Tom Petty, 1950 – 2017
For me, Tom Petty’s career was a recurring invitation of rediscovery. The Florida native delivered his first album with the Heartbreakers in 1976, which put him right on the cusp of artists who, in my perception, had simply always been … Continue reading Tom Petty, 1950 – 2017
Laughing Matters — The Onion, ‘No Way to Prevent This’
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Today, The Onion posted … Continue reading Laughing Matters — The Onion, ‘No Way to Prevent This’
College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 2
2. R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” At the time R.E.M. released their fifth studio album, Document, in 1987, the little ol’ band from Athens, Georgia was still adamantly against a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 2
From the Archive — Pleased to Meet Me
A couple of weeks back, a friend of mine was kind enough to share some airtime with me. After participating in the reunion weekend for my old college radio station two years runnings, I decided I was up for swinging … Continue reading From the Archive — Pleased to Meet Me
One for Friday — Any Trouble, “Girls Are Always Right”
This is it, friends. This is exactly what 1980 sounded like. The single “Girls Are Always Right,” from the U.K. new wave band Any Trouble, has some Joe Jackson to it. And Elvis Costello, and Graham Parker, and Marshall Crenshaw. … Continue reading One for Friday — Any Trouble, “Girls Are Always Right”
Now Playing: It
I remember when Stephen King’s novel It was first published, in 1986. Then only a dozen years into his career as a novelist — but already claiming nearly twenty books to his credit — King was an unstoppable force in … Continue reading Now Playing: It
My Writers: Robert Caro
The books are massive, which makes them intimidating. Just glancing at one of the spines, likely wide enough to place a comfortably discernible portrait on it, is enough to tingle up a feeling of exhaustion. And yet one of the … Continue reading My Writers: Robert Caro
My Misspent Youth — Marvel Team-Up Annual #7 by Louise Simonson and Paul Neary
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. When I started reading superhero comics, I had only a passing … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Marvel Team-Up Annual #7 by Louise Simonson and Paul Neary
Laughing Matters — George Carlin, “It’s the old American double standard….”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. This snippet of a … Continue reading Laughing Matters — George Carlin, “It’s the old American double standard….”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 3
3. Love and Rockets, “No New Tale to Tell” “This was our ‘getting it together in the countryside’ acoustic album,” David J wrote on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Earth, Sun, Moon, the 1987 release from Love and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 3
Coffee for Two 