The New Releases Shelf — Blue Weekend
If the world is shutting down around you, might as well try to make some music. The English band Wolf Alice were ensconced in a Brussels studio when COVID-19 made European borders close as decisively as heavy steel doors. They … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Blue Weekend
Golden Words — The Dick Van Dyke Show, “Coast to Coast Big Mouth”
Since great television comedy always begins with the script, this series of posts considers the individual episodes that have claimed the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series over the years. According to Carl Reiner, the script … Continue reading Golden Words — The Dick Van Dyke Show, “Coast to Coast Big Mouth”
The Unwatchables — The Gentlemen
I remember going to the theater for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the feature film debut of Guy Ritchie. Its U.S. release was in the spring of 1999, when indie-inclined screens were still wallpapered with all manner of gruff, … Continue reading The Unwatchables — The Gentlemen
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #335 to #333
335. Yello, Stella (1985) Yello was down to a duo. Following the 1983 album Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess, founding member Carlos Perón split from the group to pursue a solo career. That left keyboardist and programmer Boris Blank … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #335 to #333
Outside Reading — Songs Are Like Tattoos edition
50 Reasons to Love Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Joni Mitchell’s fourth studio album, The New York Times provides a colossal retrospective with commentary from fellow musicians, some who participated and … Continue reading Outside Reading — Songs Are Like Tattoos edition
This Week’s Model — Colleen Green, “I Wanna Be a Dog”
Me, too, Colleen. Me, too. Cool, the new album from Colleen Green, is scheduled for release in September. Continue reading This Week’s Model — Colleen Green, “I Wanna Be a Dog”
Laughing Matters — Conan O’Brien, “Kids Got the Blues”
When a former writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, an individual with practically no professional background in performing, was given the task of succeeding David Letterman, the consensus opinion was that this new fellow with the distinctive name … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Conan O’Brien, “Kids Got the Blues”
My Misspent Youth — Uncanny X-Men Annual #5 by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson
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. Summer months meant more time for reading comics. Without the burden … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Uncanny X-Men Annual #5 by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson
The New Releases Shelf — Jubilee
After a set of years that have been marked by misery — not only the global pandemic, but also the rampant corruption and malfeasance of the interlopers in the White House during the latter portion of the twenty-teens — I … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Jubilee
Then Playing — Blithe Spirit; Layer Cake; Algiers
Blithe Spirit (David Lean, 1945). Adapted from Noël Coward’s 1941 play of the same name, Blithe Spirit is a mere wisp of a movie comedy that generates domestic drama from supernatural falderal. Writer Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) invites a daffy … Continue reading Then Playing — Blithe Spirit; Layer Cake; Algiers
Coffee for Two 