Mom, Johnny Mathis and Me
Sean MurphyDespite accusations to the contrary leveled by friends (and especially family), I don't hate Christmas music so much as I'm allergic to cliché and kitsch -- and as such this…
Sui generis on the rocks: Christopher Hitchens, Five Years On
The best way to compliment a writer, as a reader, is to recommend their work to others. That I wholeheartedly do --and have done. The best way to compliment a…
Big Log
1983: I remember when this first dropped, during summer break before 8th grade (and then getting massive radio play that winter) and I was mostly underwhelmed. It was...aight. But it…
What We Talk About When We Talk About Sex (In Fiction)
WRITING ABOUT SEX is like engaging in sex: it’s hard. Or, it should be. It’s that time of year again, where we can count on three things: shopping-related stress during…
The Weeklings: Solutions for Oncoming Political Darkness
In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times. --Bertolt Brecht I --and my fellow editors and compatriots at The…
Larry Bird: The Legend at 60
It's almost impossible to accept Larry Bird is 60 years old, today. Because, among other things (like mortality, inevitability), this means I'm definitely no longer an adolescent, watching his exploits…
The Democrats Can’t Win If They Won’t Fight
i. The Day After the Day After ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE hand-wringing and recriminations. The only time Democrats love firearms is when they enter a circular firing squad. The only…
Born In The U.S.A. or, Every Day Is Veterans Day (Revisited)
I. Personal Remember when Born in the U.S.A. was ubiquitous? The album and the song. Bruce was already big, but he wasn’t over the top. Born in the U.S.A. put…
The Life You Take is Your Political Voice
Pivoting --and plagiarizing-- from earlier sentiment expressed in greater detail HERE, HERE and HERE, this is my succinct .02 on what's at stake and a final shout-out for any of…
Thom Jones: The Pugilist at Rest (in Peace)
i. HERE’S THE THING about clean-up hitters: they strike out a lot. Then again, consider some of baseball’s most prodigious home run champions: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth,…