Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Six
#6 — McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971) It’s routine to praise directors for their abilities to construct entire worlds, especially in the modern era of filmmaking which increasingly depends upon the startling efforts of creators who are freakishly adept … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Six
Top 40 Smash Taps: “Got a Love for You”
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. Jomanda was a trio that hailed from New Jersey. Members Cheri Williams and Joanne Thomas knew each other in their younger years, eventually reuniting after losing touch during high school. They were joined by Renee Washington, who’d developed her singing skills in church choirs, and began recording under the name Jomanda in 1987, quickly scoring hits on the Dance charts. Mixing the driving … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “Got a Love for You”
College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 24 and 23
24. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” by the Smiths “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before,” the fourth and final single from the Smiths’ fourth and final studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come, was the first track from the band that I openly enjoyed, mostly because I was stupid. While I was arduously learning to expand my musical tastes during high school, I naturally and unfortunately took cues from my peers, a group of largely unenlightened souls who will quick to tag the U.K. group built around the creative tension between lead … Continue reading College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 24 and 23
Spectrum Check
This week at Spectrum Culture is a rare instance in which I had no new writing appear, at least in part due to the holiday schedule. So no real updates from me. Instead, follow the link above to check out some of my fine colleagues work. And enjoy your leftovers. Continue reading Spectrum Check
One for Friday: Tommy Shaw, “Girls with Guns”
I would never claim to be some sort of brilliant tweeter. I have my account, and I dutifully throw observations and snarky commentary up there. Mostly, it’s little more than links to different things that catch my eye during the day. Occasionally, though, an interesting little chat springs up around there, as was the case this past week when I expressed my helpless admiration for a certain Tommy Shaw single. Shaw was a guitar player for the ludicrously bombastic nineteen-seventies and nineteen-eighties rock band Styx. The group broke up shortly after the mammoth success of their 1983 album Kilroy Was … Continue reading One for Friday: Tommy Shaw, “Girls with Guns”
Happy Thanksgiving!
“What did you expect, a turkey card?” Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving!
My Writers: Bradley Denton
When I was younger, I was certain I should like science fiction and fantasy fiction. All the indicators were there, led by an endless affection for the wildly creative worlds found within the pages of comic books. There’s an awful … Continue reading My Writers: Bradley Denton
Everything sticks until it goes away
In Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis moves on from acting to alchemy. The two-time Oscar-winner is hardly prolific (he’s made only ten films since collecting that first Academy Award, for My Left Foot, a film now twenty-three years old), but … Continue reading Everything sticks until it goes away
Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Seven
#7 — Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) I’ve loved Annie Hall for a long time, but I don’t think I understood the extent of its specialness until I saw the Woody Allen directorial effort that directly preceded it, 1975’s Love … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Seven
College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 26 and 25
26. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 The Joshua Tree, the fifth studio album from U2, was released on March 9, 1987. I think it’s quite far to tag that as the date that everything changed decisively for the Irish quartet. It’s not like they hadn’t enjoyed a taste of success previously, especially back home in the U.K., where they were an established Top 10 act. Even in the presumably tougher-to-crack United States, their previous two studio albums had peaked just outside of the Billboard Top 10, and the single “Pride (In the Name of Love)” … Continue reading College Countdown: KROQ-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 1987, 26 and 25
