Oct 24Deliver Me From Nowhere: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ at 40Perhaps because of what followed — the next album, the acclaim — Springsteen’s decision to make the ultimate lo-fi album seems even more prescient, appropriate, and perfect. If Darkness on the Edge of Town was a, well, darker departure from Born To Run, then Nebraska, after the mostly genial proceedings…Rock3 min readRock3 min read
Sep 27Steadfast and Inimitable: The Sound & Vision of Pharoah SandersNot a fan of Led Zeppelin, The Clash’s Paul Simonon once opined: “Just looking at their album covers makes me want to throw up.” When it comes to Pharoah Sanders, who passed away this weekend aged 81, all I have to do is consider one of his album covers and…Jazz9 min readJazz9 min read
Sep 5Barbara Ehrenreich and the Dignity of LaborIt seems specious, even disingenuous, to suggest that a well-known, best-selling author is both underrated and insufficiently read. As it happens, Barbara Ehrenreich, one of the most informed and important storytellers of our time, managed to write books that helped change the world (for the better), but, in part because…Labor Day5 min readLabor Day5 min read
Aug 20Roger Waters: Shining OnThere are so many musicians I admire, a smaller circle I adore, a smaller one still I revere, and a relative handful I’m grateful for. Artists whose work has changed my life, immeasurably for the better; artists who have demonstrably made the world a happier, more intelligent, passionate, inclusive place…Pink Floyd3 min readPink Floyd3 min read
Jun 24Here’s “The Thing” at 40In the early summer of 1982, two distinct entities from outer space infiltrated planet earth. One was a prehistoric creature with the ability to kill, then imitate its prey: it could attack its victims while remaining disguised amongst them by, in effect, becoming them. …Film6 min readFilm6 min read
May 27Ray Liotta: Goodbye To A GoodfellaAny appraisal of Ray Liotta must, of course, begin with Goodfellas. And it wasn’t even the role he was born to play; he had to earn it, had to convince the powers that be that he was the guy. He saw it, he knew, and he went and got it…Film5 min readFilm5 min read
Mar 15William Hurt: The Complete PackageSexy. Cerebral. Inscrutable. William Hurt, in part because he was perfect and in part because he remained impossible to pin down, was the thinking cinema fan’s god, always easy on the eyes but the rare actor who got not only under your skin, but inside your head. Has any modern…Movies5 min readMovies5 min read
Feb 13RIP Ian McDonald: MVP of the Best Prog Album EverIf Ian McDonald had done nothing other than be a crucial (arguably the crucial) member of the band that, in 1969, recorded the album that launched a thousand pretentious, proggy, perfect sonic ships, his status as a cultural icon would be assured. Indeed, if he’d only participated in any single…Rock6 min readRock6 min read
Aug 30, 2021Eternity Doesn’t Die: An Appreciation of Lee “Scratch” PerryIt’s impossible to adequately summarize or describe Lee “Scratch” Perry’s life in sounds; from inventing/advancing dub to mentoring Bob Marley to an entire decade (the ’70s) that saw him churn out masterpiece after masterpiece and produce/direct some of the best reggae albums of all time; to becoming Jamaica’s Crazy Uncle…Music8 min readMusic8 min read
Aug 25, 2021Charlie Watts: The Rock of the Rolling StonesI was recently involved in a discussion about Led Zeppelin’s least understood and appreciated album, In Through the Out Door (a topic I covered exactly a decade ago for a feature entitled “Ten Albums That Supposedly Suck (But Don’t”), and although no sane person with working ears would ever doubt…Rolling Stones8 min readRolling Stones8 min read
