My Writers: William Shakespeare
I’m not so arrogant as to believe that I’ve got something profoundly novel to contribute to the vast ongoing discussion about the most important writer in the history of the English language. I can only do what the title of … Continue reading My Writers: William Shakespeare
College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 11
11. Blondie, Parallel Lines “Heart of Glass” was the fourth single released from Blondie’s Parallel Lines. Okay, technically it was the third single released in the United States, their label, Chrysalis, opting against issuing “Picture This” as the opening … Continue reading College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 11
From the Archive: Sneakers
As with all writing from the early nineteen-nineties that touches upon computer-based technologies, the limited grasp of the information revolution on the way is adorable. This was written from the student newspaper The Pointer. I think it was one of my earlier pieces, which might explain why we evidently hadn’t settled on a style choice for the title of the films (in quotes? italicized?) leaving it simply capitalized, which looks wholly inadequate to me know. I left that formatting in place, but I did fix the editing mistake the printed the name of a certain Academy Award-winning trailblazer as Sidney … Continue reading From the Archive: Sneakers
One for Friday: Ryan Adams, “Come Pick Me Up”
When I embarked on my second journey through the magical land of student-run radio, as the supervising adult instead of one of the rabble-rousing kids, I was all too aware that I had a lot of catching up to do. Despite my desire to stay current on music, to avoid being the guy who was calling up the college radio station requesting the songs and artists I’d been listening to for twenty-five years or more when the deejay really wanted to play that brand new thing on the shelf, I had done poorly. This was in part attributable to putting … Continue reading One for Friday: Ryan Adams, “Come Pick Me Up”
The New Releases Shelf: Turn Blue
(Picture) The backlash, it seems, is officially underway. While plenty of the more venerable publications have predictably lined up with dutiful raves, befitting the Akron duo’s new status as the last great hope of rock ‘n’ roll in a Miley Cyrus pop flare universe, there have also been equally expected kneejerk naysaying, led by a scalding from Pitchfork severe enough to prompt drummer Patrick Carney to sarcastically reference it during an appearance on The Colbert Report. The truth between these markedly different reactions, as it so often does, lies somewhere in between. Turn Blue is unmistakably a Black Keys record. … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf: Turn Blue
Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Thirty-Three
#33 — Clash by Night (Fritz Lang, 1952) By the time Fritz Lang sat in the director’s chair for Clash by Night, he’d been a filmmaker for some thirty-five years. In his early sixties, he was also going through something of … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Thirty-Three
That Championship Season: The Ben Stiller Show, Season One
Lorne Michaels has said that everyone’s favorite era of Saturday Night Live is whichever one was taking place while they were in high school. That may very well be true. Similarly, I think it may be possible that everyone’s favorite … Continue reading That Championship Season: The Ben Stiller Show, Season One
Gordon Willis, 1931-2014
Gordon Willis was nominated for the Best Cinematography Academy Award twice. Only twice. It’s unbelievable, and it stands as one of the greatest injustices in the overstuffed annals of egregious omissions of the august award-giving body. Let’s illustrate the extent of the oversight further: from 1972 to 1974, Willis was the cinematographer on four different Best Picture nominees, three of which actually claimed the top prize, and though his category often went in rough lockstep with Best Picture Willis wasn’t among the competitors once during this span. To make it even more clear, practically ever obituary and remembrance cites his … Continue reading Gordon Willis, 1931-2014
College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 12
12. Sea Level, On the Edge The Allman Brothers Band was one of those groups that felt like they were fractiously apart more than they were together, practicing a brand of precarious camaraderie befitting their familial nature. When the band experienced their first formal break-up in the mid-nineteeen-seventies, several members were already poised to do their own thing. Sea Level was a clear, supported offshoot of the Allman Brothers Band, opening shows for the southern rock icons in 1975 and 1976. In the latter year, it became the main thing going as the tension between Gregg Allman and his bandmates … Continue reading College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 12
From the Archive: King Kong
So…modern remakes of giant monster movie classics seem to be on my mind for some reason. This review was written for my former digital space This is when I was still deeply enamored with the idea of building hyperlinks into the reviews, an inclination that, I’ll admit, I haven’t fully shaken. Or maybe haven’t shaken at all. As it turns out, I and my partner in all things saw this movie on a trip to New York City, where we walked within view of the Empire State Building on the way to our next stop. It added some resonance to … Continue reading From the Archive: King Kong
