The New Releases Shelf — U.F.O.F.
U.F.O.F., the new album from Brooklyn-based band Big Thief, is a lovely, elusive work. The first three letters of the title stand for exactly what anyone would think they do, and the tacked on consonant represents the word “friend.” On … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — U.F.O.F.
Playing Catch-Up — Marty; A Kid Like Jake; The Lego Batman Movie
Marty (Delbert Mann, 1955). Boasting an exemplary Paddy Chayefsky screenplay of downbeat eloquence, Marty manages to examine small-scale lives without a whiff of condescension. Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is a thirty-four-year-old butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother (Esther … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Marty; A Kid Like Jake; The Lego Batman Movie
Programming Note
Instead of tapping out my pop culture observations, I will simply make note that other stories should take priority today. Continue reading Programming Note
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #716 to #713
716. Big Pig, Bonk (1988) Hailing from Melbourne, Australia — with a formative stop in the U.K. — Big Pig made a brand of propulsive dance music that feels very 1988. Eschewing guitars altogether and employing three different drummers, the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #716 to #713
Outside Reading — Sweepin’ the Clouds Away edition
The Forgotten Tale of How Black Psychiatrists Helped Make ‘Sesame Street’ by Anne Harrington I’m bound to be enthralled by any smart story that digs into the earliest days of Sesame Street, the PBS program of my youth that was … Continue reading Outside Reading — Sweepin’ the Clouds Away edition
This Week’s Model — Ezra Furman,”Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone”
I’ve noticed that a lot of the music I’ve clung to like a life preserver these past couple years has been animated by a sense of enduring hope and camaraderie, seeking out the remaining shafts of light while storm clouds … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Ezra Furman,”Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone”
The Long Haul — Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory
These posts are about great acting performances sustained across the full run of a television series. Kaley Cuoco as Penny in The Big Bang Theory (2007 – 2019) Before Penny, there was Katie. Well ahead of the time The Big … Continue reading The Long Haul — Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory
The Art of the Sell — Stranger Things and New Coke
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. As someone who experience formative years during the nineteen-eighties, culturally guided by Steven Spielberg’s films and Stephen … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Stranger Things and New Coke
Golden Words – The Larry Sanders Show, “Flip”
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. The Larry Sanders Show debuted on … Continue reading Golden Words – The Larry Sanders Show, “Flip”
Great Moments in Literature
“‘But thank God for Walter Winchell. Without him we’d be lost. He’s the last person on the radio to speak out against these dirty dogs. It’s disgusting. It’s worse than disgusting. Slowly but surely, there’s nobody in America willing to … Continue reading Great Moments in Literature
Coffee for Two 