5. The Smiths, “How Soon is Now?” “What is Johnny doing? That’s just noise.” Geoff Travis, the founder and chief of Rough Trade Records, wasn’t pleased with “How Soon Is Now?” when he first heard it. As lead singer Morrissey … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 5
I really should be dropping an old review of a Stephen King adaptation into this space, but I believe I’ve exhausted my supply of writing on the often-dire translations of the prolific author’s work. Instead, I’ll take as my prompt … Continue reading From the Archive: Running with Scissors
I appreciate those songwriters who can look to nearly inspiration in plying their trade. The annals of pop music is overstuffed with songs that offer up generic views of romance and heartbreak, but it takes a special craftsman to pen … Continue reading One for Friday — Robyn Hitchcock, “(A Man’s Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs”
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 has gotten extremely difficult to be a beer connoisseur — or beer … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Cellarmaker Brewing Co. Turok: Mosaic Hunter
Until Woody Allen came along, Billy Wilder had more screenwriting Academy Award nominations to his credit than any other individual. Counting Oscar nominations and wins makes … Continue reading My Writers: Billy Wilder
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Back in college, I undertook a wildly ambitious project with a friend of mine. At a time … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: “Color Me Bo”
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. Happy Labor Day, friends! … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Lisa Simpson, “Union Strike Folk Song”
6. The Clash, “Rock the Casbah” In many respects, “Rock the Casbah” was the beginning of the end for the Clash. The third single off the of the album Combat Rock, which was released in 1982, “Rock the Casbah” first … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 6
The only thing I’ll add to the below review is a revised version of the due-credit notification that original served as the opening line. It was a friend of mine — whose footprint on social media is stealthy enough that … Continue reading From the Archive — Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
In this space, I tend to venerate the music spun with vigor on college radio during my first year as a member of the brethren of left of the dial broadcasters. I think that’s fairly understandable. Most music fans cling … Continue reading One for Friday: The Triffids, “Holy Water”
Coffee for Two 