You Want To See Something Really Scary?* 10 Horrific Scenes for Halloween
Sean MurphyFirst off, a confession of sorts: scary movies don't scare me. Or, to put it less bluntly, as a one-time horror movie aficionado, I quickly outgrew the ways gore supplanted…
The Fall Classic: 30 Years Ago
I don’t believe what I just saw! No one else in the room could believe it, either. Kirk Gibson had, before our eyes and on television, done something so improbable,…
Mail Bombs, MAGA hats, and The Genius of the Crowd
Charles Bukowski has long been an easy target, especially for the insufferable and self-appointed insiders of the literary scene. Sure, the macho posturing (although this dude at least knew how…
Bill Buckner, Mookie Wilson and Me (Revisited)
I've never been able to appreciate the aesthetic perfection (that is to say, the perfection of baseball's most imperfect play; it's most jarringly incongruous moment) because it was too painful.…
They Will Rock You, They Are The Champions: The Consummate American Bands (Revisited)
October ’08. In the spirit of two quintessentially American inventions (obsessions, really), baseball and rock and roll, it seemed like a swell idea to merge the two in a lighthearted…
Death of a Salesman and the American Dream
Burn all the political books and essays: trivia masquerading as analysis that mostly measures horse races and trends, at best attempting to make sense of what's already history; if you…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa: here's a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of our known…
Jamie Saft, Creativity, and the Cultivation of Mastery
My personal mantra --and life goal-- going back to my post-grad school existence, is somehow, some way trying to eradicate the barriers between art and life; not merely living an…
John McCain: RIP
P368426 03: (File Photo) Lieutenant Commander John Mccain Is Welcomed By U.S. President Richard Nixon Upon Mccain's Release From Five And One-Half Years As A P.O.W. During The Vietnam War…
I Like To (Re)Watch or, The Movies on My Mind
Celebrating one of my favorite movies, Serpico, I wrote the following: I want—and need—to revisit this movie on an annual basis, because it satisfies many needs. One, it's a masterpiece, so there's…