Emma Cline has only published one novel, but it’s a dandy. The Girls, which first hit shelves in 2016, in the late nineteen-sixties. It centers on a young teenager named Evie, who falls in with a group of slightly older … Continue reading My Writers — Emma Cline
There is a lot to Guillermo del Toro’s filmmaking that I admire. But the prime feat may be the way he can bend just about any story to his jovially macabre sensibilities. There are times when the manipulation of the narrative … Continue reading Now Playing — The Shape of Water
8. Eleventh Dream Day, “Testify” Eleventh Dream Day was a band that seemed to come out of nowhere to storm the college charts, beginning with the release of their major label debut, Beet, in late 1989. Raved about in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 8 – 5
Look, I’m well aware that the only movie anyone cares about this weekend is set quite some time ago in a galaxy that’s a significant distance from ours. Ideally, I’d devote this weekly exercise in excavation to an relevant piece … Continue reading From the Archive — Pan’s Labyrinth
I landed in college radio in the fall of 1988. By that point in time, there were already loads of artist who were cemented as the signature acts of the left side of the dial: the Cure, the Smiths, R.E.M., … Continue reading One for Friday — The Smithereens, “Crazy Mixed Up Kid”
My journey with The Leftovers was, I suspect, fairly typical. Upon its debut, I committed space to the series on the DVR, because it aired on HBO, and it’s basically obligatory as a pop culture devotee to at least sample … Continue reading That Championship Season — The Leftovers, Season Three
The Disaster Artist would have been easy to structure as a prolonged dumb joke. It would have been simpler to structure it as a mean joke, delivering judgmental comic blows against the misguided dreamers that move through it’s lifted-from-real-life plot. … Continue reading Now Playing — The Disaster Artist
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. I’m now two years removed from residency in the picturesque mountain burg of … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Highland Brewing Cold Mountain
There are many building blocks of the internet, but the cornerstones are think pieces, offhand lists, and other hollow provocations meant to stir arguments and, therefore, briefly redirect web traffic. Engaging such material is utterly pointless. Then again, it’s not like I … Continue reading Bait Taken — Golden Globe nominations
12. The Smithereens, “Blues Before and After” The second single from the Smithereens album 11, “Blues Before and After” was a perfect example of the slightly tougher sound the New Jersey band generated with producer Ed Stasium. Probably best know … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 12 – 9
Coffee for Two 