161. Talking Heads, True Stories (1986) David Byrne wanted to make a movie. The Talking Heads frontman had long held creative aspirations beyond the dazzling art rock he made with cohorts Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth, and the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #161 to #159
Today defeated me, so I’m going to let my little corner of the digital world go dormant for a couple days. We will return to daily updates with this Sunday’s College Countdown post. Continue reading Programming Note
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. Thirty-five years ago this … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Jake Johannsen’s first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman
I don’t really know anything about writer-director Jordan Peele’s process when he crafts a new film, but I like to imagine that he starts with the first story idea that comes to mind and then pushes himself — pointedly and … Continue reading Now Playing — Nope
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. After a few long days of driving, it’s nice to settle into the … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Raquette River Brewing Wicked Felina Mexican Lager
164. Billy Bragg, Talking with the Taxman About Poetry (1986) “I’m a firm believer that by the third album, you have to show some signs of progression,” Bragg said. “With the first couple of LPs, you’re just carving out your … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #164 to #162
Pete Seeger outlasted the bastards by John Nichols On the occasion of Pete Seeger receiving well-deserved commemoration on a stamp from the U.S. Postal Service, John Nichols writes a celebratory of appraisal of the folk icon’s enduring legacy. Mostly, as … Continue reading Outside Reading — This Stamp Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender edition
When Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson decided to collaborate, they didn’t treat it as a lark, some mere noodling that might provide a B-side or two. They came up with enough material for a full studio album and recorded it … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Plains, “Problem with It”
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. Paper Girls begins in 1988. It doesn’t stay there. Written by … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang
FANTASTIC NEGRITO White Jesus Black Problems (Storefront Records) — Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz has a new story to tell on White Jesus Black Problems, his fifth studio album under the name Fantastic Negrito. Some impromptu examination of his family tree yielded … Continue reading Medium Rotation — White Jesus Black Problems; Big Time
Coffee for Two 