Top Fifty Films of 10s — Number Thirty-Five
#35 — Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012) It takes a peculiar skill to make a movie that’s utterly bonkers and yet marvelously lucid, simultaneously reckless and tightly controlled. French director Leos Carax went a long time between films before Holy … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of 10s — Number Thirty-Five
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Baby Face”
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Little Richard was like no one else. … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Baby Face”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #516 to #513
516. Ian Hunter, You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) As so often happens in rock ‘n’ roll, Ian Hunter’s career trajectory was hampered by ugly business entanglements. The former Mott the Hoople frontman developed a modest but noticeable presence … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #516 to #513
Outside Reading — Hers and Only Hers Masks
Toxic Masculinity Is Going to Get Us All Killed by Jessica Valenti Today at the grocery store, I saw two different couples comprised of a woman wearing a mask and a man opting against it. “Make no mistake: This is … Continue reading Outside Reading — Hers and Only Hers Masks
This Week’s Model — Christian Lee Hutson, “Get the Old Band Back Together”
Now this is the sort midlife pining for past glories that speaks to a sad sack such as myself. Christian Lee Hutson has been kicking around as a singer-songwriter for a few years now, but his star took a turn towards … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Christian Lee Hutson, “Get the Old Band Back Together”
The New Releases Shelf — Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters is a deafening thunderclap of album. The music’s not loud, but the sentiments roar. There’s too much life in Apple’s art to think of the album as a culmination, but it feels like an … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Radio Days — 90FM’s Top 35 for May 6, 1991
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Realistically, I should have known I’d want more remnants of my time in college radio than I … Continue reading Radio Days — 90FM’s Top 35 for May 6, 1991
Top Fifty Films of the 10s — Number Thirty-Six
#36 — Short Term 12 (Destin Daniel Cretton, 2013) After Destin Daniel Cretton graduated from college, he worked in a group home for at-risk youth. Firsthand experience with depicted subject matter isn’t entirely necessary to make a compelling feature film, … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 10s — Number Thirty-Six
Then Playing — Alita: Battle Angel; A White, White Day; Harlan County, U.S.A.
Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez, 2019). Based on a nineteen-nineties manga series, Alita: Battle Angel is right in line with all the other sci-fi lite and reductive girl power product that bears the sticky fingerprints of James Cameron, who produces … Continue reading Then Playing — Alita: Battle Angel; A White, White Day; Harlan County, U.S.A.
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #520 to #517
520. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Dazzle Ships (1983) “It sounds strange, I know, but we had been trying to change the world,” Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Andy McCluskey explained to The Guardian several years after his band experienced … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #520 to #517
Coffee for Two 