College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #26 and #25
26. Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust (1987) The first seed that would turn into the fertile garden Diesel and Dust was cast in 1984, when members of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil spent a couple days at an Aboriginal … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #26 and #25
Outside Reading — Diplomatic Immunity edition
This Was a Great Week for American Diplomacy by Fred Kaplan Writing for Slate, Fred Kaplan details the significant achievements of the Biden administration at the recent NATO summit. The real thrust of the article, however, is that the genuinely … Continue reading Outside Reading — Diplomatic Immunity edition
This Week’s Model — Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”
I mean it as a high compliment when I assert that the new song Billie Eilish created for the Barbie movie soundtrack recalls the expert work of Randy Newman. Especially when Newman was the go-to for Pixar during the animation … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”
Laughing Matters — Ben Stiller as Tom Crooze
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. Among the overabundance of … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Ben Stiller as Tom Crooze
The Art of the Sell — Carne Asada Tacos from the kitchen of Lalo Salamanca
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. On the occasion of Better Call Saul collecting another set of nominations in prominent categories, all of … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Carne Asada Tacos from the kitchen of Lalo Salamanca
Top Ten Television, 2022-2023 season
I’m sticking with my now longstanding tradition of commemorating the Emmy Nomination Announcement Day Eve by assembling my own list of the best television programming from the prior season. As always, I’ve tried to stick with those shows that were … Continue reading Top Ten Television, 2022-2023 season
Then Playing — The Merchant of Four Seasons; Madeinusa; Magic Mike’s Last Dance
The Merchant of Four Seasons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972). Generally considered the film that established Rainer Werner Fassbinder as a significant cinematic figure outside of his home base of West Germany, The Merchant of Four Seasons follows the travails of … Continue reading Then Playing — The Merchant of Four Seasons; Madeinusa; Magic Mike’s Last Dance
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #28 and #27
28. Camper Van Beethoven, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart (1988) “I got very tired of the fact that indie record labels sell to very specific audiences,” David Lowery, frontman of Camper Van Beethoven, told the Orlando Sentinel as his band toured … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #28 and #27
Outside Reading — The Star of the North edition
What Democrats Can Accomplish When They Control a Whole State by Grace Segers Like their cohorts on the other side of the Dairy State Divide, Minnesota Democrats have taken their recent wins at the voting booth as a mandate to … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Star of the North edition
This Week’s Model — Bush Tetras, “Bird on a Wire”
Bush Tetras formed in the late nineteen-seventies. Like a lot of acts formed in the forge of New York City punk rock, they churned out a slew of singles and played loud live shows. They also didn’t release their first … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bush Tetras, “Bird on a Wire”
Coffee for Two 