Laughing Matters — The Ben Stiller Show, “Skank Goes Blind”
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. Because even Skank got … Continue reading Laughing Matters — The Ben Stiller Show, “Skank Goes Blind”
That Championship Season — America to Me, Season One
The July 1936 issue of Esquire magazine included a poem by Langston Hughes titled “Let America be America Again.” A meaty treatise on how the most treasured principles of the American dream are forever out of reach to certain citizens … Continue reading That Championship Season — America to Me, Season One
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #176 to #174
176. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Goodbye Cruel World (1984) Elvis Costello was through with the Attractions. The relationship between Costello and his backing back had been souring for some time, and he reached the conclusion that continuing on was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #176 to #174
Outside Reading — The World We Are Fighting For Is Already Here edition
As Federal Climate-Fighting Tools Are Taken Away, Cities and States Step Up by Maggie Astor As the conservative majority of the Supreme Court of the United States claps their soot-stained hands with satisfaction at the completion of a term where … Continue reading Outside Reading — The World We Are Fighting For Is Already Here edition
This Week’s Model — NNAMDï, “I Don’t Wanna Be Famous”
NNAMDï is a force. The Chicago-based musician has put out a slew of solo records, played in multiple bands, and co-founded a label, Sooper Records, that is dedicated to showcasing artists whose hail-Mary commercial prospects make them unlikely to get … Continue reading This Week’s Model — NNAMDï, “I Don’t Wanna Be Famous”
Medium Rotation — We; We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
ARCADE FIRE We (Columbia) — The first impression of We, the new album from Arcade Fire, is that the rock gods of Montreal are circling back to their foundational sounds after a couple albums tinkering with some electroclash of the … Continue reading Medium Rotation — We; We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
The Art of the Sell — R.E.M. for America’s Libraries
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. These scruffy Georgians are giving some good advice here. These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — R.E.M. for America’s Libraries
Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
High-Rise (Ben Wheatley, 2015). I have only a passing familiarity with the writing of J.G. Ballard, but I suspect his brand of dystopian social satire is best left on the page. That conclusion is fortified by High-Rise, director Ben Wheatley’s … Continue reading Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
Radio Days — Then and Now: June 26, 2022
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Last night, I continued my busy summer of pitching in one of the mainstays of the Sunday … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: June 26, 2022
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
179. Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking (1988) The cover of Nothing’s Shocking, the second LP from Jane’s Addiction, puts irony to the album’s title, which was presumably always the intent. Polymathic creator Perry Farrell, the band’s frontman, rendered a sculpture of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
Coffee for Two 