The Art of the Sell — Only Murders in the Building season three
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I mean it quite sincerely when I type that the last fifteen seconds of this TikTok video … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Only Murders in the Building season three
Radio Days — Then and Now: January 15, 2023
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. It was a bit of surprise to find myself back on the air at my beloved alma … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: January 15, 2023
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #92 to #90
92. The Smithereens, Green Thoughts (1988) “When people write about things for a living, you like to write about them in a way that people understand them,” Pat DiNizio, the frontman and principal songwriter of the Smithereens, noted shortly after … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #92 to #90
Outside Reading — Hostile Climate edition
I’m a Scientist Who Spoke Up About Climate Change. My Employer Fired Me. by Rose Abramoff Writing for The New York Times, Rose Abramoff recounts her experience engaging in wholly understandable — if deliberately disruptive — activism informed by her … Continue reading Outside Reading — Hostile Climate edition
This Week’s Model — Everything but the Girl, “Nothing Left to Lose”
You know what’s a long time between albums? Twenty-four years. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the last Everything but the Girl album, Temperamental, was released, in 1999. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt formally announced the dissolution … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Everything but the Girl, “Nothing Left to Lose”
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Fallen”
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. Sarah McLachlan was a cultural force in … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Fallen”
Greatish Performances #55
#55 — Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952) When Adolph Green and Betty Comden wrote the script for Singin’ in the Rain, an MGM musical conceived as little more than a vehicle … Continue reading Greatish Performances #55
Then Playing — Decision to Leave; The Wonder; Fun with Dick and Jane
Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook, 2022). Working from a script he co-wrote with Jeong Seo-kyeong, Park Chan-Wook meticulous crafts a sly modern noir. Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a police detective with a keen dedication to his work and a … Continue reading Then Playing — Decision to Leave; The Wonder; Fun with Dick and Jane
Laughing Matters — The Simpsons, “Deep Deep Trouble”
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. Although I’d prefer to … Continue reading Laughing Matters — The Simpsons, “Deep Deep Trouble”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #95 to #93
95. Echo & the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain (1984) Echo & the Bunnymen benefited from a change in scenery when they recorded their fourth studio album, Ocean Rain. After setting up an unofficial home base of Rockfield Studios, located in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #95 to #93
Coffee for Two 