My Writers — Jennifer Egan
It’s no shock that first Jennifer Egan book I read was A Visit from the Goon Squad. Her previous three novels had their fans, of course, but Goon Squad was something of a sensation, a must-read even before it won … Continue reading My Writers — Jennifer Egan
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Soul Sister, Brown Sugar”
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. Samuel David Moore and David Prater, Jr. … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Soul Sister, Brown Sugar”
The Art of the Sell — Bob Uecker for Miller Lite
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Forget about Clydesdales on snowy paths or croaking frogs, the best ad campaigns ever connected to a … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Bob Uecker for Miller Lite
Greatish Performances #39
#39 — Kristin Scott Thomas as Katharine Clifton in The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996) For those who care about film as a medium — who want to consume as much as possible and then openly grapple with what they’ve … Continue reading Greatish Performances #39
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #852 to #849
852. Oingo Boingo, Boi-ngo (1987) Surely, MCA Records expected Oingo Boingo was poised for a major commercial breakthrough when the band delivered Boi-ngo, their sixth album overall and second for the label. Thanks in part to frontman Danny Elfman’s increasing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #852 to #849
From the Archive — 90FM-WWSP 50th Anniversary Playlist
Diligent radio personnel working a shift in the earliest days of WWSP-FM, the student-run radio station at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Fifty years ago today, a college radio station went on the air in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Broadcasting at … Continue reading From the Archive — 90FM-WWSP 50th Anniversary Playlist
One for Friday — The Feelies, “It’s Only Life”
Thirty years ago, in the early autumn of 1988. the Feelies released their third full-length album, Only Life. Even though its predecessor came only two years earlier, the arrival of Only Life felt momentous for several reason, arguably the least … Continue reading One for Friday — The Feelies, “It’s Only Life”
Programming Note
I haven’t been watching the vital Congressional testimony taking place today, but I have been following it, largely through the lens of social media and online news sources. Particularly when considering the courage it took for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford … Continue reading Programming Note
Now Playing — A Simple Favor
A Simple Favor is precisely the film Paul Feig needed at this point in his directorial career. The filmmaker will always have an honored place in my personal pantheon thanks to his efforts on the practically perfect television series Freaks … Continue reading Now Playing — A Simple Favor
Great Moments in Literature
“I found myself remembering the day in kindergarten when the teachers showed us Dumbo, and I realized for the first time that all the kids in the class, even the bullies, rooted for Dumbo, against Dumbo’s tormentors. Invariably they laughed … Continue reading Great Moments in Literature
