College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #944 to #941
944. David Johansen, Here Comes the Night (1981) Being a legend is nice, but alone it doesn’t keep the debt collector satisfied. As the frontman of the New York Dolls, David Johansen could lay a claim to being among the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #944 to #941
From the Archive — Superbad
Emma Stone and Jonah Hill have been nominated for the same number of Academy Awards. Stone’s win obviously gives her the edge in any tallying up of awards acclaim, but it remains an odd alignment given that any reasonable assessment … Continue reading From the Archive — Superbad
One for Friday — 5 Chinese Brothers, Three Cool Guys”
By 1997, I was desperate to hear music that didn’t sound like Pearl Jam. I admittedly tend to overstate the enveloping nature of the grunge movement on nineteen-nineties rock scene, but it was exhausting to endure the onslaught of bands … Continue reading One for Friday — 5 Chinese Brothers, Three Cool Guys”
The Unwatchables — The Mummy
I hold Tom Cruise directly responsible for some of my worst experiences in the movie theater. In the summer of 1990, I committed to co-producing and co-hosting a weekly movie review program at my college radio station. The plan included … Continue reading The Unwatchables — The Mummy
The New Releases Shelf — There’s a Riot Going On
By the official tally, There’s a Riot Going On is the fifteenth studio album from Yo La Tengo, and the band’s first of predominantly new material since the masterful and underrated Fade, released in 2013. It’s been over thirty years … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — There’s a Riot Going On
Playing Catch-Up — The Hero; Paddington 2; Deepwater Horizon
The Hero (Brett Haley, 2017). Brett Haley conceived of this character study after working with Sam Elliott on a previous effort. The genesis of the project is clear in the finished product, if only because there’s barely any purpose beyond … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — The Hero; Paddington 2; Deepwater Horizon
15
I and some of the most brilliant people I know once again devoted a huge swath of time in recent days to the annual staging of The World’s Largest Trivia ContestTM by a college radio station with an enduring hold on my … Continue reading 15
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #952 to #949
952. Paul McCartney, Tug of War (1982) Although it obviously caused far less fan trauma than the band dissolution that took place roughly a decade earlier, the breakup of Wings should probably be seen as one of the pivotal career … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #952 to #949
From the Archive — Triviatown
I’m a little weary and preoccupied (and maybe a little tipsy) at the moment this posts. There is a documentary out there in the world that helps explain why. This was my stab at reviewing the film shortly after seeing … Continue reading From the Archive — Triviatown
One for Friday — The Kings, “Anti-Hero Man”
I’ve spent this week spilling out personal lore associated with the annual staging of The World’s Largest Trivia contest by my student broadcasting alma mater. Until I revive the tradition next year, I have one more. Years ago, to fill … Continue reading One for Friday — The Kings, “Anti-Hero Man”
Coffee for Two 