Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Knocked Out”
These posts are about the songs that fell just short of crossing the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Paula Adbul had a booming career as … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Knocked Out”
Radio Days — Then and Now: June 18, 2023
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. My pal who’s spent many, many years holding down the Sunday night, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: June 18, 2023
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #34 and #33
34. The Clash, Sandinista! (1980) “We planned to release a lot of singles, but we had trouble with CBS,” Paul Simonon, bassist for the Clash, told a reporter early in 1981, referring to recent scraps with the band’s record label. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #34 and #33
Outside Reading — Fahrenheit 450 and Rising edition
As more schools target ‘Maus,’ Art Spiegelman’s fears are deepening by Greg Sargent Art Spiegelman has been here before, so when he intimates that the right-wingers’ frothing eagerness to ban books is at a higher level than before, and showing … Continue reading Outside Reading — Fahrenheit 450 and Rising edition
This Week’s Model — THICK, “Doomer”
I like every but of this meaty, mighty rock song from the Brooklyn-based band THICK, but it’s the perfectly constructed chorus that makes it downright unshakeable: “I could kiss you hard right now/ Close my eyes and open up my … Continue reading This Week’s Model — THICK, “Doomer”
The Art of the Sell — Parenthood teaser trailer
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Although there’s also an art to cutting together an effective trailer using footage taken from the movie … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Parenthood teaser trailer
John Romita Sr., 1930 – 2023
The degree to which any artist gets Spider-Man right is directly proportional to how well they adhere to the model of the character established by John Romita Sr. I don’t think this is a controversial assertion, even given the fact … Continue reading John Romita Sr., 1930 – 2023
My Misspent Youth — X-Men Annual #6 by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz
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. I started reading superhero comics just as the X-Men were turning … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — X-Men Annual #6 by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz
Book Report — Sharp; Uncanny Valley
Sharp by Michelle Dean Nonfiction, 2018 The opening line of The Journalist and the Murderer, which originally appeared in three parts in the The New Yorker in 1989, is famous. “Any journalist who is not too stupid of too full … Continue reading Book Report — Sharp; Uncanny Valley
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #36 and #35
36. R.E.M., Murmur (1983) I.R.S. Records was keen to have a full-length R.E.M. studio effort to peddle. The Georgia band’s debut EP, Chronic Town, had been a hit, at least on college radio. Label representatives were confident enough in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #36 and #35
Coffee for Two 