Then Playing — The Ex-Mrs. Bradford; Death on the Nile; Moonfall
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (Stephen Roberts, 1936). No one played a well-to-do gent dapperly cavorting through a murder mystery like William Powell. In between turns as Nick Charles, he plays Dr. Lawrence Bradford in this spiked trifle, reuniting with his ex-wife … Continue reading Then Playing — The Ex-Mrs. Bradford; Death on the Nile; Moonfall
Medium Rotation — Ants From Up There; Pompeii; Lighten Up
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD Ants from Up There (Ninja Tune) — If Ants from Up There must be the valedictory statement from this particular lineup of Black Country, New Road, at least it’s a bold, bristling farewell. Just days before … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Ants From Up There; Pompeii; Lighten Up
Then Playing — Parallel Mothers; Drive My Car; The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar, 2021). Pedro Almodóvar is on solid footing with Parallel Mothers, a film that includes some of his regular preoccupations relating to family, feminism, and the complicated snarl of personal history. He also incorporates considerations of the … Continue reading Then Playing — Parallel Mothers; Drive My Car; The Mitchells vs. the Machines
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #209 to #207
209. Yes, 90125 (1983) As work commenced on the album 90125, Yes was no more. The venerable prog rock band, already unsettled by lineup changes and other internal complications, decided to call it quits after the tour in support of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #209 to #207
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We have a running joke on my Trivia team, stemming from comic phrasing used in a video made years ago that commemorated our first finish among the top ten teams in the annual staging of the World’s Largest Trivia Contest … Continue reading 8
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #212 to #210
212. M+M, Mystery Walk (1984) Like John Mellencamp finally completing the long, compromise-laden transition away from the unwanted performing pseudonym that stuck him with Cougar as a moniker for more than a decade, Martha Johnson and Mark Gane were finally … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #212 to #210
Outside Reading — Flight of the Bumblebee edition
In Wisconsin: Stowing Mowers, Pleasing Bees by Anne Readel Given what’s happening this weekend, it seems fitting to share a couple articles that have ties — for me, anyway — to the City of Wonderful Water. The first is this … Continue reading Outside Reading — Flight of the Bumblebee edition
This Week’s Model — Anna Calvi, “Ain’t No Grave”
Anna Calvi does not underachieve. After being hired to compose the score for late-series episodes of Peaky Blinders, Calvi just kept going, writing some songs inspired by the show’s main character, Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy). “Ain’t No Grave” … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Anna Calvi, “Ain’t No Grave”
Trivia Answer of the Day — Meatball
This coming weekend, I’ll participate in The World’s Largest Trivia ContestTM. As per tradition, this week is filled with idle reminiscing about memorable answers in past years. During my undergraduate years at the college radio station, I was one of … Continue reading Trivia Answer of the Day — Meatball
Trivia Answer of the Day — The Salad
This coming weekend, I’ll participate in The World’s Largest Trivia ContestTM. As per tradition, this week is filled with idle reminiscing about memorable answers in past years. There was a time when participating in Trivia meant assembling a lot of … Continue reading Trivia Answer of the Day — The Salad
Coffee for Two 