Vegas Baby
Sean MurphyQ: So tell us about that time you were in Vegas. A: As I semi-stumbled to my elevator too late one night at a surpassingly reasonable hour a dude with…
Where the Hell is Shafi Hadi?: A Poem
(*Saxophone player Shafi Hadi, born Curtis Porter, is best-known for his association with jazz legend Charles Mingus, and played on the seminal recording Mingus Ah Um, from 1959. He dropped…
The Prog Rock Holy Trinity, Cont’d, Part Three: Genesis (Revisited)
There are several things that make it challenging to discuss old school Genesis. First, virtually everyone knows and probably prefers the Phil Collins incarnation (or worse, people detest that outfit,…
Harold Ramis: Empathy for the Rebel (One Year Later)
Consider this: a world without Animal House. Or Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. I can’t fathom how much less happy my childhood would have been without any one of…
Perfection Turns 41 (Revisited)
Thanks to AMC, I'm reminded that The Godfather Part II turns 35 (edit: 41) this year. (And they should know, they show it on a bi-weekly loop.) I'm not especially…
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and Me (Revisited)
And the Oscar goes to... Who cares? Okay, okay: I'll resist the urge to be a sourpuss and let it suffice that I express my indifference to the pompous and…
Do You Believe in Miracles? (Revisited)
On Feb. 22, 1980, in a stunning upset, the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviets at Lake Placid, N.Y., 4-to-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the…
Why Is Prog Rock So Inadequate, Simplistic, Reductive, Portentous and…Perfect? (Revisited)
It’s always crucial, when talking trends—musical or otherwise—to contextualize the times and remember that wardrobe malfunctions, chemical excess and unspeakable atrocities like porn-star mustaches never exist within a vacuum. To…
A Portrait of the Boss As a Young Man: On Bruce Springsteen’s First Seven Albums
There is one key question that arises whenever a new box set of previously-available material is released: is it necessary? With Bruce Springsteen’s eight-disc The Album Collection Vol. 1: 1973-1984,…
Art vs. Life and Death, Again (Revisited)
Wow, look at the New York Times, today, on the complicated legacy of Roberto Bolano, here. Money quote(s): Few writers are more acclaimed right now than the Chilean novelist Roberto…