It’s a simple tenet, too often ignored. The more specific a work of art, the more likely the piece resonates with a thoroughly enmeshed truthfulness that approaches the universal. A film doesn’t need to be autobiographical to qualify, nor is … Continue reading Now Playing — The Farewell
672. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Pacific Age (1986) “There are a lot of people out there who may now consider OMD to just be ‘If You Leave,’” bassist Andy McCluskey told Billboard upon the release of The Pacific … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #672 to #669
“All Three Spoke Spanish. All Three Were Americans”: A Pediatrician Describes Treating El Paso’s Shooting Victims by Charles Bethea In the course of the past few years, I spent some time editing a trade publication that served the health care … Continue reading Outside Reading — Recoil edition
Achingly lovely and heart-rending in its poignancy, “Looking for America,” the new single from Lana Del Rey, is a perfectly timed reminder that pop music can be about important topics. Engaging with the monumental challenges of the day is one … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Lana Del Rey, “Looking for America”
In the pilot episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) arrives for his first day of work as program director for a Midwestern AM radio station with a poster tube in hand. The station plays musty, middle of … Continue reading That Championship Season — WKRP in Cincinnati, Season One
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Sometimes I’m prepared to expound at length about the nuances and intricacies I think I spy in … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Hulk Sells Honeycomb
M (Joseph Losey, 1951). Twenty years after the Fritz Lang film of the same name became a breakthrough for actor Peter Lorre, Hollywood took its crack at the very sordid tale of a child murdered hunted by both the police … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — M; Halloween; Jane Fonda in Five Acts
The new Black Keys album, Let’s Rock, is their first in a decade without Danger Mouse behind the board. For four straight records, the noted studio maestro named after a cartoon rodent spy served as producer or co-producer for the … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Let’s Rock
676. Wire, Kidney Bingos (1988) With the release of the EP Kidney Bingos, Wire reaffirmed they were back in the business of being a band. Eight long years passed without a significant new recorded release from the band before their … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #676 to #673
The Triumph and Tragedy of Woodstock’s Forgotten Album Producer by David Browne The fiftieth anniversary shabby clone version of the famed Aquarian Exposition hilariously collapsed this week, sparing the universe the weird embarrassment of current crummy bands trying desperately to … Continue reading Outside Reading — It’s Your Trip, So Be My Guest edition
Coffee for Two 