The Once and Future King: ‘SMiLE’ and Brian Wilson’s Very American Dream
Sean MurphyStop me if you’ve heard this one before. Icarus soars too close to the sun. Othello, vulnerable and halfway crazy, mistakenly trusts the evil Iago. The product of a celebrated…
God Is Dead (Again): Remembering Stevie Ray Vaughan
Twenty-five years ago today. First day of classes, junior year. Standing in the bathroom with too much shaving cream and not enough whiskers, getting geared up for another semester of…
Sanctuary
I visited my mother’s grave the first several years for the same reason I used to attend church: it was expected, it was meant to make me feel better, it…
Art and Life (Three Years Later)
(2003) Every so often I can’t help hoping that there will be a knock on my door and when I open it, who is there but my sexy soul mate,…
For My Mother on Her Birthday
I’m scared, I said. “It’s okay,” she said. “You know I’ll never leave you, right? I would never leave this place without you.” How many times did she tell me…
The Story of Self-Publishing (Part Two): Follow the Money
Earlier this year, NPR featured a podcast roundtable wherein four authors tackled the question: Is Amazon The Reader’s Friend? Generally speaking, the debate has been framed in terms of how Amazon…
The Story of Self-Publishing (Part One): Past is Prologue
In my role as an industry analyst for the tech industry I’ve followed the developments of our shifting cultural landscape with keen professional as well as personal interest. In particular,…
Reappraising Jethro Tull’s ‘Minstrel in the Gallery’
Jethro Tull, again? Seriously? Yes, seriously. The reason Tull warrants continued discussion is because unlike just about all other prog rock acts of the mid-‘70s, they were—in their businesslike, seemingly…
PUNCH DRUNKER: THE 50 GREATEST MOVIE FIGHTS OF ALL TIME (Part Five)
10. True Romance Yes, Clarence vs. Drexl could easily make the list. But even Oldman’s genius has to take second place to the scene. And you know which scene we’re…
PUNCH DRUNKER: THE 50 GREATEST MOVIE FIGHTS OF ALL TIME (Part Four)
20. The Outsiders Brat Pack Porn. 19. The War of the Roses Dark comedy? How about black hole comedy. That last, and final, altercation between Michael Douglas and Kathleen…