Laughing Matters — LeVar Burton on Community
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. TV Workplaces for $200: … Continue reading Laughing Matters — LeVar Burton on Community
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #323 to #321
323. Peter Murphy, Love Hysteria (1988) Following the dissolution of the landmark band Bauhaus, it took Peter Murphy some time to find the track he wanted to ride on. Following his time as the frontman for the goth rock pioneers, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #323 to #321
Outside Reading — Bulletproof Memorial Sign edition
THE BARN ON DREW RULEVILLE ROAD by Wright Thompson This powerhouse piece, published by The Atlantic, considers the enduring shadow on the nation’s soul of condoned bigotry and connected cruelty as exemplified by the torture and murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett … Continue reading Outside Reading — Bulletproof Memorial Sign edition
This Week’s Model — The Linda Lindas, “Oh!”
Just like that, we have new music from the punk rock find of 2021. A mere two months after their ferocious performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the Los Angeles Public Library went viral, leading to network television appearances and … Continue reading This Week’s Model — The Linda Lindas, “Oh!”
My Misspent Youth — Amazing Spider-Man Annual #18 by Tom DeFalco, Stan Lee, Ron Frenz, Bob Layton, and Jackson Guice
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. Stan Lee was no longer writing superhero sagas when I started … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Amazing Spider-Man Annual #18 by Tom DeFalco, Stan Lee, Ron Frenz, Bob Layton, and Jackson Guice
The New Releases Shelf — Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, the new album from Marina, opens with its title cut. An electrified drum beat and burbling synths are soon joined by Marina’s rich, low-tone vocals declaring “Our ancestors had to fight to survive/ Just … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
Radio Days — Then and Now: July 18, 2021
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Any time I cross the threshold of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s student-run radio station, WWSP-FM, it … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: July 18, 2021
The Art of the Sell — The Terminator movie poster
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Sometimes to find the most interesting movie posters, it’s useful to look well beyond the boundaries of … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — The Terminator movie poster
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #326 to #324
326. Asia, Asia (1982) Steve Howe was exhausted. The guitarist had spent years trying to keep his longtime band Yes a going concern as key members came and went. Following the release of the 1980 album Drama, the recording of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #326 to #324
Outside Reading — Golden Palm edition
100 Bewildering Hours at Cannes by Rachel Handler Festival de Cannes should always be covered with the tone of lightly aggrieved amusement that Rachel Handler brings to this piece. Or at least the calculated glamor of the French film showcase … Continue reading Outside Reading — Golden Palm edition
Coffee for Two 