestling with the artistry (or lack thereof) of films as effectively as I had in the past. I’m grateful that I have so many opportunities and outlets to do so currently.