Author: Dan Seeger

Books, Film, Television1 Comment

Roger Ebert, 1942 – 2013

Dan Seeger

I watch movies the way I do because of Roger Ebert. I started watching the venerable Chicago Sun-Times film critic verbally spar with Gene Siskel, his counterpart at crosstown paper the Chicago Tribune, when the two were hosts of the PBS program Sneak Previews. This was before the direction each of their thumbs pointed was keenly watched by studios, before the breadth of their influence reached a level that arguably exceeded that of any film critics that came before. These were simply two guys–equally passionate, equally smart, equally committed to exploring the value of cinema in all its forms–talking about … Continue reading Roger Ebert, 1942 – 2013

Music35 Comments

Top 40 Smash Taps: “You Got Yours and I’ll Get Mine” and “Trying to Make a Fool of Me”

Dan Seeger

These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. The Delfonics formed in Philadelphia, where the original band members met as students at Overbrook High School in the nineteen-sixties. They operated around the fringes of the music industry before coming to the attention of Stan Watson, the owner of the Philly Groove record label. The Delfonics were teamed with producer Thom Bell (who’d previously worked with them at Cameo Records) and they … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “You Got Yours and I’ll Get Mine” and “Trying to Make a Fool of Me”

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Great Moments in Literature

Dan Seeger

“Back when he was a boy, there used to be a gentleman named Joseph Charles, man would stand out every day at the corner of Oregon and Grove wearing a pair of dazzling yellow gloves. Waving to every car that passed him, extending to the driver, regardless of race, creed, or receptivity, one (1) genuine, heartfelt greeting. Mr. Charles’s manner bold and cheerful but a touch formal, hinting, though not in any unkind way, at the impersonal. No intention of greeting you in particular; simply reminding you that, like all humans, you partook in the noble human capacity for being … Continue reading Great Moments in Literature

Books, FilmLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

I had a lot of stuff go up at Spectrum Culture this week, so let’s just tick them off: –It’s fairly rare that I write for the book section, but it occurred to me late last fall that I just might be able to get myself a review copy of the massive, intimidating and universally adored new outing from Chris Ware, Building Stories. Evidently, I made my request right before our editor-in-chief, inspiring at least a bit of envy. That’s the proper reaction on his part, by the way. This thing is spectacular. In my many reviews for Spectrum, this … Continue reading Spectrum Check

MusicLeave a comment

One for Friday: Buck Pets, “A Little Murder”

Dan Seeger

Not to upset any lingering, devoted fan base the band might have, but I feel obligated to admit that the main reason I have affection for the band the Buck Pets is that I once knew a lovely young woman who appropriated their band name so she would have something to call me. She just liked the way it sounded, I think. When she was on the air, she’d play a song from the album and backsell it by sharing, “That one goes out to my little Buck Pet.” We never figured out what “Buck Pet” really meant, what the … Continue reading One for Friday: Buck Pets, “A Little Murder”

FilmLeave a comment

You have to pay the price of admission sometime in your life, somewhere along the line

Dan Seeger

The new film Admission differs drastically enough from the source material novel of the same name that original writer Jean Hanff Korelitz was given the opportunity to address it, presumably with the consent of studio p.r. mavens given her willingness … Continue reading You have to pay the price of admission sometime in your life, somewhere along the line