Shipping Up To Boston
Sean Murphy1984 was the last time it happened: Game 7 for all the marbles. Back then I was deeply invested; now, not so much. To put it mildly, my passion for…
The Howling or, 100 Years of the Big Bad Wolf
Who's afraid of the big, bad Wolf? Plenty of people, and for good reason. Fortunately for us, we are not sketchy record company executives or anyone else who may have…
What’s It All About, Then? Part Two: Jazz, Featuring Wayne Shorter
There are not many people who have any idea what it's like to be this cool. Even Wayne Shorter does not know, because he is too cool to stop and…
‘Walkabout’ Is the Rarest of Films That Will Change Your Life Again Every Time You Return to It
There are those special movies that change your life after you’ve seen them. Then there are the almost miraculous movies that stay inside you and then change your life again…
Five Guys or, The Greatest Band of All Time (No, Really)
Miles Davis. Herbie Hancock. Wayne Shorter. Tony Williams. Ron Carter. Those men, individually, are some of the most important and brilliant musicians of the last century. Together? Forget about it.…
Dennis Hopper: He Made Our World More Weird And Wonderful
So cancer finally succeeded in cutting short the odd and inimitable life of Dennis Hopper. That is a shame, of course, although we would probably be wise to give thanks…
Memorial Day*
I. I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive Cyrus has never actually discussed his brief stint in the army that took him to Vietnam. On a couple of…
Can-Utility and the Krauthammers
Well, when you anoint yourself King Canute, you mustn't be surprised when your subjects expect you to command the tides. So saith the cretinous Charles Krauthammer in a piece that, unfortunately,…
“Better call on evolution” or, Our Cultural Koyaanisqatsi
ON THIS DAY: On May 25, 1925, John T. Scopes was indicted in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. I always enjoy the chance to invoke the incomparable Bill…
Mostly Other People Do The Killing or, The Shape of Jazz To Come
Best band name ever? It has to be way up there. What makes it even better is that this is the name of a jazz band. A jazz band that…