Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Sean MurphyThis hurts. Word is hitting the wires that Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, has succumbed to cancer. This is awful news, obviously, but also surprising since it sounded like he had…
Props on Pops: 70th Birthday Edition
I have written more than once about my mother (here and here) but I haven't said a great deal (here) about my old man. That is, in part, because he…
A Joyful Noise
This is not the first dog/soldier reunion video I've seen. It may not even be the best one (though they are all wonderful in their way). But it is probably…
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble
With a major h/t to my friend, and prolific author, Robert Rodriguez (if you are a music fan and especially if you are a Beatles fan, you need to get…
Beauty is a Rare Thing: Celebrating International Jazz Day
All hope is not lost. At least enough people are still making --and listening to-- jazz that we can even attempt to initiate what hopefully becomes an ongoing occasion. In…
The Song Remains The Same or, The Agony of Influence (Revisited)
Two thoughts from T.S. Eliot: April is the cruelest month... Whatever. Good poets borrow; great poets steal. Now we're talking. And here is where it gets interesting: debate rages (well,…
Levon Helm: So Real It Makes You Believe
There are probably countless ways to talk about what makes a particular artist compelling, and all of them are true. There are not that many ways to articulate how or…
Emile “Butch” Bouchard: R.I.P. to a Hockey Legend
I love hockey and I can appreciate the storied history of its most famous franchise, The Montreal Canadiens (a history that, regretfully, includes their stunning first round upset of my…
Happy 90th, Chazz
Today would have been (and, still is) Charles Mingus's 90th birthday. I've written about him often and I'll continue to write about him, not only because he is one of…
For J.D. Salinger, Jethro Tull and Me (Revisited)
It was 42 years ago, today, that Jethro Tull's third album, Benefit, was released. I wrote about it (and many other things) over the course of a productive day during…