Woke up next to the king, got up, gonna fix me some things
Forty-fourth in a series… I believe this is the first one that’s listed as “uninflated.” (Source) Continue reading Woke up next to the king, got up, gonna fix me some things
My Writers: Kurt Vonnegut
As I sheepishly acknowledged in the last installment of this series, I didn’t discover Kurt Vonnegut when I probably should have. I’m not sure where he settles into the canon right this moment, but Vonnnegut was a staple of high … Continue reading My Writers: Kurt Vonnegut
Beers I Have Known: Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. I briefly battled stomach problems when I was in college–undoubtedly somewhat stress-related–and was … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter
College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1996, An Introduction
A recent Onion A.V. Club article posited that 1992 was the year that college rock died. It’s clear that the author, Noel Murray, is talking primarily about a very specific sound, the rootsy, chiming music that was largely inspired by … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1996, An Introduction
Spectrum Check
I only had one new piece go up at Spectrum Culture this week: a review of the new Ruby Suns album, which is mediocre. I have nothing to add about it. I was barely able to squeeze out the words needed for the review. However, I also forgot to share something last week, so I have a way to fill out this space a little more. We reached a conclusion of our mammoth undertaking to sort through the best cinematic comedic performances of each year, designating one as the pinnacle. The feature covered every year from 1930 to 2012, and … Continue reading Spectrum Check
One for Friday: Eleventh Dream Day, “Makin’ Like a Rug”
Eleventh Dream Day is the band that taught me about the fiscal realities of being a top college radio act. The Chicago group had a surprise hit on the CMJ charts with their second full-length and major label debut, Beet, in 1989. As it recall, it came out of nowhere, and wound up making it all the way to #2 on the CMJ album charts. To us, it seemed like a big deal. This was obviously a huge new band, rubbing shoulders with the iconic likes of the Cure, the B-52’s and Public Image Ltd. Surely they were now huge, … Continue reading One for Friday: Eleventh Dream Day, “Makin’ Like a Rug”
Top 40 Smash Taps: “Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)”
These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. The Four Tops were one of the signature acts of Motown. They placed twenty-four singles in the Billboard Top 40, including two that made it all the way to the top spot. Featuring Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Lawrence Payton and the incomparable Levi Stubbs. The epitome of dependability, the quartet was comprised of the same four individuals–across multiple labels and countless … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)”
Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Forty-Five
#45 — They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (Sydney Pollack, 1969) Sydney Pollack knew how to put together a movie. He was a favorite director of mine, despite the not insignificant detail that he didn’t make all that many great movies. … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Forty-Five
Cahill, Dardenne and Dardenne, Linklater, Peretz, Rydell
Our Idiot Brother (Jesse Peretz, 2011). There’s sure an abundance of promising elements to this comedy, but it illustrates the vast divide between lining up the right pieces and assembling them properly. Paul Rudd plays a layabout organic farmer who gets busted for selling pot to a police officer and then cycles through staying with his various siblings, played by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. It’s boilerplate comic uplift with everyone evolving to understand the kind-hearted qualities behind the protagonist’s aggravatingly detached manner. There’s barely a laugh to be had in the film, though, and most of the … Continue reading Cahill, Dardenne and Dardenne, Linklater, Peretz, Rydell
Oscar Blight
I was predisposed to dislike this year’s Oscars telecast. I can admit it. Even since the Academy’s baffling announcement that Seth MacFarlane would be the host of their 85th awards ceremony, I’ve been on a downward trajectory of enthusiasm for … Continue reading Oscar Blight
