Trump, McCain, Kerry and the Not-So Swift Boats
Sean MurphyListen. No one is a bigger hater of the human dung pile that is Donald trump than I. Obviously what he said about McCain is outrageous yet entirely consistent…
Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past: Steinbeck, Nostalgia, Empathy and Amtrak (Revisited)
WHEN I FIRST read John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America I was not quite old enough to drive. Still, I felt I could appreciate his somewhat elegiac…
Ripe with Rich Attainments: Jethro Tull’s ‘A Passion Play’, Reassessed (Revisited)
For prog-rock aficionados, the hits keep coming, and one man above all deserves our gratitude: Steven Wilson. Whether it’s Yes, King Crimson, or Jethro Tull—all of whom he has worked…
Charlie Haden R.I.P. (Revisited)
1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of Blue,…
“My First Time”, via The Quivering Pen
It was my great pleasure to guest-post at The Quivering Pen, a fantastic site for writers (and readers) curated by David Abrams (himself an excellent reader and writer: check him…
Talking Jive, Mingus and John Goodman
Today is the day. For John Goodman, that is. And for you, if you are inclined to check out his new book, Jive-Colored Glasses: A Jazz Memoir. And you should…
The Worst People in America: Dick Cheney*
MOTHERFUCKER HAS SO MUCH blood on his hands he makes Lady Macbeth look like Snow White. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I’ve gone on record declaring, at…
The Doors: Our Star-Spangled American band (Revisited)
If the discussion is going to turn to American rock bands, it would be impossible to avoid R.E.M. Fortunately, I already dealt with their legacy and am on record declaring…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown: Remembering Michael Jackson (Revisited)
How do you know you've made an indelible impact on culture? Here's how. Listen: this story has been told so many times it is inextricable from the history of America.…
No, Really: Jeff Beck is God (Revisited)
6/15: Happy 71st birthday to the great Jeff Beck. 3/11: Since it happened to be Keith Relf’s birthday, it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to him on Tuesday. Plus, as…