Then Playing — Au Revoir, Les Enfants; Shithouse; Araya
Au Revoir, Les Enfants (Louis Malle, 1987). After more than a decade making English-language films, director Louis Malle returned to his homeland for this affecting drama set in a French boarding school during World War II. The autobiographical film, which … Continue reading Then Playing — Au Revoir, Les Enfants; Shithouse; Araya
The New Releases Shelf — Change
Eleven years is a long stretch between solo albums, but sometimes the world conspires to make working alone, more or less, the most prudent course. In the time since the generally well-regarded debut released under her first name, Anika Henderson … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Change
The Art of the Sell — R. Crumb for MTV
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. It can’t be overstated how dominant a cultural force MTV was in the nineteen-eighties and into the … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — R. Crumb for MTV
Radio Days — 90FM Reunion 9
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. For the ninth straight year, my college radio alma mater threw open its doors and airwaves to … Continue reading Radio Days — 90FM Reunion 9
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #314 to #312
314. Bryan Ferry, Boys and Girls (1985) Bryan Ferry had several solo albums to his credit when he made Boys and Girls. Unlike most of those prior efforts, though, working through material under his own name didn’t seem like a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #314 to #312
Outside Reading — Missed Shots edition
What to Do With Our Covid Rage by Sarah Smarsh Sarah Smarsh has been one of the more astute writers about culture clashes in the Midwest, especially among low-income citizens who feel left behind and whose anxiety change is ruthlessly … Continue reading Outside Reading — Missed Shots edition
This Week’s Model — Big Thief, “Little Things”
I don’t know if it’s entirely fair that a bad this prolific is also this good. Continue reading This Week’s Model — Big Thief, “Little Things”
Laughing Matters — Stereo 105
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. Harry Shearer is one … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Stereo 105
My Misspent Youth — What If #1 by Roy Thomas and Jim Craig
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. Not too long after Roy Thomas stepped down as editor-in-chief of … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — What If #1 by Roy Thomas and Jim Craig
Now Playing — The Suicide Squad
During a time when he was beset by controversy — the type of phony controversy manufactured by the right wing with the relentlessness that the Hershey company brings to the production of chocolate treats, but controversy nonetheless — James Gunn … Continue reading Now Playing — The Suicide Squad
Coffee for Two 