Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate the day. Continue reading Christmas Eve
Now Playing — The Two Popes
The world is so filled with knockabout absurdities nowadays that it’s easy to lose sight of the momentous circumstances that demand less immediate and constant attention. There are budding fascists to oppose and life-sustaining ecosystem roasting away due to criminal … Continue reading Now Playing — The Two Popes
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #596 to #593
596. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Paint Your Wagon (1986) By the time they buckled down to record their second full-length album, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry had already gone through enough upheaval to remake half their roster. Guitarists Chris Reed and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #596 to #593
Outside Reading — Lightsabers Out edition
Why ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Really Pissed Off Fans by Matt Singer As far as I’m concerned, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi saved Star Wars from itself, or at least from the tepidly sycophantic revival of the classically derived … Continue reading Outside Reading — Lightsabers Out edition
This Week’s Model — Wilco and Robyn Hitchcock, “Tomorrow Never Knows”
I have spent more time than I should admit dealing with fresh flare-ups of jealousy. Thanks to the punishing wonders of social media, I was privy to the delight a select few of my friends felt when they recently attended … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Wilco and Robyn Hitchcock, “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Golden Words — Frasier, “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz”
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. Frasier was dominant presence at … Continue reading Golden Words — Frasier, “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz”
Radio Days — A Metal Thunder Christmas
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. There are few trickier times for a college radio station than winter break. The reliance on student … Continue reading Radio Days — A Metal Thunder Christmas
Playing Catch-Up — Crawl; Her Smell; The Commuter
Crawl (Alexandre Aja, 2019). To his credit, director Alexandre Aja clearly understands the lean and lowdown appeal of the premise to Crawl. With little fuss and effecticely shorthand character-building, Aja races headlong into the telling the story of a flooding … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Crawl; Her Smell; The Commuter
Now Playing — Black Christmas
Whatever its flaws, the new version of Black Christmas makes a strong argument for the importance of having a motivation beyond exploiting brand recognition when remaking a movie. In truth, there may not be all that many current moviegoers familiar … Continue reading Now Playing — Black Christmas
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #600 to #597
600. Elvis Costello, Taking Liberties (1980) There were a lot of trips to the record store for anyone who committed to being an Elvis Costello completist in the early years of his career. Following the release of his debut album … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #600 to #597
Coffee for Two 