All next week I will be away, with consciously chosen limited access to the churning storms of the interweb. That creates a dilemma as I have the dueling, incompatible compulsions of insisting on something new in this space every day (even if that means occasionally resorting to nothing more than a piece of ecumenical, rubberized art) and a self-defeating love of procrastination. Luckily, there is a precedent. The last time I was absent from this space for a similar amount of time, I looked to my old friends from the college radio station that is so commonly a factor in … Continue reading A Week of Fridays II: An Introduction

I met Colin P. Walsh when I walked into his dorm room, mistakenly thinking it was the hallway. He wearily looked up from what he was doing (which was probably about five things at once–Colin is the only person I’ve ever known who could successfully read, watch TV and listen to music all at the same time), calmly explained my mistake and noted that it happened all the time. The rest, they say, is history. To him I owe my exposure to several major league ballparks (most now retired from service), a different appreciation for wine and an unwavering affection … Continue reading A Week of Fridays: Babelfish, “Crowded Room”

I know few people as personally passionate about music as my friend Wayne Semmerling. He’s the sort of radio DJ, of which there are too few, who studies his playlists, trying to make certain that he’s crafting shows that are diverse, fresh and consistently entertaining. (He’s also been getting attention for his formidable culinary skills for years now, but that’s a different post.) He remains a fixture at the radio station I invoke so often in this space, and has tirelessly given of himself over the years to help keep the humble student-run outlet a vital part of the community. … Continue reading A Week of Fridays: Sigmund Snopek III, “Thank God This Isn’t Cleveland”

I’ve gone record shopping with Steve Senski, and it’s like watching Albert Pujols hit or Ray Allen sink three-pointers. Actually, those comparisons, while accurate, don’t suit him very well. It’s like watching David Cronenberg arrange a mound of fleshy gore just so for a shot. That’s better. It’s like watching a master at work is my point. There was a time when he was devoted to owning every release listed in the fourth edition of the Trouser Press Record Guide, and he came shockingly close to the goal. He knows music, and knows it well. These days he presides over … Continue reading A Week of Fridays: Candyland, “Fountain O’ Youth”

Tomorrow I leave for a week. I’m not going far, but, as a matter of choice, I’m not going to have access to the Wild West shootout that is The Interweb. I was in a similar situation right around this time last year, and I chose to let this site go dark for a week. After some consideration, I decided on a different approach this time around. For one thing, I don’t want to disrupt the marathon countdown that I’m right in the middle of. But I also wanted to use my absence as impetus to do something I’ve been … Continue reading A Week of Fridays: An Introduction